It's been a long road in my journey to discovering the full potential and capability of my SR-125's, with lows as well as highs, and I hope to give as complete and neutral an account of my experience as possible to aid readers in making an informed decision.

First of all, after 2 years listening to and experimenting with these phones in an often frustrating attempt to get the best possible sound out of them, I am finally and fully convinced that Grado SR-125's are indeed all they're cracked up to be. I can now hear everything that its proponents have been raving about, from the crystal clear detail and flat response, to a real, perceptible soundstage and sound imaging - without the aid of any EQ or processing. With respect to the latter, especially on recordings that had been properly reverbed, I feel I can achieve an audio presentation that even approaches the sound of loudspeakers.

But what took me so long? First, after the first few months, I upgraded my sound card from a $30 one to an audiophile-quality one with 100+ db snr. That obviously made a big difference. Quality of source is definitely the biggest factor, and I would go so far as to speculate that there exists no headphone, no matter how good, that can overcome a bad source. Secondly, I found that removing the foam ear pads and putting the driver units directly over my ears allowed for the greatest clarity and accuracy. This is a controversial claim, and some will definitely disagree that Grado's sound best this way, but I think it is a matter of preference. Placing the drivers further away from the ear will clearly enhance the bass, but with some loss to detail, but will probably sound better, for instance, on a source that either can't produce enough detail in the first place, or isn't neutral. Finally, after quitting my job in manufacturing in Dec 2008, I was surprised to discover that my hearing had been subtly damaged by constant background noise, without my even realizing it. Resting my ears has restored an amazing amount of detail that I had mistakenly thought was missing in my SR-125's. :p

In conclusion, having heard my SR-125's both at its worst and best (well, to date), I just want to stress how important it is to match them with the right source. If your phones don't sound as great as expected, especially if they sound outright bad, it could be from any number of reasons, even hearing damage like in my case. Just try to remember that the problem *probably* doesn't lie with the Grado's.

Great monitors,detailed sound
Price
reasonably comfortable

The sound tends to be too bright
Bass is a bit weak
Not forgiving with poor quality material

I find this headphones to sound too bright on most recordings. Only the best quality material sounds balanced. To me, the sound is very detailed and you can hear the last piece of information(great monitors). But the overall presentation tend to be brigth and unfortunately my amplifier has no tone control. So, i am a bit dissapointed with them , to the point that i prefer to listen to the main loudspeakers by far.About the bass, i think is beautifully presented but a bit laid back.
On the other hand, I find them comfortable and well made for the price.The old styled design has little importance to me. The open design allows you to hear what is going on while listening music, which I think is ok.
So, if your system has a tendency to enphasize the high frecuencies or you have recordings that are not perfect , I would not recomend these headphones.

My system:
Music Hall mmf 7 turntable
Dynavector DV 20 H cartridge
Dynavector P-75 phonostage
Sony CDP 485 CD player
Technichs ST 505 tuner
Creek evolution integrated amplifier
Yamaha NS 555 speakers
Monster interconects
Regular speaker cables

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Sonys, pioneers

Intoxicatingly clear and accurate midrange and treble, quality bass response and dynamics, eerily airy and realistic sound, comfortable for me. Sound close to the most expensive phones available when played on low to mid fi equipment.

A bit bright on some recordings, accurate and sensitive to the point they expose inferior recordings and flaws in the equipment chain. Require good source and dedicated headphone amp to sound their best.

I agree with the previous reviewer about the character of these headphones. I have a 45 Wpc AMC solid state integrated amplifier, a Cambridge 640cV2 CDP and decent Audioquest interconnects, and I find the 125s sound fantastic in terms of dynamics, accuracy, tone and pace. With that said, I also think they sound a bit bright on most recorded material. I listen to a wide variety of musical types and recordings from most recent and highest quality to older jazz re-releases. The 125s not only reproduce the entire spectrum of music (except the lowest low bass) with precision and authority, but also the hash present in the recordings and in my modest electronics. I have found that backing off on the treble and up on the bass just a bit makes the listening experience the most enjoyable. Activating the tone controls not only colors the signal, it also lays the slightest veil over the presentation and smoothes out the rough edges exposed by the 125s. My speakers and room acoustics are more forgiving (less good), and so I switch on the tone defeat setting when listening to them.

