Price Paid:  $200.00 from Kamla Electronics

Summary:
The Grado SR225 are an open backed high quality full size headphone with 5 1/4" termination. They are black with silver grilles and the drivers and round. The headband is steel with a plastic covering. Steel rods hold the drivers onto the headband, and the useful thing is they rotate and can be layed flat. The cable is exceptional quality, thick OFC double sided with a Y splitter. The jack is gold plated which is excellent and expected at this pricepoint. Unfortunately becuase of the drivers rotating freely, the cable often gets twisted above where it splits. This is just about tolerable but irritating. The headband can be slightly tight, but as with all grados, you bend it gently and this is fine. The sound on these is amazing, really fast paced allmost too quick at times. Transients are agile. It drives forward at warp speed. The bass is tight and punchy, but not excessive. The best thing I like about these is the midrange, which is warm and detailed, with good vocals. Instruments sound like their real counterparts. The treble I found to be a little too sharp at times though, some edginess on amplified instruments. Overall these are musical headphones for rock pop and dance.

Strengths:
Quick punchy sound.
Realistic instruments.
Build quality.

Weaknesses:
Headband comfort.
Twisting cable.
Can be too forward on heavy music.

Similar Products Used:
Sennheiser.

Price Paid:  $150.00 from used

Summary:
i am currently shopping for a good headphone amp for these, so i've been listening out of the headphone jack on my dvdp.

these cans are very musical, and have a wonderful warm midrange. the words "flows like oil" or "pearls on velvet" come to mind in describing the sound. the beastie boy's "body movin" off the criterion dvd has great brain shaking bass with these, but not as forward as the v6, or boomy like the v600. tull's "songs from the wood" mfsl cd has very convincing sounding aucoutic instruments. classical is also nice, and female vocals have a stunning life-like quality.

on lower quality sources (like my reciever's headphone jack) the phones sound a little murky.

on good sources (the best i have now is my dvdp, cdp, and pcdp - the sony d777), they sound just amazing: the sound is addicting.

the treble range has a a flowing quality, but not even near bright or sparkling. the mids are gorgeous. the bass is not forward but is there, and with the right recordings you can actually FEEL it. the biocellulous drivers lend a wonderful analog quality to the sound. these are very musical phones.

i've read folks compare these with sony's flagship cans the r-10. the r-10 uses similar drivers, but is housed in wood and costs $4000. if you have a good solid state amp with low noise snap the cd1700 up if you get the chance.

on a scale of 1 to 10 i give them a 8.9 for sound (compared with live music), and a 9 for value at $150, what i paid.

Strengths:
warm midrange, seductive sound, comfort, looks, build, musicality

Weaknesses:
very large, could have better isolation, need a great source

Similar Products Used:
sony v6, akg 240m

Price Paid:  $150.00 from HiFiBitz

Summary:
Well...I could write a book about these headphones, but I'll just write two things :

1. I agree with the other reviews here. These are just the best headphones you can get. I would only change them for a set of MDR-R10, and nothing less than that.

2. If you can still find them somewhere...buy them!!!

Strengths:
These headphones are very very comfortable, and the sound is the best I've ever experienced in a set of headphones.

Weaknesses:
???

Similar Products Used:
I've tried several headphones from Sony, which I all liked...but the CD1700 is just even better.

I've also tried some Sennheizer, but the quality is not even close to the CD1700

Price Paid:  $165.00 from internet site

Summary:
I purchased both these headphones and the Sennheiser 495's with the intention of demoing both and sending back the one that did not make the cut.

Sadly, the Sennhieser 495's cost $100 less and blew these away.

A good pair of headphones but better sound quality is available for less money.

Strengths:
Good build quality

Weaknesses:
Limited soundstage

Similar Products Used:
Sennheiser 495

Price Paid:  $160.00 from Ask Electronics, London

Summary:
What else needs to be said that hasn't been said already? well, these 'phones sound amazing with (female) vocals, and instrumental pieces, this in part i think is because there is a slight boost in the midrange (one of the properties of the Biocellulose Diaphragm).

Bass is strong, tight, and fluid, not boomy in any way (although that might put so called "Duh-m-basses" off of these 'phones, they don't have the largest slam in the market.

Treble, Some might find it a little recessed (it is compared to my Senn 565s) but, NOT in a bad way, everything still sounds musical, but without any searing cymbal clashes, or sibilance... a Cymbal sounds like a Cymbal, and a vocal piece sounds how it should sound.

These 'phones are made for quality rather than quantity, they probably wouldn't suit hardcore techno heads (although i have had them bouncing around quite happily on my head!!) but, definetly (imo) a far better buy (value wise) than the equivilant Senn models (except the HD600)

If anyone in the UK does still want to get there hands on these gems, they'd better hurry up, the only place that i could find them was in London, and, even there, there was only about 5 pairs for sale!!

Happy Hunting!!

Strengths:
Great sound quality, Cheap price due to being discontinued

Weaknesses:
Can be hard to find the "sweet spot" on your head to make them sound there best

Similar Products Used:
Sennheiser HD565