Drop + Grell OAE1
Axel Grell's front-firing experiment: panned by the labs and most critics, adored by a stubborn minority of owners.
43 sources9 divided topics
Read the overreview A wider view of audio gear
The reviews,
reviewed.
What reviewers agree on.
Where they disagree. What matters to you.
Latest reviews
Browse all reviews
HIFIMAN Arya Stealth Magnet Version
Flagship-grade detail and a huge, open stage for $599 — on a bright top end that thrills some ears and wears out others.
58 sources3 divided topics
ZiiGaat Horizon
ZiiGaat's first tribrid is a detail-and-air set that most hear as refined — and a sizeable minority as a little too hot and a little too lean.
80 sources3 divided topics
Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3
Small, detailed and spacious — and, for a vocal minority, still a little too bright up top.
25 sources2 divided topics
SMSL SU-9 Pro
A flagship-chip DAC at half the flagship price — and the usual argument over whether you can hear the chip at all.
21 sources3 divided topics
M-VAVE SMK-37 Elite
A $130 controller that also plays DX7-style sounds from its own headphone jack — loved for what it packs in, argued over for how well it all works.
22 sources4 divided topics
The dictionary
Know what you’re hearing.
Warm
A boost in the bass and lower mids that gives music a rich, cozy, easy-on-the-ears character.
Soundstage
The perceived three-dimensional space of a recording — how wide, deep, and tall the sound appears.
Bright
An emphasis on the upper midrange and treble — vivid, clear, and sometimes sharp.
Neutral
An even-handed sound with no part of the spectrum pushed forward or held back — balanced and reference-like.