GRADO SR225X vs SR325X - Open Back Dynamic Headphone Comparison and Review

[@drewrushlow1820]

I just got a pair of 225x’s and they are lovely. I was using DT 770’s prior, which are great, but the 225s are so alive and exciting. I was thinking they would lack in bass but the bass is very punchy and actually extends lower then the 770s. I didn’t realize how bright the 770s were until I tried the grados. At first they sounded muffled in comparison but I’m finding it’s a more natural sound where the 770s over emphasize, especially noticeable on vocals. Grado sound very natural, 770 artificial sibilance. The grados don’t separate instruments as good as the 770s or sound as big but have a great soundstage. Percussion just pops on the grados.

[@asan1050]

Thanks Luke for a great comparison and review!

[@davidcoons89]

I miss seeing ya in the community buddy..I hope all has been well in your personal life and that you’re just busier with other things or a bit of an intentional sabbatical. Take care and hope to see more of your content again soon.. it’s been like six months!

[@lukedavis717]

Heyo! Just stumbled upon this randomly. That’s so kind of you. I decided to move on to other opportunities a while ago, but I’m glad to hear that people enjoyed what I made back then. My personal life is great, I’m doing quite well :)

[@BadMonkeyFinger_Audio]

Nice to see this comparison. You summed up both models really well. Good job.

[@JJPhilosophy]

listening to this video in 225x's spectacular

[@Sithma]

You deserve much more views and followers. I like your honest and clear style!

[@s1mp13m4n]

Hello everyone. I am a Grado fan and have been for 25 years. I am currently wearing my 1997 Grado SR225 headphones. Back then they cost $199. As I type this, I have a new set of SR325x on the way. I am curious as to how similar or different they are. I sure hope the cord has been seriously redesigned.

[@lior3385]

so? any change?

[@davidvanpatten6404]

I love the 325 X I got mine a week ago I love Its well balenced tone

[@fe0g]

how is the weight / comfort? I think the comfort is the deciding factor for me with 225 > 325

[@XGamin1]

@@fe0g The SR325x shouldn’t be worse in comfort. Even if the headband is thin, it’s pretty soft and much, much better than what they put on the SR60e - SR225e. If this is still an issue, I would get a Sennheiser replacement headband pad and maybe velcro it or something.

[@2134yanto]

Nice review and comparison Luke. Thank you. I’ve got two questions please. 1. I’ve seen other reviews where it’s been said that due to the added weight in the cups, the SR325x are really very uncomfortable to wear and are unbalanced? True? 2. Which of these would be more suitable for classical music and acoustic guitar please? Thanks

[@JojoBabas]

Thank you for your review on the 325x. I currently have an 80x, would the 325x be a significant upgrade?

[@thanawitsagulthang6471]

I own neither but did try them both at a shop, the sound signature of grado will remain consistent for both series but for a busy track or track that require a lot of instrument separation the 325x will provide a significant upgrade.

[@reflection1119]

Would be interesting to hear your thoughts on these compared to the Grado Hemps as well if you can get your hands on a set.

[@MajorHiFi]

I think I will be able to soon enough :)

[@kilbey]

Thanks for the comparison reviews. I'm currently in the market for new headphones and I'm newer to this kind of thing.

[@benjiebarker]

the g-pads make my sr80x sound so much better...will the g-pads improve the bass of sr325x too

[@achillesneilebron875]

Hi! How do you compare the SR80x and SR225x? Are their differences immediately noticeable? Thanks!

[@pickyaudiophile]

Steve Guttenberg said about the SR325x compared to the SR60x, quote, "It puts it to shame." The ones you mentioned are somewhat closer related, so maybe not a matter of shame and pride but suffering and well-being. I would say the the SR60x suffers badly from the SR225x's superiority. SR80x vs SR325x at least has been review by "headphonia" web mag, maybe worth reading.

[@Entonioni]

Hello friend, how will this model compare to the Grado GH3, better or worse? Thank you.

[@catalystdaniel3392]

I bought a Beyerdynamic Dt880 but that's too intensely bright for me. I love Rock Music and some PoP. Then I got SR225X, which is great for me, bright but not intense. But if I listen to Classic or some piano violin，I would switch to DT880. The disadvantage is when you wear it for long time your ear will be painful :)

[@sonar2033]

Thank you very much for your review I'm tempted to buy Grado Headphones I listen almost exclusively to Psychedelic Blues-rock Vintage music focused on overdiven electric Guitar tone (Cream/Jimi Hendrix Expericence/Deep Purple/Rory Gallagher ecc) and I'm searching for an headphone with controlled Bass response, Great MIDS (flat opr +1db) And high frequencies not emphasized. I know Grado are great pair of headphones for the genre of music I'm Into BUT Highs are a problem for me..I like detail and clarity but not too much. What If I purchase a LITTLE DOT valvolar ampli?Maybe I can contain the high frequencies? I would also consider buying Sennhaiser HD600..250 ohm instead of 32 Ohm of the grado but not too Trebly like Grado Thank for your attention

[@MajorHiFi]

Grado could definitely be a great choice for what you're describing. They're not too intensely bright at all, I think you'd likely be fine. The HD600 are a great headphone and definitely keep things calm in the treble, but they won't have quite the mid range extension and signature tonality you get with Grado. - Luke

[@Billme58]

I'd like to know if the cup material adds to the sound quality. So plastic to Aluminum to wood. Is the use of these materials for aesthetics or sound engineering?

