Incorporates all of the design features of the lesser models, combined with UHPLC wire in both the voice coil and connecting cord. Non-resonant Aluminium alloy is used in the make up of the metal driver housings. Grado also embarked on a complex treatment in order to increase the materials porosity. This ensures that the earphone chamber has no "ringing" which may obscure detail or add coloration. The resulting Headphone combines clean open highs, well defined mid range and vocal bass.
The Grado SR 325i is one of the finest headphones on the planet. The sound is raw and unveiling with a precise response across the range and slightly forward mids.
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.
Bottom Line:
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.
Weaknesses: Not the most comfortable cans one can find. May reveal even too much details for your comfort... ;)
Bottom Line:
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.
Weaknesses: comfort -and it's a biggy. You do get used to them though.
Bottom Line:
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.
