Grado SR80i Headphones Reviews

The Grado SR80 is a classic headphone. It has a classic style, like a old radio ham. It has been around virtually unchanged for donkeys years. It is a superb entry to audiophile headphone listening.

Often overshadowed by the baby of the range, the SR60, which has won numerous awards. The SR80s can be had for only £20. When I auditioned for my first headphones, the first to go were the SR60s. The SR80s had more dynamics, detail, everything really. I preferred them to some similarly priced Sennheisers, which did not retrieve the same detail.

They are know as the rock headphones because of their dynamics and attack. Attack is the speed that a note is started. So if a track goes quiet and then starts again, the Grados can startle with how suddenly the new passage begins. This also creates strong dynamic swings, which work well for rock and orchestral music. Their open backed design makes for a wide sound stage, where instruments feel as if they are around you and not trapped inside your head.

Some may find them too bright and not a relaxing mellow listen. I think that they do acoustic and vocals in such a way that you feel you are there, with the singer.

The only, issue and it is for some is the foam pads sitting on the ears. There are two types, bowl with an open centre and flat, like Mickey Mouse ears. I prefer the latter. They also leak a lot of sound and let in a lot as well. So they are no use as portable headphones to be used on public transport.

The cable is fixed and goes into both sides and is prone to twisting. I hang mine upside down every so often, so the weight of the headphones (which is not much) helps to pull out any twists.

By the SR80s with confidence that you are already 90% of they way to serious audiophile headphones. Classic.

As someone already had stated- the Grado SR80i gets left in the shadow of its less costly sibling- the SR60i. For me the choice was quite easy- I had a hundred bucks to burn for my first serious headphone, so SR80i was the best thing that I got in my sights. I had heard that the SR60i is a great performer and the SR80i should be all that plus more- the choice was easy.

First thing that I liked about them even before listening was the cable- it was nice and thick about the same diameter as a normal AC cable. When I looked at the grills it was apparent that if needed the resoldering should be a breeze. The 1/4 to 1/8 adapter is the most solid I've ever seen- when plugged on it seems like a natural extension to the plug. Other than the wire build quality seems sufficiently well, construction is light so these headphones won't break if dropped. Just try not to step on them. When reading about the Prestige Series Grados one thing did upset me- many people complained about the comfort. For my average sized head the clamping isn't too much though sometimes after longer (4+ hour) listening sessions my pinnae seem to press through the stock foam pads. But after a little rest it's all good again. I don't have very thick hair but the metal band pressing on top of my head was never a problem.

Now about the sound. First of all these headphones do benefit from burn in for about 50-100 hours. When listening for the first time my jaw positively fell in my lap but now I'm confident to say that at first they sounded a bit thin and harsh. After the burn-in they get a bit more gentle and the bass blooms too a little. Bass wise they are a little too tame though you can hear the stated 20Hz low end and it will be more than enough to get that great PRAT for rock and jazz. One thing you must keep in mind when feeding these phones- as higher end headphones sound terrible when not properly amped, these sound terrible when fed with the wrong records. The SR80i absolutely hates the loudness war. If you dare to listen something compressed you WILL feel like in a war! Your teeth will clench and you will tire and think about running to the hills. When I first listened to some of recent pop-rock I felt like fighting. Since then I've listened to just about everything Steve Hoffman has laid his hands and ears on. For some time I thought that from now on I won't be searching music by artists but by audio engineers. But there are many others who aren't sacrificing dynamic range for fast sales. And those are the ones a Grado listener must have. You must keep in mind that Grado is (in)famous for tuning his products to his ear, so in some sense your taste must match to his. The SR80i does not have the wide genre bandwidth of some closed phones or IEM's but when at it's best it sure does not sound like 99$.

The SR80i is a higher fidelity headphone in sense that it does not try to cater everyone. It IS a highly polarising headphone and that is visible to anyone who has read more than a few reviews. If you like to listen to 60's rock, blues, jazz, funk these might be all that you need. The sensation is closest to using a guitar amp for a pillow.

I've had these headphones for about a week and a half now, and all I can say is wow. These have doubled or tripled my amount of time spent listening to music. I came from a pair of Klipsch Image Ones, and the Grados blow them out of the water in nearly every respect. My first thoughts on unboxing were the nice long, thick sturdy cable that comes with these. At first I thought it would be too long, but when wearing the phones, it's just the right length that I don't trip on it, but it's still able to reach my amp/phono combo.

