This is a review, listening test and measurements of the OLLO Audio S5X open back headphone. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $449.
The S5X looks nice and differentiated. Comfort was very good. Alas, the sample I received had a pretty crushed left cup (on top) which made it harder to get matching channel response. Company advertises it as: "Reference class, open back, dynamic headphones with flat frequency response for binaural/immersive mixing made in the EU." Let's see if it does that.
Ollo S5X Measurements
We start with our usual frequency response measurement:
Response is kind of flat but something is causing that opposing kink between 200 and 300 Hz. For our use which is enjoyment of music, it likely is deficient in both bass and lower treble which images spatial qualities. High frequency seems to comply with our target with all the peaks reaching the target.
Relative response to our target shows a complex shape:
It will be interesting to see if I can develop a set of filters for it to flatten that curve.
When it comes to distortion, that kink in frequency response manifests itself in a lot of impairment:
It seems that the industry is so focused on frequency response that such simple distortion measurements are not performed to catch what is clearly a flaw.
It is so bad that even our group delay shows it:
And even impedance measurement!
Sensitive is better than average though so it should be an easy drive for most sources:
OLLO Audio S5X Headphone Listening Tests and Equalization
First impression was a sound that was inoffensive and not exciting. So I decided to apply EQ:
It took some trial and error to optimize the highest frequency filter. I was amazed how much difference that filter at 213 Hz made. I think the harmonics of that distortion were polluting the spectrum above above.
With all of these filters in place, the sound was delightful courtesy of angled drivers that provided neat spatial effects. There was plenty of bass and the sound was much more open due to higher frequency boosts.
Conclusions
The S5X has a clear flaw in upper bass area which manifests itself in a lot of distortion. Its frequency response is as claimed ("flat") but that is not what we like as audiophiles. Fortunately it is fairly fixable in EQ and as is typical, transforms the experience in a dramatic way. You can now sit back and really enjoy your music. At the same time, if you have to use it without EQ in some other secondary situations, the sound is not bad.
I can't recommend the OLLO Audio S5X as is. With EQ it gets much better.
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As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.
Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/
The S5X looks nice and differentiated. Comfort was very good. Alas, the sample I received had a pretty crushed left cup (on top) which made it harder to get matching channel response. Company advertises it as: "Reference class, open back, dynamic headphones with flat frequency response for binaural/immersive mixing made in the EU." Let's see if it does that.
Ollo S5X Measurements
We start with our usual frequency response measurement:
Response is kind of flat but something is causing that opposing kink between 200 and 300 Hz. For our use which is enjoyment of music, it likely is deficient in both bass and lower treble which images spatial qualities. High frequency seems to comply with our target with all the peaks reaching the target.
Relative response to our target shows a complex shape:
It will be interesting to see if I can develop a set of filters for it to flatten that curve.
When it comes to distortion, that kink in frequency response manifests itself in a lot of impairment:
It seems that the industry is so focused on frequency response that such simple distortion measurements are not performed to catch what is clearly a flaw.
It is so bad that even our group delay shows it:
And even impedance measurement!
Sensitive is better than average though so it should be an easy drive for most sources:
OLLO Audio S5X Headphone Listening Tests and Equalization
First impression was a sound that was inoffensive and not exciting. So I decided to apply EQ:
It took some trial and error to optimize the highest frequency filter. I was amazed how much difference that filter at 213 Hz made. I think the harmonics of that distortion were polluting the spectrum above above.
With all of these filters in place, the sound was delightful courtesy of angled drivers that provided neat spatial effects. There was plenty of bass and the sound was much more open due to higher frequency boosts.
Conclusions
The S5X has a clear flaw in upper bass area which manifests itself in a lot of distortion. Its frequency response is as claimed ("flat") but that is not what we like as audiophiles. Fortunately it is fairly fixable in EQ and as is typical, transforms the experience in a dramatic way. You can now sit back and really enjoy your music. At the same time, if you have to use it without EQ in some other secondary situations, the sound is not bad.
I can't recommend the OLLO Audio S5X as is. With EQ it gets much better.
-----------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.
Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/
