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Member Reviews: Grado SR225i Headphones

Positive Reviews

mistyfud

The Best of the Prestige Series

Posted
By mistyfud

Pros: Exciting and Intimate Sound, Great Deal, Easy to Drive

Cons: Comfort

My favorite in the Prestige series, the Grado SR225i is a superb sub$200 headphone. The SR225i is much more controlled than the SR125i and a bit smoother than the SR325i. Retaining the excellent Grado midrange and intensity, the SR225i also adds a bit more space to its presentation than the lower models. Comfort wise, the SR225i can be quite stiff and tight on the head when first worn, but they loosen over time. The build is sturdy without being overwhelming. The SR225i sounds great unamped, but when paired with just a simple hybrid tube amp, they really blossom in the bass department without muddying up the sound.   Overall, the SR225i is a great introduction to the Grado sound and an...
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Jyan29

Grado SR225i

Posted
By Jyan29

Pros: Comfortable (For me), Engaging, Great Mids, Fun, Easy to Drive

Cons: May be uncomfortable for long periods of time, Feels a bit cheap, Lack of bass

I was searching for a "fun" headphone that I would enjoy listening to. I started looking at the SR80i's and the SR60i's, until I tried the SR225i and couldn't go back. There was a big difference in sound and comfort for me. Perhaps it was only the bowls (I didn't try the lower models with the bowl pads) but there was enough of a noticeable difference for me to opt for the higher model. What I noticed was a great increase in instrument separation, slightly increased soundstage, and improved clarity. Additionally, I found the bowls to be much more comfortable than the "comfies", which made my ears warm after only 15 minutes of listening. The vinyl headband was not a big problem for me. I...
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Negative Reviews

DeusExBatticus

No where near MSRP in value, money best spent elsewhere.

Posted
By DeusExBatticus

Pros: None that I can find

Cons: Comfort, Look, Sound, Short Cable, Flimsy, 1/4 Jack with no adapter included

Found a pair of these at a friends place, at first from the looks of the packaging and the heaphones I thought they were some crumby dollar store brand. Plugged them into my mobile setup (behringer u222 dac and Fiio E11, i had a 1/4 to 1/8 adapter handy)  that i usually use with my ATH-M50s, and was even more convinced they were some kind of cheap dollar store brand. I decided to look them up anyway and found out they have an MSRP of ~$200. Honestly, I was shocked, sound aside these things look like dollar store headphones and are about as comfortable (which is to say rapidly become painful). Every sound that comes out of them sounds muddled, there is no crispness or definition....
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Arkamond

No Bass, good highs, lots of mid

Posted
By Arkamond

Pros: Highs, mids (if your a mid's person)

Cons: Bass, high mids

I purchased these headphones for my birthday of this year to replace my Logitech G930 headset. I've never had an "audiophile" or very high quality pair of headphones, but have heard very great things about them. I am a person who makes sure my music is in FLAC or other lossless (Or from original CD to lossless) so this isn't your average person who listens to MP3's on their Ipod.   To start when I got the headphones, the design was terrible. Looked tiny like it would break and actually DID break on the second day of usage. The left connector to the cup broke off, I do not have a big head and I never mistreated them, but it's most likely manufacture defect. The next thing I...
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More Reviews

HyperDuel

The Grado SR225i

Posted
By HyperDuel

Pros: A mix of Warm/Bright sound characteristics with an addicted midrange and nice bass impact.

Cons: Comfort can be an issue, may not have enough bass for some. Colored sound can be an issue for some.

If you want an introduction to the Grado sound look no further to the SR225i.  The special Grado sound is liked by many but also hated by many as well.  The best way for me to explain the Grado sound that it has characteristics of Warm sound with a nice touch of Brightness.  It is bright but not to the point of hurting your ears.  Because of this you will not find any of the Grado headphones to be netural sounding at all (colored sound).  I like my stuff colored (I like tubes as well, eh) so this is not an issue, but I will say it because that's the fact about any Grado.   The design for the most part is good but it is mostly plastic (some of the lettering is coming off) and it does take...
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HeretixAevum

"Energetic and intimate" or "Piercing and harsh"?

Posted
By HeretixAevum

Pros: Quality bass, Tonally rich and aggressive mids, Extensive treble, Cool retro looks, Airy presentation, Intimacy, Amazing modding community

Cons: Bass and Treble quantities, Mediocre comfort, Poor for long sessions, Unforgiving, Grado service / policy, Unluxurious, Narrow specialisation

Say what you want about Grado headphones, they certainly have a die-hard cult following. So, being a Head-Fier, it's relatively impossible to not know about them. When I asked for advice on the forums for upgrade suggestions to my HD448 with "Metal performance" being one of the key things I was after, it was inevitably that the Grado sound would be recommended to me. They seem to be a polarising line up of headphones, with the 225i often referred to as the sweet spot. They fit my budget at the time perfectly and apparently had the sound I was after, so I jumped on them (at a PC store no less, which I was quite surprised to hear were getting them in).    My first...
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FlyinPigFetus