Let me say, I'm not exactly an audiophile, but these headphones have definitely got me moving on that course. Coming from the Klipsches where the bass was sometimes very muddy and had a tendency to ruin other frequency ranges, these feel extremely accurate. I hear sounds in songs that I never heard before, despite repeat listenings. My current source is a Technics SL-BD22 turntable connected to a Technics SU-G75 amp. Just recently got into the vinyl scene, but I can say that these headphones accurately represent music across such a wide spectrum of genres. The majority of what I listen to is punk music, so I'd say that the most distinct thing I notice about that is the clarity of the vocals and especially the hi-hats and cymbals are very clear and crisp. Phil Collins and Elton John both sounded great through these as well. The sound stage on these is very robust, and I feel a huge difference from the closed environment of the Klipsch headphones. Definitely never going back to closed headphones again.

One thing that I have to say about these phones, is that if you listen to a lot of dubstep or Skrillex or similar artists, these headphones may be bass lacking for your tastes. As I'm writing this review, I'm listening to Glitch Mob's "Drink the Sea" album. The mids and highs are extremely accurate, and the bass is accurate as well but it's just not the boom that you really need for this type of music. For everything else though, including other techno artists, I've found the bass to be more than adequate for my needs. Was listening to Discovery by Daft Punk yesterday and can't remember the last time I've heard it sound so good.

Another complaint I have is that I can't listen to these for more than maybe 3 hours at a time without discomfort. If I take them off for an hour, though, I can go right back to listening without any issues. Should also note I wear glasses and this seems to affect this also.

I'm a poor guy in my mid-20s, so for me, these headphones absolutely cannot be beat for the price. I'd say anyone looking for headphones in the 100 and under price range, don't even bat an eye, grab these Grados in a second. I'm EXTREMELY pleased with my purchase and would do it again in a heartbeat.

Got these a few years ago after hearing about them here on Head-Fi and listening to them on a couple of occasions. They are unfortunately not such a bargain here in Germany as they seem to be in USA - I paid 175 Euro for mine.

They need break-in for both sound and comfort, and after 2-3 years I still find them a bit tight to wear but at least they´re not falling off.

They don´t work at all with my amps - the sound becomes too hot and it´s a relief to take them off. Where they shine is with "lesser" sources, I plug them into my iPod or especially my laptop and i sounds great, full and clear - no wish for an external DAC when I´ve got these so that saves some money and space on the table. The Grado "excitement" seems to be valued by its owners and they´re not boring to listen to. I think there are headphones that are truer to instrumental timbre when listening to acoustic recordings but they seem to be considered rock phones anyway so maybe not the first choice for collectors of string quartets. In the great Sennheiser/Grado divide I´m probably more of a Sennheiser person but it´s good to have an alternative.

As a young audiophile and broke college student I wanted a pair of headphones that sounded great and were relatively inexpensive; these Grados were perfect.

They have a full, detailed sound and the high frequencies are very crisp. The bass could be a bit more responsive but after some modification should be up to par.  I also like that there are a lot of ideas and tutorials on how to mod these.

The downsides however, are that they leak sound which make them difficult to listen to in public (both because you can hear outside sound and others can hear your music), the vinyl headband and plastic cups make them look and feel a bit cheap, and the stock pads make the ears sore after a few hours of listening.

I owned these a long time ago so this brief review is written from memory.

The Grado SR80i may be the best rock headphone for the price. The in your face presentation of the sound, the sharp mids and highs and tight bass really brings the listener into the music. The problem is they may be too in your face. They feel as if sound is being injected into your ears while the mids and highs that were once fun are now very bright and causing fatigue. Comfort was an issue for me as well, I had a hard time wearing these for 2+ hours.

I said they were possibly the best rock headphone for the price, but outside of rock music I found these lacking very much. These are rather one dimensional headphones.

I think the Grado SR80i are a fantastic headphone, but I think many users will love/hate them as I did. 

These are good entry level headphones. The overall sound is good in quality but bear in mind that they do not have soundstage at all. Well, it has a bit more airness than SR60i, but if you had experience with open Sennheiser cans you would never call it a proper soundstage of headphone equipment. Instead of the soundstage they have very musical sound signature. I have seen one of head-fiers saying that gradoare 'sensational'. I think this is the best way of decribing them. Headphones seem to be on the bright side of the nature. Though they are not as bright (for me) as SR125i and SR225i, they are still quite bright, especially if you try to get used to this sound after you owned Sennheisers, which have a bit darker character (in general). Bass has proper snap and impact. It shows up when it is supposed to and disappears fast when you dont need it anymore. Mids are slightly recessed though not very much and you can not even notice it in many songs. These cans are detailed for the price although they can not compete with more expensive headphones.

