-Open ear design gives "room" ie: your on stage or in the recording booth, which is cool. -Retro styling -You will hear flaws and details that you didn't previously. -Acoustic music

-Craftsmanship is poor (ie: a knot holding the wire/cord to the internal of the can?!, instead of a grommet.) -HARSH -Poor bass (metal, rap, electronic, rock) -No depth -Will not hit

I tried to write a some-what positive review on these cans but couldn't bring myself to submit it. These cans are just absolutely horrible! Bright is an understatement, and the bass is non-existent, transparent at best. When you raise the volume level they don't "hit" or "deliver" so to speak, they just make you grind you teeth and give you a headache. I have a pair of $50.00 Koss R/10's that when you raise the volume the bass, mid, and high corralate evenly, hit nicely, and give full depth. With these Grado's when you raise the volume they scream. Absolutely no depth, the bass isn't there, period! I have tried a headphone amp, which gave zero results to the bass, it just made the highs worse. If you like music in the 1-20k range you are in luck (the best luck you could imagine). If you like depth and bass; Not for you. I don't even mean bass like rattle you teeth bass, but rather necessary bass, to give music its fullness. These cans will leave you a nice feeling of being ripped off. I have given them 7 months. -OVER HYPED -Over Priced Also, I had no means to test these phones locally, and was pushed to the interweb. If you can try them locally do so, all ears are different. Who knows maybe better equipment will help, or like two frikin years of breakin! ...just an opinion, and we all know what opinions are like...

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My cheap Koss R/10's, (old and there is absoultely nothing wrong with them)

Great detail, dynamics, timing, suited to all styles of music. In my collection I have Classical, Jazz, Punk, Indie, AOR, Metal, Hardcore, Prog, Hip-Hop, Funk, Soul... etc. Just very, very musical headphones, expect to wear holes in the carpet with uncontrollable toe-tapping.

Open design very loud, actually woke somebody asleep upstairs... which reminds me, watch your ears, so clear they're deceptively loud. The stiff foam pads are pretty uncomfortable to wear for long periods until worn in - takes a while but after that they're fine. Not the prettiest headphones around. The retro style won't be to everyone's taste, and they don't look half as expensive as they sound (note none of the wealnesses are about the sound quality).

Wanting a headphone that would complement my Rega/Naim set up, the Grados delivered exactly what I wanted. The sound quality is superb but bear in mind they take a while to settle in; they still sound good straight from the box but you only start to get the best from the Grados after a few weeks (like most good quality audio). For those times when it's just not convenient to listen through the speakers my Grados are a superb compromise, but also the sense of intimacy with the music you get through these cans can be immensely satisfying. Open, spacious sounding, with great dynamics and a wonderful sense of pace and rhythm so important for lovers of the Naim sound. Beautifully musical; I really can't recommend these highly enough, well the worth the money considering I also had to purchase a seperate headphone amp and power supply to listen to them!

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Grado 80 (they sound brilliant until you listen to the 125s) Sennheiser HD600.

Fantastic, balanced, clear sound More comfortable than most headphones Sturdy cable

All that clear sound reveals flaws in your other equipment and source recording That sturdy cable is heavy and not very long Cable gets twisted easily because of the way the earpieces are mounted A little heavy

After abysmal luck in finding headphones that I could tolerate, I decided to give the Grado SR/125s an audition. I have as wide a variety of taste in music as it gets and for everything from international folk and Baroque to modern metal, these headphones really do shine - that is, if you have the equipment to drive them. Don't plan on plugging them into your inexpensive portable and being happy, especially if you have a higher-end home audio system to compare to. As the old expression goes, a clear window lets you see the junk in the yard. These headphones are so clear, you'll hear hiss and noises you never knew existed. My portable CD player does not have a good enough amp, and I'd rather listen to cheaper headphones because I don't notice the imperfections in the amp/d-a section. Bottom line, on my home system with a good source recording, these headphones are phenomenal.

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Bang & Olufsen Form 2 Koss KTX-Pro-1 Koss KG-4 Sennheiser HD-570 Sennheiser HD-212 RS Nova 42

Detailed highs, smooth mids, great bass Pretty comfortable

They're not that sturdy. The old Sonys were more solid and were better for transporting since they folded up. Pads seem kind of flimsy but they've survived a few years of regular use

Picked these up since my Sony MDR-V60s were starting to show their age. I went to the dealer to listen to the various models in the Grado line and the dealer warned me not to listen to any model that was out of my price range. It quickly became obvious why. I started with the SR60s, which were a clear improvement on the Sonys and pretty inexpensive. Next I tried the SR80s, which had better bass than the SR60s but were somewhat darker sounding. Then came the SR125s -- they just nailed everything. I decided not to listen to any of the higher-up Grado models for fear of leaving the store with a set of $700 headphones. I use these almost daily, with all kinds of music, and I'd recommend them to anyone who isn't looking for a set of headphones to use in a club and doesn't mind the open design. Everyone that has listened to these, even people who don't listen to music much, were blown away.

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Grado SR60s and SR80s

Decent, not outstanding bass, very smooth above the bass end.

If my ears were perfectly round, these would be comfortable. Not the same value as the SR60s.

These fones sound excellent to my ears. I am quite happy with them, in terms of sound. But I can't unconditionally recommend them. They are not comfortable. And, the Grado SR60s (which are also not comfortable), sound nearly identical for 1/2 the price. AKG240s, which are similar in price, are much more comfortable, and sound nearly as good.

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SR60s - half the price, very similar sound. AKG240s - not quite as smooth, but 10 times as comfortable.

Detail, clean (but strong) bass, not bright. Good rythm and dynamics. Openness. Price.

