Sweeet, Accurate Sound and Deeep Bass. Retro-design, audiophile quality cords attached to the headphones

Slighty uncomfortable and pricey

The Grado 325's are exceptional, and draw you deep into the music. The cans are sonically dead-on, the bass is accurate and thumps. These headphones have that solid retro look, also. I broke them in for 24 hours, and then played Natalie Cole's CD,"Unforgettable", specifically, track 4 "Mona Lisa", the sound of the grado's was absolute purity. I then played cuts from Bonnie Raitt CD,"Luck of the Draw", specifically, track 1 "Something to Talk About" and the Grado's were sheer joy. The final CD this session was one of the finest blues albums ever made, "Buddy Guy and Junior Wells Play the Blues". Check out track 4, "Come on in this House", the guitar, the harmonicas, the vocals and the drums as reproduced by the Grados are flawless and deeply moving. I felt like I was back home on the Southside of Chicago in the Sixties drinking wine and eating barbecue.

These headphones are extraordinary, make no mistake about it.

Peace.

Similar Products Used:

Sennheiser, Sony

Mids & highs, build quality, great looks

Bass

This is my review of the newer version (updated) Grado SR325 headphones with the silver-aluminum finish that has the upgraded earpads (which I found comfortable) and (supposedly) upgraded drivers.

Initial impressions:

Looks: They looked awesome and had terrific build quality. Nice, thick Grado-logo'd straight cord was nice, too.

Sound: Using my Grado RA1 amp connected to output of CD player, mids & highs were not all there yet. Low end was altogether missing. DAKs & IXOS cans destroyed these 325s. I was told to let them break in for a while, so I did.

Break-in routine: Clear, clean sound at moderate listening levels (not too high or too low) through Grado RA1 amp with CD as source. Used one song on repeat that gently exercised full bandwidth. No distortion or clipping. Grado Labs recommended about 20 hrs of break-in. Other vendors agreed with that time frame.

After about 24 hrs of break-in:

Mids & highs really opened up and sounded great. However, the lows still were not there. This confirms a vendor's comment about the bass not improving much after break-in. Compared to the DAKs, I was missing a lot of low-end info like subtle nuances and chord progressions that added to the overall listening experience. The 325's bass was so tight that it was not really low as much as it was sort of a mid-bass sound. (For reference, music style I like is upbeat contemporary Christian music and nature stuff like thunderstorms, waves crashing, and some classical music.) As a side comparison, I just received the IXOS closed-ear design today and tried them out. They were very comfortable. Bass was very controlled and far better than the 325s and even my reliable DAKs. Mids & highs of the IXOS are now good and expected to improve more, but already not far from the 325's after their break-in. So at this point I love the accuracy of the Grados, but they were still preventing me from enjoying the nuances of a "thunderstorm" track I have. I tried my classical selection with them, and even though I haven't tried the Senn 600, they're probably better than the 325s on classical. Since a lot of reviewers seem to love the Grados for jazz, I suspect the 325s are perfect for that style. The IXOS sound is much better for any kind of pop, rock, and anything with a lot of energy and exercises the full bandwidth. My thunderstorm really comes to life with the IXOS, howbeit, the 325s do sound good, too, but only if you like to listen to the rain. Well, I really, really wanted to like the Grado 325s because they were so gorgeous-looking, so I decided to break them in another 24 hours just like before. I'm not bashing the Grados, I'm just calling the shots as I experience them. The 325s so far were the best on mids & highs, which speaks volumes if this is okay for your listening styles. If your music does not have much bass, then look no further, because the 325s should be the only cans you'll ever need. They're also very neutral!

After another 24 hours of break-in:

After a break-in session, I went to pick up the headphones and listen to the music. When I picked up the 325s, I found that one channel stopped working. I checked it out and it was indeed not my system or the Grado amp. I shut everything off for a while and tried the 325s out again, only to find that the sound just isn't what it should be. (Before you jump to conclusions and say that I was using a high-volume, dirty signal, you can rule that out.)

