Drop describes the Drop+ Grell OAE1 Signature open-back headphones with perfectly round ear cups as designed to reproduce “a realistic sound field that closely resembles the experience of listening through speakers.” The new product was created in collaboration with former Sennheiser chief acoustic engineer Axel Grell, and this is his second model at Drop. The first, Drop + Grell TWS1X IEM, came out almost three years ago. Since then, Drop has undergone changes – the company became partially owned by Corsair.
The new product is released in a limited edition, only 1,000 copies, and Grell himself believes that “with the Drop + Grell OAE1 Signature headphones, he has reached a new peak in the field of stereo imaging and audio technology.” Particularly noteworthy is the special internal geometry of the headphones.
“Our ears are as individual as our fingerprints, so when you place a speaker directly on your eardrum, like most headphones, it will sound good to some and bad to others,” Grell explains. “By placing the speaker in front of the ear, we bring the natural geometry of the ear into the sound production process, allowing the brain to equalize the sound. Combined with an open-back design, these signature headphones deliver rich, clear sound.”
As a result, the Drop + Grell OAE1 claims a frequency range of 12–32,000 Hz, and with a quite affordable nominal resistance of 38 Ohms, they can operate even from low-power mobile gadgets. In this sense, their weight is also successful – only 365 g.
In the US, Drop + Grell OAE1 Signature headphones cost $350 to pre-order, despite the suggested retail price being $400.
