PLAYBACK 24: Grado SR325is Headphones

REVIEW
by Tom Martin
Oct 07, 2009

Most audiophiles who’ve been around for a while retain fond memories of at least one Grado product. Over the years, the Brooklyn-based company has carved out a niche in phono cartridges and headphones that marries value with musical excellence. At the same time, that musicality often gets associated with a certain “Grado sound.” That sound sets Grado apart from other companies, and is held in reverence by Grado fans.

The SR325is is the top of Grado’s entry-level Prestige line. While that almost sounds contradictory (tall short people?), it helps to remember that Grado’s reputation is built on delivering high performance products at entry-level prices. The Prestige line starts with the $49 iGrado, but really hits its stride with the justly famous SR60i at $79. In such company, the SR325i has the premium price of $295. We were naturally curious to see what Grado could do with all that financial headroom, given that their $79 effort is pretty darn good. We’ve previously reported on Grado’s higher end GS1000 and RS2 efforts at $1000 and $500 respectively (click on the embedded links to read the reviews).

The SR325is is an open back headphone, which makes it less suitable for noisy environments or offices where you don’t want to disturb others. Technically, the SR325is seems straightforward, but as usual God is in the details. Grado pays attention to the basics of getting the diaphragm mass and compliance right so that bass response is solid and highs are extended. They also emphasize the importance of diaphragm and enclosure design to minimize and control resonances. Beyond that, the SR325is has a voice-coil wound from ultra-high purity, long crystal (UHPLC) oxygen free copper. Grado claims that ultra-high conductivity copper yields the clearest transmission and lowest coloration possible. Grado applies very high power neodymium magnets to provide maximum efficiency and better dynamics. Drivers in the SR325is are pair-matched to within .05 db. All metal work for the SR325is is machined from a special non-resonant, very hard alloy using a special Grado process.

An interesting headphone given its’ provenance, but can it compete with offerings from Sennheiser, or for that matter Shure or even Grado itself?

Overview

Consider this headset if: you want headphones with excellent transparency but you want to avoid the edgy or harsh sound that often comes with seemingly transparent headphones.

Look elsewhere if: you need state of the art performance at the frequency extremes or if you need/want closed-back phones due to your environment or as a matter of preference.

Ratings (compared to similarly-priced headphones)

Tonal Balance: 9
Clarity: 9.5
Dynamics: 9
Comfort/Fit: 8.5
Sensitivity: 9
Value: 9.5

PLAYBACK 24: Grado SR325is Headphones

Sonic Character

The thing that immediately strikes you about the 325 is the clarity and smoothness of the midrange. For those not raised from birth on audiophile Kool-Aid, I should be clear that this observation carries more weight than might be readily apparent. The fundamental tones of most instruments are in the mid-range. Get the mid-range right, and you’re 80% of the way home. As easy as the sentence is to write, I should also be clear that it isn’t that easy to do. Check out my Sennheiser HD800 review for a discussion of a high-end headphone that struggles just slightly in this area. And, yes, I am saying you can validly compare and cross shop the SR325is and the HD800 (assuming your goal is musical accuracy).

The mid-range clarity of the SR325is shows up in its’ natural portrayal of the tonality and timbres of individual instruments. When we think of tonal balance in an audio product, we sometimes mean that overall bass/midrange/treble evenness that allows a band or orchestra to sound right. But it is also very important for audio products to render the distinctive, “signature” voices of individual instruments well. This latter idea is a critical test of smooth and balanced midrange, because that’s where most instruments produce sound.

Take the voice of an acoustic guitar as an example. Fundamentals on acoustic guitars range from about 80hz to 3khz, and most of what we hear, including overtones is in the 200Hz-4kHz range. This is a midrange instrument (so are voice, cello, clarinet etc). I listened to track after track of acoustic guitar recordings on the 325s, and was impressed with how natural the sound was, particularly the way the body sound and overtones were clearly defined and in balance.

That’s good and all, but we also want a headphone to be able to play large-scale material, not just solo or ensemble stuff. Fortunately, handling more complex music is another strength of the SR325is. My listening notes are full of references to the excellent sense of instrumental separation the headphones give. In other words, when you’re listening to a band, you not only hear the overall mix, but can also pick out the contributions of each individual performer, just as you can when listening to a good live performance. In short, the 325s deliver both smooth response and low distortion throughout the midrange.

