Grado SR-325e On-ear Stereo Headphone review

[dalethorn]

The Grado SR-325e is my first review of one of the new 'e' series headphones. The short story: Hi-Fi, neutral, extended, with authentic musical tone.

 

Grado SR-325e Audiophile Stereo Headphone review

[esldude]

You know I never quite got comfortable with any Grado phones. Owned SR80 and SR225 and had trials with other models. Each step up was better, and much to be liked, but they always were lively in a bad sense. Liveliness added to the signal. Which made them fatiguing. It was an on/off/on and finally off relationship with them. They had much to commend them. Even the old 325 models had this (but they almost banished what I couldn't live with).

 

If any of what I am saying makes sense, do the E series fix that little additive liveliness I heard common to the line in your opinion? Realizing phones fit and sound different even more so than speakers for each person so maybe it was just me.

[dalethorn]

The 2 khz emphasis alone isn't bad, and the slight upper treble emphasis (or whatever it is) is also not necessarily a problem, but those two things together and using it with a lot of moderate-priced solid state amps - that can be a problem on a lot of music. The better recordings seem to benefit from the extra liveliness, but the lesser quality recordings no. A tube/valve amp does wonders, as would some of the alternate earpads.

[mistersprinkles]

You know I never quite got comfortable with any Grado phones. Owned SR80 and SR225 and had trials with other models. Each step up was better, and much to be liked, but they always were lively in a bad sense. Liveliness added to the signal. Which made them fatiguing. It was an on/off/on and finally off relationship with them. They had much to commend them. Even the old 325 models had this (but they almost banished what I couldn't live with).

 

If any of what I am saying makes sense, do the E series fix that little additive liveliness I heard common to the line in your opinion? Realizing phones fit and sound different even more so than speakers for each person so maybe it was just me.

 

I completely agree with your statements regarding those particular Grado headphones. Coindidentally, I also have the 80 and 225i. I found them too bright and lively and very fatiguing. To add insult to injury, I find that after several years, the foam ear pads start to decompose and always leave black "dust" on my ears when I use them. My SR80s are from 2006 or 2007 I believe, and the ear pads are literally decomposing. I find, in addition to what you said, that Grado headphones, while they may sound good, have shoddy build quality. They just feel cheap. At least at the lower end, anyways. My next headphones will be Audiotechnica M50X or M70X's as I like their sound and find it quite pleasing.

[esldude]

I completely agree with your statements regarding those particular Grado headphones. Coindidentally, I also have the 80 and 225i. I found them too bright and lively and very fatiguing. To add insult to injury, I find that after several years, the foam ear pads start to decompose and always leave black "dust" on my ears when I use them. My SR80s are from 2006 or 2007 I believe, and the ear pads are literally decomposing. I find, in addition to what you said, that Grado headphones, while they may sound good, have shoddy build quality. They just feel cheap. At least at the lower end, anyways. My next headphones will be Audiotechnica M50X or M70X's as I like their sound and find it quite pleasing.

 

Same experience with the earpads here. I have used Beyer DT880's for several years now. Not 100% satisfied with them, but long listening sessions are possible with them.

[bnuleoprt]

A tube/valve amp does wonders, as would some of the alternate earpads.

[Hierge]

I bought the Ear Zonk huge foam replacements for my 60i Grados. They are not only more comfortable but improved the sound dramatically due to the center cutouts.

[esldude]

A tube/valve amp does wonders, as would some of the alternate earpads.

 

I experimented with a number of earpads, and they are beneficial. Also used some tube amps. Still nothing changed the basic character of the Grado sound to make them fully to my liking on extended listening. Again granting that headphone fit, and sound interactions make my listening experience and anyone else's something of an apples and oranges comparison of course.

[Hierge]

I experimented with a number of earpads, and they are beneficial. Also used some tube amps. Still nothing changed the basic character of the Grado sound to make them fully to my liking on extended listening. Again granting that headphone fit, and sound interactions make my listening experience and anyone else's something of an apples and oranges comparison of course.

 

Everyone has a different set of ears and hears differently. You might be interested in the Rocky Mountain audio show archives on Youtube. Paul Barton from PSB, the editor of Stereophile, Logitec, Audioquest, and some other major gurus have a long discussion on headphones.

 

Barton spoke about how he's studying cadaver ear canals to get the acoustics down for his headphones. He said he spent something like 60 hours on planes designing his phones.

 

I basically tend to go with what other people find great. I like that approach because if it sounds good to many people it'll likely sound good to me.

[dalethorn]

Everyone has a different set of ears and hears differently....

 

The theory of high fidelity is different. It says that you and I hear differently at the live music event, and so we should expect to hear differently the same way with our hi-fi music systems. If you were to consider your hearing of live music to be inadequate however, and compensated the reproduced sound on a neutral system with bass or treble etc. adjustments, then you would not be experiencing high fidelity, although indeed you might prefer the compensated sound.