I listened to many different brands of headphones at different price points and on different kinds of equipment. I went down in price until I could still hear a convincing facsimile of the highest priced models played through the best equipment on hand. The 125s are really good for the money. Listening to them at one hi fi store through a Cambridge 640c connected to a Creek headphone amp was a revelatory experience and was what finally sold me on the Cambridge CDP. I intend to buy a dedicated amp for the Grados as my next purchase, and will be looking at system with tubes whose roundness and sweetness provides a counter point to the Grado's air and accuracy. While some people complain about Spartan design and lack of comfort, I have no complaints. Rating of 5 stars is based on similarly priced competition. Try em, I think you'll like em.

Customer Service

Excellent

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I tested but have not owned all the Grado models, higher end Sonys and Sennheisers.

Detailed, accurate, vibrant sound capable of reproducing many rich varied sources. Really active, accurate articulate bass. Nice full mid-range with very tight focus.

As many others have found, depending on the source, they can become bright at times. I have even found big differences in the source brightness of songs on an album so do not read to much into this. Try turning the treble gain control down one level if you experience this, and or reduce the volume.

This so-called weakness with really well balanced recordings provides a sound richness that is needed and hard to achieve.

Do not be fooled by the length of time I have had these headphones, I have spent a great deal of time with them. I will try to provide a very usable review for the non-expert music lover who does care about the music and how it sounds. First, my general opinion is that these headphones are very sweet, they aren't perfect of course, but they are quite good.

First I say you must know your music and listening style, what characteristics in a headphone will work with your music or against it? Consider the source of the music, is it very bass centered, very vocal, strong high frequencies, mellow, reserved or any other adjective/combination you can think of. Within musical genres there will be huge differences in recording quality so try to have realistic expectations and do not generalize based on just a few albums. The more varied the sources you use, the more enjoyment you stand to gain from these headphones.

As many have stated, these headphones provide a very detailed, accurate reproduction of the music. I find the bass and mid-range to be very articulate, fluid and controlled. The bass is very accurate and well defined. Note the bass isn't coloured with engineered emphasis at the headphone level, Grado has left that to the people who engineered and recorded the music.

I value a strong, detailed neutrality in the audio sources I use. While that itself may mean different things to different people, my goal is to hear what was recorded as truly as I can with my equipment.

By no means do I own the elite of audio, but I do have what I think is a very nice listening system capable of reproducing accurate, pleasing, high-quality music. I have a classic NAD 2600A Monitor Series power amplifier coupled with another NAD classic, a 1300 Monitor Series Preamp. My CD player is a new NAD and finally I listen with Energy C-5 floor standing speakers. The speakers by the way are just amazing, if you find some new in any audio shop, please listen to them, you will be very glad you did.

I feel it is important that the reader has some frame of reference in respect to the system any reviewer uses in order to gain any real idea from what it is the reviewer is trying to illustrate. Let's face it, there are no words that can actually portray a sound, only sound itself can do that.

I enjoyed what I felt was a well presented vocal portrayal for both male and female voices. The vocals were balanced, engaging with plenty of warmth and presence. With some very bright, detailed recordings such as The Dave Matthew's Band album Crash, the highs may move more toward over-presented. Lowering the volume will significantly improve this. The same is often true for a great deal of rock which by it's nature, moves toward over-stated, edgy sound and this is magnified the louder you play it as with all music. I have loved listening to the new Tool album, 10 000 Days with the Grados. The album is very well recorded offering you an intricate listening experience full of power and texture with many breaks into rich quiet and dark passages. One of the few rock albums I have been able to really enjoy at a higher volume. Still at the upper edges I wish the Grados a tad less bright, but let's not split hairs, this is really hard rock music played loud, highs will become intense.

