Customer Reviews

Grado Prestige Series SR-60i Padded Headphones

5 star:		(236)
4 star:		(70)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I don’t want to brag about how good the can is, coz' the whole world has hailed its performance over and over again. The very fact that this can is repeatedly compared to ones costing over $300 itself speaks of its astounding performance (... and unbelievable for its price). So I will give you the cons of the product that I have experienced.

CONS:

1. The headphone can be uncomfortable for extended wear. Many people have mentioned if you bend the headband backward or if you stretch the headband etc.... it gets more comfortable, but I haven't quite succeeded in achieving absolute comfort that Sennheiser HD497 provided.

2. Too much sound leakage. Since it is an open design, it leaks so much sound to the outside world, so I am forced to listen at low volumes at work. But then physics places a limitation that sealed headphones cannot achieve the quality of open headphone (resonance issue ... you can easily find info. as to why on the net...)

Conclusion:

1. When you listen to the can, its pure sound quality, imersive music melts all the cons away and makes you promise yourself that you will never give away this can.

2. If Bass is not much important to you, the Sennheiser HD497 provide a more crisp clear high. I have owned both the models, so I can vow on that. But overall, I would any day take the SR60 over the HD497.

Currently I have graduated to SR80 driven by a Headroom Total Bithead. But if you do not plan on getting an AMP, then I suggest you stick to SR60.

I've been a musician all of my life and played piano and other instruments professionally for an 11 year period. I listen to many genres of music and have a discerning ear. However, I am not an expert audio technology and because of this my review is based entirely on my listening experience.

Physically, these headphones have a heavy guard that is apparently well-shielded judging by the sound. The signal to noise ration will low compared to SENNHEISER HD212 Pro, which is a closed ear type headphone that I purchased after listening to many models being made at the time. While the SENNHEISER HD212 were not the best at the time, they were a good value for the price point. The SR60s are a spectacular model at their price point, here is why.....

The first thing I listened were recording of Chopin Waltzes by Ashkenazy. The clarity of the sound and the subtle nuances, harmonics and other details stood out. Similarly, I listened to a 1989 digital recording of Bill Evans Consecration. Bill Evans is known for his tone and these recording were made with Marc Johnson a phenomenal bass player who uses the whole range of the bass. In this recording, the results were that the piano tones were truer, the bass was light years better on the SR60 and even the brushes being used on the high hat cymbals were crystal clear. Overall, the sound was warm, balanced and low, mid and high frequencies all rendered very well.

The last test that I did was to listen to the human voice with an orchestra, this is usually a very good test of what any sound system can do and these headphones didn't disappoint. I picked Viaggio Italiano / Andrea Bocelli as the test album, so there were lots of sections with more or less orchestra, soft and loud sounds, etc. Bocelli's voice was incredible and the orchestra sounded great. This particular model of SENNHEISER headphones couldn't even approximate the sound of the GS60 on voice, true to life violin and overall sound. In fact, it was apparent that lots of frequencies were lost or distorted.

While the test I did may not be apples to apples, it is always useful to listen to multiple recordings and have something to compare the device being tested. I also listened to recordings multiple times focusing on different elements and aspects of the sound. My conclusion is that the SR60s are incredible for the price and better than many more expensive headphones. For me, they are perfectly adequate.

In the past, I have used very high end headphones and usually visit this section of any electronics or audio stores I go to. I love to hear what one can get for their money at different points in time and I often bring my own music to do the listening when I'm serious about buying. While SENNHEISER and others may make some superior headphones, you will pay dearly for incremental differences in quality.

I give these headphones my highest rating for their combination of value and sound. Also, they are comfortable if you where them for an hour or two. I can even see wearing them longer, but there are more comfortable headphones out there for use for longer periods of time. If you are sensitive to having something on your head, you may want to check them out, but they were about as comfortable as the SENNHEISER's for me.

In general, I think you would have to pay at least TWICE the price to get something just as good. I don't have any reservations about these at all and they can be used with both 1/4" and smaller inputs. I also want to be clear that I used a high quality disc player for my listening and NOT an iPod or MP3 type device.

I recently bought these cans for my daughter to use with her iPod mini...I had read good things about these headphones even with the criticism(?) of antiquated styling, uncomfortable headband and open headphone style...Wow! I am so impressed with these headphones that I offered to swap my Bose Quiet Comfort 2 for these. She said NO! The response is so smooth with a dynamic range that allows you to hear every nuance recorded onto the track. Bass is true...not artificially enhanced or boosted...highs are razor crisp and midrange is full and "round." Don't look any further for your headphones...these are worth 4X the price...I know!

