How uncomfortable are grado's actually?

The SR-60, SR-80, and SR-225 all sound identical to me.  The differences are these:

1.)  Grado claims a tighter left/right channel balance on their more expensive headphones.

2.)  The type of pads used

      a.)  The SR-60 and SR-80 use the Comfy pads which filter out some of the treble and allow more 90-100 Hz bass tones to be emphasized.

      b.)  The SR-225 and up typically use the bowl pads giving a more clean feel to the midrange and making them sound brighter.

There are some others that use the Jumbo pads which I personally have not listened to, but they look much more comfortable than either the Bowl or Comfy pads.

The thing with Grado is that according to my ear and the measurements they have identical drivers.  See the charts below for examples:

http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=393&graphID[]=353&graphID[]=373&graphID[]=293

In fact according to these charts and many of our ears the Grado headphones with the Comfy pads sound a little more fun because they give the bass a much needed emphasis.  Otherwise most Grado headphones are quite bright making listening to trumpets and other instruments quite piercing.

Now if you are just getting into hi-fi and listen to a ton of rock and metal the Grado SR-60 or SR-80 if you want guaranteed channel balance, are great options.  They have the same drivers as the other high end Grado headphones, but cost much much less.  Many of us have owned a Grado or two.  I have owned everything from the SR-60 to the RS-1i.  Most of my draw to them was my initial experience going from say an ear bud to a Grado.  The improvement was significant and owning the retro-looking Grado is pretty fun when one totes a walkman around.  Times have changed and there are myriad headphones out there that sound just as good, but are way more comfortable, and cost less.

Headphones to consider:

1.)  Grado SR-60i

2.)  Creative Aurvana Live!

3.)  Audio Technica ATH-M50

4.)  Sennheiser HD-449

There are many others to choose from and I am certain people will chime in here ( Mal in particular ).  In the end I would have to shy you away from Grado headphones unless you only listen to rock and metal and can stand the slight discomfort of a hard surfaced headphone resting on your outer ear for hours.  The SR-60i is not the most painful Grado to wear and when the fit is adjusted one can suitably wear them for hours without having too many issues with comfort.

Good luck on your search for the perfect headphone.

With the stock pads comfort is terrible. I can't stand wearing them for any more than 1 hour, 30 minutes in they start to hurt like crazy. The G-cush pads or whatever are much better comfort-wise but they also change the sound.

In the SR line most people tend to start with the SR80i and later move up to the flagship SR325is, or something like RS1i. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by McNuggetsPie 

I was looking to buy a pair of Grados since I want to really see how they are for rock but everyone says the comfort isn't very good. How is the comfort and how long can you comfortably wear them?

Also which model is best price/performance at these prices? Is it worth saving up for the 225i?

 

SR60i=$95

SR80i=$120

SR225i=$210

 

Thanks.

You should find a dealer and try them.  Here is the distributor in Oz (also a dealer), maybe there is a store near you.  http://www.addictedtoaudio.com.au/

I didn't like the stock pads on my 325is so I went to G-Cushions.  Much more comfortable and widened the soundstage.  I didn't mind the FR change.

Everybody seems to react diferently to the foam cushions, some say they are scratchy.  The G-Cush fits around the ear so I don't have that problem.  HTH.

Quote:

Originally Posted by McNuggetsPie 

I was looking to buy a pair of Grados since I want to really see how they are for rock but everyone says the comfort isn't very good. How is the comfort and how long can you comfortably wear them?

Also which model is best price/performance at these prices? Is it worth saving up for the 225i?

 

SR60i=$95

SR80i=$120

SR225i=$210

 

Thanks.

Heya,

Price per performance goes down per model. I say that because I have 4 Grados and honestly the SR60i sounds so good for it's entry level price that it just doesn't make sense to me to get any other prestige series Grado if you're just looking for best Grado per dollar you can get, and especially if it's not your primary headphone. If Grado was your absolute love in headphones, it would make sense, and if you knew you could wear them all day without comfort issues, again, it would make sense. But if it's just a headphone for fun for a single genre and not your primary and especially if it's your first Grado experience, I would keep the cost down. The SR60i to the SR325i just doesn't have much difference in my opinion, small flavor differences, but ultimately they are all so similar, more so than different. Just make sure you get the L-cush pads with the lower models ($20).

I can wear the L-cush pads on my Grados for about an hour or two, tops, before I get a sharp pinching pain on my ear lobes near my glasses frames. The on-ear aspect just doesn't work well for me.

I've used G-cush pads (bowls) to try and avoid that, but it changes the sound so drastically (bass goes down, treble goes up, it's awful; I equalized big time to correct for it and it was tolerable).

Very best,

Weird that people are suggesting that the 60, 80 and 225 sound "the same" and someone suggested that people have the goal of moving up to the 325. In reality, the 325 is widely considered to be a disappointment, while the 225 is the "sweet spot" of the Grado lineup. Most skip the 125.

I have a pair of SR80i's that currently wear the bowls. I work a desk job and use them for 8+ hours a day. I'm not really sure why people say that they are uncomfortable.

I tried before buying SR225i and SR325is. I found both of them more comfortable than I expected, based on what I was read, but chose SR225i because of its lighter weight and little less bright treble. Lighter weight is still something I prefer, but I wonder if more brighter 325is would be better. I don't know and I'm not going to change these cans, probably I'll buy RS1i or RS2i in future, but so far so good.

However, I do find SR225i very comfortable these days, took couple of days to get used to on-ear design again, but it was just something to get used to - not anything like hurting ears etc. Well, I did like Sennheiser HD25-II as well and many people find those unconfortable...

There are quite tolerable. I don't really see what people complain about, even with the stock bowls 

I find grados the most comfortable phones. Super light (even the ms2 I the weight doesn't bother me, did a bit at first)

I use bowl pads on all my grado's, just takes a week or 2 to wear them in and then you're sweet.

It's been a while since I owned any Grados but I had the SR80s and don't recall them being that uncomfortable but each of us have different shaped heads. I tried out a pair LCD 3s for a week or so and never found a place where they weren't painful on the top of my head after as little as 30 minutes of wearing them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by McNuggetsPie 

Do the bowl pads go around your ears?

They're not designed to, they are intended to sit on your ears. However, if you have small ears (like me), you might find that the outer edge of the pad goes around them. The inside of the pad still touches my ears though; there's no way to avoid that really.

I find them pretty comfortable myself - not much worse than any other full-size headphones I own. Others will compare them to some medieval torture device. It's all highly subjective and the only way you'll really find out is by trying them for yourself ...

I'd also say go for the cheapest Grado you can find with some bowl pads. Dunno what prices are like in Oz, but for me buying Alessandro MS1s directly from their website was the best deal ...