Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
This is a review of the new (2008-09) series.

Brilliant sound and very simple to drive. Break in is a breeze. Gorgeous soundstage and presence.

I picked this over the AKG 701, and thought it was far superior and certainly easier to power.

Picked it up at Q Audio in Cambridge, MA.

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Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I would buy the SR225 before buying the SR325. After listening to the Grado headphones, and owning a couple, it becomes clear they are some of the most colored headphones being sold today. When they first came on the market, I heard huge differences between different brands of headphones. As other companies have upgraded their headphones, the sound differences have become less. There are only a handful of brands of microphones that are commonly used to make the vast majority of recordings. It just so happens that those brands also manufacture headphones. Neumann is now tied to Sennheiser, which was the most notable exception in the past. Headphones and microphones have some similar design problems and solutions. They are mainly single transducer devices. Think of a headphone as an inverse microphone. You get the best headphones at reasonable prices from the pro microphone companies. You just do. Recording engineers are not fools that buy into audiophile hype. Think about it. The vast majority of recording and broadcast engineers use those headphones that were made by the microphone manufacturers. They just do. Sound is manipulated to sound the best through those microphones and headphones. It just is. Grado does not manufacture the transducers at BOTH the input and output side of things. Their headphones have colorations that some people find highly enjoyable. I got tired of it. Grado hasn't changed much. The other companies vastly improved their top headphones since Grado came on the headphone scene. Grado refuses to make their headphones as comfortable as Beyerdynamic, Sennheiser, Audio Technica, etc. How hard could even that be? Go to HeadRoom and see just how peaky and rolled off the SR325 is compared to AKG, Sennheiser, and Beyerdynamic top models. Headroom rates the SR325 value much lower than some competing models from other manufacturers.

Back in 1991, there was a lot of room for improvement in headphones. Headphones were not in vogue and used only when necessary. Some people now use them as their first choice in listening. Manufacturers saw that and improved their offerings. Grado just hasn't kept up with the rest of the pack. Compare to the new AKG, Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, and Audio Technica models before dropping a wad on Grado cans, and wear those cans for several hours. Grado does not have the R&D capability of AKG, Beyerdynamic, Sennheiser and Audio Technica. That is why you see noise canceling, surround sound, aviation and other advanced types of headphones coming from the majors that build microphones and wireless pro products.

With Grado, start at the bottom of their range and work up. I do not hear the degree of sonic improvements with added price that I hear from other manufacturers. The SR325 should have a more extended frequency response for the price.

It's sad that an American company lets the Europeans and Japanese totally blow them away on something as simple as comfort and style. Grado woke those other companies up in the early 90's, and now it's time for Grado to wake up. The big competitors still put out some schlock in their cheap models for the mass market, and that may lead people to think their high end models are schlock as well. Not true. I have owned Grado phono cartridges as well as headphones. I use another brand of phono cartridge these days that gives a better sound and higher value. Things change. Grado's competitors are taking no prisoners these days., and taking hreadphones into new realms.

Strengths:
It's a high priced tone control for people with unique hearing preferences. If your ears need these boosts, then OK. Many people have ruined ears from exposure to loud noises. Grado survives by being different from the rest. Some people need a graphic equalizer for their ears and associated equipment. A good graphic equalizer generally costs more than a headphone. Joseph Grado understood how to manufacture products to address psychoacoustic issues. He was a true audio design genius. If you can afford many headphones, Grado cans give a different perspective.

Weaknesses:
It is time for new engineering talent at Grado. Less comfort and lower build quality than their top competitors. Grado needs to upgrade their headphones immediately. Other manufacturers have recently stripped Grado of their value rating. The Prestige series at least is simply a collection of cans with varying degrees of gross frequency response anomalies that counteract problems with ears and associated equipment. It help some people, but can also make things worse if chosen incorrectly.

It now takes huge money to design and manufacture better headphones for less money, and bigger companies with more market diversity have those capabilities. Hand building things no longer makes up for lack of sophistication in other areas. AKG was smart enough to team up with Harman International to provide capital investment. Now look at the great audiophile headphones they have recently marketed. Joseph Grado is gone from the company. I wonder how long Grado can hold out as a small family enterprise???

Most recording engineers choose another brand of headphone, always have, and if you want to hear things the way they do, buy those headphones.....if that's important to you.

Similar Products Used:
DT880, K601, several Grado SR series.

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Price Paid:  $0.00 from 1999

Summary:
Everyone else have already stated the most obvious facts about these cans, so I decided to bring up a different point of view: studio use. SR325s belong to very rare headphones with neutral, yet very detailed sound suitable for demanding audio monitoring and even mixing. The sound balance is impeccable with no disturbing peaks or valleys in frequency response. The bass is clean, sharp and goes low enough for most purposes. Midrange and treble are just what they should be: nothing wrong there.