The Grado SR-60s are fantastic! I listen mainly to classical music, and I have found that these headphones offer incredibly accurate sound with clear highs and sufficient, but not overpowering, lows.** The detail in sound is phenomenal. The listener will enjoy very subtle differences in tone color and dynamic level, and the sound always comes across naturally.

The SR-60s (and SR-80s) are perfect for portable listening devices, such as iPods, because the headphones present the best sound possible for players that lack an amplifier or a powerful driver. More expensive headphones with more power, detail, and precision are just wasted (and in some cases, don't even sounds as good) on portable devices.

On the downside, I find that my SR-60s cease being comfortable after about an hour or so because they apply pressure to my ears. But I think this is a very small price to pay given the quality of sound and the price. (And sadly I rarely have much more than an hour at a time to listen anyway.) Plus, these cans are incredibly durable. I've used mine consistently for six years now, and they've held up perfectly.

Just a word of caution: Grado headphones are "open air." While this contributes to their fantastic sound, be aware that people sitting near you will hear your music. These may not be the best headphones for people on the go. Besides, they are not the most portable headphones anyway.***

The bottom line: (1) If you are an audiophile who primarily listens to your music on a portable device, these headphones, or perhaps the SR-80s, are the best on the market. Your iPod doesn't even allow you to fully enjoy these cans, let alone more expensive ones. (2) If you primarily listen on more powerful systems, these cans are still incredible, and highly recommendable for the price. But if you have extra cash and are looking for something even higher end, you might want to consider Grado's other products.


**When I compared these headphones to the SR-80s, the only real difference I could identify is that the SR-80s provide more powerful bass output. For that reason, I actually prefer the SR-60s for classical music, but that is obviously a personal preference.

***For those looking for a more portable option, I highly recommend the Sennheiser PX100 headphones. They are light and comfortable and fold nicely to fit into a small carrying case. They do not sound quite as warm and refined as the Grado SR-60s, but the sound quality is very, very close. And considering how portable and durable they are, they are absolutely worth the $50. They are also "open air," but much less sound seems to leak out of these smaller headphones.

I love these. I bought them to listen to music while designing a website. I plug into my computer, turn on the music, and I'm in another place. They're comfortable, clear and you hear music in the way it was meant to be heard. I woke up, threw in my Garden State cd, plugged in and am in bliss as I get ready to go back to the webdesign caves.

I think they look pretty darn cool in a "Radar O'Reilly way."

The plug at the end of the cord is the small plug that fits a computer and ipod and you receive an adapter to fit that big-honkin' hole for a stereo which I'll never use.

This is one of my best purchases for 2005.

***EDITED IN 2009
It's four years later and the sound continues to inspire from these Grados. I've gone through lots of other headphones while working out with the mp3 player, but the Grados are still around and I continue to crank with them on at my desk.

The Grado SR60 cans (audiophile speak for headphones) takes you out of the world of just something to put over your head to listen to music, audio books, DVDS, movies and such and transports you by the handcrafted loving American made and assembled Grado cans into the world of the audiophile.

What is an audiophile? A pompous windbag who throws out all kinds of facts and figures and comparisons between "make and model this w/ these specs" vs. "make and model that w/ these specs"? Sadly, some audiophiles sound like this and to my shame, I sound like that sometimes too. But an audiophile really is a person who Loves Good Sound reproduced in the best possible way. That was how I came to realize I was an audiophile. Have I studied, compared, bought, reviewed, shopped some more and made my opinions known since then? Again, sadly yes. But I hope my opinions are of value to you, the reader.

The Grado SR60 IS an audiophile level set of cans. There can be no doubt about this if a person just puts them on and listens to them. As with all audiophile cans, the best sound is achieved in as little as 12-15 hours of break in time but best results are usually realized after 30-60 hours of something being run through your cans. They come with a full size adaptor for home stereo systems and everything is well-built.

Are there other and more finely detailed Grado cans? Yes. I have done a review of the SR225 and out of the box, the SR225 had "somewhat" better sound in all levels than the SR60's did. Now that they have been broken in, they do blow away anything else that other brands have to offer in my opinion but they also cost $200. So why then did I give the SR60's Five Stars and state that they are audiophile cans? Simply put, it is a matter of relative scale, taste and price.

