clarity, detail, light, great vocal reproduction (damn opera), very low distortion, high slam factor, 3D soundstage, and I dig the retro look. I really do.

somewhat bright, uncomfortable for long stretches of listening.

I bought the SR-125's after my SR-60's were beginning to disintegrate after 5 years of tough listening. I chose the SR-125's after about a week of 'auditioning' at the store. I was actually looking to get the SR-80's because I wanted more bass than the SR-60's. I really did like the SR-80's, but decided on the 125's for a couple of reasons. First off, all of ya'll here, and goodcans.com gave it sparkling reviews. After listening for awhile, it was apparent that the SR-125's provided a lot more clarity and detail than the SR-80's. I can say now that after a year of use, the SR-125's are starting to open and are providing really spooky 3D soundstages and instrumental timbres that I just can't live without! It wasn't like that in the beginning of the relationship, however. I'm a bit of a bass freak and like a darker sound which makes higher volume less hard on the ears. These SR-125's were a bit on the bright side of reality and I really couldn't listen to them for more than about 20 minutes without feeling like my ears just ran 10 miles. Fatigue! So I blasted them for a solid week with pink noise, opera (maybe I shouldn't have), heavy metal, classical guitar, and some warble tones in an attempt to break them (uh, in). Now that worked a bit, but the only problem left is that they are uncomfortable when I listen for more than a few hours at a stretch. A lot of folks have differing opinions on the bass. I came from using the SR-60's and they actually had more bass than these SR-125's. Well more, but not better. One startling thing to realize is that the SR-125's have such low distortion that bass tones tend to go unnoticed. But it's definitely there and once I figured out what was shaking my neck vertibrae I really fell in love with these phones.

Similar Products Used:

SR-60

Detail, air, transparency

Although bass is tight, it''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s a bit lean.

I would rather not compare this headphone with that headphone or any other headphones. What I would like to say is that as a casual headphone user I never really knew what joy a good headphone setup could be like. Mind you, I do not mean spend hundreds of dollars or thousands. I have two rigs, one cheapo, but portable, CD discman that gets tugged around with my Grado SR-60s, and another setup for do critical listening (home-built headphone amp with a Headroom module for output). The discman sounds great for what it is and I never really sat down to listen to music critically with headphones; I always did that in my listening room with regular speakers. But now that the wife watches TV in the next room, I''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''ve purchased the SR-125s so that we don''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''t clash. The headphones present a new perspective to how my CDs really sound. Basically I''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''ve discovered new things in almost all my recordings. The great things about the SR-125: detail and transparency. The bass is somewhat leaner than the SR-60s, but these babies have only had 20 hours break-in so far. I did not do any critical listening until after the first 20 hours of break-in. I hope the bass will come out a bit more to fill in the warmth more. The SR-60s are great but lack a bit in transparency, air and detail. At twice the price, its a close call what I would buy if I had heard both at the same time. If I was a working man that was an audiophile at heart and wanted only one pair of decent headphones, I would recommend the 125s. If ya want bass, try the SR-60s. The bass of the 125 is tight and refined, but I want more mid-bass for warmth. Again, this quality may come out with another 20 hours of break-in. (purchased April 2002) The listening rig: Cambridge Audio D500SE optical out feeding an Audio Alchemy DTI feeding a Theta Cobalt 307 DAC feeding a home built headphone amp (Welborne Labs powersupply, Headroom module, high parts quality, cost was around $500). Why optical from the CD player? The analog outputs feed my passived attenuators, which go straight to my amp, so there are no additional outputs to use.