Design is very basic. The new version of Grados semms to be made more accurately than the old one, but... they are still hand made in a dark basement somewhere in Brooklyn, where workers have no access to light and food for days... This is one of the biggest cons. According to the price of these headphones they should be built well and they are not. Different parts seem to be matched with each other by force and glue not accuracy and skill. In that case it is good that the design is pretty basic otherwise it would be even worse if someone had to build these headphones in more complicated way. In my case I have ended up with the left driver being put at some strange angle to my ear. It seems like the left driver is a litle bit closer or its sound is stronger because of different accoustics. Reading through many reviews and comments I see I am not the only one person affected by low build quality. I like their oldschool design though. They have very specific look just seem to be nice for me.

As for the comfort there are good and bad things. The good thing is that you can stretch the headband to the shape you like and it will stay in such state thus you can manage to suit their shape exactly to your head. I believe this is very useful for peopme wit 'thin' or wide heads. I personally did not find it useful as they sit on my head quite comfy anyway. On the downside they sit not only on your head but also on ears. While you do not feel wrong with it during short term listening it can be VERY irritating ofter an hour.The pads of the new version seem to be more comfortable than the standard bowl pads that were supplied with SR80 few years ago. I also think that the new pads make the sound more 'realistic' as it is not so bright comparing to bowl ones and vocals (especially male) sound more natural.

There is another disadvantage though you 'get it' only when you lbuy these headphones in Europe. In Europe they seem to be much more expensive comparing to US. At the price of ~$179 / £110 they are priced as high as HD595 and they really are not so good in that price range. I would say that it is more SR125 level not SR80. HD595 with the same price as SR80i (in Britain at least) are much better choice in terms of build quality, comfort and value. Even in terms of sound quality HD595 seems to be better, however, only in general as you might find yourself loving the grado sound signature.I would say that the value you get with SR80i is not higher than £80.

After using my Sony MDR-XB40EX for a year, I was looking for a pair of high quality on ear headphones for my computer and home use which would be fairly portable as well. However, after testing headphones for a long time and settling on the SR80i's, that last criteria went out of the window. THESE HEADPHONES LEAK COLLOSAL AMOUNTS OF SOUND AND IS DEVOID OF ANY SOUND ISOLATION!

However,  to the lucky owner of these headphones, these cans sound AWESOME (especially in rock and metal)! After breaking the in, I can say without a doubt, that these headphones are better than my Sennheiser CX300ii (although it isn't exactly fair to compare an in ear with an on ear). Although the soundstage seems small compared to my other in ears, the MDR-XB40EX, the advantage is that you feel as if your in the first row of a concert, vocals are pushed up and the essential electric guitar feels like it's shredding away just in front of you. The thump of the drums and bass guitar are also detailed and taut, although people used to headphones such as Monster and Soul by Ludacris may think that it lacks some of that overwhelming boom.

The detailed and taut bass along with sharp and clear mids and highs lead to a thoroughly enjoying sonic experience.

The SR80i's do have some faults (other than the rather detailed sound leakage), though. Some would argue that the aesthetics, while retro, are distasteful (although I quite like the 50's look of them). The comfort can also suffer after long listening periods (usually after an hour or two) with the rather spartan headband and its clamping force (although many reviewers state that this improves over time). The price can be a bit high out of the US as well (I bought my pair in Singapore and I live in Australia).

Overall, I would highly recommend these headphones to the up and coming audiophile or someone who enjoys high quality music. Quite possibly the best headphones in it's price range, a very deserving five stars.

So I wanted to buy some better-than-average headphones for listen to my music at night.

On my search I found this forum. I read and read and read. Beyerdynamic - maybe too much bass, Sennheiser - too expensive, AKG - require a too expensive amplifier and so on.

But Grado - made for rock and obviously not that expensive. But wait, here in my homecountry they are about 3 times the price as in the US.

So I tried to find some used SR225i and I found them. But remembering that I maybe would have to pay 20% extra when I import them into the EU they still were too expensive.

So I asked for a pair of SR80i. And I got a reasonable offer from a "neighbour" in the Netherlands, so no extra taxes.

And now I have them - and I think they are more than good enough for me.

They have a very clear sound, accurate highs, clear voices and thigth basses. And to be honest I do NOT know what people mean when they say they have not enough bass - for me it already is at the border to too much bass! Really!

The build quality is pretty good for the fact that they are made of plastic for the biggest part. The comfort is - well, not too good due to the simple design, but still comfortably enough as though you can bend the headband if it fits too tight.

So my final conclusion is that they really are good enough to listen to your music at night! And that I say as one who has a pair of real high-end speakers for normal listening!

Greetings,

Maxx

P.S. I amp them with a pretty accurate RA-1 clone, which I got "for free" with my CD-Player!

