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The Grado SR125i's are one generation back to the more current Prestige "e" series. I didn't hesitate to own these cans as my previous set was the first generation SR80's and they have a fantastic, extremely pleasing open air type headphone sound. The SR125i's are no exception. I had listened to the updated version and found the "e" versions to be slightly brighter than the "i" series. While not what I'd call a comfortable set of headphones, for the money there are few as audibly pleasing than these even for several hundreds more. Besides some sound tweaks to the "e" versions the "I" series still uses a ¼" jack while the "e" has been updated to the 1/8" jack. This can impact the convenience of use as the ¼" jack will either require a heavy, bulky, converter or the more recommended "4" converter cable. Experiment a bit to locate the sweet spot when positioning these on your ears and you will be rewarded with sounds that seem to come from all around the room. Great sound staging. Slightly deeper bass and brighter highs compared to the 80i but not the newer 80e. Or the 125e. When testing the entire line I found a noticeable improvement in sound:price:value in the 125i's as compared to the larger jump in price required to buy the 225i or e's. I purchased a decently priced $105. New in box, old stock from eBay. Great value for very slightly more than the more currant 80e's. Several other things worth noting. You will drive the person sitting next to you crazy with the sound that escapes through the free flowing vents in the headphones. The foams are moderately comfortable and has three grado options available with their upgraded pads from higher models. Think donut hole instead of completely covered pads. This allows a slightly brighter sound but not necessarily greater comfort. Your ears. Will hurt eventually. You can improve the feel by carefully stretching out the metal band in the vinyl head band. Be careful to not over do it or they will not stay on your head. If you do a little research you can find a community of Grado enthusiasts that like to modify the headphones in search of what they feel is improved bass greater highs largely by changing either the dampening or the airflow of the vents in the outside covers. Please no just because several people say it actually improves upon the sound doesn't mean to an educated pair of ears that that will be the case. Grado has gone to great lengths to create the best possible sounding headphones that they can make for the money and assuming you can improve on their sound quality while risking destroying your headphones is up for interpretation. Especially because modifying these cans most often changes them permanently definitely a voids your warranty. Comfort issues aside if you have even remotely good or well-trained years for music you will absolutely love these headphones and at this Price point there is very little other competition that gives you such a pleasing all be it coloured sound. People often have impression that a studio type headphones are more accurate and therefore more pleasing to listen to, but the truth is most studio headphones that are truly flat are not very exciting to listen to.. I have over 18 years and you are you in the street selling Midside to high-end audio gear with significant discounts I believe these were an excellent buy and expect to get at least a decade's worth of listening pleasure from these headphones like I got from my SR 80's. if I was to do any modifications to this headphone I would have an expert change the Jack from the quarter inch to a 1/8" jack. The added cost to put that smaller jack on may make it smarter to have purchased the SR 125e's instead.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
Exceptional Cans for the Common Folks :: Audiophile Quality for a Tight Budget PROS: Audio Quality = Excellent. Accurate highs, mids and low end Comfort = Easily adjustable fit (even with my eye glasses) Design = Durable (not especially stylish, but not hideous either) Value = Best price:performance ratio on the market for open cans CONS: Audio Quality = Accurate low end may not provide enough bass for some Comfort = Ear/Head sizes vary, so may not find the fit as comfortable as I did Design = WWII radio operator look may be mismatch for fashion conscious types Value = NONE! Simply best bang for your buck in this price range DETAILED RATIONALE: My philosophy on high quality headphones stems from two concepts: 1 . ECONOMY, n. Purchasing the barrel of whiskey that you do not need for the price of the cow that you cannot afford. (Devil's Dictionary). 2. "De gustibus non est disputandum." (In matters of taste there is no dispute) From my perspective, you must love what you love, and you only know what you know - and that the inherent subjectivity in matters of taste render it difficult both to dispute anyone's self-proclaimed status as a "phile" (one that loves) and, more importantly, to deny your own inclinations or preferences. Suffice it to say, my beliefs do not require you to believe them - they simply are what they are. I stand firmly by my summary above. Among many other things, I love entertainment (books, movies, games, drink... music). Just as I love wine and loosely consider myself a connoisseur, I also consider myself a music aficionado in the most general sense. I love all kinds of music (blues, classical, country, electronic, folk, jazz, reggae, rock...). I love attending concerts as often as possible, but I am usually resigned to listening to recordings or watching broadcasts for my daily entertainment needs. While I understand that, in the strictest sense, most true "philes" are more deeply devoted adherents to established traditions and taxonomies of their respective disciplines than mere enthusiasts like me, I still remain comfortable laying claim to the "phile" label for certain passions. Insofar as I enjoy seeking out high fidelity components that will give me the best performance for the limited hard-earned dollars that I can spend on entertainment, I may be an audiophile (audio lover). But in my reality, I am just a hobbyist, on a working man's budget, who turns to high-quality audio reproductions to fulfill a large part of his daily entertainment needs. With the proliferation of mobile music/phone players that include universal "ear buds" of questionable comfort for many, and anemic sound reproduction for many others, there seems to be both a surge of interest in the headphone marketplace and a deluge of options for these potential consumers. Regardless of the catalyst for the proliferation of headphones, suffice it to say that with so many people looking to "upgrade" or replace their "freebie" ear buds, marketing executives are generating a deafening amount of noise to win our dollars, and technocratic audiophiles generally do not understand the words "budget." But Grado headphones garner rave reviews from even the most hard-core professional audiophile reviewers, and, thankfully, the Grado company clearly knows that many of us have limited dollars to spend on our headphones. Neutral, detailed sound. Wide dynamic range. Best sound quality per dollar of the numerous open headphones I have tried.Read full review
The sound quality is phenomenal for the size of these headphones. As an older person, I remember good sounding headphones had to be bulkier, made of heavier materials. Koss changed that a bit on the 80s and I enjoyed those but these Grados are much better, highly detailed, fuller sound. I had considered purchasing new Grado Prestige 'x' series headphones, but I have no complaints about this 'e' generation model. I'd happily grab a set of new ones in the future.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I really liked these headphones, I had the Sr60's years ago, and was very happy with them, but took someone's advice and after upgrading to a ipod, got the newer version, and upped the model by two. In some music, classic soul and rock, I could hear things I never heard before. I was told it might be a waste of money to go any higher model for listening to mp3's. I believe this also, some of the remastered music sounded better, but not everything. I am very happy with the price, and quality of these headphones. I did have to buy a adapter for the big plug to small plug.
Read many reviews on the web and for the money the Grado's were best rated. I felt that for $88 I paid for these Grado SR-125s - I got what others pay $400 for Sennheiser or the AKG headphones which are consistently highly rated for sound quality by the audio experts. Higher end Sennheisers, usually need more power to drive them, so hooking them up to a PC or IPOD wont do. These Grado's are perfect in the lower vocal ranges and as I edit audio male voice pod-casts the headphones expose every blemish. Listening to my music I am discovering notes I never heard and subtleties I never discovered till now. Great headphones allows you discover your whole music library all over. I am very very pleased.