Good Starter Headphone

Posted
By FlyinPigFetus

Pros: Great Value Sound Quality

Cons: Comfort, Build Quality

I previously owned a pair of Klipsch Image S4 earbuds after reading a review on C-Net about how good they sounded. After hearing music with the Klipsch I started to crave for a richer sound. I came across head-fi and searched for the best cans in my price range. There were two contenders it came down to the Grado SR225i and a pair of Sennheiser's for which model I can not recall. After calling around local audio shops I finally found the Grados. They didn't have a display pair but the owner of the shop was nice enough to open a brand new pair for me to test out. I feel in love instantly. The sound quality was like nothing I had heard at that point in my life (I've heard better...
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BIGtrouble77

Great for Metal

Posted
By BIGtrouble77

Pros: Great for Rock/Metal, distorted guitar tone is not harsh

Cons: fatiguing after a couple hours, extremely cheap construction

My reference is primarily with inner ear monitors (UE10pro) and the Beyerdynamic DT770.     I've been listening to the SR225i's for a few days and have developed a few opinions...  I've been wanting Grado's for a long time, but I've never jumped on a pair because of criticisms of cheap construction, narrow soundstage and overly colored mid-ranges.  I finally jumped on the SR225i's because it seemed like the best I was going to do for $200 sound quality-wise and these are constantly referenced as some of the best "Rock" headphones.     I should note that I almost exclusively listen to Hard Rock and Power Metal.  I understand that these genres...
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hanglee65

SR-225

Posted
By hanglee65

Pros: High rez sound, Cord is thin. lower bass response,

Cons: Not a lot to say....

I got to hand it to Grado, The SR-225s are the best, the experience worth more than the $200.00 retail price. As you move up the Grado chain of headphones, one thing is familiar; the company lowers the overall bass response, giving you a more open vocal performance, and detailed bass/viola/cello tunes.   Nowhere is this case so true than the SR-225s. Bass is strong and the highs are very open and detail, but you don't hear any nasties in the upper end.  In one word, these cans are supremo. One word about the price I paid. I bought them on consignment for 60 clams at Audio Studio in Cambridge. Another good thing is costumer service. If anything happens to any grado, just...
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keanex

Disappointing For Me

Posted
By keanex

Pros: I honestly couldn't find much I liked about these.

Cons: Sound was boring, flat, uninspired.

I don't own these anymore and never properly reviewed them, here's a brief memory I had of them.   I bought these used on Head-Fi to satisfy my "need" for the Grado sound after selling my SR80i and buying the Ad700s. I soon after upgraded my Ad700s to Ad900s and still missed the "Grado sound." I was excited to try these, very excited. I was expecting a harsh, in your face sound that kicked my ears butts. What I got was boring.    The previous owner had claimed 20 hours of use so I let them play for 20 more hours before making judgement. As much as I tried I could not get into these headphones, especially when compared to my Ad900. I honestly felt my Ad900 were...
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funkmeister

Yeah... I heard new stuff too

Posted
By funkmeister

Pros: sound great, easily transportable, easy to drive

Cons: weird feel on the ears

I actually got to play Santa at work and get these for a coworker because of good performance on his part. He was cool enough to let me listen for a while and I really liked the sound. I've never heard an open-back design before and I really liked it.   So I listened to some Heather Nova and heard a loop in Ruby Red that I had never noticed before. It was pretty obvious. I played other stuff too and all the music had more distinct layers than I'm used to. I've got some good AKGs and I've heard the layering that the NuForce Icon HD brought to those cans. I was impressed to see that I got pretty close to that feel with these Grados unamped. Quite surprised and pleased. The bass...
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Carbine

The best headphones that I've ever bought!

Posted
By Carbine

Pros: Super clear sound

Cons: Long wire, double sided cords, very uncomfortable!

I owned Grado SR80i's in the past and kept reading that the SR225i's were better, so I went to exchange my SR80i's for the SR225i's. And they were right, these were better! Everything that the SR80i's had, the SR225i's did better! The sound was even clearer, although bass seem to stay to the same. To compensate for this, I used an EQ.   Now the cons for these cans are the same for the SR80i's. The design is the same, except now there is a metal grill instead of the plastic that is found on the SR80i. The wire length is pretty much the same, except the SR225i's might be a little longer since you have to use a 1/4 to 1/8 adapter (The SR225i has a 1/4 jack). The wire might be a...
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DannyBai

Grado SR225i

Posted
By DannyBai

Pros: Clarity, Detail

Cons: Comfort

This is my first purchase of a higher end set of cans.  I consider over $100 to be high end.  The most expensive earphones I've purchased before was the $80 in ear phones from apple w/microphone.  I didn't think they sounded that bad until I purchased the Grado's.  I read a bunch of reviews and did some research before I decided on the Grado's.  I went to a local audio store and decided to have a listen.  I tested out the SR60's through the SR325's.  Though they all sounded great, I could tell the difference between all of them.  Without going into details, I can tell you that the sound stage gets a little better with each step up.  My plan...
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Where to Buy It

EarphoneSolutionsGrado SR225i Headphones at EarphoneSolutions$150.00See It »
HeadroomGrado SR225i Headphones at HeadroomSee It »
Amazon.comGrado SR 225i Prestige Series Headphones at Amazon.com$200.00See It »
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