Grado SR125 Review

The Grado SR125 are not going to win any aesthetics or usability awards, but the sound produced will bring out some sounds masked by other headphones.

Summary

The Grado SR125s provide the best rock, acoustic, and vocal quality we have heard, but suffer in most electronic categories.  Mild distortion was heard on the lower end, but the overall quality of the sound was great, including for gaming.  The overall design of these headphones cannot be ignored.  They lack in almost every category imaginable: comfort, material quality, adjustability, aesthetics, etc.

Forward:

In our earlier review of the Sennheiser HD580s, we addressed two issues associated with headphones, particularly the Grado v. Sennheiser differences in sound, and the need for an amp for true audiophile quality.

Introduction:

“First, there appears to be a divide in the audiophile headphone community with many people falling into either the Sennheiser or Grado side.  Both manufacturer high quality headphones with unique characteristics and this review is not meant to be a comparison or ranking of the HD580s in comparison to other offerings.  It is a standalone, hands on review discussing the use of the headphones in the situations below.  Your taste may vary.”

The first thing we noticed about the Grado SR125s was the stark contrast in type of sound produced compared to the Sennheisers.  Sound was much crisper, bordering on abrupt, rather than allowing sounds to blend to create an environment.  Each sound is separated from every other, and the rising and falling edges of each sound were sharp.  This made for less atmosphere, but more punch to abrupt sounds, hence the ‘punchy’ sound. 

Features and design:

The design of these cans, quite simply, couldn’t be worse.  In fact, they performed well technically, but we could not overlook the lack of design.  Adjusting them consists of bending the metal headband to the desired tightness, and sliding the earpieces up and down a metal stick that creates bug-like antennas if you have a smaller head.  The plastics feel flimsy, and the fact that movement of each headphone piece is restricted by contact with these plastic pieces, does not inspire confidence in the longevity of the product.  The medium density phone used to the ear pads feels abrasive, and just barely surrounds the ear.  Unfortunately, this styling graces the entire Grado line.  If you like their sound, you will want to modify them for comfort and maintain your pride in public.

The Grado SR125s are dynamic, open air, over-the-ear headphones.  The soundstage is medium to narrow, and midfield to close distance, which adds to the impact felt during abrupt transitions.  They use a 1/4″ plug, so you will need a 3.5mm adapter if you intend to use this with a PC or portable player.

Use and testing:

Our music selection for auditioning included:

Bjork’s "Vespertine" (DVD-Audio, MP3)

Mahler Symphony 10 (Berliner Philharmoniker