kite7
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2006
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Recently I got a pair of grado SR60 with no box from ebay in superb condition;the seller does not know much about headphones so he couldn't give me additional information. The price was amazing so I took the plunge. I was more amazed when I realized what I received was not just any SR60.
Description of appearance ( picture can be seen at the bottom )
The drivers are slightly different than what I've seen on my RS1 and RS1i. The driver cloth where holes can be punctured to my surprise is already extremely thin like the RS1i and as a result, the bass is almost right up there with a RS1i; the wooden housing and length would add up the difference. The biggest give away as that the magnet at the back is black, all the other modern SR60/SR60i I've seen are uncolored with the labeled GRADO32. Not only is it black, it looks thicker and rounder as well. I don't think they are vintage SR60 with pink drivers, the fabric that touches the ears is white, not black or transparent. If I look closely I do see some pink around the voice coil so I'm not sure.
Also, the Y junction of the cable is terminated perfectly, No nasty twisting at all, it really does look excellent.
The comfie pads , the part that contacts with the ears, are at least twice as thin as the ones I bought new recently. I put the pads up to my room light and I can see that the pads are greenish, while the new pads are dark purple otherwise they both look black.
Sound
How do they sound? I'm not going to lie but they possess a sound signature that is better than a RS1i to me; better balance throughout the entire frequency response. Sounds like a hybrid of RS1 and RS1i, sounds smooth without the extremely warm midrange of the RS1i but with some upper mid spike (but not as extreme as the RS1 or even SR60i for that matter) of the RS1 present which is a great combination IMO. RS1i has very little high sparkle, SR60 has more. The midrange is thicker than the RS1 by a slight margin and no shrillness can be heard in the highs. They are not as bright as the RS1; if the SR60 was to sit on a scale between RS1i and RS1, the sound leans a little towards the RS1i rather than the RS1. The SR60 is noticeably more detailed (very effortlessly) and has a wider soundstage than the RS1i ; downright makes the RS1i sound closed in. Sibilance is non existent. Sounds better than the SR60i, I notice right away that the SR60 I have has a evidently better balance of bass and highs. The bass slam is harder and goes lower as well (as low or lower than the RS1). What I already hear on my SR60 sounds very refined compared to SR60i. At this point, I don't think I will even bother modding this pair; they are that good stock as is.
I find that usually when one cranks up the volume on a grado, they get more treble more quickly than bass. For these SR60, cranking up the volume does not increase the brightness but instead there is more bass and a thicker midrange.
The midrange is the most neutral I've heard of all the grados I have owned by a big margin. It has none of that extra sweetness added in or an overly aggressive upper mid spike.If I had to imagine what Joe Grado headphones sound like since they are often said to be very neutral and transparent then these SR60 sound like they could very well roughly represent that sound. A grado with neutral midrange that is not forward, surely doesn't fit the trait of grados but that is what I am hearing. I have a SR125 next to me and it sounds like the most colored headphone compared to this SR60. The midrange on the SR60 does not jump out and demand attention like so many grados do. The midrange sounds very similar to the midrange of a KSC75 if not the same.
I also sold the RS1i a few days after receiving and hearing the SR60; SR60 was simply better to me in all aspects except aesthetics. I could not say I would have done the same with a modern day SR60i/SR60.
SR60 VS SR125 Sound impressions (Bowl pads)
The differences between the two is very easily identifiable through such initial brief listening. I have no doubt that I could pass a blind test 100% of the time; that's how obvious the differences are to me. I don't know if the modern SR125i is as bright as this vintage SR125 and hopefully I will try to demo the SR125i in a store.
The bass quality is a little better than the SR60 but at the same time the brightness is increased. The SR60 goes lower than the SR125's bass but the SR125's bass is tighter; I could find instances where the SR60's bass sounds puffy. The SR60 has a low bass presence that is hard to detect on the SR125. The SR125's midbass is noticeably more solid. The increase of brightness is not for everyone and may not sound pleasant with all recordings. The upper mid spike is more forward, SR60 a bit more recessed. The midrange seems to be more colored, it's sweeter sounding. The midrange on the SR60 is the least colored I've heard on any grado; there no extra "sweetness" added. The whole sound is very balanced compared to SR125 and RS1i; nothing jumps out at me. I find the SR125 fine on comfies,bowls and HD414 pads. Reverse HD414 gives a great balance of comfies' bass and bowl's midrange and treble. I have never like the HD414 pads on any other grados except these.
