Grain Audio OEHP.01 Over The Ear Headphones, Brown/Grey

Disclosure 1. I love the Grain Audio PSW-1. You can see my early review (August 28, 2013) of this remarkable little speaker here: http://grainaudio.com/collections/handheld/products/pws. My profound fondness for this mini-speaker finally led me to purchase their over-ear headphones the OEHP.01.Disclosure 2. I’m a vinylholic. I listen to CDs as needed but prefer the rich sound of well-made vinyl LPs.Disclosure 3. I recognize that all audio reviews are very subjective. Please don’t shoot me.My in-home headphones are a pair of Grado SR325s. Other equipment: Marantz 2270 receiver, Music Hall MMF-5 turntable with Blue Point #2 cartridge, Marantz DV6001 DVD/SACD player, Focal 816s speakers. These are the references upon which this review is based.I have found, since day 1 that the Grados were a bit uncomfortable for prolonged (even an album side) listening, and that they were a bit too bright, even for me who prefers brightness to excess bass.My first comparison evaluation is for side one of a 1970s vinyl (not 1st issue) recording of “In the Court of the Crimson King” by King Crimson. I thought this album was a good place to start because it has a relatively large dynamic range with loud, compressed and also very open airy passages. What I found surprised me. The Grain OEHPs sounded very spacey and open but somehow isolated and somewhat distant and maybe even gauzy while the Grados offered a presence and agility that the Grains couldn’t match. I very much preferred the airy, seemingly more accurate sound of the Grados to the more claustrophobic atmosphere created by the Grains. This album is so claustrophobic to begin with!Next up: tracks “Run the VooDoo Down” and “Travelin’ Miles” from the LP “Travelin’ Miles” by Cassandra Wilson (2014 Blue Note issue). The bass from the Grains was so intense that it hurt my sensibilities and I found listening via the headphones most unpleasant. Granted, this is a very bass heavy LP, but the Grains really over-emphasized this. By comparison, the Grados (and my Focal speakers) sounded light and transparent and the differentiation of the various instruments was very clear.Oh oh! Fallin’ off the rails here. No review is complete without the Kinks. Up here is “20th Century Man” and “Acute Schizophrenia Blues” from the Koch 2004 SACD (much preferred to my original vinyl release of one of my favorite records of all time). The Grados emphasized the sharp and brittle characteristics that led me to purchase the Grains. The overall sound was overly bright compared to that through my speakers. The Grains certainly diminished the brittleness that the Grados exhibited, but to the detriment of the music. In fact, the deadened sound reminded me of the poorly pressed vinyl RCA edition of this classic that led me to prefer the SACD. I again found the Grains to be claustrophobic. Even though the Grados were too bright I found them preferable to the Grains. What is it with me choosing these paranoid recordings?More upbeat this time. Radiohead’s … Oh wait no, I promised more upbeat. How about “And Your Bird Can Sing” from the Beatles’ “Revolver” (from the recent mono LP box set)? The Grains offered mud while the Grados presented all the effervescence that this song offers. Best ever version of this song (not reviewed here) is on Anthology 2.“Let’s Fly Away” by Frankie from “Come Fly With Me” (1970s Capitol LP reissue). Again the Grados sounded lively and superior. The Grains were adequate and if I didn’t have the Grados for comparison I would have thought them just fine.“Sunday Sun” from Beck’s “Sea Change” LP. Plenty of bass from this bass-heavy LP with the Grains; too much bass, in fact. Easy to get lost in the gauzy production of this one but the vocals and the other instrumentation are intelligible and clear. Compared with the Grain OEHP.01s, the Grados again were airy and light. Yes, there is a bit of bass but it doesn’t overwhelm the proceedings as the Grains do. You have much more differentiation and a much wider soundstage with the Grados.John Coltrane’s “Afro Blue” from “Live At Birdland” Impulse LP. I’d better stop because the same lack of dynamics and heavy bass in the Grains is present while the Grados sounded much more like I was there in at Birdland than listening to a muted version of the concert.I’ve tried to give my general impression of these two sets of cans with a variety of performers. These few comparisons probably don’t do the OEHP.01s the justice that they deserve, but as I said at the outset, such reviews are subjective. As much as I wanted to fall in love with the Grain OEHP.01s I found the Grado SR325s to be livelier and more accurate in every case. This comparison has made me appreciate the clarity of the Grados and made me realize that they are not too bright. And the thing I expected least, more comfortable, even though about a half ounce heavier. A minor point but the Grains don’t differentiate between the left or right ear: each ear shows a Grain “G” instead of “L” or “R”. Probably a good thing I didn’t listen to orchestral works!

After having these headphones for several months I thought its about time to tell the world just what these headphones are made of, the good and the bad. This will be quite long.The good: beautiful sound, comfortable, stylish.The bad: headphones don't fit perfectly around the ears.Review. I had been wanting a good premium pair of headphones to replace a $50 pair of sony on-ears. After weeks of research and reading reviews I decided to do the unpopular decision; go with the new company on the block. Although grain audio has been around for a few years they're still pretty new compared to the competition. When my pair finally arrived I was thrilled. The headphones came in a dark, minimalistic box. The joy of opening this doesn't matter too much so I'll move on.Design. The first thing I thought when i saw these was premium. The plastic parts aren't flimsy and compliment the look of the wood very well. The cushions are soft, and the headphones are very comfortable when wearing. When I first tried them I almost fooled myself to thinking I didn't have them on! Going on comfort and looks these headphones shine, but there's some negative when it comes to the overall design. The notch system is weird. Although not bad on paper it has some issues. Adjusting the nothches on these over-ears and adjusting normal headphones aren't the same. These headphones adjust the speaker placement, which wasn't helping me at all when trying to get the perfect fit. There was always noise getting in, and bass going out. Laying in bed on a pillow fixes this problem very well, but its hard to get to work otherwise. All aside I am overall pleased with the design, but could be better.Sound.Now for the big question_the sound. At first I didn't know what to think, music was exploding everywhere in and around my ears. Not being used to premium sound, it just seemed ok. Definitely better than what I had previously, but how much better i wasn't sure. It was then I realized that the software on my phone was hindering these headphones. I found a good music player, with high quality sound, then I took notice. All my music came alive, and like other reviewers have said I did hear sounds I previously didn't hear before. Highs are sharp and crisp, mids are great and lows are punchy and deep, but not overpowering. Overall the sound is very balanced and natural. Any song I played sounded just amazing, I played through my 200+ songs again to hear them in high quality and every time was trilled with it.Surround sound actually works in these headphones, but it's not perfect.So are they worth it? I'd say yes! The sound is simply amazing and the cushions are very comfortable, you can wear them for hours. The most equivalent headphones I have tried to this pair is Bose quiet comfort, but they just don't have quite the sound of grain audios oehp. The quiet comfort does eliminate sound around you, these headphones simply isolate your ears from the ambient noise. If you think these headphones are not worth a look think again, they really are a good pair of headphones.