Future plans: replace the 325s and try the RS1 phones in a head-to-head comparison with the IXOS phones. Hopefully the RS1 will have a better low-end than the 325s I had. I expect the IXOS to give the RS1 a good run for its money once they get broken in. I expect that I will want to keep only the IXOS and RS1 for different styles of music. If I listened to classical more, I may try the Senn 600, but I think I may just enjoy the RS1 better on that style, too.

Similar Products Used:

DAK Industries CD4000 (open ear), IXOS Ministry of Sound DJ1001 (closed ear)

Gorgeous horns,dynamic,revealing

None

Was lead to believe the Sennheisers would be the solution,even after owning a pair of Grado 80.False!!The Sennheisers don't have critical details of the Grados.Sure,they're great, if don't care to hear it all!!Smooth sweet and well,uninvolving.
The Grado 325 don't have the clear generic horn sound of the Grado 80.In fact,those horns sound very real!Sweet and clear.The club scene recordings of Telarc,Mapleshade etc.sound like "right there".Hand claps are very real.Like a club date at any time!Classical is nice,revealing dynamic.Rock can be an edge hard,depending on each cd.
Lets put this in prospective.I am playing a Roksan 24 bit cd player through Audioquest Coral interconnects,through MIT 4 interconnects,through a Musical Fidelity tube headphone amp.
At $269,these must be Grado's best buy!Each step up in price is better and better!(Given my set-up).Never heard it finer.Thrilled to the point of being gratified.Nightly!

Similar Products Used:

Grado 80 Grado 225 Sennheiser 580

soundstage, detail, mids, highs, lows . . . everything!

none

These are truly amazing! I own the ER-4S and wanted something with a little more impact to listen to every now and then. I purchased the SR225 but was dissapointed with how muddled the sound was, the poor soundstage, and sloppy bass. I therefore upgraded to the SR325 and they were just what I was looking for! They have that Grado "impact" but where lesser models sound slightly muddled and bass heavy, the 325s are clear and detailed. The soundstage is large with great separation. The lows are tight and controlled, while at the same time being very apparent. They almost rival my Ety's as far as detail is concerned (almost). On some recordings I could actually hear the fingers sliding down the guitar and the individual strings amidst the sound of the drums, vocals, etc. Where I could only listen to other Grados for a couple of hours at the most, I don't find these to be the least bit fatiguing (soundwise). The comfort of Grados has never been an issue for me - so I do find them comfortable, and they really aren't that much heavier than the 225s. Some have also said that they are horrible headphones for bad recordings. I find just the oppostie to be true. Compared to the Ety's they make bad recordings sound amazing. I wanted a detailed, accurate, controlled headphone with the on stage presentation of the Grado headphones and that is just what I found.

Similar Products Used:

Grado SR225, Etymotic ER-4S

Exceptional clarity and detail

Long break in period

When I purchased the Grado SR-325's several months ago, I must admit I was initially dissapointed. Realizing that Grados in general are known for their strong lows, at first listen they really over-powered both the highs and vocals. I was almost ready to return them when I read another person's review on AudioREVIEW suggesting a break-in period.

I plugged in the Grados to my receiver, and broke them in for 4 days straight (6 hours/day) with some Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson.

After the 4th day, I slipped them back on only to be astonished. There was a night and day difference between what they sounded like originally and the new sound. What had happened is that the "highs" really opened up to beautifully balance out with the "lows".

Today, I find myself re-listening to some of my old favorite CD's discovering detail I never heard before. My taste in music is greaty diversified from: The Rolling Stones - Van Halen - Eric Clapton to Sheryl Crow - Barry White. The Grado SR-325's are the perfect headphones for any type of music.

D.C.