I've been listening to the SR125 more and these are even brighter than my RS1, they are very borderline bright. Not everyone will like this brightness, even I can hardly stand it. This brightness in the upper mids however does make electric guitars sound very good. The SR60 is not as bright. After listening to the SR125 for awhile, the bass quantity actually less than the SR60. I may let the SR125 play for a week because they may be hardly used seeing how the clamp is the extremely tight like a brand new grado headphone. The SR125 really makes me fatigued quick; it really is the brightest grado I have heard. They sound closer to the RS1 than the SR60 does. The SR125 actually managed to make my ears cringe at times. I feel like I may keep the SR125 around just for guitars, SR60 seems like the better all around headphone.
It is easier to hear details on the SR60 without the protruding upper mid that exists on the SR125. Sometimes it's too loud on the SR125, it really depends on the song. The upper mid spike on the SR60 sounds more in balance with the rest of the sound where the SR125 just jumps out at me. If I want to "sit" closer to the guitar and drums, the SR125 puts me right there. The soundstage on the SR60 seems to be wider because the protruding upper mid isn't there, everything just sounds like they have more space around them without that spike. It's hard to hear upper details with that upper mid spike of the SR125.
Vocals on the SR125 sound very forward, right up in my face. SR60 takes me back off the stage but in the first row, vocals do not sound "shouty" or harsh.
There is very little midrange colorization on the SR60 if any, sounds much closer to my Westone 2's midrange than the RS1i and SR125 can ever sound. This can be a good thing, it doesn't excel nor does it sound bad with a lot of material. SR125's electric guitars and drums excel but at the cost of harshness in vocals. SR60 does not excel with electric guitars; its midrange is just too uncolored to shine with electric guitars; SR125 guitars sound more crunchy and full while the SR60 sounds thinner. Drums however still sound quite good on the SR60, though the snap isn't as sharp and forward as the SR125 (which can be ear piercing). I think the SR60's midrange can be too neutral to a fault. When I put on the SR125, its colorization always reminds me why I liked grado in the first place. The midrange of this SR60 while it is very clean and uncolored, lacks soul, energy or emotion; it is like a grado with its life sucked out if that makes any sense; I have never heard a grado like this and not even Alessandro Grado headphones sound like this. It doesn't sound lifeless on all songs but I have a feeling these SR60 were meant to be on comfies than bowls; I always prefer bowls on all the grados I've owned but this one doesn't fair too well on bowls. While this varies greatly from person to person, SR125 is more enjoyable to listen to. Having a headphone that is too colored or neutral is very much the same as having a double edged sword, it'll sound great with some songs but bad with others.
The highs on the SR125 are more forward and extended while the SR60 highs are recessed and soft sounding creating the impression of distance and a more airier sound.
It's easier to hear background nuisances on the SR60, it sounds very spacious and airy compared to SR125 and RS1i.
I couldn't get used to the sound of the SR125 like I did right away for the SR60. I'm still not decided which one sounds better, sometimes the SR60 is not exciting enough but sometimes the SR125 is too aggressive.
In summary
SR60 : Plays it safe, never tries to offend
SR125 : Goes all out, very aggressive.
Update:
I do not know if burn in occurred or whether my brain became accustomed to the sound but I prefer the SR125 over the SR60 now. The treble while on some songs may sound boosted, for most it's perfectly fine and quite pleasant. The bass is a lot more solid than the SR60; SR60 bass is too loose for my liking. Most importantly, the upper mid peak on the SR125 does wonders on electric guitars; I wouldn't hesitate to say they are almost as good as my previous RS1 in electric guitar reproduction. The distortion and crunch on the electric guitars truly excel on the SR125. The SR60 sounds recessed to me now.
Pictures below
My SR60 magnet looks round and is black like this
Modern Grado SR60/SR60i magnets look flat like this but not black
Comparison picture
Another modern SR60
SR60i picture
Semi-Vintage SR60 picture showing magnet at similar angle of the above SR60i shot
Here are the pictures of my SR60. I can see the slight pink tint better than the pictures show. I couldn't get a good picture of the magnet
Got my vintage SR125 today (March 24)
I like the style of the vintage box far better than the current versions. The orange,black and yellowish white are colors of the (g)olden days.
Some discoloring seen on the teal foam from the pads. The foam is teal color, not sure why my camera captures it as blue
Black specks seen from ear pads' disintegration
No buldge above the words PRESTIGE from where the rod connects to the plastic ring like the below SR60
Interesting difference between headbands, both are still plastic though the SR125 is a better imitation of a leather headband in detail. SR125/SR125i today does not have the same style the Vintage SR125 has; it is the same as the SR60i
Alas , the drivers
Other minor differences
SR60 tip is shiny, SR125 tip is matte
Same goes for the cable
SR60 cable is the top one, shiny
SR125 is the bottom one, matte
SR125 uses yellow glue for the cable stopper, SR60 uses what appears to be a ziptie cut off
