Abosolutely the BEST Headphone Bargain! Read below

Read Below, there are quite a few

I'll be the first to admit, these are a far cry for the better headphones available. Being a headphone fanatic (yes, I own all the ones listed above and have auditioned at least a dozen more), I'll also be the first to admit I am severely discrimating about my headphone reproduction. Still, with all that said, the Grado Prestige SR-60 headphones definately hold the highest value rating for a pair of headphones; a true bargain if there ever was one.

For what you pay, you don't get the most detailed, most airy, most transparent sound. You don't get the most outstanding dynamics. Not the most liquid mids (Senn HD600 holds that honor), not the most grainfree treble (Senn 600 and the Stax come to mind) nor the most concrete bass (my Grado 225 does better). But keep in mind all these headphones costs HUNDREDS more.

What you do get is a truly musical headphone. One that, though it doesn't lead the class in any catergory, still maintains respectabilty in EVERY catagory. Generally a tad more "romantic" sounding then I like, but just a tad (most grado's are). For $69 (sometimes less), you get a pair of headphones that sound like they're worth twice that much. And unlike all the other units I own, the SR60's actually produce very decent music without a dedicated headphone amp. I tried Grado's own SR-80's and 125's with my portable Sony D-E885, but they didn't remotely compare to the SR-60's. If you're looking for headphones that mate well with portable gear, The SR-60s are it. If you're looking for headphones that sound great with a headphone amp without giving up more then a day's wage, the SR-60s are it. If you're looking for the absolute best bargain in all of headphone-dom, the SR-60s are definately it.

A COUPLE OF HINTS: First the headphone ear pads are not acoustically transparent. They do significantly alter the sound. Some reviewers who aren't as discerning say it isn't a big deal, but to me, it's a huge deal. With the pads on, the mids are congested, the treble rolled off, and the bass muddy. Yes, it is very audible. But here's a simple, FREE solution: you guessed, it, cut holes in them. Here's how to do it cleanly and perfectly to size. Take a clean quarter. With the pad facing up (earside down), place the quarter dead center within the pads. Now, take a exacto knife or some other delicate cutting utennsils, and start cutting around the quarter SLOWLY in quarter inch increments. Trace a couple times clockwise, then a couple times counter-clockwise, and presto: Perfect circular holes precisely matched to the drivers, still nice and comfy (unlike the blasted earpads of the other Grados, which I have replaced myself).
Second hint: Where these headphones (unlike most other headphones) dead center of your ears. Others usually sound best positioned slightly foward and lower on your head to improve that strange headphone soundstaging and offset frequency disparities. However, the Grado's do poorly off axis (esp. the treble region), so line them up as close to your ear canal as possible.
Third hint: be patient. Grado's take a while to break in (well, almost all drivers do). The SR60's won't blossom until about 30 hours of play. I usually run all my new headphones with low level pink noise for about 20 hours (doesn't use much electricity anyhow).

Well, I strongly urge you to buy a pair. The Grado SR-60's one of those things I couddn't resist buying just because of sheer value. Heck, I had 4 better headphones already at the time of purchase, but at $69 a pair - and be forewarned about hackeyed cliche - I coudn't afford to not buy one.

Similar Products Used:

Senn HD600, HD580, Grado 225, Sony MDRV200 (comp. gaming only), Stax Lambda

Good bass, mid range and highs. (which means good in every respect!)

Not sealed...

Ok, the bottom line is this: I don't have much experience with headphones, but the Grado's simply sound great. I all of a sudden hear so much more on every CD... When I am about to compare them to the Sony's mentioned above, I immediately realize that I shouldn't. The Grado's are REALLY NICE HEADPHONES. Do yourselves a favor and INVEST in a pair of SR-60's.

Similar Products Used:

Sony MDR-V250

Well, I got these to complement my Sony MZR50 and Sharp 521 MD players. Iwanted something that would sound almost as good as those infinity EMIT speakers I left at home when I went off to college. I've had them for a week now and I
am very pleased with them. The fit takes a little getting used to, as you have
to give the headpiece time to stretch to fit the contour of your head. The ear
covers are really cushy and it seems like they are slowly conforming to the shape of my ear. The ear pieces are attatched to the band by a metal pin which
adjust up and down to better fit your ears... I found that the ear pieces moved too easily and that I had to readjust the phones frequently. The plastic on the end of the phono connection was rather thick, making it difficult to plug into
my Sony MD as it interfered with the remote control it plugs into.

Though I am not an Audiophile, I know that these are the best sounding headphones I have heard. The word here is clarity. These puppies are clear at even the lowest volumes... I found myself turning them down rather than up. They are louder at 1/4 volume than my convential sony headphones are at 1/2 volume.
I heard things I had never heard before in a recording. I decided to try them
with a DVD movie and popped in "Fearless"... I could hear the shutter click of the projector and could make out what the extras in the movie were saying over the normal dialouge.

If you want something that sounds great with a portable and doesn't require
a headphone amp and doesn't have too much bass, go ahead and get the SR60's.
Oh, did I mention that at $70 they are a real bargain?

