I love headphones. In fact, I collect midrange headphones(between $50 and $300). I also feel like a lot of reviews on Amazon lack depth and objectivity, so I've recently began reviewing the headphones I own.
To start off, I developed a simple way to "test" my headphones. I played six songs from vastly different genres of music over each headphone through my iAudio 7, each encoded in Ogg Vorbis between 192 and 500 kbps, with all the sounds effects turned off on my iAudio and the equalizer set to "flat".
The scale I used to rate various aspects of the headphones works like this:
0 to 2 - abysmal
2.1 to 4 - poor
4.1 to 6 - mediocre
6.1 to 8 - above average
8.1 to 10 - excellent
The songs were "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac, "Every Planet We Reach is Dead" by Gorillaz, "Concerto Grosso No. 26 in D Major" by Handel, "I Know You Are, But What Am I?" by Mogwai, "Afro Blue" by Triplexity, and "The Patient" by Tool.
So, on to the review...
Grado SR 125
Sound Quality(9.7/10)
The Chain(10/10) - excellent sound stage. Rich, vibrant mid tones. Aggressive, but pleasing, highs. Instrument separation is great. Bass is deep and smooth. Well-balanced sound.
Every Planet(8.5/10) - spacious sound stage with excellent instrument separation. Bass is clean, but somewhat lacking. Mids and highs are crisp and vibrant.
Concerto(9.5/10) - bass and mid tones are vibrant and aggressive. Highs are very crisp. Sound stage and instrument separation are both exceptional. Slightly aggressive for classical music, but otherwise very pleasing.
I Know You Are(10/10) - phenomenal sound stage. Probably the most impressive I've ever heard from a pair of headphones. Deep, rich bass. Vibrant, aggressive mids, and crisp, clean highs. Instrument separation is absolutely incredible.
Afro Blue(10/10) - music is crisp and clear with very good instrument separation. Sound stage is amazing; almost overwhelming even. Sound is intense and aggressive, but lows, mids, and highs are all exceptionally vibrant and pleasing to listen to.
The Patient(10/10) - impressively vivid, rich bass. Mid tones are vibrant and intense. Instrument separation is excellent. Highs are crisp and clean. Sound stage is also great. Again, the sound in this song is very aggressive over the Grados, but for this type of music it is desirable.
Overall Sound(9.7/10) - these headphones have a remarkable sound stage. Music appears as though it is coming from many directions, not just the speakers attached to your head. This was especially noticeable in "Afro Blue" and "I Know You Are, But What Am I?", where at times the sound seemed to be coming from locations far outside the headphones themselves. Instrument separation is exceptionally precise. With these, it is incredibly easy to distinguish between various instruments.
Highs are crisp and clean, but also very intense. This is good for certain genres of music(e.g. progressive metal), or for certain moods, but not so desirable when you just want to relax to soothing classical. The same goes for the mid tones; they were rich and vibrant, but also quite aggressive. The bass on these is deep and clean, but somewhat underrepresented. Not terribly so, but it didn't have quite the balanced presence it should have. Distortion, however, is practically nonexistent.
This combination makes these headphones sound phenomenal for most forms of rock, and great for livelier jazz. They were also good for classical, but due to their aggressiveness, perhaps not as ideal as other headphones. When one wants to relax to nice, soothing classical, he doesn't always want to feel like the cellist may attack him with the blunt end of his instrument at any moment. Genres similar to hip hop and electronica are where these phones are the weakest. They still sound good, mind you, but other cans would be a better choice if this is what you primarily listen to.
Design(8/10)
Many don't like the design of Grados for various reasons. I've heard complaints about comfort, appearance, and build quality, and these really aren't the most comfortable headphones in the world, or the best looking in my opinion. Neither are they the worst, however. Comfort seems to be hit or miss for most people. While they do make my ears slightly sore after listening for several hours, it really isn't bad at all. They're fairly comfortable even, for short periods of time. That said, it is probably best to try these on for yourself before buying, since opinions about this are so diverse. The appearance is just as debatable. Fans of the retro look will probably like it, while others will not.
As for the build quality, they do seem a little cheaply built in certain places. The chambers that hold the diaphragms are made mostly of plastic, and can swivel around in complete, 360 degree circles unhindered, which is kind of annoying because it twists the cord around. The headband also has virtually no padding. Nevertheless, I've had these for some time, and they've held up quite well without issue. I seriously doubt the cord is going to short out anytime soon, either(which has been a problem for me in the past with other headphones), since it is literally about ten times as thick as most other headphone cords.
The biggest issue for me concerning the design was lack of mobility. These phones are very bulky, don't fold up to conserve space, and don't come with any kind of carrying case. They also have an open air design, which is good for keeping distortion down, but doesn't provide for hardly any noise isolation(and leaks tons of sound, too). This is only a minor gripe, however, since mobility doesn't seem to be what they were designed for, and I enjoy them greatly for home use.
Bottom Line(9.4/10)
These headphones are an excellent value for the price - possibly the best deal in the headphone industry at this time. Especially for genres of rock, they sound incredible. They are best kept at home, however, as they are quite bulky, and have an open design. Strongly recommended to anyone who values quality sound. However, opinions on headphones vary wildly according to personal taste, and I always recommend listening to many different pairs before buying. |
I tried the Grado Sr 60, the Sr 80, and the SR 125 on a hi fi stereo, and as you can surmise, the higher the number, the more detailed and crisp the sound. Mind you, all three models sounded wonderful, but for these audiophile ears, I wanted to get the best I could honestly afford (and the best headphones I could afford without being soundly rebuked by my better half).
The sound quality on these are phenomenal. Clear and crisp, powerful without sounding distorted, these are the Grado SR 125s. Listening to Neil Diamond's Hot August Night was a truly wonderful experience. These phones sound like $500 speakers. I felt like I was at the Greek Theatre listening to Neil live. Listening to a hi fi stereo is of course even more incredible than listening to an MP3 player, but that probably goes without saying.
A couple of minor quibbles: The cord is awfully long, the plastic looks kind of cheap for something that costs $150, and on an ipod, you gotta crank the volume (or maybe I'm just getting deaf).
These are not sound isolating or noise cancelling, so you won't want to wear them in bed with your spouse trying to sleep.
You should also keep in mind that your Grados will only sound as good as your source. MP3 files on your ipod are not going to sound as crisp and powerful as listening to a cd, unless you rip with the Apple Lossless version (it takes up more memory on your ipod, but it's worth it).
They sound better with a stereo than with an ipod, but I love them dearly. Highly recommended. |
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"As an audiophile, this was one of the best purchases I've made."