The SR60's are lovingly hand-assembled here in the USA, they DO sound absolulely fantastic and nothing I own from other brands that cost even more come close to topping them, including some Sennheiser models. I've listened to DVDS with these cans and have jumped out of my skin sometimes from a thunderclap, a gun firing or various nature sounds in a furious state. There is no sonic mudslide to deal with, the cans are balanced and accurately reproduce sound you want to hear and you will love it. THAT'S being an audiophile in my opinion and that is what makes these audiophile cans. They bring the joy back to sound!

They are full-sized open cans so sound will leak if you play your sound source too loudly. This isn't good for your ears so why do it? Very little sound leaks if you play these cans at a reasonable sound level. And the foam ear cushions they come with are very comfy. If you'd like to increase the distance between your ear and the transducer (the sound producing part hiding behind those comfy cushions) and develop a sound stage of some appreciable quality, I recommend the L-Cush ear cushions that come with the SR80's and above. They may not "seem" as comfortable at first but they will quickly break in and fit you and your ears. But truthfully, I don't feel you are losing a lot by using the standard cushions that are provided with the SR60 model. In fact, I sometimes use them with my SR225's and SR80's.

I highly recommend these cans to you, especially if you are new to audiophile cans, the "sub-culture" or if you are on a limited budget; these cans really do produce for a low price and contrary to what some have said are really well made! I fell in love with them and only moved up because I "caught the audiophile bug" as a fellow audiophile quipped. Another plus, like all of the SR series models, these have a very low sound impedance of only 32 Ohms so you can use them with your portable devices. You "may" have to use a portable amp such as the Boostaroo, low price, Great Quality that nearly doubles the signal strength of the sound source with three jacks so you can share and they have overhauled the Amp in the past few years so it is even better, but it is doubtful.

In conclusion, I commend these wonderful cans to you. If you have the extra money, the SR80's are a Great set but but don't feel like you are getting something "less than." The truth is that if you put the donut shaped cushions on the SR60's, you create a wonderful little set of audiophile cans that you won't be disappointed in. They come with a one year warranty from Grado who has FANTASTIC customer service and they will even help you out AFTER the warranty has expired for a very low and reasonable price. I've heard of people who had to turn in their Grado cans after the warranty expired (and years of faithful service) and they paid a ridiculously low price and ended up with a brand new set of cans instead of just their set repaired. Great American Company known world-wide with more awards than you can imagine. You can't go wrong with Grado and you will be pleased with the SR60's; I know I am!

I have had these headphones for one day now, and i hate them. They are so good, that i can hear the static in mp3 recordings, something i have never heard, not over a 500 dollar klipsch system, or a 1000 dollar car system. Actually, i love the headphones, but they are almost too good. For 65 dollars, you should not get sound this good. They are exceedingly comfortable, and while they are not the lightest headphones out there, they are comfortable for extended listening. Their sound is very smooth, and never harsh. The bass is the best i've ever heard from headphones, and the high ends are clear, not dull of anything, and while these are my first pair of botique headphones, i think they are excellent. They may look a bit cheep or dated, (Someone said they looked like the headphones worn by soviet submariners) but what they lack in looks, they make up for in sound. I chose this pair because out of the Grado line up, they are the only ones which can be driven by the iPod, without an amp. If you have money or an amp, or are not using them with an iPod, i would recomend the higher end models, but for the price, these cans are unbeatable.

The Grado SR60 cans (audiophile speak for headphones) takes you out of the world of just something to put over your head to listen to music, audio books, DVDS, movies and such and transports you by the handcrafted loving American made and assembled Grado cans into the world of the audiophile.

What is an audiophile? A pompous windbag who throws out all kinds of facts and figures and comparisons between "make and model this w/ these specs" vs. "make and model that w/ these specs"? Sadly, some audiophiles sound like this and to my shame, I sound like that sometimes too. But an audiophile really is a person who Loves Good Sound reproduced in the best possible way. That was how I came to realize I was an audiophile. Have I studied, compared, bought, reviewed, shopped some more and made my opinions known since then? Again, sadly yes. But I hope my opinions are of value to you, the reader.

The Grado SR60 IS an audiophile level set of cans. There can be no doubt about this if a person just puts them on and listens to them. As with all audiophile cans, the best sound is achieved in as little as 12-15 hours of break in time but best results are usually realized after 30-60 hours of something being run through your cans. They come with a full size adaptor for home stereo systems and everything is well-built.