One soon notices that these headphones are absolutely merciless. If your recording is bad, it definitely sounds terrible from these cans. The resolution is almost too sharp; want it or not, you will hear the harshness of most cheap CD players, differences between cables - and, of course, every little detail that is wrong in your mix when you're making music... For the first time ever, I seriously started to consider buying an external D/A converter - these headphones really would deserve the best hardware one can afford to buy.

So, soundwise these Grados are excellent for home studios and probably also for professional setups. Very comfortable these SR-325s are not, at least to my ears. I can live with them, but my ears do become somewhat irritated after perhaps 30..60 minutes of continuous listening. This is probably very personal, so I recommend trying for yourself. Anyway, they are ok in that sector - not perfect, but ok.

I haven't heard better souding headphones - or, perhaps loudspeakers, either. That's one thing. Then again, the ultra neutral, ultra revealing sound of SR-325s may not be for everyone. They sound clean and musical, but a it the same way as top quality studio monitors do. Some people might prefer "less perfect" and more forgiving sound. Also, SR-325s tend to become quite expensive due to their ability to reveal the weak points in your audio system... You might eventually need to upgrade more than you expected. ;) Still, a top system and more than worth their price.

Strengths:
Flawless, neutral sound, excellent resolution, exceptionally clean, yet deep bass. Strong structure.

Weaknesses:
Not the most comfortable cans one can find. May reveal even too much details for your comfort... ;)

Similar Products Used:
AKG 141 etc.

Price Paid:  $250.00 from na

Summary:
I've been using these for over five years now, and have always loved the way they sound on my stereo. If you want to hear fingers slide on strings and a singer moisten his mouth before the next line, this is what you want. My speakers are great, but with the 325's it always seems a bit closer. The sound stage is there, they have strong accurate bass, and the highs are so freaking crisp. (If you're listening to heavy metal and you simply want some boom boom boom, get Sony's and save your cash.)
And, they do grow and break in. These are not the cans I bought back in 2000.

BUT, the reason I'm writing this is because my nephew sent me a headphone amp. I am blown away! Between the Grado's, the Iriver, and the amp, I have portable audio pleasure. Like taking a stereo wherever I want and running it off of four little batteries.

Letting the hyperbole slide for a minute, I really do love these things. If you want accuracy, I recomend them.

Strengths:
Clarity and bass

Weaknesses:
comfort -and it's a biggy. You do get used to them though.

Similar Products Used:
Sony's -lot's of them, and none of them approached these for clarity. All they did was go boom boom boom.

Price Paid:  $0.00 from Local Importer

Summary:
Just as an addition to my earlier review...

I have noted and picked up what I consider a very annoying and possibly a bad design flaw in these 325i's,, or at least, something which should be improved upon immediately..

The cords which go from each earpiece into the junction (where they become "one"), twist around with each earpiece. Since each earpiece can potentially swivel around endlessly on the stainless steel pins, the cords will follow them, becoming badly twisted to the point where they bind up very tightly upon themselves and look like two snakes fighting each other. Now, because each cord is quite heavily constructed, you may not notice just how badly the internal wiring may actually be twisted - I did notice it and it felt quite badly twisted inside.. This could be a recipe for disaster. The internal wiring could quite easily fray and/or break. Indeed, I was so concerned about it, I phoned my brother who has a pair of SR60's and he told me of his friend (also with SR60's) who actually managed to get these 2 cords so twisted that they DID break off completely on one side.. Of course my brother said "So you have to be real careful of this"...

Why was I so concerened..??

Because this had happened to me before with other headphones and when it does, they are rubbish bin material. It is impossible to solder or replace them. I can't see these phones being any different.

How could they be fixed..??

Easily - by making the earpieces slide up and down only, on each steel pin, or to allow only a limited amount of turn on them, so they can't turn 360 degrees..

Since I have owned these 325i's (all of only 3 days now) I have managed to get these cords tangled almost each and every time I pick them up and wear them, simply because the earpieces swivel right around as soon as they are lifted.

Of course, all this could boil down the the fact that I am a clumsby fool but I see these phones, at the moment, as a piece of art, badly let down by poor design..

Reproduction and quality is about the very best I have ever listened to. 9.99 out of 10..

Ergonomically (by design), they are pathetic. 1 out of 10...

Grado needs to put more effort into the comfort and fit factor and a lot more into the solidity factor of this unit. Simply put,, they are flimsy and delicate. Right now I don't know whether these are a wolf in sheeps clothing or a sheep in wolf's clothing...

Their one saving grace is that the DO sound magnificent...

Also, the rumble in the right speaker, I spoke of in my previous review, still persists and if the volume gets any louder both sides suffer the same effect - a bad rumbling distortion. I have tried all my other headphones and none of them suffer anywhere as badly as the 325's. By the time this same distortion sets in on any other phone, you are alost deafened,, but with the 325's you can almost still hear your own heartbeat. Not Good...

I am pondering the idea of using the "7 day money back guarantee" we have in this country on just about all new goods...

I almost have a bad feeling about this unit...