Grado SR125 Headphones Review

[dang]

Checkout our latest review of the Grado SR125 Headphones (http://reviews.designtechnica.com/review377.html)The Grado SR125 are not going to win any aesthetics or usability awards, but the sound produced will bring out some sounds masked by other headphones.

[Porsche911]

Ouch, a 6/10 for these phones are harsh considering they have recieved a ton of awards for sound. They sure are ugly though compared to the Sennheiser's, but look just about as bad as the Koss phones you reviewed in IMO.

[techfreak]

Ok no offense, but I don't care how good these sound, if they wont stay on my head and they are butt ugly (and look fragile) I will pass. What kind of a warranty do they have?

[neuroking]

I believe the warrenty is 1 year, but I will check, and respond back later.

Yes, I know it was harsh, but I was honestly disappointed before I even heard a single sound through them, and I think the point of DT reviews is more "Will you be happy when you receive the product and use it". I would say that unless you are an extreme audiophile and Grado devotee, you would probably return them in favor for a poorer sounding Sony set from a local electronics store. I actually was excited at the prospect of reviewing them and went into the whole thing very biased toward a positive review.

I have asked 5 people if they would buy these heaphones for $100. When they didn't hear them, they all said no. Likewise they all said 'definitely not' when they tried them on, and 2 said 'maybe' when they heard them.

As a reminder, this review was done without an amp, which is not entirely appropriate for this class of cans. But the main problem was not the sound.

And yes the Koss KSC-35s were not beautiful, but they were on the edge of average. Points were deducted for the fit being tight. But I approach the image/design factor as a non-issue unless it really jumps out. So if the Grados were downright 'fugly' because they were great fitting and comfortable, then it would be forgivable. But there was no redeaming quality for the design category.

I knew this would be a contraversial review, but I had to call it as I saw it, and in the end I found the design to be inexcusable and a major impediment toward myself, and those I asked, buying these headphones.

Brandon

[Ioman]

So I have been playing around with the Grados and here is my opinion.

The build quality of them suck as do the look. For $125 dollars I would have thought they would be better. Also, the cord that comes with it is very very short. I cannot even site on my sofa and listen to my music using them, I need to sit next to the reciever which blows.

The sound in my opinion is fantastic. Especially compared to my Denon Digital headphones. They reproduce the sound in its most natural way, nothing is enhanced or altered. This can be both a good and bad thing. For a home reciever this is great because you can change the bass, treble and tone on the reciever itself and you know the sound you are hearing through the Grados are from the reciever; its pure.

But for portable use they are terrible and here is why: most portable devices have terrible tone controls, naturually because they lack the power and amplifier to power headphones like the Grado.

I hope that makes sense. From what I can tell, the Grados produce exactly what is put into them. Nothing is distorted or enhanced by them. When playing Moby, I thought the bass was perfect, not too strong or weak. And when playing Sting's Field of Gold album, the accoustics and vocals were very crips clear, and warm at the same time. When compared to the Grados, my Denons produced overwhelming bass and hiss. Now I don't want to go back to them.

But, dang, the Grados sure feel cheap and look ugly. Now I want to try some Sennheiser HD497 to see how they sound because they sure look great.

[questionlp]

I still have to say that I love my Sennheiser HD570 and HD580 headphones :)

The Grado-look does not appeal to me.

[Ioman]

Well after listening for a while, I know why they are not considered fatigueing. I personally like it when my headphones surround me with the music. I like the warm sound that makes me feel like I am somewhere else, but this often causes fatigue of the ears. The Grado's don't do this, they seem to put the sound at just the right distance so you do not feel so enveloped in the music. The ear pads are also very light and let the ears breath, but a lot of sound leaks out.

I would still give the Grados a 6/10, they are certainly different, just not exactly what I had been hoping for.

[neuroking]

Quality-wise, they are decent, but comfort, looks and almost everything else is poor.

Yes, the HD580's are wonderful.

Crap, now all this discussion on headphones makes me want to go get some Pioneer SE-XB1's!

Brandon

[Ioman]

Originally posted by neuroking
Quality-wise, they are decent, but comfort, looks and almost everything else is poor.

Yes, the HD580's are wonderful.

Crap, now all this discussion on headphones makes me want to go get some Pioneer SE-XB1's!

Brandon

I am becoming a headphone junkie. Want me to make a seperate headphones forum? :D

[neuroking]

Rock on! Go for it.

Hey! Got any Pioneer connections? *hint hint*

[Ioman]

Originally posted by neuroking
Rock on! Go for it.

Hey! Got any Pioneer connections? *hint hint*

Maybe ;)

[Santaduck]

Originally posted by Ioman
Well after listening for a while, I know why they are not considered fatigueing. I personally like it when my headphones surround me with the music. I like the warm sound that makes me feel like I am somewhere else, but this often causes fatigue of the ears. The Grado's don't do this, they seem to put the sound at just the right distance so you do not feel so enveloped in the music. The ear pads are also very light and let the ears breath, but a lot of sound leaks out.

haha yeah, it takes a while to settle in and appreciate non-fatiguing audio, especially if it's not an issue you have considered before, in addition to the issue of breaking-in any brand-new speakers or headphones for a week or so-- sound may be crushed & withdrawn, as well as fatiguing during the breakin process. The leakage of sound is an intentional part of the design-- notice the ear pieces are not covered on the outside, I believe to reduce audio degradation from reflection effects, but I can see how that is an disadvantage in some applications.

Regarding the lack of comfort, unfortunately these low-end Grados are very well known for that problem, and in fact some third-party companies have stepped in to offer custom foam earpieces to help this problem. Overall I probably wouldn't use these for gaming, and only for serious listening of acoustic (unplugged) instruments, or vocal pieces, rather than electronica, rock/pop/etc., or gaming. The Senneheisers should be much more comfortable, with less leakage, but they seem a bit too large for my tastes.

If I may suggest the review of an outboard headphone amplifier, such as the ones by headroom... I'd be curious if these would offer any improvement (over long-term use) if connected to non-audiophile sources, such as computer-audio, or even say an iPod. The headroom brand also has the special delay crosstalk circuit to simulate listening to speaker in front of your head, rather than inside your head.

[neuroking]

Yes, I do have to say the Grados are very nice for acoustic and vocal, and I preferred them over my Senn HD580's, but I would probably invest in some of those custom pads before considering serious use.

I let the Grados burn in for I think 3 days before reviewing. I honestly didn't see a significant difference.

I agree about the amp review idea. The only caveat is that it starts moving us toward the stereophile path. Not that that's a bad thing, but I don't think many users will want to dish out the $300+ dollars for a decent amp. I mean, if you think about it, if someone wants good sound for their PC, they will be doubling their investment in speakers and headphones. At least, IMHO.

[theguy]

Yea they sound good, but they pale in comparison to my Sennheiser HD-590s. Sennheisers are beautiful and feel like soft earmuffs.......and pack a 2-year warranty.......and did i mention they sound better, tighter, more natural sounding bass......all for $150