 "Sounds good, looks cheesy, feels bad" | 2009-09-19 |
| - Reviewed By An Amazon User |
| If I was evaluating the Grado SR 80 headphone entirely on the basis of sound quality, I would probably give it a slightly higher rating. But I have to put these cans on my head, and when I'm not wearing them they sit in plain view on my desk next to my computer. There's retro, and then there's cheap. Let's be honest, the cheesy stamped-plastic headphone enclosures with raised silver lettering are plain butt-ugly. They will never win a design award, but I can live with that. What really bothers me about this headset, cost of which approaches $100, is that it is not comfortable for long-term listening...the edges of the ear cushions are rough, and the headband has absolutely no padding. I have a Sony MDR-V6 headset that is of comparable cost and sound quality...but is much more comfortable, with superior fit and padding that provide a much more comfortable listening experience. For the price of the Grado headset, I expect better design quality in a product. |
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 "Grado SR80 Best headphones at a price." | 2009-07-18 |
| - Reviewed By Burt Kaufman from Austin, TX USA |
While I do not doubt that there are better headphones out there for many purposes, these have the advantage of being very good, widely available, and not hideously expensive. In fact what I was looking for was the best sounding headphone under $100. I was willing to look at oddball sets, both rare and bizarre, but I found these early on, and decided I was not going to find a more comfortable (or better sounding) pair for the price.
So, I bought them. Don't be fooled by the 1/8" phone plug on the end, these are a bit bulky for carrying around. But the reward is excellent sound reproduction.
Remember the first time you heard Cecilia by Simon and Garfunkel, on a proper sound system (as opposed to the muddy crap your car produced at the time) and all the detail in the song came through ("Pick it up! Pick it up!"). It was an epiphany, like the hand of god, laid on my ears, "Let my brother hear!"
And I heard and it was GOOD.
[...]
My ears are strangely made (and differently sized, one ear is large, and the other is EXTRA large), and I have never succeeded in using in-ear "earbud" style headphones. Hence THESE beasts. These things use more power than little portable battery powered devices commonly produce. Your batteries will not last as long. And your ears will get tired of being confined. Your neck muscles may even get tired.
But your mind will be free.
Buy these. Take them home. Use them. |
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| "Ordered SR 80 but SR 80i arrived" | 2009-07-15 |
| - Reviewed By sul tasto from USA |
| The SR 80 is (was) around the ear. I ordered that. The SR 80i is on the ear. I was disappointed, but they are very comfortable (for on the ear) and sound great, so I'm keeping them. According to consumer reports,the SR 80 is discontinued but may be availble in stores. |
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| "Amazing Sound!" | 2009-06-28 |
| - Reviewed By An Amazon User |
| 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 An Amazon User |
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 An Amazon User |
| 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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