I’ll make my stance clear from the outset: I personally hold the Grell OAE2 over‑ear headphone in very high regard — it perfectly recaptures the shock and emotion I felt nearly 20 years ago when I first heard the Sennheiser HD580. Though times have changed, Axel Grell remains the same Grell, while the HD580 has become today’s OAE2.
At the Shanghai exhibition this March, I saw the OAE2 for the first time and was immediately drawn to this new product that carried a touch of “tech‑chic” while still adhering to the classic European headphone design tradition. Upon learning more, it turned out to be the brainchild of Axel Grell — a former Sennheiser acoustic engineer and a godfather figure in the European headphone industry — developed under his own direction after leaving Sennheiser. A figure of his calibre doesn’t need to spin stories; his career itself is a string of stories: from the HD580 to the HD800, and even the HE‑1 (Orpheus II), he either led or contributed to most of Sennheiser’s classic over‑ear models over the past three decades.A few minutes of listening to the OAE2 with a portable player, and you’re immediately moved by its rich, warm, and full‑bodied yet never cloying sound signature. Unlike the HD580 from thirty years ago, the OAE2 is built on a thoroughly modern technical foundation, yet its character stays true to the classic old‑school German headphone sound. The application of its “Front Soundstage Modulation” technology gives the OAE2 a more realistic and three‑dimensional soundstage. You could say that although this headphone has changed its name, the blood flowing through its veins is still thoroughly old‑school German, inheriting that grand, generous, and magnificent tonal quality.
In terms of packaging, accessories, and the overall design language, the OAE2 doesn’t follow the retro styling of classic German over‑ear headphones from brands like Sennheiser, AKG, or Beyerdynamic. Instead, it blends a touch of modern technology and fashion into the traditional framework — from certain angles, it even has a hint of “Apple‑esque” flair. If you swapped the grilles for closed‑back panels, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone mistook it for a Bluetooth headphone…The OAE2 comes with a sleek, flat portable carry case, and inside you’ll find two cables: one terminated in 3.5mm (with a 6.35mm adapter included) and another with a 4.4mm balanced plug. The headphone itself almost screams “open‑back” with its design. The lightweight outer shell is constructed from high‑quality steel, paired with a stainless steel mesh grille made in Germany — a combination that ensures acoustic performance while maintaining high strength and low weight. A polyamide support structure and specialised damping materials effectively reduce shell resonance, preserving sound purity.The ear pads are made of velour — soft and breathable, though wearing them in the middle of summer does get a bit warm… Looking inside the ear cups, you’ll notice that the 40mm bio‑cellulose dynamic driver isn’t positioned at the centre; instead, it’s placed at a noticeable offset towards the front of the ear cup. This is the core design of the Front Soundstage Modulation (FSFM) technology — more on its sonic effects later.The headband and padding are kept relatively simple. A curved cylindrical frame provides a strong yet flexible support structure, with moderate inward clamping force — secure enough to stay in place but not overly tight. The soft padding on top is comfortable, and there’s even a recessed section at the fontanelle position for added relief. The only issue is that the headband extension is somewhat limited, which may not be ideal for users with larger head circumferences.
The sound of the OAE2 can be thought of as a modern‑day HD580 in terms of technical performance, or a warmer, fuller‑bodied HD800S — while such descriptions may not be perfectly precise, they give a reasonable sense of its performance level and tonal direction. Priced at 4,380 RMB in China, it’s quite accessible in an era where flagship models often hit five figures, yet its raw sound quality can comfortably hold its own against flagship open‑backs under 10,000 RMB. That makes this German over‑ear headphone an exceptional value proposition.Thanks to the FSFM technology, the OAE2’s presentation leans closer to what you’d hear from a two‑channel stereo system or a live performance. Its soundstage doesn’t stretch laterally to the left and right, but instead unfolds in a fan‑shape before you. So if you’re used to other headphones, you might not initially perceive the OAE2 as having a particularly wide soundstage — but you’ll immediately notice an unprecedented sense of depth and three‑dimensionality. Similarly, its imaging differs from typical headphones. Take vocals, for example: instead of sitting inside your head, the singer takes a step forward, placing you more firmly in the audience, giving you a greater sense of being there.
The OAE2 delivers sound energy with palpable abundance. Overall, it leans towards a warm, full‑bodied, and balanced all‑rounder character — it has a clear stylistic inclination, but no particular genre bias. Across the entire frequency range, you hear a rich, weighty, even slightly “enthusiastic” power. As the official description puts it, the sound has a speaker‑like sense of grounding. On the other hand, if you isolate each frequency band, the OAE2 might seem “unremarkable,” but when you take in the overall picture, the sound is remarkably fluid and natural — that’s the charm of a classic German tuning applied to a high‑performance dynamic driver.Within this sonic framework, the OAE2’s dynamics are truly “calm as still water, swift as a startled hare.” It excels at capturing subtle nuances while also delivering the grand, resounding power of large‑scale crescendos. The bass quantity and depth are rendered with remarkable realism and refinement across different tracks, brimming with musical authority.
While I have nothing against headphones with strong stylistic leanings or those optimised for specific genres, I, like many others, generally prefer a single pair that can handle a wide variety of music. The OAE2 delivers exactly that. From my earlier description, you’d be justified in believing that the OAE2 excels at classical music and live recordings — but you need not worry about its performance with pop vocals or even ACG music either. Its rich, full‑bodied midrange and bass, along with its dense, enveloping atmosphere, instantly took me back to the first time I heard the HD580 twenty years ago. It may not have Audio‑Technica’s signature “female vocal magic,” nor Beyerdynamic’s sheer straightforwardness, but it possesses a warm, soulful, and weighty beauty in its vocal reproduction. The excellent driver performance brings strong resolution and separation, adding rich tonal texture and subtle nuances to the midrange. So unless you specifically favour a leaner, brighter presentation, the OAE2’s pop vocal performance is unlikely to disappoint you.
Beyond its genre‑versatility, another major strength of the OAE2 is how easy it is to drive. Even with portable sources like the FiiO M27 or Quloos MUB5, which pack considerable output power, it already performs admirably. On the desktop side, you only need a modest investment to unlock nearly its full potential — compact desktop amps or all‑in‑ones such as the MOONDROP DHA15, FiiO K13 R2R, Shengyouchuang T11, or Shanling EH2 can all drive the OAE2 effectively. Meanwhile, Grell is also planning to release an official upgrade cable with dual‑entry connectors, which should, in theory, offer a notable sonic improvement over the stock cable. If I get the chance, I’ll be sure to share my impressions with you all as soon as possible.
In summary, the Grell OAE2 is a dynamic over‑ear headphone that resonates with me on every level. It not only delivers excellent sound quality for its price, but also embodies the rare traditional German headphone character that is hard to find these days, helping listeners grasp the essence of music through the headphone’s own voice. At 4,380 RMB, paired with this level of performance, the OAE2 strikes me as an almost unbeatable proposition, and it will certainly become a frequent name on my personal recommendation list going forward.
Source：巡洋艦3rd
