Grado SR125e Prestige Series Open Backed Headphone

I am a very big fan of Grado headphones and this the 5th pair I have purchased. I have used other brands but always seem to return to Grado as in my view they offer an excellent balance of comfort, performance and price.This is my second pair of the 125 series. The previous pair was the older 125i model. I have used cheaper and more expensive Grado models vs the 125 model but I consider this model to be an excellent price/performance balance for computer/ipod listening.I do not notice a big performance difference with this new e series vs the older model other than they seem a little mellower/smoother with the sound. The new e model does come with the 3,5mm PC jack vs the 125i, which had the HiFi 6.35m jack. However, both models give a really smooth, clear sound. I listen to a lot of rock music on my ipod and you get a very clean bass sound with the 125 model. I consider there is a step change in quality moving from the SR80s to the 125 model and paying this extra for the 125s is a good investment.Like all headphones that are open they leak sound like a sieve so they need to be managed in public places. However, some sensible management of this situation does not distract from the pleasure of owning these headphones.In conclusion, a brilliant pair of headphones and fully recommended.

I’ve left it a few months before writing a review.Initially I was horrified by how bright they were, but having let them “burn in” for a while (month+) they now sound amazing. I haven’t got any real experience with audiophile headphones, but it’s hard to imagine anything could sound better at this price.They are definitely on the brighter side of neutral and the level of detail you hear is Amazing. Instruments and drums sound real. There is bass there, but only when it should be. I don’t think you’d like these if you listen to music that requires a lot of bass.Initially I listened via an Audiolab M-DAC Nano and you had to have the volume quite high to get a satisfying level of bass, but now I listen to the same DAC via an old NAD 3020 amp and the bass sounds perfect and just as detailed as the highs.1 star for noise cancellation is a little unfair because these aren’t noise cancelling headphones, they’re opened backed by design, so you can hear stuff around you and anyone around you can hear what you listen to.I wouldn’t call them comfortable, but I wouldn’t call them uncomfortable either. It feels just like I’m wearing headphones. They’re on ear not over ear headphones which is a disadvantage.All in all they are exceptional headphones, but whether you’d like them is going to depend on the type of music you listen to and what equipment you listen to them on.

As usual the sound quality is fantastic, which you come to expect from grado, and I see that the cable is now a lot thicker which should stop it from twisting (that was a big problem with the sr125i series, well actually with all the i series from what i could see) however I do have one gripe, and that is the length of the cable, it must only be about 5 foot long, the i series was about 6 foot long and I thought that was short, if they make it any shorter I will have to sit on my hi fi system when I play it, i think this might be a ploy to buy there extension cable that was about £30 a shot a couple of years back, but then again maybe I am getting cynical in my old age.

I'd urge some caution when buying these headphones. I've tried them with my Mac and iPad and in the main, they do the job and are certainly an improvement on standard in-ears. However, if you plan on using them for serious hi-fi listening, I'd say they are limited. I've tried them with Arcam and Cambridge Audio systems and the sound was slightly muffled and light on clarity. Should also warn that the headphone lead is very heavy and can be prone to movement in both large and small sockets leading to some cut-out in channel output. I'd spend a little more to improve quality if your budget allowed.

Love these headphones. Love them even more having bought them at a reduced price. There is no fault with them at all and I consider this a bargain. Thankyou again.

Well, plain rubbish. They're small, the headband is too small, if you have a large head then the foam pads will rest and press mostly on top of your ears. Cable? Why does everybody praise the Grado cables? The cable is rubbish, too stiff unlike the older version which was rather good, nice, soft rubber. Not anymore. I should also mention that the cable comes already twisted in few places due to poor build quality and the poor packaging. The pizza box was so much better with separate space for the cable. Sound quality was okay for the price, nothing spectacular, i'd rather listen to my old trusty Yamaha 220. And last but not least. Grado forgot to print 'e' on the earcups, it still says 125, not 125e. There you go. Made in the USA. What a joke...

