Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
79 of 81 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Happily in debt, for once., September 24, 2005
I'm a grad student with no money and inexplicably picky tastes in audio equipment. Having acquired a high-end digital stage piano, I've spent the last few months piecing together a suitable setup for home use; in my case, 'suitable' means near-reference grade, but at a cost not exceeding what I can pilfer from Sallie Mae's purse.
Despite the fact that I play and listen mostly at night, I viewed headphones in proportion to their size: reluctantly, I splurged on a $30 pair of Sony oil-barrels.
But after a few weeks of headaches and ringing ears, I headed down to a boutiquey little sound emporium in Boston, having committed myself to spending $100, once and for all, on some SR80s.
Given the opportunity, though, I sat down in a studio and worked my way through the entire three-figure-price spectrum of headphones.
Grado yielded the most promising batch of candidates, but I was surprised at the variance among them: the product specs you read online for Grado really fails to emphasize this. The SR80s were everything I had expected, but then, the SR125s were identifiably more adept at rendering distinct voices within a choir.
Then, foolishly, I clamped on a pair of 225s: bass pours into your head with effortless clarity, background instruments that I never even heard on my old ear-traps were not only present, but warmly textured, etc. When I got them home, $175 later, I decided to baptize them by fire with a mix of Beck and Ben Folds Live, which I find stubbornly muggy at high bass and volume.
The 225s have revealed a completely unknown layer of instrumentation in some of my favorite Beck tracks -- I don't just mean there's a new cello back there: I mean there's a flute, a panpipe, a tapdancer, and a fat booger hanging out of the cellist's nose. As for the live recordings of Ben Folds, not only did the bottom-end piano hold up amidst the hum of the crowd, but you can actually hear people talking to each other in the audience in a couple of tracks that were recorded, it's now evident, in a small theater.
And as for my own piano, I can say that playing through headphones is no longer less desirable than through a set of very commendable Infinity speakers -- especially when I have the phones plugged into my amp instead of the piano itself.
I don't care how broke you are: if you listen attentively to your music -- and you have a quality home amp or receiver to drive these headphones to their potential -- you will not look back,
You might, however, benefit from calling around town... the internet isn't always the best deal for these sorts of products.
|
|
|
53 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Grado SR225: Absolutely the Best Set of Cans for $200 or under; Grado is the Best!, February 4, 2007
Ultimately, whatever I have written in this review below, please remember that with Grado, it is all about the sound and they have the awards to prove it! And though I refer often in this review to other Grado models, the SR225 is my main focus and I simply use the other wonderful Grado products as reference. I have spent a lot of time and money looking for "THE" set of cans (audiophile speak for headphones) that would truly satisfy all aspects of my desire for the best sound available without having to go past the two hundred dollar mark. My search took me through Koss, Sennheiser, Sony, Bose and of course Grado. And Grado's motto of "Truly the world's finest" applies to all of their products made in America; I also own a pair of SR60 and SR80 cans from Grado so I know what I speak of about this company and their hand-crafted, American-made lovingly built product (only one exception, see below). They also have fantastic customer service and really know how to take care of you, even after a warranty has expired according to people I've spoken to. (I haven't had a need for warranty service, just for the record.)
I believe that all of Grado's cans are on the audiophile level as I have written in a review of the SR60 here on Amazon though they only cost $69 with perhaps the exception of the mass-produced, made in China iGrado model. As much as I love my Grado SR225 which I am reviewing, my SR60 cans are still in use, get five stars every time I put them on and are incredible! So imagine what I will have to say about the SR225! I've done the research, purchased numerous sets of cans from low-price and low-end to high-price and high-end and in the end, I absolutely believe that nothing beats the Grado SR225 unless you want to spend at least four to five hundred dollars and I believe you will still be disappointed unless that money went towards an even higher end set of Grado cans. For example, I do plan on saving my pennies and one day purchase a pair of their $495 RS-2 models that incorporates a mahogany wooden air chamber. But to spend the same amount on a set of Bose or Sennheiser will leave you feeling flat and not as impressed as with the $300 you could have saved by purchasing the Grado SR225 model in my opinion.
I realized a while back that I am an audiophile, someone who loves good sound and thus wants his cans to be able to reproduce those sounds as accurately and beautifully as possible. I've read many reviews, done countless hours of research, spoken with fellow audiophiles and I have come to realize that a true audiophile wants to share the knowledge he/she has acquired with others so they can make informed decisions. I've read reviews from people who claim to be audiophiles but they seem to suck the oxygen out of the room (so to speak) with their words and one quickly realizes that though they may know technical data, they have forgotten the joy and love of sound.
So back to the SR225 cans. As I mentioned, the SR60 model is a five star set of cans but I did make qualifications in that review. But if you are reading this, you want to know about the SR225 model. Yes, they cost $195-$200 and that is a lot of money for many of us. But what makes these five star audiophile cans better than the five star less espensive model? Basically put, it is the design of the can's transducers that allow for even more amazing sound reproduction. The back side has a full metal mesh screen which allows for more air flow. This matters on open backed cans. If you've ever put your hands up to an open-backed pair of full size cans and covered them, you know the sound would become "tinny" and diminished. What Grado did is take their award winning SR125 and increased the air flow by 50% and this makes a HUGE difference by increasing the sound stage! Highs, mids and lows are all so PERFECTLY balanced that it could make you weep with the right CD or DVD or even Video Game. I would recommend Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings, Bach, Vivaldi, Berlioz, Third Day or anything by Martina McBride as an example of what your cans "can" do or try "Million Dollar Baby" or "Unforgiven," "The X-Files," "Van Helsing, the London Assignment" on DVD and any "Call of Duty" or "Medal of Honor" video games.
