Product Review:

Grado SR125i Headphones

Reviewed by: Jason Gillard

You may remember back to a review that I did of the iGrado headphones.  That was Grado's attempt at getting really good sounding headphones into the mp3 player arena.  Having reviewed those, I thought it would be a good idea to tackle some of their higher-end headphones, but not so high end that you need a brinks truck to buy them.  So I contacted them and they sent me a pair of Grado Sr125i. They retail on Amazon.com right now for $150.  That's a good price point for what you're getting in these headphones.  I thought I would paste in the description Grado has on there web site:

"What does the i stand for in the new SR125i from Grado? Improved, that’s what! Grado's ability to combine lightness with extreme rigidity and internal damping has been put to good use on the SR125i. Based on the same design as theSR80i, the SR125i also features an improved driver and cable design utilizing UHPLC (Ultra-high purity, long crystal) copper voice coil wire. With the new 8 conductor cable design you will notice improved control and stability of the upper and lower range of the frequency spectrum, with both better supporting Grado’s world renowned midrange. The Diaphragms are put through a special 'de-stressing' process in order to enhance inner detail. The way the SR125i’s new driver, cable and plastic housing move air and react to sound vibrations are now less affected by transient distortions. Bass, midrange and treble are all more open and you will enjoy the fine tonal spread and balance."

So let's take a look at ascetics. The Grado headphones are definitely not going to win any design awards for looks.  They kind of remind me of the headphone that my grandfather used to have, or maybe that of a WWII pilot.  But this retro design actually wins some points in my books.  But who cares what they look like if they sound good.  After wearing these headphones for quite awhile I did not notice any problems with comfort.  I had read some other reviews that had complained about this, but for me it was not an issue.  That's saying something because usually I have issues with my big head.  The headphones are mostly plastic, but that makes them lightweight.  They adjust for fit like most headphones do and that's by extending the ear pads up or down.  One problem that I did have with the headphones are the length of the cable.  I like to listen to my receiver by lying down in bed and the cable on these is just too short.  The other issue I had was the fact that the cable splits in two and goes to each ear pad.  Personally I like having the cable just go to one ear.  They may have a reason for this, but I like a single cable.

Now let's move on to how they sound, because honestly what they look like won't mean anything if they sound amazing, and they do sound amazing.  I broke the headphones in having them play for about 12 hours before I listened to them.  The 125's have a very detailed and pure sound.  They are also remarkably open and give you a wide sound stage.  I also found the bass to be tight and deep.  I listened to these headphones on my Yamaha receiver to a variety of source material.  I listened to the lossless audio of the Transformers Blu-ray, I also listened to a Leona Lewis CD, and to NHL 09 on the PS3. 

For those of you who don't know, the Transformers Blu-ray is a marvel of modern sound design.  The Grado's handled this soundtrack with ease.  The bass kicked in giving every blow the sonic impact that it needed and everything sounded so detailed and precise.  Leona Lewis has a beautiful voice.  One of the highlights is listening to her voice on these headphones.  For me the Grado Sr125's produce some of the best sounding vocals I have ever heard. I felt like Leona was singing in my living room.  I was also impressed how well these headphones worked for gaming.  I fired up NHL 09 and every puck that clanged off the goal post and every check that a player gave sounded better than every before.  I had used a pair of Sennheiser headphones in the past with this game, and it was like I was listening to a different game.  Overall these headphones impressed me on almost every level. 

If Grado could improve the look and maybe make the comfort a little better for those that need it, they would have an unbeatable set of headphones.

Highly Recommended