Are there other and better Grado cans? Yes. I am going to be doing a review on the SR225 in the next few days. And out of the box, the SR225 had "somewhat" better sound in all levels than the SR60's did. When they have been broken in, they will blow away anything else that other brands have to offer in my opinion. So why then did I give the SR60's Five Stars and state that they are audiophile cans? Simply put, it is a matter of relative scale, taste and price.

The SR60's are lovingly built, they DO sound absolulely fantastic and nothing I own that from other brands that cost even more come close to topping them, including some Sennheiser models. I've listened to DVDS with these cans and have jumped out of my skin sometimes from a thunderclap, a gun firing or various nature sounds in a furious state. There is no sonic mudslide to deal with, the cans are balanced and accurately reproduce sound you want to hear and you will love it. THAT'S being an audiophile in my opinion.

They are full-sized open cans so sound will leak if you play your sound source too loudly. This isn't good for your ears so why do it? Very little sound leaks if you play these cans at a reasonable sound level. And the foam ear cushions they come with are very comfy. If you'd like to increase the distance between your ear and the transducer (the sound producing part hiding behind those comfy cushions) and develop a sound stage of some appreciable quality, I recommend the L-Cush ear cushions that come with the SR80's and above. They may not "seem" as comfortable at first but they will quickly break in and fit you and your ears. But truthfully, I don't feel you are losing a lot by using the standard cushions that are provided with the SR60 model.

I highly recommend these cans to you, especially if you are new to audiophile cans, the "sub-culture" or if you are on a limited budget; these cans really do produce for a low price and contrary to what some have said are really well made! I fell in love with them and only moved up because I "caught the audiophile bug" as a fellow audiophile quipped. Another plus, like all of the SR series models, these have a very low sound impedance of only 32 Ohms so you can use them with your portable devices. You "may" have to use a portable amp such as the Boostaroo (Low price, Great Quality that doubles the signal strength of the sound source with three jacks) but it is doubtful.

In conclusion, I commend these wonderful cans to you. If you have the extra money, the SR80's are a Great set but but don't feel like you are getting something "less than." The truth is that if you put the donut shaped cushions on the SR60's, you create a wonderful little set of audiophile cans that you won't be disappointed in. They come with a one year warranty from Grado who has FANTASTIC customer service and they will even help you out AFTER the warranty has expired for a very low and reasonable price. I've heard of people who had to turn in their Grado cans after the warranty expired (and years of faithful service) and they paid a ridiculously low price and ended up with a brand new set of cans instead of just their set repaired. Great American Company known world-wide with more awards than you can imagine. You can't go wrong with Grado and you will be pleased with the SR60's; I know I am!

Well, what can I say? These are one of the best headphones I've tried so far. The sound is excellent and versatile for all kinds of music. Lows, Mids, Highs, love them all! Very full and detailed sound. I listen to many music styles from Classical to Hip-Hop and I've tried many headphones.

These headphones sound pretty good right out of the box, but I made mine even better! The earpads for these headphones are made of soft thick continuous foam this makes the sound somewhat muffled. If you look at SR80, they have harder ear cushions with hole cut out in the center, looks like a doughnut. You can buy those cushions separately. I tried several of Grado headphones including SR80, and SR225. If you try these three with the same cushions there's not much difference between them in sound. At least me and my other two friends couldn't say which is which. So maybe there really is some small difference but I don't think it's worth the money difference. But cushions however do make a difference. If you put SR80's cushion onto the SR60 it makes a big difference in sound. The effect is, the base gets clearer, the highs get crispier and the overall sound separation feels like some one lifted a blanket from your speakers! The down side to those "doughnut" cushions is, that in the center is the plastic cover of the speaker. As you wear the headphones for some time the ears are pressured onto that plastic and after a short time my ears started hurting that I just couldn't take it no more. So what I came up with was a compromise. I took the pads from standard cheap headphones and placed them onto SR60 first. Standard pads are smaller so as you put them on you'll have to stretch them. Now I put the doughnut cushion on top of this one. Now you get the best of both worlds so to speak. You get the clean sound the doughnut pads deliver, and you get a cushioning in the center so your ears aren't hurt. I can wear these headphones for hours now without any problems. There is very slight muffliness occurs when you put that thin cushion on but not nearly as much as from the original thick cushions that come with SR60. However, you might find that your ears are fine with just the doughnut pads on, a friend of mine didn't see it as a problem at all. Everyone's got different ears I guess. In any case, if your ears don't feel right with new cushions this should help.

