 "Amazing Sound!" | 2009-06-28 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3N6FOO0U241M1 |
| I did quite a bit of research before deciding on the Grado SR80 Headphones. From what I have read, it seems that these "cans" have better sound quality than many others in their price range. I was a bit skeptical at first, but once I received my Grados, I believed. They sound great straight out of an Ipod, and spectacular out of an amplified source! These are great for the budding audiophile and are worth more than their price. Pick up a pair today, you won't be disappointed. |
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| "Re discover your music with the Grado SR80" | 2009-05-16 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2ZCD39BRC3PPN |
I am by no means an audiophile but I do own quite a few headphones such as Creative EP630, Sennheiser HD485, AKG K26P, and Koss KSC75 to explore my MP3 collection in the past. I particularly like the Senn HD485 for its deep bass, and details in music instruments you normally don't hear in most of the low end phone, and also the Koss KSC75 for its wide soundstage. I thought the Senn and the Koss was good enough for me until I bought the Grado SR80. And WOW, I can't believe the Grado provides lot more details and soundstage than the Senn or the Koss could delivered. I even have fun listening to the FM with the Grado.
However, I found the Grado does not work well when I hook it up to my Qinpu Q2 amplifier. I think it it due to the low 32 ohms impedance of this headphone which requires the amp with hi current output to drive the Grado to shine. So I am still in the process of trying to get a good amp that would give a good synergy with the Grado.
Overall, I think the Grado SR80 is the best $100 investment I ever spent on a good quality headphone. |
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| "Amazing sound but requires a quite environment" | 2009-04-28 |
| - Reviewed By User: A28REGH7NGMUP4 |
| Well, just as everybody else said, Grado has done a great job on the sound quality over the last 20 years. Very true sound. Not like bose or sony, the deep tight base doesn't blur the mid and the tremble. You can here everything clearly---but all these requires a quiet environment. Due to its open air design, the headphones doesn't block any noise outside. A blending of high quality music and explicit noise is not cool. Although it works great with my Ipod touch, I still suggest to use it at home/anywhere quiet. On the go is not a good idea--and the high quality copper wire is heavy and wide--again it transmits amazing sound but you don't want to use it at a noisy place. |
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| "Great Value for Money!" | 2009-04-25 |
| - Reviewed By grambus |
Up until a few weeks ago, I was unaware of just how good Grado Headphones are. I have had Sennheiser reference headphones for most of my adult life. My last pair of HD540 Reference Golds were starting to frizz out when a colleague at work showed up with a pair of Grado SR60s. I was stunned, the sound stage was so perfectly clear, fantastic separation and Led Zep's "Ramble On" was clear as day, BUT, the bass response was a little sloppy for me and the deeper resonance was missing. So... I bought the SR80s. I was stunned - the sound was every bit as good as my Sennheiser, the clarity, precision is excellent, if just a little warm in the 50-60Hz range.
So sound good, but what about build quality, comfort and looks?
Well - the look is very retro - I caught a glimpse of myself in the window at work and could easily have been confused with the radio operator on the Titanic.
The build quality is worrying... There is a "Y" junction where the wires split from the jack to the headphones. This is simply a pressure welded plastic junction box. It flattens the wires and looks like it could weaken the cabling and cause problems later - I guess I will find out in due course. I would like them to have used a better quality splitter, but maybe I am just a worrywart.
As to comfort they are light and after a few minutes you forget you are wearing them. I have listened to music for hour and they left no pinch points and are easily adjusted.
In summary
Sound 4.5/5
Looks 3/5 (Who wants to look that Geeky?)
Build 4/5
Comfort 5/5
Value 5/5
I do not think you will find better headphones for the money - if you are thinking of getting some "real" cans and have a limited budget - buy these - you will not be disappointed.
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 "Grado SR80 Headphones review..." | 2009-04-17 |
| - Reviewed By User: AF7GIFVICZ7U9 |
Sound quality is excellent. I expected a bit more, however, in terms of "fit and finish". For around a $100. I thought I would see less plastic. Maybe I am naive.
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| "Beats the Pants of almost everything else" | 2009-04-06 |
| - Reviewed By User: A27E8EBPIPQPYZ |
I've used a pair of Grado SR80's for about 5 years now:
Build Quality:
- no issues, held up well over the years despite being moved several times, stepped on, thrown in the back of cars full of luggage, etc.
