Ora Graphene Headphones

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by MrTeaRex, Jun 22, 2017.

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  1. MrTeaRex

    MrTeaRex His head's not fat, he's my brother!

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    New headphone utilizing a Graphene composite driver. No clue if they're on to something, or if it's complete marketing hype, until the headphones make their way into the hands of those with trusted ears and measurement experience (estimated Q1 2018 for the masses). However, it might be interesting to discuss the material, technology, or potential in the meantime.

    Product site:
    https://www.ora-sound.com/

    Digital Trends hands-on:
    https://www.digitaltrends.com/home-...utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer#/5

    Graphene itself is an impressive material:
    http://www.graphene.manchester.ac.uk/explore/what-can-graphene-do/

    Edit: If nothing else, this mildly-phallic animation comparing Mylar drivers to their Graphene composite drivers is worth a chuckle.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jun 22, 2017
  2. cskippy

    cskippy Creamy warmpoo

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    Seems kind of interesting. I like the strength and rigidity aspects of graphene but I see the frequency response "improvement" and read the impressions and it just sounds bright. Kind of like stock HE-6 with very extended treble giving "air" and extra detail. it's nice but not realistic at all. Hopefully I'm wrong and it's a great new technological improvement.
     
  3. 9suns

    9suns [insert unearned title here]

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    "Before we slipped on a pair, Gaskell had us listen to two black, nondescript bookshelf speakers set side-by-side — one equipped with Ora’s GrapheneQ driver, and one with an off-the-shelf alternative. The differences were subtle..."

    Not very encouraging to read...

    I think that the most important aspect is implementation, the main attraction of the headphone is the "Graphene Q" driver, and if the sound difference is "subtle" vs an equally well implemented conventional driver, then it is a small advancement, not a revolutionary one.

    Of course, I can't say that 100% sure, as I didn't heard the headphones, but the "difference were subtle" thing is not promising.

    Speaking about graphene, I'm far more interested on this:
    http://gizmodo.com/a-graphene-speaker-with-no-moving-parts-uses-heat-to-pr-1794950694

    That could be a tough contender to electrostats in terms of transient response but without the need of the uber expensive aftermarket electrostatic amplifier.
     
  4. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    In a way, I'd rather hear that the differences were subtle than be told they were night and day. It's that bit less likely to be bullshit!

    Unfortunately, the rest sounds a bit cow-dungish, and I really don't like PhD waving.

    Whatever. New material for drivers. Could be better in some as-yet unknown way. Bring it on. Keep on trying. Keep up the experiments: without a huge rubbish pile there won't be any successes.

    But lets try not to loose too much on Kickstarter along the way.
     
  5. Headroll

    Headroll New

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    Check page 129 of "2017 Loudspeaker Industry Sourcebook"

    http://www.gotomylis.com/

    Re: GrapheneQ: Graphene Composites for Improved Sound Quality and Increased Efficiency in Portable Devices
     
  6. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    ^ First(?) final product review is highly negative.

    Joshua Valour posted about his interest in the headphone but also described his doubts regarding anything kickstarter. So confidently Ora contacted him to lend a set for review. Backfire!

    These are not yet shipped to backers but they are supposedly finalized and will be going out soon.
     

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