The only thing I find needs improvement is:
These headphones (and in fact this goes for all the Grado headphones) operate on open air principle. This means that the sound must travel out of headphones. When you stand next to a person listening to the Grado's you can pretty much make out words sang in the song.

And there's also no noise reduction. As with all Open headphones, if you put the headphones on you can hear everything around you almost as though you didn't have them on. If you turn on the music it blocks the outside noise more or less, but in a noisy environment like train or big city you would want some more noise reduction.

That said I still give these headphones 5/5 because I simply can't find anything better (and yes I'm looking). If Grado found some way to make these into Closed design to reduce sound leaking out/in, and maybe a bit smaller I think I would nominate them for a nobel prize :)

I finally caved in and sprung for a pair of these headphones over the weekend. After a few days, I can say that I am truly impressed.

I have bought and returned many a pair of headphones after being dissatisfied. I will not be doing so with these. Accordingly, I'll try to write some comments that could help other people with their purchase. There are a few things to keep in mind when selecting headphones. It's also important to keep in mind that with any headphones, sound quality depends on the quality of the medium to which you are listening, as well as the ability of the device to drive the headphones.

My immediate impression of the SR60'swas that bass was a bit weak (matching a few other comments on here) AND that high-end treble was a bit subdued as well - but after a few days of trying different kinds of music and listening on different players, I have decided that neither is weak at all; sounds are simply much more accurately reproduced than with most of the headphones I'd previously experienced. Very significant: these headphones maintain almost identical tonal balance regardless of listening volume. I've never encountered that before, and was used to headphones that sound more "bright" or "warm" as volume increases.

I believe that most budget headphones, if they aren't completely lacking in bass, tend to exaggerate certain frequencies beyond what you'd hear in a live performance. Here's my logic:

I tried listening to a few different tracks with the SR60s, all high-bitrate MP3s:

-- Pride & Prejudice Soundtrack (2005) - Dario Marianelli - "Liz On Top Of The World" - (Orchestral, dominated by piano and strings) - Any concerns about weak bass were blown out the door within 30 seconds. It honestly sounded like a *real piano* was sitting in my living room. And who knew that a string section could have so much ambiance? I used to appreciate this track for its music; the notes carry a lot of emotion. I now understand what people mean about appreciating a particular *performance* as well.

-- Alison Krauss & Union Station - "The Lucky One" - (Vocal, bluegrass) - You can clearly discern *specific* guitar picks, the streaking noises made by musicians' fingers as they slide up and down the strings... And Alison Krauss' crystal clear voice just shines. It sounds like a live performance.

-- Max Graham feat. Jessica Jacobs - "I Know You re Gone" (Original Mix) - (Vocal Trance) - I've much ballyhooed this track as one of the all time best examples of vocal trance. It was also a good sound testing song, since it's based on a throbbing bass line and bouncy rhythms, but breaks down into a section where it's just Jessica's voice, piano, and strings. I must have listened to this song 200 times in the last year, and yet I picked up several new nuances on the first listen with these headphones.

A few negatives about these headphones, now that I've played with them:

-- Yes, they are bulky. You probably won't want to use them at the gym. I was able to tolerate them on the treadmill, but for actually lifting weights or otherwise doing things requiring changes in posture, I'll probably stick with my Koss KSC75's (an awesome bargain themselves at less than $20, though now that I've tried the Grados, the Koss bass seems a bit artificially inflated).

-- These *really* leak sound. On a whim, I spun the headphones and put them on so that the outside was on my ears, with the foam pads facing outward. They actually sounded louder that way (if muffled) than with the drivers properly facing my ears. The open air design has it's advantages - I think it's partly how these headphones create the illusion of sitting among the musicians - but people around you may think you are blasting your music even if it isn't really that loud to you.

-- These headphones *will* expose flaws in the source media, and possibly your playback device as well. I can't stomach 128kbps MP3s anymore. When your headphones get this accurate, such music seems to have had the life flattened out of it. I tried listening to a few Beatles songs, and there were certain frequencies missing. It sounded like I was listening to a reel-to-reel tape. Oh wait, the songs were probably mastered on reel-to-reel.

My overall impression is extremely favorable. Sure, sound quality is a somewhat subjective matter, but if your goal is life-like sound, and you want to come closer to what the studio recording sounded like, these headphones are an awesome effort for the price.