As subtle as a jackhammer; as detailed as an Intel microprocessor; as retro as the New Beetle.

Slight treble roll-off at extreme upper frequencies; some say not comfortable; you might not want to take them off... ever.

Grados are weird. They are made by a small company in Brooklyn. Many people they are too ugly (I think they are as beautiful as an old cabinet). All of their headphones (from the $69 Grado SR60 to the $600 RS-1) use the same basic design. And yet... and yet here we have the best headphone company in the world. Yes, it does beat Sennheiser.

Although my 580s are better than this ones, they also cost 3.5X more. While the Senns are laid back, relaxed and detailed, these ones are incredibly dynamic (in pop and rock, drums will become forever etched in your brain), detailed and neutral. How is it possible to cram this much performance in such a package? If I had never seen this headphones before, I would have sweared their sound quality was equal to an AM radio. These are more like master tape quality. Retro beautiful, classy, exclusive, precious sounding and economical. What else could you ask for?

Similar Products Used:

Sennheiser 580, 490, Koss SportaPro, Bang & Olufsen A8

Musical, smooth, retro look, price, detail!

Uncomfortable until you bend the headband around. Long break in period.

These fine headphones smash my Senn HD545's to pieces when it comes to detail and musicality. The bass: like the finest of subwoofers, tight, punchy, nice extension. The midrange: detailed, liquid, effortless. You'll hear things you never picked up on before, like bass players fingers picking at the strings, vocalists throat noises, and the vocals... So sensual and smooth, these cans sing! The highs: Smooth smooth smooth. I couldn't imagine anything better at this price.

Similar Products Used:

Sennheiser HD545, Koss TD-80, other not worth mentioning.

Design and build quality like no other headphones.

None

I can't say enough about the Grado SR-125's.I've had them over 3 years now and have never had a problem with them.These headphones have sounded great since the first day I got them and still sound the same.You can not beat the sound quality and durability at such a great value price.I do highly recommend that you also use a Headphone Amplifier such as the Musical Fidelity X-Cans with the Musical Fidelity X-PSU Power Supply,and don't forget high quality interconnects as well.The SR-125's sounded great even before I got my Headphone Amp,but with the Amp the results are astounding!!

Unbelieveable sound quality that rivals audiophile grade speaker systems.

Some have complained about the fit of the earphones after prolonged wear. I have had them on for hours without any problems.

I wanted headphones for home use because I need peace and quiet while the wife watches TV. I initially thought about wireless headphones but decided after reading reviews here and the internet that that was not a good idea.

I ran into a website called www.goodcans.com and read the reviews about the GRADO-125. I have never heard of a Brooklyn based company called GRADO and I live in New York City so I was skeptical. I read more reviews from a dozen different websites which concurred with the same conclusion: headphones that sound better than loudspeakers!

I have to tell everyone here that any review of the GRADO-125 does not do justice to these headphones. They have to be heard to believed. I have listened to about 4 hours of music continuously on these headphones and every track has something new I never heard before even with high end speaker systems! Believe me $150 you spend is a mere pittance compared to the sonic enlightenment you will experience with these headphones!

Similar Products Used:

Sony Digital Ref & Koss

Warm, I love the bass, The old fashion look, I love them.

A little uncomfortable after long periods of listening,

I went to the store and listened to both the SR80 and the SR125. SR125 blew the 80 away.
Even though I listened to the music through an old portable CD-Player I was stunned! The sound may seem a little low in these headphones and you get a tendency to pump up the volume often. However, the bass never becomes boomy and the sound is warm and clear.
This is my best buy ever. I'm not an audiophile, though I really recommend this pair of headphones to anyone that wants real good sound.

I use Grado with my Sharp 831 Portable MD and NAD C340 Amplifier.
So far I've been listening to LTJ Bukem, Pink Floyd, Bob Marley, Santana and they all sound fantastic.

great sound, good value, bass, acuracy

some might think that they look ugly and are uncomfortable, also open design lets sound leak in and out

I'm relatively new to high-end audio, so I spend a lot of time searching for reviews. I decided to get some of the Sennheisers that so many people rave about. I ended up returning them, dissillusioned with the mediocre sound.

At a local dealer I ran across Grado and decided to compare them to some other Sennheisers. I was blown away by these unassuming phones. I loved the sr60s and the sr80s even more. I wanted headphones that I could use at home or on the go so I didn't really consider the sr125s (since they are terminated w/ a 1/4 inch plug) ... until the last minute. I didn't think I could justify the additional cost, but I tried them anyway. Wow! The soundstage enveloped me as soon as I placed them over my ears. The music flowing out of these was rich and wonderful. Needless to say I took them home.

I was anxious to try them at home, but I was dissapointed. I had 30 days to bring them back, so I gave them a chance. After a few days, I noticed a nice improvement. The more I played my 125s, the better they got! They now give me luxurious and accurate sound without disturbing anybody too much. Give these beauties a try. I've even come to sort of like the way they look.

Summary:
-Great for home use (or with some portables if you can find the appropriate adapter)
-They are a great value. It's hard to find comparable products from other brands for the price ... If you love music, you will enjoy these for a long time
-Very light, but some say they are uncomfortable (they make my ears sweat just a little)
-Consider a headphone amplifier

Similar Products Used:

Sennheiser 490, 570, Sony circumaural, cheap phones included w/ portables

Strong bass, good treble

Build quality
Spaciousness

Quite a punchy bass with clear treble. However, it can sound sharp at times and don't match the spaciousness of my Sennheisers.

Similar Products Used:

Sennheiser 570

Powerful bass, relaxed sound, warm, transparent

a pinchy treble, uncomfortable when used for long periods of time, Built quality average

I used them with a Naim Headline amp. Very good sound, with a lot of bass and very transparent! They go real loud. The problem is that the treble can be annoying some times (some spittiness observed). One of the best cans that I have ever heard. They are uncomfortable after a while. The only alternatives is the Stax basic headphone stystem.

Similar Products Used:

Sennheizer Manhattan, Sony 250, Ross, Sony monitors

Grado's website is www.gradolabs.com

Well built. Light weight

They do hurt your ears after an extended listening
Harsh treble Audio quality is so-so

I bought these last year and was satisfied with them for a while. Then I heard the new Sennheiser 590 model and these phones became my back-up phones.

The Grados are fatiguing to listen to as the treble is harsh and they arre extremely uncomfortable for your ears.

I also like my cousin's Sony earphones better.

I am quite disappointed with the Grado 125's

Similar Products Used:

Sony, Sennheiser