Grado SR225 Headphone Review

2009 UPDATE: Grado has made some changes! Most of the models have been tweaked some and now include "i" after the model number. For a complete rundown, here's a link where you can find descriptions of the current Grados: Current Grado Headphones!

The following article is now a bit outdated, but we are leaving it hear for reference purposes:

Grado is now shipping new pads with their SR80’s, SR125’s and SR225’s. The pads appear to be made of the same durable material as before, but a new bowl shape between the ear and the speaker allow a bit more space for sound to resonate between sound source and ear. More on this at a later date.

First impression - I plugged the SR225’s directly into a CD player with the intention of giving them about a 12 hour break in before I listened to them (A couple of years ago when I first compared the SR80’s with the SR125’s I accidentally discovered that before the headphones were broken in, it was difficult to tell the differences between the two.). Being curious though I had to take a quick listen! I turned on Dave Grusin’s West Side Story (N2K) for a quick comparison with SR 80's. I heard a difference right away. Definitely more detail from the SR225’s.

Second Impression - I listened to Sara K’s Hobo CD (Chesky) and again could obviously hear more detail than from the SR80's. In a direct comparison with the SR125’s the differences were not so obvious. The 125’s seemed much more relaxed, which could have to do with only 12 break in period for the 225’s and the 125's are well broken in.

Third Impression - Wait a minute. I definitely am hearing a difference between the 225’s and the 125’s (You’re saying to yourself: “Is he going to say that stupid phrase, there is more there, there!) No! After listening to DMP’s big band CD of Duke Ellington songs, I realized the sometimes harsh higher frequency’s I heard with the 125’s is gone. Could it be that the SR225’s find the middle ground between the SR125’s and the Sennheiser HD580’s? In other words, more detail than the Senn’s, yet a bit more laid back than the 125’s!

Update, April 1999. - Ok, I am going to be honest with you. After more extended comparison, telling the difference between the SR125's and the SR225's takes just the right recording and well trained ears. I can still hear a bit more treble with the SR125's. Which sounds like I am saying the SR125's are better. But actually, the SR225's sound more refined, more controlled.

As I stated before, the 225's seem to find the middle ground between the 125's and the Sennheiser's. Which by the way, I have listened to the Senn HD600's, and at $150 more than the 225's, I would have a hard time justifying such a purchase for my ears.

Conclusions: If you are new to audiophile quality equipment, the Grado SR125's are probably your best bet. Sound quality wise, you will have close to the best headphones money can buy. But at $50 more than the SR125’s, the Grado SR225’s appear to add value to those looking to own the very best sounding headphones, yet still not going too overboard on price. If you are a seasoned audiophile, or just have to be sure you own great headphones, I highly recommend the Grado SR225's.