OK Ive given 4 stars but I sort of wanted to give it Three. And here's why; The sound quality, for the price, is EXCELLENT. BUT. At this price there are other headphones out there which sound good too, and both look and feel far more comfortable. Grado, for those of us who can overlook it, don't put emphasis on comfort and design, its all about the sound. And they DO sound good. BUT when wearing headphones you want something that is comfortable on your head, which these rate average compared to others I have worn. Not the worse, but not the best. Its just a thin PVC sleeve around a thin flatwire band. And that brings me to my final point. Some people may like the retro cheap look but ultimately I could not resolve the price to the comfort and look. I wanted to, and you may well do (in which case read my score as 5 stars since on audio alone it deserves that).

Noise cancellation shouldn’t be included in the review as these are open back headphones and as such will let noise in as well as bleed sound.They are excellent quality, the sound is excellent and as they are a low impedance you will not need an amp or anything like that.

Non c'e molto da dire sono strepitose. Se siete fanatici delle cuffie aperte non potete non averne un paio. io le uso anche in montagna come paraorecchie musicali e non perdono un colpo. Le piloto o dal Samsung Note 8 o dalla Aus Xonar Essence STX o dal Rega Ear. Sono sempre ottime.

Ciao a tutti! Difficile non essere stupiti da queste meravigliose cuffie.. Parto dicendo che non sono cuffie adatte da un amante dei bassi e dell'isolamento più totale, perchè il suono che riproducono (testato in Flac da un riproduttore Hi-Fi) è una melodia perfettamente riprodotta, bilanciata ed equilibrata. con una dinamica pazzesca, che non enfatizza nessuna frequenza in particolare, ma che anzi, fa della neutralità e della purezza il suo punto forte. Senza un file flac e un riproduttore adatto non si apprezza tutta la qualità disponibile, certamente anche il cellulare più di bassa lega riesce a farle muovere, ma vi assicuro che non serve a niente un paio di cuffie del genere se non si ha tutto "l'impianto" di livello. Assodato quanto detto prima, passiamo alla comodità, i padiglioni in dotazione sono comodi, non scaldano troppo e non schiacciano la testa, io riesco a fare anche 3 ore consecutive con queste Grado, e anche a volumi alti non affaticano perchè tutte le frequenze riprodotte non "sparano" mai più delle altre e quindi non sarete mai intontiti da bassi esuberanti, da alti gracchianti, o da medi nasali. L'effetto "apple" è totale, i materiali sono premium, la pelle che ricopre l'arco superiore è morbida e di sostanza e i padiglioni esterni non sfigurano davanti a nulla, il cavo è della giusta sezione e anche i jack finali (è presente l'adattatore per i 6mm) sono di qualità e di sostanza. Con queste cuffie potrete veramente giudicare con estrema neutralità il mixaggio e il master del disco che state ascoltando e vi renderete conto di quali autori prestano attenzione ai dettagli e di quali registrano e mixano con patate carote ed ortaggi vari. Questo è un difetto da un certo punto di vista, perchè se ascolterete una cantantucola pop attuale vi renderete conto degli effetti e dell'autotune a manetta che va in voga in questi anni, e questo, vi farà cadere tantissimi miti XD!!!! Fortunatamente non è il mio caso, perchè fortunatamente non ascolto certa roba. Scherzi a parte, grazie a queste grado riesco ad apprezzare tutto, il charleston suonato con spazzole o con bacchette, il basso suonato con plettro, dita, slap, la chitarra che monta una certa dimensione di corde, o la voce che vibra, soffia, urla, scende e sale, il tutto condito da suoni di contorno (appunto per chi maniacalmente arricchisce i suoi brani) che perfettamente sposano ogni canzone... Sentirete gli archi grattare le corde, i fiati che giocano con il soffio, le diverse sonorità delle percussioni in base alla tipologia di materiale ecc In definitiva, consiglio l'acquisto agli amanti della perfezione sonora, della dinamica e della neutralità della musica registrata.