Similar Products Used:

Grado SR-60s, Sony headphones (don''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''t remember the make, it''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s been a while)

great dynamics, full, impact heavy and suttle, revealing, light, and great looking in a early retro sort of way..

twisting of cable can be often, long break in (1-2 weeks) after that they really shine.

by far the best cans that I have tryed and I have tryed them all. Well not all...tried the senns 570,580,590 (too muddy, like listening in a can)....tried Sony v6,v600 (same as senns with less detail)...stax (great sound very expensive,bulky,ugly)... ok know for my review of the 125''s. the first grado cans I tryed where the sr-80. these cans sounded great. detail, transperency, and openness, but not as full sounding as I''d hoped. the 125 cured this shortfall with its full base and roll off without a hint of color. do your self a favor and listen to Dave Mathews "crash" CD (track 2,3,6) and your jaw will drop as to the quality sound you are listening to. sure you can pay twice as much but you wil NOT get twice the performance. I also Tryed the sr-325. for an extra $200 or so these are a greatupgrade, but here is the kicker... if you want a great sounding headphone set up, this is what you should get. I can say this because for the last 2 months I have been building a head phone setup next to my most comfortable chair (leather lazyboy hehehe) . this is what I have discovered after many purchases and returns of interconnects, Headphone amps, CD player, power. I use a Cambridge Audio d500SE CD player with a CREEK obh-11 headphone amp(w/ obh-2 power supply) connected with solar wind interconnects by NORDOST. The base and openness of the Cambridge complements the sometimes over the top highs of the grado and the Solarwinds (VERY DETAILED and TRANSPERANT) allow the class-A CREEK Amp do its thing. the result has been the best audio family that I have heard in many years and I am have been involved with ausio gear since the days of 6ft panel lectrotats and 1"thick Kimbercable.... enjoy...cheers

Similar Products Used:

Senn 570,580,590,Sony v6, v600

The sound is incredibly clear and just sounds amazing.

The first month is painful.

These headphones are just incredible. I have never before really used audiophile grade headphones before and now really regret it. All my music now sounds more alive and listening to music is much more fun than ever. For about the first month I had these they really did hurt alot to wear. Sometimes I could only wear them for an hour or two. But, I can now wear them for as long as six or seven hours without even feeling them. What they say out there about the band fitting to your head is true. I would reccomend these headphones to anyone.

Similar Products Used:

Some 30 dollar Aiwa cans and the Sony W.EARS.

The sound is amazing.

They hurt after a while for the first few weeks i had them.

These are the best cans I''ve ever bought. For about the first few weeks they did hurt after wearing them for a few hours. But now I seem to be able to wear them forever without them bothering me at all. The music is so clear and sounds so perfect. I listen to music constantly and just love the Grados.

Similar Products Used:

Some Aiwa cans and some cheap stuff that came with my portable music devices.

Accurate sound and good imaging. The highs are terrific.

Basically no real soundstage, you are "inside" the music, and not outside of it. The bass has its ups and downs. Uncomfertable. Not very cheap.

I listened to those at a local store after hearing some real good stuff about them - and I am simply disappointed. I was never a headphone freak, not close to it, but I''ve had my Sennheiser 4xx for quite some time and they were bought for less than 80$ a few years ago. So I had an idea what average earphones should sound like. I thought I was about to witness something totally different, that would rival a mid-fi system like I have. Basically it was bad. Although the sound is very accurate, there is no real soundstage (as with speakers), and the bottom line is that I didn''t enjoy it! It''s not bad for late night listening, but I would never exchange this for my speakers which are worth no more than 800$ today, and are not considered high-end. In addition, the headphones are not very comfortable, and I''ve listened to them for only 15 minutes. The bass was also quite disappointing. I felt as if sometimes it just didn''t go low enough, and other times it did. Also, it does really sound as if you''re on the stage, near the instruments. I didn''t like that much, as it hurts the soundstage. One nice thing, however, was the fact that some of the sounds "came" from somewhere outside the headphones, and that was very neat, but besides that I don''t see how this could rival any sub-400$ speaker system, and the improvement over my current Sennheiser (although I did not compare them at the store) isn''t something spectacular. So basically: Excellent detail, pretty bad soundstage and it sounds like its headphones after all (most of the sound comes from the sides, and not from the front, like it should be).

