韻特音響 ventoaudio

This is a lot of money to spend on a pair of headphones, but if youre a big fan of ear cans there are few better options than these Grados. This model is built to celebrate the brands 50th anniversary, and is finished in gold to reinforce that point.

We find the colour a touch vivid, but theres no denying the quality of their sonic performance. These headphones will treat you to a vivid sound that bristles with detail and dynamics. Most of the opposition barely hints at the kind of bass power these SR325i cans can deliver with ease, so whether you like hard charging hip-hop or large-scale classical, these Grados will please. We recommend these highly!

In Grado's pricey range of headphones, the SR225 come in at mid level, $200. There's not much to choose between the various models of in terms of their appearance, and they all look quite like the classic Stax SRX even though the latter was machined in light alloy and used the electrostatic principle.

Grado SR225

The casings of the 225's are molded in black plastic; the active mechanism is a full range moving coil driver much like a small loudspeaker driver unit. These cans rest on the ear (supra aural') and are fairly light at 170g, with good range of adjustment, thanks to the effective two-axis gimbal design. The cable is quite thick and heavy, doesn't suffer from the self-noise and if left to hang free, does add additional weight to that already worn. A gold plated jack is fitted (full size 6.3mm type). Use with a Walkman requires an adapter and with these headphones' moderate 92dB sensitivity plus lowish 32ohm impedance, a powerful Walkman would be required. For the enthusiast, consider a good quality auxiliary headphone amplifier. The effective cable length is 1.5 meters so you need to sit pretty close to your sound source.

SOUND QUALITY

These are open backed phones, which by definition have no isolation from stray noise and do emit some audio leakage of their own. A special foam is used for the ear pads, which I found rather itchy. For long term listening use I would be tempted to stick or sew very light rings of chamois leather or similarly light cloth over the contact region. They weren't felt to be particularly impressive on first hearing; but after further use, the SR225 claimed a place close to the top of the moving-coil headphone stack. They provided significantly deeper bass than the competition; using appropriate material, they gave an uncanny impression that a sub woofer was also operating, acoustically blending via the open back of the cans. The bass was powerful, deep, tuneful and enjoyable. It proved valuable in conveying a fine sense of scale to the replay. A mite distant, the midrange avoided the over-punchy 'right in your head' effect of some of the more raucous headphones, In fact the very fine recovery of ambiance and offstage imaging gave surprisingly spacious sound effect. Large stereo stages could be easily imagined. No boxy or nasal coloration's affected the mid which leads smoothly to the lively, open treble, sounding clean both on sibilants, and crisper, more complex percussion, reaching confidently to the edge of audibility.

Transparency was a key attribute of the SR225; a high-end quality for the recovery of low-level detail and an easy clarity were both in evidence.

Sounding very good at both low and high levels, these headphones are of reference quality both for the classical virtues of neutral frequency response and low coloration, as well as for their clarity and the high degree of listener involvement invoked.

CONCLUSION

While the build, finish and comfort didn't match the equivalents in the Sennheiser range; the standard was more than satisfactory. The results were exceptionally good for sound quality, with a particularly clean, extended bass; this is a costly moving coil headphone, but I feel that it provides a commensurately standard of music replay and is firmly recommended.

GRADO LABS DESIGNS
FOR THE BEST SOUND,
THEN MAKES IT AFFORDABLE.
NOT A BAD IDEA

...own material. When I switched to the Grado SR125 earphones, I found myself enthralled by both these phone and the Freeway Philharmonic. This sort of thing doesn't happen to me very often, and I listened all the way into track 11 before I was interrupted by the telephone. (No, I didn't want to switch phone companies! At that point, I just wanted to disconnect the one I have!) I not only enjoyed my experience with the SR125s and the Freeway Philharmonic but was pleased to know that I hadn't become completely jaded and that listening could still be really fun! I then proceeded with the tests with my listening panel, all the while knowing I didn't really care what they thought; I loved the experience the SR125s had given me.

I asked each panel member to listen to a variety of CDs while comparing the sound of the Grado SR125 earphones to the Stax Omega earspeakers. After listening to the Freeway Philharmonic's performance of Aaron Copland's "Hoedown" (from Rodeo) on Sonic Detour, the panel members were unanimous in their praise of the SR125s. In comparison with the Stax earspeakers, panel members commented: "Bass seems to have more impact," "Bass is tight and strong," and Bright but not harsh." For the "Bullfrog Rag" track on the same Sheffield CD, the comments were similar, with two additional ones: "Like a live performance in...

IN THE RANGE OF
$300 AND UNDER
THESE GRADO PHONES
HAVE NO PEER.

...more distant perspective. Panel members then listened to "Miyake," by the Heartbeat Drummers of Japan on Kodo (Sheffield Lab 12222-2). The panel's comments indicated that the Stax earspeakers allowed more inner detail to be heard, while the Grado earphones had a stronger bass impact. "Bass deep but not boomy" was one of the comments given. The harpsichord is always a difficult instrument to record and reproduce, but I used the excellent recording of the Sonate in d-Moll fur Cembalo, by Benedetto Marcello, performed by Hans Ludwig Hirsch on Sonatas for Harpsichord, Op. 1 (Jecklin-Disco JD 5001-2). This recording prompted the following comments: "The Grado SR125s put you at the keyboard; the Stax Omegas place you in the audience" and "Harpsichord is bright but not harsh on SR125s."

