Grado SR-80

A couple of years ago, I took the bait and bought my set of Grado SR80s. Its been mostly love ever since.

I adore the sound, which is pretty spectacular, especially at this price. Could use a little more robust bass, but i just pump up the bass with EQ. Sound is really clear and musical.

They're easily powered by a computer or ipod. I tried a CMOY with mine but didn't notice much if any difference.

They're lightweight, and since I live in a small Manhattan apartment and have my phones on ALL the time, the light weight is key. I can wear these for hours and experience very little discomfort.

I love the retro styling. Some hate it. I don't. To me, its like those old boxy Volvos. Unique and cool.

The ear pads are not great, and i will probably replace them soon.

But the REAL problem with the Grado SR80s is the cord. I HATE it. Not only has mine broken twice and needed to be re-soldered, but it twists up all the time in an annoying fashion. I had to solder on a new plug too, as the original one had a short in it.

I don't like the Y-splitter, as I prefer the cord going into just one side of the headphone. I also really prefer a coiled cable to a straight one.

But for this price, i can't complain too much. I just really wish Grado would make these with a robust cord. And if it was coiled, even better. Its no wonder so many are forced to re-cable Grados.

One other thing...because they're open, sound leakage is huge. They are not good for public transportation. They are not good if you're in the same room with someone who doesn't want to hear the sound coming out of your headphones. I use them at home, and I live alone, so this is not a an issue for me.

So, to sum up, as much as I dislike the cord, these headphones still rate just about a 5 because the sound is just so good at such a low price.

I've owned a pair of SR-80s since 1996 when my old Yamaha phones collapsed beyond repair. I auditioned a pair of SR-60s at a local high-end store, and when I was ready, got a pair.  I was very disappointed!  It wasn't at all the sound I had heard in the audition.  I was unhappy enough to return them, and in a newsgroup (remember them?) complained about my experience.  Group members had been praising the SR-60s at the time, and I couldn't get behind that.  To my surprise, I got an email from Joe Grado asking for my shipping address!  He offered me a pair of the SR-80s, said if I liked them, I could pay for them, and if not, give them to somebody else.  Can you imagine that?  Needless to say, after listening to them for a few weeks, I sent them a check for payment in full. 

I've owned that pair ever since. They've traveled, been outside in the cold, rain, and sun.  I changed the ear paids to Sennheiser pads, replaced the cord myself once, then had Grado do it twice.  But I still have them, still use them almost every day.  They are very affected by the output impedance of the amp that drives them.  They're ok in an iPod, but fantastic if you hit them with a good solid low Z source.  

They're pleasant, soothing, as spacious to listen to, but I can't mix on them.  I do some filed recording, and they just make everything sound TOO good.  But for pleasure, they're my choice. 

The cord is weak spot.  It's thick and in cold temperatures acts as stiff as a garden hose.  The strain relief at the ear cups is just a blob of glue, which pops off and then you break a wire in the cup.  My own replacement was Mogami Neglex wire, which held up better, but wasn't really headphone wire.  The stock pads from the 1990s were hot, and the on-ear Sennheiser HD414 pads fit fine, and though you lose a bit of the top and bottom, still retain the character of the original phones.  When I got them back from repair, they had black pads installed, similar to the 414 pads.  Nice, worked well, but dissolved in a few years.  So, I'm back to the 414 pads...for now.  I'm due to send these in for a rehab soon. 

I recently auditioned a bunch of headphones back at that original high-end store.  The sound of the SR-80s still beat even the $600 Sennheisers (don't recall the model), but the amp used was pretty much junk, and my amp is way better.  But today's SR-80s are pretty much the same as the mid 1990s ones I have, if perhaps a bit less "weathered". 

In the about 5 years of owning these never have had a headphone that I have just kept going back to.   These particular headphones were bought on these forums, and exchanged hands twice before coming back to me for free.  I gave them to my friend because the headphones he had were really cheap and crap, at the time I had some Senn hd 600's and Dt880's.  And I was not happy with the sr80s at all... So I gave them to him for free he loved them except for the open back, but he actually used them till the pads were completely unuseable.. So instead of getting new pads he got himself a set of AT M50s's and in return I got these back for free which made me happy so I bought a new pads for them.  

Sorry about the back story thought that it was kinda cool though.

Anyway back to the review

Build quality- I can say that people that say they have a poor build quality are trying hard to mess them up. In 5 years of use the only thing wrong with these headphones were the pads falling apart and there is a very small tear in the cable sheathe near the y connector.  I have never got the gradle that some people get, again these have even been in a household with a long haired cat (maine coon).  So to me the build quality is great for the design if you treat them well they will last a long time.

Audio - I once said that i was not happy with the sr80s at all and stopped using them all together, I sure i am glad that i gave them to a friend that keeps things till they are completely broken and not repairable. because i would not be able to remember how much I really did like the grado's but they had alot to contend with back when i owned them during that time they had to share time with dt880 and h600's so it was not to fair for them at all 

The sound is amazing once you understand what they are for. They are little bright on the top end but for me I love the mids and bass how clean they are is amazing too me, using grado bowls has fixed alot about what i did not like about them and then using the gs1000 pads as well have livened them up even more.  Can I compare them to say a Gs1000 or HD650 no that is not what they are, But they are incredible sounding headphones I am not sure how the newer versions are compared to the older ones but these are great headphone for someone that wants to see if they will like a higher end sounding headphone for a cheaper price point for the sound they produce.

Comfort -  These headphones are really not very comfortable with the original pads at all. But throw some bowls or ttjv's flats or gs1000 pads on them and its whole other story. I have sat listening to these with bowls on for close to 4 hours and fell asleep in my chair with them on then woke up with not clamping pain or discomfort at all, you have to remember whats nice about them being "cheaply made" The headband is just a thin piece of metal and can easily be bent to fit your head for comfort.