Similar Products Used:

Sennheiser 400''s series, Sennheiser 590 (wasn''t blown away either).

Very detailed sound, tight bass

uncomfortable

This is a very good headphones in this pricerange. You get very detailed and clear sound in all range (low, mid, high)
To get more bass you need to adjust the sponge.

Similar Products Used:

sonys headphones

Makes me shiver

Reveals bad recordings,
If you want care about your ears they are slightly harsh on very high volume,

The only thing I can say about these beauties is that they revealed that I had a litte tiny "lock" on my left ear!!

*Now that's what I called detailed headphones*

The bass is punchy and never gets boomy, The mid and highends are simply astonishing. Give them a month to warm up and you will have a sound that beats a 2000$ System.
As one of the reviewers said below, They are able to make you cry with the right recording, Or at least make your backbone shiver.
They're also able to make you cry about the bad recordings that some CD's have.

Most people say that these fit best for rock. I don't agree with that. I listen much to alternative and instrumental music like Dead Can Dance, Sheila Chandra with much female voices. And voices is of course something that these headphones deliver best.
I also listen to Trance and house and I've not found any better headphones for that either. Especially "trance sounds/synths" is crystalclear and clean.

Also they are a splendid choice for Minidiscs.
I don't think they get uncomfortable either, I mostly don't even know they're on.
I paid 200$ for these in Sweden, I know they are a lot cheaper in USA (Grado is from Brooklyn I think) so if you live there, what do you wait for? Buy Them!!
Or, buy them wherever you live.

(I want to say "state of the art" and now I said it.)

Clear, focused, detailed, involving, powerful sound. Highs and mids are well-proportioned, bass is deep (but fast).

Most of the above applies only with the original earpads--use Grado's replacement earpads and the bass shrivels.

I've used these 'phones for about two years, and wouldn't consider another brand. Compared to the SR-125s, the lower-priced SR-60s sound a little unrefined, and the Sennheisers too reticent, with "holes" in the frequency response. (I've also heard the HD600s, which correct the midrange and midbass "suckout" of the 580s, but they're still too laid-back for me.) However--I can understand that the 125s wouldn't be to all tastes. I've long since gotten accustomed to the "fit" of Grados, but there are those who'd find them uncomfortable for long periods of use. Although nearly all my listening is classical, I could understand how some fellow classical listeners (such as my Sennheiser-owning friend) would find the Grados a tad aggressive and "forward," more suited to rock than Bach. My counter-argument to them would be that what they hear as aggressive, I hear as involving--but hey, it's all a matter of personal preference.

One caveat: Don't expect the same performance from the SR-125s--or any Grados, apparently--if you install the manufacturer's replacement earpads. I bought a set of replacement pads for the SR-125s (which really didn't need them) at the same time as I bought a replacement set for the SR-60s (which did--I still use the 60s with my Discman when I travel). These do not fit as snugly as the originals, being much thicker, and despite installing them backwards as another Audioreview correspondent suggested, the bass response still suffered. Overall sound became a little tinny, although still impressive enough that I got used to it. (Admittedly, there IS a marginal improvement in pinpoint imaging with the replacements.) In fact, in a review I posted a few days ago, I blamed my new Alpha-Core ICs for being light in the bass--but re-installing the original earpads on the 125s brought back all that bass "slam" (and smoothly integrated midrange). My apologies to Alpha-Core for casting even a slight aspersion on their product--and shame on Grado for shooting themselves in the foot in marketing their replacement pads.

Similar Products Used:

Sennheiser HD-580s, Grado SR-60s

I just received these headphones and so far they are not what I expected.I used to own a pair of Azden headphones and they clearly have much better bass than the Grados.They seem to sound alittle raspy in the highs but I am hoping they need to break in.I bought these on the strength of reviews here and I am wondering what everybody else considers solid deep bass.My old AKG 240 headphones have much better bass than these.

Similar Products Used:

Azden,AKG 240`s