My current music listening favorite is a gem of a Peter Gabriel album titled Up released in 2002. This is an album full of amazing music, three tracks from it are just pure art. Track number 3, Sky Blue is an intense discovery of why well recorded music is such a decadent treat, as are the following two tracks, No Way Out and I Grieve. This to me is a prime example of the caliber and recording style of music that makes these headphones simply sing. I was not at all afraid of volume, and even driven very solidly, the 125s performed magnificently. The detail and clarity of the music is spectacular with loads of texture and warmth.

I have spent some time listening to Holly Cole, Tears for Fears, Pink Floyd, Rush, Thievery Corporation, Three Days Grace and many others. I have yet to listen to any choral or orchestral music, nor any Bach, but I will soon as I really love to listen to as many styles of music as I can.

For my conclusion I would feel comfortable saying these headphones are likely to most appeal to and please people with a diverse listening style where quality recordings are sought out. If you liked artificially emphasized bass boom, you will not be 100% satisfied. I play the drums and I love to listen to the bass lines in music, but for me music is a complete sound immersion. These headphones provide a very accurate, engaging bass experience which I found very pleasing and very capable of bringing the bass to life as it was intended to be heard.

Mid range is also very rich and detailed, but with poor or edgy source recordings and any real volume, I find some less than pleasing moments in the music. Again, please put that in context, if the music lacks balance and is very bright itself, these detailed headphones will portray that to a detail that is not always pleasant, but not unexpected.

good sound, old school look, durable, reasonably priced

pads hurt after long sessions, old school look (good and bad), standard with 1/4" plug (possibly good)

I don't think grados have ever dissapointed me. They've delivered listening pleasure... and it just gets better as you keep moving up their product line. I've had my sr-125s for quite some time now... and I they are still my favorite headphones on the go for listening to on the street with a simple cmoy. But this is not to say there arn't obvious points to improve on: the uncomfortable ear pains after long sessions dont seem to ever go away, even after changing ear pads. the sound is enjoyable and really delivers, but it's not audiophile level reproduction. Regardless, i love my sr-125's and would be very unlikely to give 'em up.

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sr-325 senns hd-580 stax mk2

New comfort style is allot better than the older model. Nice and light.

6ft. Cord. Had to buy the Grado 15 ft. extension.

This is a review for the new updated model SR-125's. First let me say the comfort problem that came with the older models is now gone. I've had these on for 3 hours straight and I don't feel a thing except for the smile on my face. Great job Grado! If these new models are like the old ones and will sound better after being broken in, Alls I have to say is WOW! The bass out of the box is delicious and sweet. Mids and Highs are fast.Everything is warm. I had to put 50+ hours on my old pair to have sound this good. I've just heard some new things on a cd that I bought in 1984 and have listened to for 20 years now.(aside from the hiss that comes with older cds) As a matter of fact I heard new sounds in the first 2 cds I listened to. My main speakers are Magnepan 3.6R's and I know I'll listen to them again someday but I have some exploring to do with these great cans. I'looked into the 225's but didn't notice too much difference for the money. These things beat my other 2 pair of Senns hands down. I never would have thought a $150 pair of cans could sound this great. I'm pushing them with an old Adcom 555MK II amp which my maggies seem to love also.

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Sennheiser HD 590 Sennheiser HD 545 Bose triport(crap)

Clarity. Open-air design reminded me of Tannoy monitors in Near-Field set up. Soundstage was deeper and more honest.

So accurate they make my slightly congested right ear more noticable.

NOTE!!! My price was for a demo special at Audio Advisor, though the set looked viturally brand new. Regular price is about 40-50 dollars more. My AKG 240Ms were getting a bit worn, and it was time to get another set. Coworker brought in his Grados, and I was suspicious at first. But after hearing them, WOW! For thoes who like BASS!!! these aren't your cans. For those more used to clean, crisp, monitor-quality headphones, give these babies a try. I've heard things in songs - favorites - that I've never heard before- snare vibrations from bleeding bass amps, squeaky strings, and detail to die for. No, these Grados aren't built for looks or military field use. But they were comfortable to me, similiar to 80s 'yellow-cup' Senns. And like the Senns of old, you can easily order replacement felt pads if yours get worn. And an advantage: The felt has no fake leathery stuff to flake off in a year, like Sony's usually do (I've used 7506s forever, I know). Not all phones are equal and sound cool for everybody - I hate the new Senn HD 280s with a firey passion - so try before you buy, or go with a company that has a liberal return policy. Audio Advisor was cool for me.