I like the sound, but I think its time for a new "modern" design (or at least a revision). Still, a really good entry level headphone.

Everything written here is totally subjective

These are my first truly hi-fi headphones, which I bought used from Syrk (by the way, thank you very much to you, Syrk), because they are very expensive out of the United States. I bought them to listen to music at home, instead of with my AKG K 450's.

First impressions :
 

As I opened the box, I was impressed by the size of the headphones. They were much bigger than I expected. (Actually, each earphone has a diameter of 6,5 cm, and the comfies have a diameter of 8 centimeters.) Speaking about the look of the cans, I'm simply fond of their retro style.

Then, I put them on my head. Deadly lightweight and quite comfortable. Very easy to forget on your head. Even with glasses, I only feel a little discomfort at the end of three hours of listening. I don't agree with the numerous reviews I read criticizing the comfort of those cans.

I practised the quarter-mod on the comfies, and washed them with a soft shampoo. They're now more comfortable because more soft.

EDIT : The first days I listened to them, they didn't clamp too hard. Today, I realized that they actually do. Just had to loosen the headband a little. Now they fit perfect.

The sound :

I won't describe those headphones' sound's characteristics, because I'm not experiences enough to.

The only headphones I can compare the SR80i's to are the AKG K 450's.
 

First of all, the SR80i's are open-air, contrary to the K 450's. The difference is just HUGE.

Listening to music with the K 450's, it seems that the singer and the instruments are in two boxes you press against your ears. I had to hear the Grado's to notice that.

With the Grado's... uh... it's utterly different. Firstly, I didn't notice anything special... because I was hearing what I would naturally hear in the room the band plays. When I realized it, I was just "Wow...". Instead of very close to your head, it sounds like if the instruments, the singers, the guitar amplifiers were a few meter around you, and the drummer two or three meters in your back. I know understand what's called "soundstage". The instruments separation is impressive.

Those cans make me hearing things I've never heard before, whereas I knew the music all by heart. Examples :

• I've never understood what the singer was whispering at the beginning of the song "New promise" by Fear Factory. Now, he whispers directly in my ears, clear as crystal.

• I discovered that there were two singers on the song "The flame of youth" by Dragonforce.

• There are noises in a song from the album "Hosannas from the basements of Hell" by Killing Joke that I never heard before, and, due to the soundstage, I believed they were produced by my brother in his room.

• At the beginning of "Stealing society" by System of a down, the drummer hits four times his drum sticks. I turned instinctively because I heard them in my bathroom, three meters in my back.

I was aware those cans were very good for rock and metal, and I wondered if they weren't bad at other genres. They're not.

I worried about the bass. They don't shake your brain, but they sure are here (You can mod the cans to make them more present).

System of a down's "Steal this album!" and "Mezmerize" sound really very good on these cans.

I was only thinking they were the best headphones for metal at this price tag, because I had nothing to compare with. Now that I've compared with the Beats Solo's HD (OK, this isn't fair) and with the Shure SE215's, I can tell they have the sharpness, the abrasiveness, the grainy sound of the overdriven guitars contrary to both sets mentioned before, that have tendency to muffle the guitars a little.

For metal, those rules.

Conclusion :

They are very, vey efficient entry-level headphones, and doubtlessly the best 70 € I've ever spent. Those headphones make me rediscover my music (indeed), in that way that I don't perceive the same thing as I was used to.

Before to hear those wonderful cans, I didn't believe it could be such a difference between two pairs of cans (all I had was pair of AKG K 450's). I'm not skeptical about this anymore...

Buying these, changed the way I listen to music

I HATE THESE HEADPHONES, THEY TURNED ME INTO A AUDIOPHILE

they taught me that there is more to music, then what I was listening to

Before, on my Senn HD 201s, I could hear the music

These, make me listen to the music

I hear sounds and tones that before, I didn't know existed in the music

the sound stage is wide and amazing

Cover one side of the open phones and the music cuffs out. because of their design, they leak sound

I don't care about leaking

The headphones swivel, not a big deal, but they can twist the cord.

The left and right headphone cords are squishy, with padding in them to allow them to wear out the twisting

The pads suck, yet are better then cheaper phones.

the band is thin, yet on my head, they don't make a difference

the line in to where the cord meets the headphone could use some protection

the build is mostly plastic, it feels cheap but makes me feel as if it could outlast aluminium

the slider stays in place and slide easily when needing to move

mods are all over the place, so these things can be transformed in endless ways

Compared to the old SR-80s they sound better, but the foam pads, they don't seal against your ears as the older foam pads.