When it comes to overall frequency balance, I found the 325s to be somewhat chameleon-like. The Grados sometimes seemed slightly forward in the midrange, and on the light side in the bass and upper treble. No sooner did I make this note than I’d play something with powerful bass and be surprised at how solid the low frequencies of the 325 could be. After going over lots of recordings, my conclusion is that the bass, mid-range and treble are very well balanced, but that the 325s sound as if they have a slightly “n”-shaped response curve (in other words, the levels of low 40Hz frequencies fall slightly below 1kHz mid-band frequencies, as do high 10khz frequencies). This would contrast with, say, the Denon AH-D5000s, which have a definite “u” shaped response curve (where the levels of 1kHz frequencies fall below those of sound in the 40Hz or 10kHz range). At the very highest and lowest frequency extremes (20Hz and 20kHz, respectively) the 325’s frequency response continues to show a slight degree of rolloff. But let me emphasize that these broad response shapings don’t consistently come across as “light bass” or “mellow treble” in the case of the 325, since in truth they are not dramatically far off from the ideal of “flat” or dead-neutral response. Instead, these shapings tend to make you feel that the 325s sound more “clear” and “natural,” rather than “rich” or “extended.”

Given this discussion of tonal balance, I want to comment on treble performance. Every headphone I have tried has some issues in the treble range. The issue with the 325 is that it can occasionally sound a little splashy or sibilant. This can make the 325s sound a tad brighter than my comments above might indicate. I felt this was a smaller issue with the 325s than it is with most headphones, but it is there. At times this may simply be a matter of the 325s revealing quite well what is on the recording, but sometimes there is a slight peakiness to the sound. Still the 325s sound both better balanced and less uneven that the Sennheiser HD 650s or the Denon AH-D5000s, both very good headphones that sell for nearly twice the Grado’s price.

PLAYBACK 24: Grado SR325is Headphones

Finally, I like to consider the overall vividness of a headphone, which is ability of the headphone to make music sound intense and realistically alive. The 325s are quite good in this regard, thanks to their excellent transparency and natural midrange frequency balance. They don’t have quite the “slam” on some macrodynamic material that, say, the Denons mentioned above have, but overall I thought the vividness of the 325s was very good.

Musical Examples

On Alison Krauss and Union Station’s song “Stay” [Alison Krauss & Union Station – Forget About It, Rounder], Alison’s violin has a superb sense of body, overtones and string/bow texture. Kim Kashkashian’s viola on “Three Arias” from Neharot [ECM] is similarly well balanced and clear.

Going back to “Stay”, Alison’s voice, which is rather light, occasionally gets into a range where there is some slightly sibilant stridency from the 325s. Fortunately, this is low enough in level that it isn’t too distracting, something I can’t always say competing headphones.

Later on Forget About It, the song “Maybe” has a solo bass drum whack that is startlingly powerful and well defined on the 325s. This is, given the air pressure limitations of headphones, a rendition that sounds very much like what one hears from a bass drum in a concert hall. I commented on this same drum when I reviewed the Ultrasone Edition 8s. The Grados, at 1/5 the price have a little less bass power and depth, but better definition than the Ultrasones, which is high praise indeed.

On Brandi Carlile’s song “The Story”, from the album of the same name[Columbia], we get to see how well the 325s hold up with power pop. The impressive thing here is that with drums, guitars (acoustic and electric), bass, and vocals going full tilt, we still can hear each instrument distinctly.

Competitive Comparisons

The Grado SR325is merits comparison with a wide range of headphones. Here are a few samples to give you an idea of how competitive we found the 325 to be:

When you step up from the SR60i to the SR325i, you get a more refined version of the Grado sound, with deeper bass and a smoother mid-range and treble presentation.
The highly regarded Shure SRH840 provides a closer price point alternative. The Shures seem more extended in the bass and about as well balanced, but lack the “Nth” degree of transparency and openness of the Grados.
The Sennheiser HD 650 is more costly than the Grados. It has a warmer sound, which I would view as less accurate, and also has less transparency and smoothness when compared with the SR325is. The Sennheisers could be considered more polite and forgiving.

Comfort Factor/Accessories

The Grado ear cups are spongy, but the metal driver housings touched my ear. Fortunately clamping force is low, so this isn’t painful. Over time, I did develop a pressure point that required moving the 325s around. I thought they were comfortable for about an hour.

The SR 325is comes with a one-meter cord and a phone plug. If you’re using them in portable mode (with an adapter), or next to a PC, that’s good; for everyone else an extension cord is in order. With an extension cord I didn’t like the fact that the plug would yank the headphones if it fell off my lap.

I didn’t find the SR325is to be particularly amplifier sensitive. I did slightly prefer the Luxman P200 (solid state) amp to the Woo WA22 (tube).

Bottom Line:

Grado’s SR325is is a transparent headphone that seems to have been voiced by musicians. This headphone will make you think very hard about why you would spend more, particularly if musical accuracy is your goal and if frequency extension isn’t at the top of your list of needs.