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Sony MDR 7506, AKG 240M, Sennheiser HD 450

Such a sweet clear sound, clear bass much less ear fatigue

Feels initially uncomfortable

I recently received from a friend in Baltimore a pair of Grado SR-125 headphones for a birthday gift. A lovely experience so far! I live in Adelaide, South Australia, and Grado headphones are rare here - only one shop in the country stocks them. Such a lovely open sound - much better than my older Sennheiser's which sound very muddled in comparision.

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Sennhieser HD 414, 455, 265

-Good soundstage sound -Acoustic music sounds great -Electronic, Industrial, Rap/Hip-Hop, some alternative and Pop Music all sound good -No Headphone Amp is necessary. Portable will easily drive these. -Standard 1/4" connector -Durable, high quality cable -Small, family owned, business

-Build quality, and comfort (come on Grado, these don't say made in China on them) -Break in period -Classical music lacks depth -Anything with distortion or massive bass, ie metal, most alternative, rock (like ACDC rock) sounds like crap -Oh yeah... Comfort

Quality: GRADO... Pay attention here. The build quality of these headphones is sub-par. These things look like they are made in China (not saying China only produces crap, but come on). The pleather on a thin metal band is horribly uncomfortable not to mention cheap, and the earpads feel like they came out of an airline seat. You will have to message your ears after 45 minutes to relieve the pain, not cool. The connection from the cable to the can is cheap. Simply put, they hold their own for certain types of music. These headphones will take a long time to break in, but have ample bass (for certain music) once they do. -If you want clear (not extremely detailed) sound that will be an massive upgrade from 'Best-Buy' head phones, go with the Sennheiser HD-280 (also easy to drive, and bombproof build) -If you listen mostly to classical music, start with Sennheiser's HD-580 and up (can be hard to drive with standard equip.) -If you like Acoustic music, soft rock and pop...These are for you (Eric Clapton, Sting, etc)

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Sennheiser HD-500, HD-280, HD-590

Nice detailed sound

Not as comfortable as some may like Bass may be a bit lean for some tastes

To the reviewer "BT" below: If you like the Koss R/10 much more than the Grado SR-125, then you're not even an audio enthusiast, let alone an audiophile. You're just an ordinary mass-market consumer - one who really likes cheap car subwoofer-like bass. You see, really low-end closed headphones like the R/10 unnaturally overemphasize the upper bass and lower midrange, and those lower tones almost completely overpower whatever little upper midrange and treble that they deliver, resulting in unbearably muddy sound. Worse, closed headphones usually sound worse than open-air headphones of equal price, due to their tendency to ring in the treble. With this first statement out of the way, here is my brief review: I've auditioned the SR-125 at Decibel Audio in Chicago, along with the SR-225, and I've ultimately decided to buy the SR-225. The SR-125 sounded a bit more detailed than the SR-80 that I also own, but the improvement is not big enough to justify the price premium over the SR-80. In fact, I've heard a bigger difference between the SR-125 and the SR-225 than I did between the SR-80 and the SR-125: The SR-225 is detailed and not as harsh, with better "slam" than the SR-125. As for comfort, the SR-125 is equally as (un)comfy as the SR-225, both of which share the same "bowl" pads. Both Grados are easily powered by an unamped portable player, but will improve noticeably with a dedicated headphone amp. And as I said, the bass is tight, never flabby or over-boomy. So, if that really loose Koss bass is what you like, then the Grados aren't for you. But for the rest of us, the SR-125 does the job quite nicely (though there are better headphones available).

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Lots of mass-market headphones