First "audiophile" approved heaphones I purchased.  They have introduced me to subtleties in my music I never new existed.  I am now listening to a lot more music than before. From my fiio e7 they are perfectly powered and give just a fantastically rich, detailed sound. For anyone who is wondering what all this audiophile nonsense is about, buy these and get back to me if it really is all nonsense afterall.  I'm sure your opinion will have changed.  

I like the retro look, some may not.  Not completely comfortable for long sessions, but not totally uncomfortable either.

They have a much more open soundstage than my Head Direct RE ZEROs.  Perhaps the RE ZEROs have a little crisper less sibilant highs and more distinct bass, but the sound of the SR80is is much more 3D in my opinion.

This were my first "real" headphones and now I'm building a Mosfet Mini Max tube amplifier and DAC, buying parts, modding my headphones, etc. All in three short months. These will turn you into an audiophile.

The clarity from these are just wonderful. Rich, full mids, wonderful treble response (perhaps too wonderful...at times they can be very bright and tinny, but usually not) and a good low end too. This is, of course, pre-modification. With the drivers vented, new grills, new headband, custom wood cups, G Cushions and the driver cloth removed, these headphone dominate.

That's probably one of the coolest things about them, the amount of known mods! These are so much fun to play with, mine look nothing like they used to, sound totally amazing and are very comfortable.

My two cents? Get some cans from the Grado Prestige Series, modify the hell out of them and have fun listening to some amazing headphones for the price.

These are one of the best purchases I have ever made on headphones. They are so clear, especially the vocals. The bass is okay. They are "bright" and they can be described as "in your face". A recommended modification you can do is the "quarter mod", which will make it sound clearer, but still retain the comfort of the pads. For what you're getting, these didn't cost that much.

Now the cons to these headphones outnumber the pros, but the sound quality outweighs all the cons.

These have a really really long wire! To make matters worse is they have double sided cords!

These come stock with comfy pads, which are pretty comfortable, but only for a short while. After about maybe an hour, they feel uncomfortable so you may have to adjust it or take a little break.

As all Grado owners know, they leak hell of a lot. At medium to high volumes, it's like they have their own mini speakers. They sound like when you listen to something from the speakers on your phone. To avoid these noticeable sounds, you can listen to it at low volumes, but then it wouldn't be loud enough for you to enjoy and you could also hear outside noise more easily.

I highly recommend everyone to buy these headphones, but only to listen at home, somewhere quiet or some place that doesn't bother anyone else.

I bought these awhile ago, by accident. I'd actually purchased the cheaper Grado SR-60i's, but in a happy mistake was sent the Grado SR-80i's and told by the retailer that I could keep them. I did so, and it's been a joyous ride since then.

With no break-in, the 80i's were an immense improvement from my previous headphones (some 30-or-so-dollar over-the-ear headphones) and after about 80 hours of break in (probably could have done with less) they were unbelievable.

I carried these loose in my bookbag with a laptop and schoolbooks and they didn't break. The whole semester I had owned them, too. They're very well built! They're open backed, with all the pros and cons of that.

The sound is pretty interesting. It's hard to describe - It's Grado sound. The bass is punchy (not wubwubwub) and the highs and mids are great, too. Rock sounds beautiful - The Who, The Beatles and Los Lonely Boys have never sounded better.

Jazz is great, too. Apparently, the SR-60i struggle with jazz, but it's so clear and nice with the 80i's that it feels like I'm in a bar listening to the band. It's not an "in your head" sound, it's wide and open and it's really like you're there. Live performances literally sound like you're on stage. It's brilliant.

Electronica sounds okay - It's just not enough bass for something that's meant to go wubwubwub, so "modern" electronic music sounds pretty lackluster. Basshunter and Pendulum both sound great, but deadmau5 isn't so great. Not bad, by any means. Trance is fun with punchy bass, in my opinion, so I enjoy it. Stuff like speedcore still has your ears vibrating like it should, so that's good.

All in all, these headphones are the best 80 dollars I ever spent and, to be completely honest, I'd be comfortable having payed twice that for them. At the retail price of 100, they're a bargain and an awesome pair of headphones to own and enjoy. They sound great, and they look great, too.

They have another plus - Grados are very easy to mod, and there's an active community of modders messing around with them making sure you can get the fullest out of 'em.

Now, I'm getting them recabled. The cable is a bit "mneh" with a pretty fragile plastic after the boot, but I never had any problem with them. I much prefer techflex/multifillament wrap to plastic, so I'm getting them recabled with some Mogami 2534, so I'll update if that drastically changes the sound.

I'm also getting some wooden cups made for them, for sound and style. I'll update when that's done.