New cushon, Open-air design

Open-air design, questionable durability

I just bought thest today to replace a pair of Sony headphones. They are very clear all around, although somewhat lacking in the low end.

In case you're wondering why I listed the open air design as both a weakness and a strength, it's because it is. The design gives the phones great sound and comfortability (closed headphones get kinda hot), but the problem is that you can hear outside sounds and other people can hear what you're listening to.

The cushion they have on the 60s certainly is a lot more comfortable than the foam one on the 80s, but it does color the sound a bit (nothing too significant, but there none the less). A good solution is to cut a hole where the driver is to let the sound reach your ear unchanged, but I haven't tried it (nor do i intend to).

Overall, an extremely good pair of headphones for the price ($69)

Similar Products Used:

Sony, Grado, Sennheiser

Light, Sound Quality, Price, best for portables (w/o amp)

after 1hr or so = soar ears (but it's ok cause i rarelly listen more than 1 hr)

I'm greatful to all the reviewers on this site for helping me to make the RIGHT choice!
The headphones are absolutelly worth every good word said about them in any consumer review. I also love that exclusivity in them, so far i've seen only one guy wearing Grados here in U or Waterloo out of the whole bunch of students here. (I think they don't know what they are missing) When I was reading reviews i was consirned about the negative response regarding weak bass produced by sr60's, I don't consider myself an audiophile with experience but i think the quality delivered by these is absolutely enough for an average mortal audiophile and definitelly worth every penny spent. Besides you dont have to carry around an extra amp if you wanna use it on portables, like SR80, 125 ... less drag

Similar Products Used:

cheappo crap

Audiophile quality sound. Amazing price. Works great on my portable without separate headphone amp. Cool retro look.

Leaks a lot of sound externally.

Very balanced, well defined sound throughout the entire range. Tight, well balanced bass--not overpowering.

Unbelievable sound for the price.

Like all good audiophile quality drivers, they need to be broken for quite a while!

I have found them to be reasonably comfortable.

A lot of people seem to not like the looks. I love it's retro industrial look. It is on the other end of all the glitzy mass produced junk out there.

With the exception of the Etymotics ER4P, Grados were the only headphones I could find that could be easily driven by a portables without a separate headphone amp.

Biggest problem is they leak a lot of sound so I'll probably have to keep the volume way down on the plane.

Similar Products Used:

none

These cans make music! I have owned my SR-60's for about 3 years now and I still love them. They are pretty comfortable and sound reproduction is excellent with harmonic texture and excellent bass. They do sound warm compared with the Sennheiser HD-580's, which I find way too bright and lean, but not near the resolution of the Senn HD-600 phones. There is nothing better for the price, plus the service at grado is second to none. Call up the company for help and you are likely to get Mr. Joe Grado himself on the line. Recently, the plastic piece which connects the can to headband broke, so I called up grado and they sent me new parts for free.

Similar Products Used:

Grado HP-1, Sennheiser HD 580, HD-600

neutral, non-fatiging, good bass, compatibility with low output devices

Can be uncomfortable with "old" pads, thick cumbersome cable

Very good headphones for use with portable electronics due to high efficiency. Good clean bass. Smooth, non fatiguing overall sound. Nice sturdy, long (although cumbersome) cable.
The original earpads which came with the SR-60's (the ones with the hole in the center) became uncomfortable after about an hour of lstening. I had to order the softer replacement pads (without a center cutout) available through Headroom.com ($10 + shipping). The new pads are much more comfortable but may restrict the highs since there is no "donut hole" cutout in the new comfy pads.
Another minor gripe is the thickness and stiffness of the cable. It's sometimes annoying to move freely with this heavy cable hanging off your head. On the optimistic side, the cable is very strong with a sturdy "Y" connection where the left and right wire joins together. I've given these headphones a few good accidental jolts while moving around and they took it in stride.
Very reccommended for use with portable electronics, however there are probably better choices for home use.

Similar Products Used:

Radio Shack Titanium

Comfortable to me. Seemingly detailed. Good construction.

Very bass shy.

These are highly rated and popular headphones. They go well with portable electronics. Sound is excellent for this price range. But...to me... absolutely no bass. Very bass shy. If you want a full range headphone for jazz or
classical music, this is not it. It is seemingly clear and detailed. But I think the detail is just enough harshness to be pleasant. For the price, they are top performers (unless you like to shake your head with bass}. They are comfortable enough. I think for $30 more the Sony MDR7506's headphones smash the SR60's to pieces. I only bought the Grado's because I could not find the Sony's. When I DID find the Sony's, I bought them. Grado's do well on my minidisc and CD portables. The plug had a wide ridge on the front of the plug that had to be trimmed for the minidisc remote control. I think the Grado's are great headphones, but a bit overrated.

Similar Products Used:

Sony MDR7506. AKG240. Sennheiser HD600. Many Koss, Sony, and Aiwa headphones.

Great sound quality, not too bright, good bass.

Open headphone design permits noise to leak.

I just received these headphones and couldn't be more pleased. They are superior in every respect to aforementioned Sonys. And at $69 they're quite a bargain.

Similar Products Used:

Sony MDR-V6, Sony MDR-V600