What really bugs me about headphones in general, SR125s included, is the perspective on the sound. I'd much rather be sitting back in the audience, instead of in the middle of the performance. Big, wide, deep soundstage, with real orchestral spread is what I like most about a decent stereo. You just can't get that listening perspective with headphones.

After about 80 hours of break-in, initial brightness was gone. At 3 months I find the SR125s to be deceptively smooth: they sound warm, but are able to pick out detail extremely well - like Uchida's stool creaking in the Mozart sonata recordings. Bass sounds very good to me, very clean and powerful. Overall sound is very open. I can often truly forget that I'm wearing headphones. For $199 Canadian, SR125s are incredible.

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Sennheiser 600 - sound not as open. Other listeners might like Sennheisers better, but my prediliction toward soundstage makes me prefer more open sound of Grados.

good discant

bad bass

I think they realy sucked when i pump up the bass didn`t sound good at all

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koss porta pro

Very crisp, detailed sound with subtle, tight bass. Unassuming design doesn't scream "Steal Me!"

A bit too bright for some tastes. Open design is -loud- and may bother those around you. Not as forgiving with portables as the SR-60s. If you're using a portable, add like $20 for the matching 1/4" to 1/8" adapter.

Don't even listen to these headphones without breaking them in. You'll be disappointed and your ears will hurt. They really are quite beautiful headphones once they settle down a bit. Aside from being a bit bright, these headphones strike me as being pretty accurate. I've read complaints of weak bass, which is not really the case. Put on some hip-hop and the bass is obviously there. It's just tight and fast, not muddy or colored. More satisfying, in my opinion. If you're looking for colored, go with the MDR-V900s...they are very heavy in the midbass, but that ain't how the music is recorded. I tested them next to the 125s and there was no contest as far as I'm concerned. The 325s were even more refined and laid back, but those are almost double the price. From what I gather, these headphones share similar characteristics with other Grados: crisp, detailed, with fast transient response. Plus the design of the Grados is very unassuming, which is good for use with portables. You won't know these things costed more than $10 in 1975 if you weren't into audio. Which is just the way I like it. All in all, I'm very happy with these headphones.

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Sony MDR-V900, Sennheiser 590s, Grado SR-60 and SR-325

Best value within the Grado line for a tight budjet.

Lacking just a bit of bass (depending of your taste), highs could be a little smoother.

This review is a summary of my experience comparing the various Grado headphones. I first became a big Grado fan when I bought the SR-60, they had a great bass and they are not too reveiling if you have a source that is not of great quality, like mp3s or some portable player. There is no headphone for this price that will give you such a great quality. I auditionned the SR-80, but for the small amount of money, I felt that the SR-125 provided some good enhancement in the sound quality that was worth the difference. I then bought the SR-125 for using with my Creek OBH-11 amplifier connected to my MSB Link DAC directly. The sound was good, but the highs were just a bit grainy/bright, and the bass was deep but I wish it would just be a bit deeper and had more impact. The overall sound was very good and detailed, but sounded a bit "thin" for my taste. Still on my quest to find the perfect sound balance, I upgraded to the SR-325, and this is just what I was looking for. Now the music sounds much fuller, the bass is deeper and has more impact, and the highs are smoother, just like they should be. I also hear all kinds of details that I wasn't able to notice with the SR-125. I think the aluminum chamber makes a big difference, it doesn't color the sound, so it's very neutral and string instruments and vocals sound alive and real. Of course it's double the price of the SR-125, but I think it's well worth the investment if you are going to use it with a nice headphone amplifier and a good source. To me the SR-325 really sound just like a complete high-end sound system with a nice subwoofer straight into my ears. The SR-60/125 took a bit of time to become confortable, but the SR-325 are even more confortable, I think because they are a bit larger and the headband has a bit of padding. Overall, I would recommend any of the Grado headphones that you can afford, I would say just go for the highest model you can afford, there is a big difference as you move up the ladder. For the true audiophile, I would recommend the SR-325.

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SR-60, SR-325, Sennheiser HD-570

Crisp, detailed treble; thumping, deep, pulse-pounding bass; fast, exciting sound; easily driven (will sound great with just about any headphone out); relatively good value.

Mids are good but the ultimate in speed, neutrality, or openness, and there's a slight hump in the lower-mids region that can drag down some male vocals; slightly uncomfortable because they're hard to get a good, proper fit, but once you get a good fit, they're fine.

This is the second hi-fi headphone that I've had, the first being an old pair of Stax electrets that I loved but sold out of portability gripes. After lengthy amounts of procrastination and deliberation,I finally decided to grab a pair of Grado SR-125's based on the fact that it's easier to drive than most of the Sennheiser's best headphones (I wanted flexibility in amp options), and it has a more upbeat, trebly presentation that's good for rock. After a couple of months of usage, I can safely say that I made a wise decision. These 'phones sound awesome. They have the ability to really beat on your eardrums with their abilities to provide unrelenting transient attack after attack. They are also very capable of delivering some effective classical tunes as well, although orchestral isn't their forte. These Grados are great all-around performers that output truly heart-pumping sound. Bass is deep and impactful, and the mids are good, although certainly not as smooth and open as with the Stax's, although few dynamic headphones can match electrostatic mids. Some people may complain that these have shrill treble, but pairing them with good, neutral sources will result in a smooth, detailed, crisp top-end. Best of all, because I have yet to get an amp, they sound great even from the headphone jack of my Pioneer receiver. And at $120, they really are a great deal when compared with other high-end headphones (although I think $120 is still a bit pricy for headphones).

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Stax SRD-44