The Bottom Line: These headphones have a pure reproduction of sound with balanced vocal ACCURATE bass, detailed ACCURATE midrange, and smooth ACCURATE highs if you can sacrifice comfort.
benshockley's Full Review: Grado SR80 Professional Headphones
I have had quite a bit of exeperience with pro quality headphones being an aspiring musician. I have also biased my hearing having listened to my share of studio monitors, and audiophile grade speakers, and feel my judgement in audio gear is valid, no matter what field of application.
This was to be my first exepirience with "audiophile" grade headphones. I had heard Sennhiser and AKG as they seem to be the industry standard in recording studios across the country for decent audio quality, and rugged costruction quality. Both of those companies do make great headphones; but in the case of the Sennhisers, true audiophile sound doesn't come untill about 200 dollars. That was a bit more than I was willing to spend, I guess that's what drew me to the Grado line. If I were going to spend that kind of money I wanted the absolute best sound possible. Jhon Grado's line of excelent headphones wouldn't even ask that much money of me to attain amazing sound. After auditioning the SR-225, SR-125, and SR-80 I was eventually inticed with an offer of 75 dollars for the SR-80s that eventually suckered me in to the lower end of Grado's Prestige series. But by no means is the sound of these cans low end. But more about the sound latter.
THE QUALITY AND LOOK
Upon an initial inspection of these cans the build quality doesn't seem impressive. Foam ear cusions, a simplistic headspring, tons of cheap looking plastics. However, having learned that Grado's operation is based out of Brooklyn, New York. And, that they maufacture EVERY component right there, in house. I was actually deligted by the attention to detail of these hand annointed gems. Love it or hate it, Grado headphones have a uniqe look. Personally, I enjoy the 1940's look of these cans. I find it cool, and uniqe. I may be the only person in the world who likes the very distinct look Grado has chosen to keep despite a seemingly consistant disaproval from damn near everyone. Perhaps the retro look has fallen victim to the growing number of PT Cruisers, and Mini Coopers running around the suburban streets of America. I still think it's cool even if no one else does, you can think what you wish. Intially after donning these bad boys comfort isn't an issue, but wait an hour or two. I have to remind myself of the pleasnt sonic expirience I'm having to contiue to endure the scratchy rash behind my ears, and unpleasnt force being exherted on the top of my head. The area around my ears stays irritated for quite somtime after listening, but for the sonic splendor these cans provide, I'm more than willing to tolerate it. I've read other reviews mention after market ear cushions. I plan on looking into those fairly soon. One thing that can be noted very easily is the heavy duty 4 conuctor cable. It's thick, supple, and generally satasfying. It's the ideal testimate that dispite it's somewhat rough apperance, quality lies at the heart of this product.
THE SOUND
A good program source is key when reviewing an "audiophile" grade component. Note the quotations around the word "audiophile" as this means different things to different people. I myself don't know where audiophile starts in the audio product quality chain, so I use the term loosely. Testing was completed via a Harmond/Kardon stereo reciever a Panisonic portable CD unit, and my PC's internal audio source. My inital opinion of the SR-80s (and the entire Grado line) was that they sound quite brite, favoring the upper midrange. I was soon to realize that I was simply hearing liniarity. The dark tone of AKG's had seemed to have tainted me into thinking that was normal, when it was far from it. The SR-80s needed a very healthy break-in period before they really came to life. This also healped with the brightness of tone. I think if I could have heard the other Prestige series headphones (SR-125 ect.) after they have broken in I may have opted for something a little higher up the totem pole, but they all seemed to maintain the same tonality at the time I listened to them. The SR-80's offer a fluid, decently trasparent sound free of resonances and coloration, and maintaining harmonic purity. What I mean by that it that when a transducer reproduces the sound of a middle C on a piano it may reprodce the original freaquencey and a majority of the harmonics that make a piano sound like, well, a piano... and not a synthisizer producing the same freaquency. The more pure the harmonics produced by a transducer, whatever the type, the more a piano sounds like a piano, and less like whatever else it would sound like through a lesser transducer. The Grado drivers provide very consistant sound free from colorations caused by driver resonance, and great harmonic consistancey. The timbrality, or voice of instruments, no matter what type is very fresh, very real for headphones in this price range. You simply will not be disapointed by the clarity of these headphones, particularly the vocal nature of the bass response. There are headphones with more bass, but they are generally riddled with resonances and colorations in the low end that allows the bass to seem "bigger". You don't find that in the Grado line. When I listen to "You Wouldn't Believe" by 311 the bass is so vocal and balanced you can clearly identify the active humbucking pickups in whatever bass was used during the recording. And this can be done without straining, or trying to listen excesively. And the bass response is very true to how music is mixed. If a recording is mixed and mastered with balanced bass response, this can easily be noted. But thses headphones will crank out a ton of bass if whatever you're listening has been produced that way. You only hear what there is to hear and nothing else. Very clear, and concise. Very hi audio resolution for the cost, you will notice details you didn't before, and you will love it. The only thing these phones' lack is an open soundstage. You don't get the open, spacious sound stage you would get with the SR-225, but these still have the best soundstage of any headphone under 100 dollars. And the soundstage has grown a bit as the headphones break in. Actually, I think the nice, 4 conductor audiophile grade cable is still burning in, and that seems to help with the sound stage and transparentness of the sound. The SR-80 arn't as transparent as more expensive models, but at the cost, the clear, uncolored sound and accurate timbre make them a real winner. I would also like to note the efficient nature of these headphones. They sit at a pleasing 32 ohms, and can be driven amazingly loud even by a portable. This expands the usefulness of these bad boys beyond your home, and makes more use of whatever you use to drive them at home as well.
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