Dynamic, clear, detailed, warm, natural, easy to drive

*Long* break in period. Not quite as comfortable as Senn's

Once broken in, this is one amazing sounding headphone. The sound is balanced, full, natural, clear, incredibly detailed, and just hair warm. I believe it takes 2 months of continual play to fully break in. It sounds significantly better after 3 weeks of continual play.

Details, details, details. You will be able to hear pages turning, chairs moving, etc. in classical cd's. You hear every slight detail in the singers voice. This really allows the emotion of the song to come through. Of course it makes poor recordings hard to listen to.

The bass sounds very balanced, not overdone. The quality of bass is amazing: tight, defined, fast, and deep. Drums sound real (not just a muddy monotonous boom). String Bass sounds like a real string bass. The midrange is liquid and smooth. Voices come through with clarity and emotion. Audition a cd with some good vocals when giving this headphone a shot. The highs are crisp and clear yet not harsh or shrill.

Comparison to other Grado's:
The RS-2 is just a hair smoother than the SR-325. The SR-325 actually has a bit more detail and it sounds just a *tad* brighter. The SR-325 and RS-2 are very very similar sounding. The SR-325 sounds fuller and has much better and deeper bass than either the SR-225 or the SR-125. I owned the SR-225 for about 3 weeks, but was a little disappointed with the bass response and they sounded just a bit thin. I returned these and bought the SR-325 which was exactly what I was looking for.

Comparsion to Senn HD-600 and Senn HD-580:
First of all I'm not going to say one is better than the other. Both Grado and Senn make some might fine sounding headphones. Senn is more comfortable than Grado's. I don't find the Grado's uncomfortable (I wear them about 8 hours
per day with no problem). You should try them on before buying them. I found that bending the headband just right makes the grados very comfortable. Ok now the sound. The Grados sound a little more dynamic and exciting. The music
is a bit warmer and the vocals come through with more detail and emotion. The Senn's are slightly more laid back. The Senn's sound a bit brighter than the Grado's. The soundstage is larger with the Senn than the Grado. If you get the Senn you *must* get a have some quality electronics to drive it because they are a 300 ohm load. Portables will not drive it load enough and the sound you do get won't sound too good. Grado's on the other hand will sound loud enough on most portables and will sound great (with a headphone amp they sound fantastic). Most people will agree that Grado's sound best on rock and Senn's on classical. While this is true, they both sound great on all genre. The grado's just edge out the Senn's for rock. The Senn's edge out grado's for classical music.

Similar Products Used:

Grado SR-225, Grado SR-125, Senn HD-600, Senn HD-580, Grado RS-2

Depth like no other headphones. Excellent construction w/ high end materials.

The already bright SR-325 can easily become too bright when used with certain systems.

Grado has this market. Combined with the RA-1 amp, one finds themselves in audio ecstacy. The aluminum air chamber becomes the cement walls behind the band, reflecting sound much like a live presentation. These cans throw the recording studio away and put the music right in front of you.

Similar Products Used:

Bang abd Olufsen Form 1 & 2, Sen. HD-600

Bright

Bass, cost, (un)comfort

I "broke" these in as was suggested and after 30 hours noticed no difference. Then I went out shopping again. What can I say? Before you buy this model, try the Sennheiser HD580. They have better bass and are much more confortable. You'll also save $100 with the price they're currently selling for. Don't forget to come back here and post your opinion.

Similar Products Used:

Sennheiser HD580

mids and highs

none

I've had these for a few months now. The break in period seemed to be about two weeks of heavy listening. They gradualy bloomed into an impressive sound. I listen to a lot of mellow music (Eric Andersen, John Prine, Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer, etc..) and these are perfectly suited for it. I had some sony's, which I liked, but vocals always seemed to suffer grain through them. With these though, vocals come through with warmth and much more individual personality. They sound...I don't know, airy? It's like they aren't there sometimes. I can't tell you how many times I've suddenly thought, 'dang, I left my speakers on', ripped the Grados off of my ears, and found that I hadn't. I would go on, but you'll just have to hear them. Like most stereo eqipment, the listener is the only judge. For my money though, these are a perfect match. Superb on the mellow stuff, and very good for hard rock.

Similar Products Used:

sony mdr-600

Integrity of Sound

Too short of a cable

Having recently moved to an apartment, thus tossing my B&W DM640's into the closet, a friend had recommended these to me. He's a precise stereo fanatic who's always steered me in the right direction. Powering my pre-amp headphone jack from my power amp, WOW. After proper break-in of these units, I must say I am very satisfied. They killed the AKG's (my current units and while I like the Beyerdynamics, I've gone through 2 pairs cause they didn't like the dynamic output from my electronics and broke. The Grado's are solid, in sound and construction. I am sure I've heard things on CD's I have never heard before, even through my old speakers in a sophisticated audio-only room setup.

Similar Products Used:

Beyerdynamic 880's 990's, AKG K260's

clear, crisp,detailed

bass (may not be brocken in yet)

Got these two weeks ago and have played them a couple hours ever day.i heard they really need a break in period.the highs are clean and clear as well as the mids,but a little muddy in the lower end.i think with more time these babys will really sing.so far for the money i think they would be hard to beat.