Make music come alive with a pair of Grado SR-80

After reading hundreds of raving reviews about the Grado SR-80, I decided that I would take the plunge into high quality audio. While I wouldn't concider myself an expert in the world of high end audio, I have always been a proponent of aftermarket audio equipment. The headphones that come with portables are nothing short of horrid sounding, but so often I see people using then, experiencing only half the music. Between nonexistant or bloated bass, the missing mids, or unclear and harsh highs, low end headphones can make even the greatest masterpiece sound like garbage.

For Christmas of 2002, I recieved a pair of Sony MDR EX70LP headphones, which I have been using for quite some time. The Sony's, quite highly recommended on my part, sound great for its uses, but pales in comparison to the smooth sound of the Grado SR-80. I will be using my Sony MRD EX70LP on occasion for reference, although they are totally different headphones (the Sony's are earbuds, the Grados open-air).

Sound out of the Box -

Right out of the box I can hear the detail in the Grados. While a little flat, everything is seperated and clear. The first test CD is the Beatles 'Let It Be'. All the voices are clear, the bass is sharp without being muddled or exaggerated. This brief test lasts a few minutes before I set my CD player to repeat, and give the Grado's a good 30 hours of assorted music on my computer.

Sound after 30 hours -

What a little difference a day makes. The sound of the Grado's comes alive. Everything is so seperated that I hear things that I never heard before in many pieces of music. Classical music seems to have a live quality around it as I can hear the sounds of people breathing, keys being pressed, and subtle passages that were never there. Rock music is clear and seperated. Loud rock that would normally sound bloated and overdone is now placed into parts, with every instrument having the right amount being heard, rather than one large sound. I found that could hardely help myself from listening to everything I could find to see what it really was intended to sound like.

Compared to the Sony's, which have a clear sound as well, there is no comparison. The earbuds have deep bass, but often becomes boomy. The highs are there, but bury the upper mids. As I have said several times so far, the Grado's seperate perfectly. But I'm not throwing away the Sony's just yet.

Comfort -

While not as bad as some say, the Grado's are made for sound, not comfort. The foam ear pads are comfortable for quite some time before they start to hurt my ears. Usually this is after a few hours, but a quick break is all that is needed for my ears to feel better. The sound itself makes it worth it. My Sony's are earbuds and quite comfortable, but for the tradeoff, I pick the Grado's.

Construction -

A tad cheap in terms of construction, the Grado's are a merging of sound quality and cost effectiveness. There is a lot of plastic in the construction, so I would not imagine the Grado's to last if you abused them, but these are the kind of headphones you don't throw around after listening to them. The headband is metal covered in leather, so it shapes itself after some usage. The cord is thick and well constructed. It feels solid enough that you know you aren't listening to a crappy pair of headphones.

Price -

For less than $100 you won't find anything close to these headphones. Even if you think that $95 is a lot for headphones, concider the fact that these will last you for a long time, and that similar floor speakers (in terms of quality of sound) would cost you many times the price.

Sound leakage -

Here is why I will keep my Sony's. The Grado's spew sound like a leaky boat. Everyone around you will hear exactly what you are listening to and at a volume close to half of your volume. This won't help you in a place where it needs to be quiet, so keep the Grado's at home or somewhere no one is going to get bothered by your music. The Sony's in comparison leak no sound and could be played in any situation. On the same note, the Sony's are great for moving and listening, the Grado's can be a little loose and may fall off, so don't jog a mile with the Grado's on your head.

Looks -

If you're concered about having the coolest looking headhpones, these aren' then. The 1950's look is great in my book, but probably not for everyone.

Poor recordings -

Prepare yourself to become a critic. Poor recordings sound bad on these headphones. MP3's that are poorly recorded will sound outright bad. I recently listened to a CD of Ravel by the Cleaveland Orchestra recored in the 50's, and while it was a masterwork recording, it sounded horrible. Not becasue of the music, but the tape hiss was very loud. The original master of the recording was an analog recording, and was mastered badly.

In conclusion -

If you love music in any way shape or form, please do ourself a favor and listen to these headphones somewhere. The clairty in sound is nothing short of amazing. Everyday I find myself more amazed by the sound of the Grado's. While not functionable in all enviroments, these will be my headphones of choice from now in anyplace I can use them.


Update: A note on headphone amplification -

A common question is if you will need an external amp to use good headphones. With the SR-80, the answer is yes, and no. The sound can get relatively loud on a portable, but the range is limited slightly. Using these headphones on my computer, which has an onboard amp, I am able to pump up the volume conciderably.

For example, I am part of my universities wind ensemble, so all the concerts are recorded. If I play the recorded CD on a portable, the sound is very quiet, as if I was listening to a concert from 100 feet away. If I plug the same CD into my computer with the amp, I can get the sound to be quite loud, to the point where it almost seems as if I was sitting in the band, rather than watching from a distance. Of course, this is the beauty of Grado headphones; the ability to seperate sounds so clearly that it almost feels as if you were part of the action. So, if you can find a source that will give you some more juice, you're good to go. If you want to run these headphones of portables, you won't lose much, but you won't get the full sonic effect.