Sound Quality:
- unbelievable. The fidelity of these headphones really comes through as accuracy of sound production throughout the entire frequency range. They sound better than headphones several hundred dollars more expensive.
Stop looking at Bose and Sennheiser. You can't go wrong with Grado's |
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 "Cheap construction but great sound." | 2009-03-27 |
| - Reviewed By huange1 |
This is a review for the original Grado SR80, not the new SR80i. But many of the comments will probably apply to the new version, too.
First, the construction of these headphones are horrible. The headband is a thin piece of curved metal covered with fake leather and no padding. The foam "bowls" that go on your ears are scratchy. John Grado admitted in an interview that even he thinks they are uncomfortable until they soften up by absorbing your body's "oils", i.e. sweat. Unfortunately, sweat also makes the pads break down into dust, so it's recommended that you wash the pads regularly with soap and water. The drivers are housed in plastic that looks very breakable. There's no stress relief where the wires enter the drivers, and this is a common area of failure. Where the wires come together as a "Y", the plastic insulation appears crimped, and this is also an area that commonly fails due to stress or wear. Fortunately, there's lot of instructions available on the internet on how to fix these headphones when they fall out of warranty.
Regarding comfort, I suffered from ear pain the first week I owned these, but then I learned the secret - you have to bend out the metal head band to the point where the ear pads just rest on your ears and don't apply any pressure. Now they're very comfortable, except that my ears still feel itchy after extended use.
So how can I rate the Grado SR80 4 stars? Because these headphones sound AMAZING. That is why Grado Labs has been successful in selling millions of these headphones, despite the cheap construction and lack of comfort.
A lot of people will tell you high-fi headphones need a dedicated headphone amplifier and expensive interconnects to sound good. Grado headphones don't need any of that extra gear. They are very "forgiving" of mediocre music sources and mediocre amplification because of the way they are designed. Just plug them directly into the headphone out of your portable digital player or stereo system. Do you know how your singing sounds better when you are in the shower? It's that way with Grado headphones. If you love music, give these a shot. You'll fall in love again.
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| "Great Cans for the Price" | 2009-03-25 |
| - Reviewed By User: A27O0VOK8W1QXM |
These headphones are fantastic, and offer one of the best price/performance ratios for under $100. Sound fidelity is excellent even at low volumes and it's not necessary to use an amp, but they sound even better when they are powered by one. Portable media players can easily drive the SR80's. If you're picky, you might notice that the sound stage could be improved, but it's not really an issue at its price. You'd have to invest in much more expensive headphones to improve the sound stage significantly.
Comfort-wise, these headphones are very lightweight and do get more comfortable with use. The pads do get a little uncomfortably warm after long listening sessions of a few hours.
Overall, I highly recommend the SR80 as an affordable set of cans. You'll be pleasantly surprised at what you haven't been hearing in your music. |
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| "Plain but terrific!" | 2009-03-22 |
| - Reviewed By User: A4MOOXEKEJIMX |
While not very elegant,these phones are just what headphones should be. They reproduce sound that is crystal clear, enabling easy placement of all the instruments being heard. No clutter, no over-emphasized frequencies, just the sounds that should be there without complications. Have had this set for nearly a year and have abandoned the use of my other units, these are that easy to live with.
One minor change I would make is to make the phones themselves and the cables that extend from them a little more stable; they twist about themselves when the phones are taken off and you have to straighten them out each time you use them. A small thing, though, in comparison with the sound you get from them. I've been using phones for over 40 years in studio, radio and music creation and for the money you won't find anything better and probably not as good. |
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| "Never Heard Better ...." | 2008-09-06 |
| - Reviewed By User: AKFIID3X56XNB |
These things are the real deal. Anyone who has ever listened to mine agrees. Pretty much everyone here does. Every range is represented fully and the best word I've heard used here to describe the sound is "spacial". The are open ear design has its pro's and con's but for the house it's great. I can listen to my music but if my lady what's me to listen to something on the TV or get my attention ... I can just divert my ears to whatever is going on.
Are they uncomfortable ... yeah ... a little ... if you have ears that rest close to your head ... you shouldn't have any problems ... but the pads aren't super deep and if the hard cartligy "C" part of your ear makes contact with the plastic speaker grill. It can irritate. I still wear them for hours on end.
Would I buy them again? ... Yes! ... Definitely! ... They ARE incredible! and also a great value.
Don't hesitate if you love music .. or video games ... they really get it done. |
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