It was obvious to me that the panel members were very impressed by the Grado SR125 earphones. When I told them that they cost a very affordable $150, they were truly amazed. If you have less than $300 to spend on phones, the Grado Labs SR125s have no peer.

Grado Labs is a small, Brooklyn, NY outfit with a long history in the phonograph cartridge business - one of making products that outperform the competition at a tenth of the cost. A relatively recent entrant in the headphone biz, Grado makes four basic models, and two more high end versions under the Joseph Grado Signature label.

All four Grados share basic similarities, including the SR-80 model under review here: Dome drivers, supra-aural ,open -back design, and ultra -simple construction. The SR80s thus employ a 13/4-inch, plastic diaphragm driver that's similar in all the essentials to the Grado Signature models three and four times it's price; a simpler ,plastic enclosure and some less careful driver matching appear to be the main differences. Construction is extremely simple. The earcups are suspended on a spring band in almost precisely the same way as WWII-vintage aircraft headsets; simple foam rings provide the contact surface.

And yet , even though the form looks a bit low-tech, the SR80s are wonderfully comfortable; quite lightweight (about 9 ounces),with a surprisingly light cord that's free of mechanical rustle noises. The SR80S are more than fit for all day wear, and unlike many lightweight on the ear designs, they don't tend to slide out of position when you move your head-in all, the SR80S testify to the virtues of simplicity. (They do, however, exert fairly high on ear/on head pressure. I found this noticeable after an hour or so; others with smaller heads - I take a 7 3/4 hat - might not).

As to sound quality, the Grados are quite remarkable. Transparency and detail are the most immediate impression: The SR80S deliver a crystal clear window on the recording(and playback system!) that exists without the treble exaggeration usually associated with super-detailed headphone sound. Treble can feel a tad lifeless on spatially flat recordings, but from the better discs the combination of smooth yet wide -ranging highs and mid-balance structure is little short of remarkable; You'd have to spend 15 times as much on speakers to get this sort of organic, musical ìweaveî. Bass is seemingly limitless in extension and notable for balance and finesse, as is the SR-80s dramatic transient ease; Thanks to this combo well -recorded rock trap drums sounded absolutely sumptuous.

The SR80S are fairly low impedance(32ohms), and moderately sensitive(94 dB SPL 1MW/1 kHz). The combination works okay directly into portable CD players, with just about acceptable volume at moderate settings to which most Discpersons are limited for decent sound quality. Through a better headphone amp, of course, the SR80S delivered full volume, dynamics, and quality; indeed, they managed quite high levels with aplomb - one of audio's brightest values.

As unusual as it is to find an electronic gadget manufactured in the U.S. these days, it's even more unusual for that gadget to hail from New York City but that's exactly where Grado's SR60i is made. Appropriate, because just like the city, these cans have an unpolished-but-genuine persona that's a little off-putting at first, but incredibly charming once you get past the gritty exterior.

Grado practically defines the term "bang for buck" with the frill-free, pure-sounding SR60i

Cult of Mac rated 4.5 STARS

Cult of Mac Black Turtleneck rating system:
5: Insanely Great!
4: Steve Approves
3: Needs Work
2: Sugared Water
1: Dogsh*t frosting

Form Factor:

I recall tweeting about how carrying these cans around felt like having a dead squid in my bag because of the long cable and funky gasoline-like smell emanating from the unit's plastic bits when it was new (the smell has long since disappeared). The cable is ridiculously long and beefy; so much so it seriously hampers any attempt to become mobile while wearing the cans. I've tried stuffing the excess cable in my pocket, wrapping it around my neck and using it as a sort of belt, but nothing really seems to feel comfortable when moving about.

They're also not much to look at. In fact, they sorta look like a prop, liberated from the set of a 60's-era Doctor Who episode, that one of the prop monkeys had scraped together from some speaker cable, plastic model kits and a TV antenna. In other words, don't buy these to attract members of the opposite sex.

There's also no bag included, and the only concession to portability is that the cans themselves fold flat.

Finally, because they're open-backed, ambient noise tends to intrude annoyingly (and will likewise annoy any neighbors) if they're used anywhere even moderately noisy, like a coffee shop.

Simple solutions are often the best: Length adjustment is achieved through a sliding bar and a friction fit; headband is comfy, despite a lack of padding.

Comfort:

For such a no-frills set, they're surprisingly comfortable. The headband carries zero padding, the cans are surrounded by nothing but cheap foam and the fit system is very low-tech one adjustment that can be made is to bend the metal strip in the headband to loosen or tighten it but I found I could wear them for hours with no discomfort or feeling of pressure.

And because they're so stripped-down, they're also among the lightest set I've ever tried, which adds to their ability to be worn for longer periods.

Performance:

Pop'em on your head and hit play though, and every possible drawback of the SR60i melts away in a wave of melodic happiness.

Sound is perfectly tuned the smooth, creamy mids that Grado is known for are there, but they've tuned the SR60i to push the bass a little deeper than the older SR60 (without the "i"), and the effect is an extremely pleasing sound that works well with almost any kind of music bass is never imposing, but never lacking either. And while highs could be a little clearer, they're still chirpy without sounding harsh.

What really impresses though, is how crisp and clean everything sounds, even with the sound cranked up; details like the use oxygen-free copper for the wiring which ensures the sound remains free from oxidation, which can harm the sound's integrity most likely take credit here.

It's no stretch to say these cans are at least a match, sound-wise, for sets costing double or even triple. And if I don't turn any heads because I'm walking around with a cable wrapped around my neck, that's ok I'll be so lost in my music, I won't even care.