Also, it's important to mention that these cans have only a 32 Ohm impedance so you can use them with low-powered portable devices and not burn out your batteries in one sitting because you have to turn the volume up to max just to hear anything as with some other brands. Yes, you may have to put the volume up 2-5 notches for CDS or MP3 CDS but that is negligible and depends on the recorded media. I personally have no complaints but if you really feel you need an amp, the handy and inexpensive Boostaroo works great for less than $30. The company really upgraded the circuitry and will increase the power 40-100% and has room for three plug-ins so you can share! But if you want an official "audiophile approved" amp, the HeadRoom Total Airhead Amp is recommended at $150. Grado makes different amps which can be used with any of their cans (and designed one of the amps to work with some other brands as well) but are primarily for the SR325 and higher and cost between $350 to $425 on-line. But again, I wish to emphasize that the Boostaroo really does the job for pennies on the dollar without scrimping on quality.
When I first listened to my Grado SR60's, I nearly jumped out of my seat the first time I heard a startling sound such as a thunderclap or the sound of a gunshot and I was extremely soothed by the sound of rain that I had never heard before on a DVD through television speakers. But with the modifications to the SR125 (which is based upon the same design structure as the SR80, also great!) such as improved diaphragms which are put through a special "de-stressing" process in order to enhance detail, voice coil design and UHPLC (Ultra-high purity, long crystal) copper voice coil wire, when I heard those same sounds such as the thunderclap, I DID jump out of my seat! And the sound of rain is so detailed, amazing and comforting. And classical music is even more amazing than EVER before. Instead of feeling like you are in the first row with some high-end cans from Sennheiser, with Grado you actually feel like you are standing next to the orchestra, the band or in the movie.
You have to remember that with high-end cans, there comes a point of diminishing returns. The SR225 model is absolutely amazing for $200 but if you purchased the most expensive model in the Prestige Series (the SR325i) for $295, you might wonder "why" it costs almost a hundred bucks more. Are they better? Yes. A lot? Not much. The difference is there but you really have to put in the effort to notice it. In my case, the difference between the SR60 and SR225 is immediately noticeable but even the the difference between the SR80 and SR225 isn't "quite" as noticeable but definitely still there. Now if you purchased the RS-1 for $695 or the GS1000 for $995, you would notice a difference even from the SR225!
So in conclusion, I commend the Grado SR225 to you as the Absolute Best set of cans available on the market today for $200 or less. Just a few qualifications before I close: The 225 has a full size 1/4" inch plug so you will need a "mini" adaptor for use with portable devices and even some televisions, etc., which this model does not come with. Perhaps Grado is saying these are for home use but that's not the case at all. I recommend the Grado adaptor highly because it puts less stress on the plug. It is worth the extra money for Grado quality plus you get another 8-10 inches of cord! (If you need extension cord, I can tell the difference that is in the Grado extension cord as being superior by about 25-40% because it uses Grado materials and recommend it as well.) Also, for all that is wonderful about Grado's cans, some people do find them a little uncomfortable because the foam cushion does not cover all of the transducer. It is designed this way to increase sound stage but it can be uncomfortable if you aren't used to the Supra-aural (on the ear) style. I can only say that the cushions do get more comfortable with time, you get used to the feel and the high quality in sound is worth it. I fall asleep in them regularly! If you really find them uncomfortable, I would recommend the foam cushions from the SR60 model known as S-Cush on Amazon as it is very comfy and covers the whole transducer. You can always cut a small hole about the size of a quarter to increase the amount of sound if "muffled" as some have claimed about these cushions but I don't notice it. I find that either set of cushions works great with no modifications at all on all my Grado cans! Also, as with all audiophile cans, there is a break-in period for maximum sound quality of about 30-60 hours. It's truly amazing to listen to the same musical piece, etc. over the break-in period and hear the difference. Also, less power is necessary to drive the cans at the end of the break-in period.
I believe that Grado has every right to claim "Truly the World's Finest" with the scores of awards they have won and I believe you can't go wrong with the SR225. It really is worth every penny and I hope I have been of help to you. Enjoy the world of sound Grado offers you!
|
|
|
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My roll has been jellied!, February 5, 2007
I honestly did not know what to expect when I opened up the box that contained My pair of SR-225's. I spent several weeks mulling over every pair of Grado cans (I am now officially allowed to use the word "Cans" because I am a proud owner!) from the SR-80's to the RS-1's. I was "this" close to getting the RS-1's but in the end I couldn't justify jumping from $20 Sony's from Target to the $700 Mahogony Bohemoths. So I modestified (I made that word up, right now) myself and resigned to only spend $200. WOW! Holy Moly! I now know exactly what "soundstage" means! Man, it's like I am in the studio sitting between 'Trane and Bags at Atlantic , and there is Ahmet's brother Nesuhi on the other side of the glass, wearing a pair of Grado's! (Did they make Grado's in 1961?) Everything comes through so clear! I think I can even hear Coltrane tighten his belt between takes! When Milt Jackson starts hittin' those high notes on the Vibes I no longer cringe! I think I just heard someone wisper!! I cannot express my Gradotude enough for such an amazing listening experience. If you love your music and only like your money buy a pair, if you love your money...shame on you. Now, you feel bad don't you? Well, get these headphones and you'll feel better!
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
Saving...
