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Is the Grado SR60 sound leakage exaggerated?

post #1 of 23
4/20/10 at 8:53pm
Thread Starter 
I've heard on both head fi and other electronics sites that the Grados leak quite a bit, and are no use on the street or when using it to be silent. Yet on the Headphone Sitings thread I see multiple people posting about seeing Grados used publicly to a good extent. If I do get a pair, I'll be using them in dorms and on college campus, is that a stretch? I could just go with some ES7s, but I like the Grado style more
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post #2 of 23
4/20/10 at 9:03pm
I wouldn't recommend using them in a library, but they would be fine everywhere else. If you don't listen to them at medium high to high volumes then you'll be fine but you may want to stay away from places that are very quiet (librarys, if your room mate is sleeping you should turn it down, etc).

But they sound really good with rock and other rock based genres, I highly recommend them if you can deal with the sound leakage.
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post #3 of 23
4/20/10 at 10:09pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by gbacic View Post
I wouldn't recommend using them in a library, but they would be fine everywhere else. If you don't listen to them at medium high to high volumes then you'll be fine but you may want to stay away from places that are very quiet (librarys, if your room mate is sleeping you should turn it down, etc).

But they sound really good with rock and other rock based genres, I highly recommend them if you can deal with the sound leakage.
I'm not going to be using them in loud areas, I have IEMs. Mostly in rooms and when relaxing on the rolling fields of my school.
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post #4 of 23
4/20/10 at 10:09pm
I owned a pair once and wore it on the Bus and was asked to turn down the volume. I had to turn it so low that I could not even listen to music. That was the last I ever took these pair out in the open till I sold them.
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post #5 of 23
4/20/10 at 10:51pm
I saw a one of the review before that someone was using the SR60 in the library and got kicked out..
Also, SR 60 doesn't block outside noise.. when there is people talking near by you, you can hear everything.. loud...
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post #6 of 23
4/20/10 at 10:52pm

Nope...

All Grados leak sound like sieves. But they do sound great.
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post #7 of 23
4/20/10 at 10:56pm
As a University student that owns a pair of Alessandro MS1's I can say that the sound leakage is not exaggerated at all. The MS1's have pretty much the same design in terms of ear cups as the sr60 and they don't do a thing for outside noise. One of my buddy's once commented that he could probably hear my song as well as I could. The point is they are about as open as it gets aside from actual speakers and that really did/does limit their usage for me at least. They tend to be reserved for when I'm alone in my room because otherwise I just hear too much outside noise.
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post #8 of 23
4/20/10 at 11:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by INComa View Post
I've heard on both head fi and other electronics sites that the Grados leak quite a bit, and are no use on the street or when using it to be silent. Yet on the Headphone Sitings thread I see multiple people posting about seeing Grados used publicly to a good extent. If I do get a pair, I'll be using them in dorms and on college campus, is that a stretch? I could just go with some ES7s, but I like the Grado style more
Yes, the leakage issue is greatly exaggerated. If you're in an environment requiring oppressive quiet, any sound leakage is annoying and obtrusive. Most environments, however, have a certain amount of ambient noise - even doctors' offices, coffee shops, gyms, bus stops, et cetera.

The "leakage issue" is brought up as a counterpoint to the benefits of low resonance. People with closed cans have more isolation, more bass and generally muddier sound.
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post #9 of 23
4/21/10 at 12:58am
Yes, exaggerated. In that all open phones do it, yet it gets thrown around as if it's a Grado trait alone.

All open phones leak about the same, and any differences mostly related to the volume they're played at.
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post #10 of 23
4/21/10 at 1:01am
they leak a bunch, like any other open headphone.

Their suitability for use in a library is more conditional on how loud you listen IMO. If you keep it to about 60db (at the ear) they are more or less inaudible to someone sitting just a few feet away.
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post #11 of 23
4/21/10 at 3:27am
Thread Starter 
Just wanted to add an afterthought: I don't get the people that say these look overly retro, or even "World War II style that you don't want to wear out of the house" (one youtube review). These look hip and fit in with current street style. A great departure from normal headphones and I wouldn't mind wearing these outside as a fashion statement.
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post #12 of 23
4/21/10 at 3:33am
All open headphones should stay home.

Nobody wants to hear your music.. Don't be "that guy".
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post #13 of 23
4/21/10 at 3:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by INComa View Post
Just wanted to add an afterthought: I don't get the people that say these look overly retro, or even "World War II style that you don't want to wear out of the house" (one youtube review). These look hip and fit in with current street style. A great departure from normal headphones and I wouldn't mind wearing these outside as a fashion statement.
Good one. I'm always skeptical when someone gives me fashion advice online. Especially if they're tech writers. I always ask, what's their fashion sense? Is it different from my own? Are they at all knowledgeable about fashion? What geographic regions / cultural subgroups influence his thinking, and is that applicable to me?

In the end, fashion's about you. That doesn't mean it can't be judged or criticized, but you can always make things work.
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post #14 of 23
4/21/10 at 3:46am
I would say that Grados should be used in a quiet enviroment to get the best sound. They leak in as much as they leak out. I've tried listening to music when there is any ambient noise and it has negatively effected sound quality.
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post #15 of 23
4/21/10 at 3:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by baka1969 View Post
I would say that Grados should be used in a quiet enviroment to get the best sound. They leak in as much as they leak out. I've tried listening to music when there is any ambient noise and it has negatively effected sound quality.
I totally agree with baka1969 regarding using grado in a quiet environment from my past experience..
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