kimster's Full Review: Grado SR325 Professional Headphones
Grado SR325 headphones provide excellent clarity for both high and mid range frequencies and also have good bass.
Back in November of 1999, I visited a local hi-fi store and had auditioned various headphones (Grado's SR125, SR225 & SR325 and the top of the line Sennheiser HD600). In order to get the most out of my home system and my discman, I was willing to spend up to $350 bucks for a really nice pair of headgear. All four headphones were tested on the same CD home system component found at this hi-fi shop and also on my Sony D-E885 discman.
Of the Grado line, the SR325's provided the overall best high/mid/low range. In my opinion, Sennheiser's HD600 had better bass (deep and tight - I was really delighted at the tight bass rumble) than the SR325's. However, the HD600's highs sounded slightly muffled compared with the SR325's.
Another thing that I've immediately noticed on my discman was that the HD600 needed more power to drive them; I maxed out the volume on my discman and I was disappointed with the weak sound. As for the SR325, it had no problems receiving enough power from my discman and sounded great! HD600 needs 300 ohms to power them compared to 32 ohms for the SR325 which explains why the HD600 performed so poorly on my discman. If your planning on getting a HD600, make sure that you have a headphone amplifier to provide juice to them!
Since I like to listen to jazz and classical music, I felt it important to own headphones that can provide attention to detail from various musical instruments (guitar, percussion, violin, horns, etc.). For me, I want to hear the performer's fingers run through the guitar strings and also the crispness of cymbals and keyboards. Even though the HD600 has such excellent bass (low frequencies), the SR325 provided good enough bass which helped me make my decision to purchase them over the HD600.
Though I was pleased with the SR325's sound qualities, there are a few physical disadvantages that come with them as well.
First, the headphones are uncomfortable to wear for more than an hour due to their included stiff foam earpads. Recently, Grado had reconstructed the earpads with a softer more comfortable foam material. Even with the new earpads, my ears tend to become fatigue after about an hour of listening. It really doesn't matter what headphones I choose to wear; I must give my ears a rest when I approach the first hour.
Second, these headphones can be an inconvenience to carry around everywhere. Considering that the SR325 has a heavy six foot cord, it sometimes can be a challenge to keep neatly in place when I listen to them. Often, I find myself untangling the cable out of my backpack when I want to listen to some CDs. If you exercise frequently, you probably will find them a hassle to listen to and carry along. These headphones are made for home use, but you can purchase a 1/4" to 1/8" stereo adapter to connect them to your portable player.
After considering both advantages and disadvantages of the SR325, I still find them my favorite headgear that also falls below my $350 budget. It's sometimes difficult to decide which headphones are the right ones for you. To find out which is your favorite, read up on various headphone reviews and audition them like I did at your local hi-fi shop. Everyone has different tastes when it comes to music. For me, these Grado SR325 headphones are the ones for me. For you, there may be other available brands or models that hit your strings just right. Happy listening!
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