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View Full Version : GRADO SR125 headphones


Haoleb
07-07-2003, 12:41 PM
As many of you know i won these in the audiokarma giveaway Thanks to Brian B. for donating these.

and now here is my review:)

I got these a couple of days ago and at the moment they have over 20 hours on them so i imagine that they are broken in pretty well. My first impression when i got these was a put them on and they felt a bit funky, before these i was using Sony MDR-CD180 headphones that cost 20 bucks. they are an closed over the ear type. And i always thought they were pretty comfortable and they are, moreso than these grado's but they arent as uncomfortable as i had expected them to be. With the bowl pads that are on these its kina like "placement" of the headphones on my ears is tricky, because i want to make it as comfortable as possible but yet still sound the best. So sum up the comfort, they arent the last word in headphone comfort but they arent as bad as some people will make you think.

Sound, well when i first put these on and played a song i was shocked at the soundstage and detail that these had and also impressed at how easy they are to drive on my portable and anything else i plug them into. These have good detail like i already mentioned, playing pink floyd dark side of the moon i could actually hear what the people in the backround are saying the highs are crisp and clear and detailed, not as smooth as my system but thats a whole different story. My old headphones compared to these didnt really have any highs at all. The bass is pretty good. It is very smooth and deep, weighty. not overpowering, nor underpowering. Midrange is also smooth and detailed, These headphones are very balances with no real noticable peaks in the sound and overall present a very detailed smooth musical sound. With certain songs and at a reasonably loud volume they can be a bit bright though.

They seem pretty well built, and are flexible as far as adjusting them to fit your head. The cord is pretty thick and can sometimes be a nuisance is it gets tangled where it splits from one cord to two because the ear pads can turn around you have to turn them to untagle it. And the most major downfall is the comfort, i dont think i could go very long wearing these without taking them off for just a couple mins to rest. Sometimes i can get them placed just right where i dont notice them but they really dont even compare to my sonys for comfort. And the soundleakage could also be a problem. Im leaving for 3 weeks to the mainland and am going to take these and i doubt i will be able to listen to them on the airplane as they might leak too much sound. But i have heard cheap headphones that leak just as much. And as i have read others mention they will reveal a bad recording, as i was playing some of the Mp3's i have i was really surprised at how bad they sounded.

Overall they are good phones with great sound and good build, and flexiblity. Their comfort level isint the highest but the sound definetly makes up for it.

BrianB
07-07-2003, 11:48 PM
Hi Haoleb,

Once again, congratulations on winning the Grado headphones!

Although you already have about 20 hours of listening time on these headphones, I would suggest giving them another 30 hours before drawing any firm conclusions regarding their sound. Indeed, I would recommend hooking them up to your regular system and playing music through them for a couple of nights in a row at a volume setting that is just slightly above what you would normally tolerate - just leave them sitting on a table in your listening room with the music playing, and go to bed. I guarantee that the highs will smooth out considerably, and the overall tonality will gain in richness.

Cheers,
Brian

millerdog
07-08-2003, 01:43 AM
Yeppers! My SR325s sounded better after about 48 hours. I let them play for two days before listening to them again. I just used my receiver and let an FM station go!

moondog
07-08-2003, 01:53 AM
They're also more comfortable when you have some hair over your ears.

Not a jab... Just a fact. ;)

mOOn

millerdog
07-08-2003, 01:59 AM
Yeah, the Grado aren't the most comfortable cans in the land. Sometimes I really miss my Audio Technica's. But they were closed cans and kinda sweaty.
I think your ears have to get used to the Grado uh...feel.;)

Haoleb
07-08-2003, 08:05 PM
Well, i left these playing all night lastnight, and pretty much all day today and they are starting to sound alot better. My ears are getting more used to these so they are starting to not be as uncomfortable. I will leave em playing again all night and see how they sound tomorrow i was listening to these and my old sony's today and before i didnt really think they would be worth a whole 150 bucks over the sony's but now id say they are. Ive been noticing an echo with these and im not sure if its the songs or the headphones but if i listen carefully i can hear it. Its really weird to hear the detail in these, and their soundstage since im not used to having phones that are worth listening to besides backround music.

BrianB
07-16-2003, 09:45 PM
Originally posted by Haoleb
Ive been noticing an echo with these and im not sure if its the songs or the headphones but if i listen carefully i can hear it.

Very curious - but I just don't see how this could be caused by the headphones! Do you hear the echo on all recordings?

Haoleb
07-23-2003, 08:53 PM
Well im in oregon at the moment, at my grandmothers house, bored to death:( :( :rolleyes: i should have gone home yesterday with my dad when i had the chance. WHAT WAS I THINKING! anyway, i have been listening to these a bit and i dont notice the soft echoe of the vocals on all recordings, it must be that i just never heard those minute details before. Ive gotten used to the grado feel and i am enjoying these much more than i was before,since they dont bother my ears anymore, and sound wonderfull! but i cant wait to get home and listen to my system again... sigh.. i miss her.:yes: :cry: :pity:

Haoleb
10-21-2003, 08:26 PM
Just to sorta post a followup evaluation.. Id like to start off by saying that once the pads break in and your ears get used to the way they feel, and get used to positioning them on your ears. THEY ROCK 100%!

I remember when i first got them it felt like they were gona rub my ears raw when i had em on for like an hour. Now, i could wear them all day long no problem. Very comfortable. I think the main reason people dont like their feel is because they dont give em a chance because honestly, these are very comfortable.

Sound is as good as always, Smooth and clear, detailed and bass is a very nice. I dont think they lack bass as some people complain about.

When i am at school or somewhere i use my Sennheiser MX500 earbuds because these are too valuable and big to be carrying around with me all day and when i come home and put these on its a huge relief to my ears. They are built pretty good. I treat them pretty nicely but they have been dropped a couple times and stuff and nothing is broken or no cords coming loose, or anything.

Like i said before, they are very easy to drive, everything from my computer (which is where they reside 90% of the time ) to my portable, and my amp of course drives them way beyond what anyone would listen to. But they do sound better with a decent amp. when i plug them into my NAD c370's headphone output they sound better than with my portable or computer.


Overall, after a few months i like these even more than when i got them and would reccomend them to anyone without hesitation. At first they wont be that comfortable but give em some time they will feel great. great product. Great comfort, and sound.

:hdphones: :thmbsp: :bigok: