PinoyPogiman
100+ Head-Fier
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- Mar 4, 2012
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Its been about say, 3 or 2 months past since the initial purchase of my Grado Sr80i's and i SHOULD be about over 100 Hours of Burn in. I've decided to put my thoughts on Arial font. So here we go, but heres some nice Pics to get this somewhat long review started.
Grado SR80i
Price: Suggested price: 99$.
Design Type: Open-back, Superaural.
Included in the box: Headphones, Foam, Warranty Paper, the Plug-on adapter.
So Before i get into the Good info, i have to save the best bits for last! Heres some info on
Design, Appearance, Aesthetics:
At First glance, it was love at first sight with my eyes venturing into Pictures of Grado Headphones online. and Now that i get my hands on my very first pair of Grado headphones! I am very pleased to see them!
The Silver Etchings, Plastic Cups w/ Grilles, the Gimbals, The Rodblocks, Oh the pleather headband OH! I dont see how one would dislike such a Vintage look, as they do have the Vintage look either you Like or not. To me they look Vintage, Classic, and oh so Classy! Even Though they dont sport the sharp lines of a Sennheiser, the curvature of an AKG, or the Street Schwiggy looks of Dr. Dre's popular Beats headphones. Teens or Kids may not love how they look, but Never Judge a book by its cover!
Comfort:
Thanks to Grado's C-Cush Pads(Comfies) it adds better comfort to the Existing SR80i. The Headband isnt Padded, and the Clamping force.. I have a Slightly over 22 inch noggin, and the Clamping force just fits right for me, its not too tight or loose, just right. Of Course with every Grado Warranty paper that SHOULD be in your Grado Pizza-box, Does tell you "If your Headphones fit too tight" you can stretch the headband ever so slightly to help relieve some pressure on your bigger heads. in Summary, Comfort is Sub-par Decent, but i cant find myself wearing these for over 2 hours without relief.
Isolation, and Leakage:
As you already know and see, They are open-back headphones, and Many Open-back headphones DO leak sound in.
These in particular, well, you can hear almost EVERY outside noise depending where your listening session is at. But of course you DONT have to be in dead-silence to be able to enjoy these, you just have to find yourself lowering the volume in louder areas. because DO NOT blast your music with Grado sr80i's as much as John Grado Cherishes his Great Ears. He wishes for you to listen at a considerable volume to save your hearing "Cherish it, Preserve it".
And as much of you that should know with open-backs, As much sound as it lets in, Sound can also leak OUT. Yes the Grado SR80i do inevitably leak sound, so that person sitting next to you on the bus, might get distracted of your favorite playlist of Rick Astley...
Packaging:
Now, in my opinion, Packaging is one of the very important aspects to selling a product. And Grado does it best in seemingly keeping costs minimum and offering great-looking simplistic design.
Its Packaging to me is great to keep. Mostly called here "Grado Pizza Boxes" just cut the tape, flip open the flap, and there you see your shiny pair of Grado's in foam to subconsciously say "Let me speak the music you love"
I like the packaging, even though its a minor, mostly overlooked aspect when it comes to headphones and products i buy.
I like its simplistic design, a flip over flap box design with a little window to have a little peek to whats inside. Showing a earcup with the silver etching of "The Prestige Series", "Sr80i" ,and "Gradolabs".
Portability:
No, these dont fold, they dont transform. Even though there are some 3rd party manufacter'ers creating External Cases for Grado Headphones specially, They arent the most portable headphones in the world. As they do have a Thick, somewhat long, and pretty heavy cable. Dont forget the wringing and the kinking of the cable, Portability is not the best thing with these, of course for me it doesnt affect me!
General Specs
Information provided by Headroom, Gradolabs):
Impendence: 32 Ohms (Very Easy To Drive!)
Freq Response: 20-20
Sensitivity: 98dB
Cord Length: 7ft
Weight: 4.6oz
4 Conductor Cable, its a really thick cable.. and pretty heavy too.
Superaural(earpad) design.
Price: MSRP 99$
With That said, i hope i didnt forget any important points to address.
Now for some Opinions on Sound!
Keep in mind, im not too fond of "Audiophile Linguistics" and i will try my best to give a general idea of my listening experience.. so bear with me..
These headphones are really easy to Drive, being said to have an impendence of 32Ohms, can be EASILY driven from the power of your iPod, iPhone, iPad, iSource, Walkman, or any Audio Source.
Do They need amping? Even though, its predecessor the Sr60i does not require amping.
The sr80i's do improve a bit on Amping.
Personal Info Before i address my points
Source: iPod Classic 5.5gen 30gb(iPod Video)
Environment: Room, Silent Living Room.
Amp: no amp...
Preferred Genre: Anything but Latino or Country..
Highs:
In this case mostly the Treble, some may find these headphones to be too bright, the Trebles to be shrilling and fatiguing. I for me do not find it in any way fatiguing at all, These are indeed a Bright, Fun sounding headphone.
Mids:
These headphones are really focused on Midrange, not only that it provides lots of Clarity, Crispy-Clear airy sound. Not just that, being told that They are headphones great for Rock music, they indeed are. The Guitars sound upfront and lively, Drums as well, I also find them Reproducing Female vocals very well, in a very lush clean tone. It really brings out Fergie's voice in "My Humps- Black Eyed Peas". Brass instruments also sound more upfront as well. I makes Trumpets really pop out in my favorite 40's tracks of Boogie Man- Sid Philipps, and Fox Boogie- Gerhard Trede.
Lows, Bass:
Speaking primarily Bass, They are not in any way Disappointing, unless your a Bass craving Basshead.. They are very defined and controlled. In this case they have a good amount of "Quality" bass. They DO not sound lacking in any way.
Not being too much of a basshead, The quality bass really fits for me. Perhaps listen to Intergalatic-Beastie Boys or some Rap songs, and you'll see that they arent lacking bass in any way. Its more Qualitative than Quantitative.
Personal Thoughts, Opinions:
At First impression, it was okay, as upgrading from Koss Portapros which i still do love and own, I was somewhat impressed, though i had no doubts. I knew the experience was going to get better as i listen more and more.
I Like the Grado House sound, as much as the other person. Being handmade in Brooklyn, New York, USA they have alot of character to them, having to slip them inbetween my ears and indulging myself into the music is just a feeling thats just plain great. I am very satisfied with my purchase, plus being very budget friendly. For 99$ this is definitely worth the price to pay for such great sound quality! Though i do wish they would add at least something short of "Made in Brooklyn, NY, USA" I know its just something small to ask for, but to add SOME credibility to those who are non-audiophiles to actually know, that THIS is made in the USA.
^Not my Picture, just a picture of an adorable Pug with (i know its wrong) Grado SR60's(non-i)
Grado SR80i
Price: Suggested price: 99$.
Design Type: Open-back, Superaural.
Included in the box: Headphones, Foam, Warranty Paper, the Plug-on adapter.
So Before i get into the Good info, i have to save the best bits for last! Heres some info on
Design, Appearance, Aesthetics:
At First glance, it was love at first sight with my eyes venturing into Pictures of Grado Headphones online. and Now that i get my hands on my very first pair of Grado headphones! I am very pleased to see them!
The Silver Etchings, Plastic Cups w/ Grilles, the Gimbals, The Rodblocks, Oh the pleather headband OH! I dont see how one would dislike such a Vintage look, as they do have the Vintage look either you Like or not. To me they look Vintage, Classic, and oh so Classy! Even Though they dont sport the sharp lines of a Sennheiser, the curvature of an AKG, or the Street Schwiggy looks of Dr. Dre's popular Beats headphones. Teens or Kids may not love how they look, but Never Judge a book by its cover!
Comfort:
Thanks to Grado's C-Cush Pads(Comfies) it adds better comfort to the Existing SR80i. The Headband isnt Padded, and the Clamping force.. I have a Slightly over 22 inch noggin, and the Clamping force just fits right for me, its not too tight or loose, just right. Of Course with every Grado Warranty paper that SHOULD be in your Grado Pizza-box, Does tell you "If your Headphones fit too tight" you can stretch the headband ever so slightly to help relieve some pressure on your bigger heads. in Summary, Comfort is Sub-par Decent, but i cant find myself wearing these for over 2 hours without relief.
Isolation, and Leakage:
As you already know and see, They are open-back headphones, and Many Open-back headphones DO leak sound in.
These in particular, well, you can hear almost EVERY outside noise depending where your listening session is at. But of course you DONT have to be in dead-silence to be able to enjoy these, you just have to find yourself lowering the volume in louder areas. because DO NOT blast your music with Grado sr80i's as much as John Grado Cherishes his Great Ears. He wishes for you to listen at a considerable volume to save your hearing "Cherish it, Preserve it".
And as much of you that should know with open-backs, As much sound as it lets in, Sound can also leak OUT. Yes the Grado SR80i do inevitably leak sound, so that person sitting next to you on the bus, might get distracted of your favorite playlist of Rick Astley...
Packaging:
Now, in my opinion, Packaging is one of the very important aspects to selling a product. And Grado does it best in seemingly keeping costs minimum and offering great-looking simplistic design.
Its Packaging to me is great to keep. Mostly called here "Grado Pizza Boxes" just cut the tape, flip open the flap, and there you see your shiny pair of Grado's in foam to subconsciously say "Let me speak the music you love"
I like the packaging, even though its a minor, mostly overlooked aspect when it comes to headphones and products i buy.
I like its simplistic design, a flip over flap box design with a little window to have a little peek to whats inside. Showing a earcup with the silver etching of "The Prestige Series", "Sr80i" ,and "Gradolabs".
Portability:
No, these dont fold, they dont transform. Even though there are some 3rd party manufacter'ers creating External Cases for Grado Headphones specially, They arent the most portable headphones in the world. As they do have a Thick, somewhat long, and pretty heavy cable. Dont forget the wringing and the kinking of the cable, Portability is not the best thing with these, of course for me it doesnt affect me!
General Specs
Information provided by Headroom, Gradolabs):Impendence: 32 Ohms (Very Easy To Drive!)
Freq Response: 20-20
Sensitivity: 98dB
Cord Length: 7ft
Weight: 4.6oz
4 Conductor Cable, its a really thick cable.. and pretty heavy too.
Superaural(earpad) design.
Price: MSRP 99$
With That said, i hope i didnt forget any important points to address.
Now for some Opinions on Sound!
Keep in mind, im not too fond of "Audiophile Linguistics" and i will try my best to give a general idea of my listening experience.. so bear with me..
These headphones are really easy to Drive, being said to have an impendence of 32Ohms, can be EASILY driven from the power of your iPod, iPhone, iPad, iSource, Walkman, or any Audio Source.
Do They need amping? Even though, its predecessor the Sr60i does not require amping.
The sr80i's do improve a bit on Amping.
Personal Info Before i address my points
Source: iPod Classic 5.5gen 30gb(iPod Video)
Environment: Room, Silent Living Room.
Amp: no amp...
Preferred Genre: Anything but Latino or Country..
Highs:
In this case mostly the Treble, some may find these headphones to be too bright, the Trebles to be shrilling and fatiguing. I for me do not find it in any way fatiguing at all, These are indeed a Bright, Fun sounding headphone.
Mids:
These headphones are really focused on Midrange, not only that it provides lots of Clarity, Crispy-Clear airy sound. Not just that, being told that They are headphones great for Rock music, they indeed are. The Guitars sound upfront and lively, Drums as well, I also find them Reproducing Female vocals very well, in a very lush clean tone. It really brings out Fergie's voice in "My Humps- Black Eyed Peas". Brass instruments also sound more upfront as well. I makes Trumpets really pop out in my favorite 40's tracks of Boogie Man- Sid Philipps, and Fox Boogie- Gerhard Trede.
Lows, Bass:
Speaking primarily Bass, They are not in any way Disappointing, unless your a Bass craving Basshead.. They are very defined and controlled. In this case they have a good amount of "Quality" bass. They DO not sound lacking in any way.
Not being too much of a basshead, The quality bass really fits for me. Perhaps listen to Intergalatic-Beastie Boys or some Rap songs, and you'll see that they arent lacking bass in any way. Its more Qualitative than Quantitative.
Personal Thoughts, Opinions:
At First impression, it was okay, as upgrading from Koss Portapros which i still do love and own, I was somewhat impressed, though i had no doubts. I knew the experience was going to get better as i listen more and more.
I Like the Grado House sound, as much as the other person. Being handmade in Brooklyn, New York, USA they have alot of character to them, having to slip them inbetween my ears and indulging myself into the music is just a feeling thats just plain great. I am very satisfied with my purchase, plus being very budget friendly. For 99$ this is definitely worth the price to pay for such great sound quality! Though i do wish they would add at least something short of "Made in Brooklyn, NY, USA" I know its just something small to ask for, but to add SOME credibility to those who are non-audiophiles to actually know, that THIS is made in the USA.
^Not my Picture, just a picture of an adorable Pug with (i know its wrong) Grado SR60's(non-i)