Dynamic, very clear, incredibly detailed - easy to drive - can be powered by just about any sound source with great results

None

Wow, this headphone rocks! It has opened my ears to an entirely new world in music.
The SR325 delivers such razor sharp detail that NOTHING escapes them. It sounds as if I am sitting on the stage with the musicians. The more I listen to these cans, the more I like them!

Mids are much clearer to me than the Sennheiser’s sound.

I don't find the Grado uncomfortable. They are very light and I listen to these cans almost constantly; 6 hours per day is no problem. Also they do get more comfortable with age.

Highly recommended!

Similar Products Used:

Sennheiser T60, Sony MDR-F1

look nice

so tight and uncomfortable on my ears that I had to take them back.

This review of the Grado 125 also applies here since it is the same headphone design - just different drivers. The comments about the sound being boomy and the treble grainy may not apply but all of the comments about the uncomfortable fit of these excrutiating cans are right on target as it is the same design just different drivers.

I previously had a pair of Sennheiser 570's that I loved. Unfortunately, my little brother "borrowed" them to take away to college. He (and I love those phones).

Well, after abut 3 months I was missing earphones so I read the reviews here and at a place called goodcans.com. Goodcans really recommends the Grado line - in particular the 125's so I thought I would give them a shot.

Let me say that I found the Grado's more "boomy" and less musical than the Sennheisers. I also found the treble sounded very grainy. That wasn't the worst part. Try as I might I simply could not listen to these earphones for longer than a half hour at a time.

Despite adjusting AND buying new cushions as recommended by Goodcans.com these earphones fit so tight and uncomfortable on my ears that I had to take them back.

Avoid like the plague!

Similar Products Used:

Sennheiser 570

more comfortable than other grados,great Grado sound

not a Huge improvement in a sound over less expensive Grados

Having used most of the Grado line,I have to say I am least impressed with this model.The SR80s are fantastic,and these are no less so,but they cost $200.00 more and offer no real improvements in sound quality,comfort,or build.They are Grados,which is the best thing that can be said about them.That means they sound good after break in,they are a bit bright sounding and very revealing of poor or marginal recordings.I in no way mean to beat up on this product,it is an excellent piece of audio gear.The SR80 is one of the all best deals ever,PERIOD.If you have the opportunity to audition various Grado models,and you like the Grado sound,I think some of the lower priced Grados will offer a pleasant surprise.Take the $200.00 you will save and buy a good headphone amp.

Similar Products Used:

Grado Sr80,Sennheiser HD600,AKG 501,AKG 401 Grado RA1 headphone amp,Creek obh-11 headphone amp,Musical fidelty XCANS V2 headphone amp,Antique sound labs MG head DT headphone amp.

Clarity, Detail, Transparency, Integrity

Comfort

I have not tried every brand out there, but I would presumptuosly venture to guess these phones represent the the best you can buy in this price range. They took a short amount of time to "break in" for whatever reason. The sound just got much better as time went by. I've only had them a few days, and it's possible they will get even better (if this is possible).

I put on Seal's second album (a CD with neverending nuances), and I've heard things I've never heard before. Having listened to the album dozens of times, I was very surprised to hear so much more. Every instrument has room to breathe, and every one can be heard independently as clear as crystal.

A friend of mine double-checks his mixes on these cans, and it's no doubt why. I will be doing so myself. You might even be able to mix almost exclusively with these things.

One thing I must concur with the other reviewers on is the comfort factor. I almost immediately got some acoustic foam and put some on the headband, which made things a bit better on the head. The phone material isn't great (basic foam material), but comfort-wise, isn't too bad for a supra-aural (around, but ON the ear) design. You can tell sound quality took precedence in the design of these things -- which, by all means is not a problem. A circumaural (totally around the ear, not touching) would be ideal, but I don't know how much that would affect the sound quality. The comfort is not to write home about, but it's not a major distraction, either. Notwithstanding the above, DO NOT let comfort deter you from buying these headphones.

You will be more than satisfied.

The most great I have ever heard.
but it really heavy.