[@goldenears100]

I have an important question! I can't see the plug in any pictures! My mp3 player needs the older style plug like on Sony MDRV6's! I purchased Beyer Dynamics DT990 32ohms and the plug doesn't fit all the way in so when I go walking or biking the connection is not stable! The plug they use is for cell phones now not concerned about mp3 player issues!

[@kermsroomy]

Luke, I would like to use whichever one of these models I purchase without a headphone amp. Would I be wasting my money? Thanks for your advice.

[@MajorHiFi]

Nope, these are definitely loud enough to use without an amp! - Luke

[@kermsroomy]

@@MajorHiFi Thank you, Luke!

[@Apollostowel]

A year late, but it’s not about volume, yes definitely an amp helps.

[@XGamin1]

I'd choose the leather headband over the plush pleather one any day, tho.

[@HeretixAevum]

The Grado leather kinda sucks, though. If you want leather you're much better off getting an aftermarket one from turbulent labs.

[@XGamin1]

@@HeretixAevum Or there's this one on Amazon by a company called Accessory House. It's more cushioned.

[@XGamin1]

I mean like more cushioned than the Grado leather headband. Turbulent Labs looks like a way better deal than Beautiful Audio, though.

[@dragomirpetrov6469]

How would these perform if going out with them? What about traveling in community? Would people sitting next to me, be bothered with leaked sound? Size wise they seem perfect for using as a portable headphones.

[@MajorHiFi]

They're prettyyyy leaky to be honest haha. If you wear these next to someone you're going to look up and find them lip-syncing the song you're listening to.

[@ginolatino4122]

Thank you very very much!

[@chengo51]

The differences among each Grado models are that the two cups are more presicely matched when you get up into the range, that's all, good luck to hear a difference.....except that the 325 has metal cup and wood in the upper range. I have the 125x, plastic cups, they are great sound wise....but that's all, the cable is crap and you can find some much better made by a 50 bucks chinese copy. Should you buy ? Yes if you are only concerned by the music it reproduces and stay in the lowest prices of the range because If you get into 300$ there are much better choices on the market for built quality and sound , while sound is mainly a matter of test, the Grado on this respect are no slouch.

[@M1sterSuck]

Is it proven that there is no difference in the drivers in Grado headphones or is that just an assumption. Which models have you listened to?

[@chengo51]

@@M1sterSuck just get to their website and read the different spreadsheets, not all are the same but many are.

[@jafizzle95]

Would certainly be interested to see the Grado e vs x directly compared. I'm curious what the sound differences are between say an SR225e vs SR225x. It's surprisingly difficult to find direct comparisons like that.

[@MajorHiFi]

You probably won't see many comparisons like that since the upgrade isn't really about sound. It's more of a cosmetic upgrade. While the drivers have been upgraded, they're still the same design at their core and the tuning is identical, so any sonic differences would be very difficult to pick out and specify. Hope this helps.

[@TheSteve57]

Does the brighter treble on 325x effect vocals ???

[@carlosaretio7410]

Grado made the best headphones in the World.

[@sugoidessho]

No mention of comfort? There is another YT review comparison between the SR-80X and SR-325X and the reviewer said the 325s were the "most uncomfortable" headphones he had ever worn, with a "shouty" sound, scratchy thin foam earpads and much heavier than the 80s. He actually preferred the 80-X despite it being the cheaper headphone.

[@mikeg2491]

I am a fan of grado but comfort has always been an issue for me. The 80x are so light being plastic I could wear those for hours versus 20-30 mins for their higher end models.

[@savagej4y241]

It's because the metal ear cups make the 325x weigh almost an entire 1 lb. With the stock leather headband, having most of that weight split between being on each ear is like murder over time. It almost requires getting nice headband strap pads like ZMF offers separately. Those along with more comfortable earpads like the Nyczaj for Grados makes their comfortability skyrocket. But then, that's over $100 worth of pads, which makes the 325x really closer in price to the Hemps ($420) to get a workable set of headphones. Once you have all that together, the 325x is great. I don't find them "shouty" unless the recording itself reflects it. That's the thing- the 325x doesn't lie to you. If you don't want to hear the flaws in recordings, including those that reveal painful details, then these aren't for you. But if you're listening to a great recording... it's one of the best headphones under $500. You would have to spend at least twice as much to get something definitively better.

[@kevinchaiken4253]

I'm new to open back headphones and am really interested in getting a pair of Grados, but I'm worried I wont be able to use them outside the house. Would it be possible to wear these and listen on the subway or at the office or would the leakage be too much?

[@MajorHiFi]

I totally understand your worries. These will have more leakage than closed backs inevitably. Grado definitely doesn't have quite as much bleed as some other open backs I've used, and a lot of it will depend on how loud you listen, but an open back by nature is less contained. In my opinion, you probably won't annoy people on the train, but they may get a whiff of what you're listening to. - Luke

[@HeretixAevum]

You'd be an absolute madman to use grados like these on the go, imho. They're really only suitable for home use, if you want something for the subway or office get something else entirely.

[@JJPhilosophy]

10:46 dangit now i have to get the 325s smh

[@DibIrken]

If you have no money - SR80e If you have money - do not even consider SR225e. Go straight to 325e. 225e is 👎

[@annamark3422]

You mean the X series?

[@HeretixAevum]

Yet you can find opinions of people who have tried both and find the 225 to be preferably over the 325, almost as if it's totally subjective or something.

[@billmoran6465]

@@HeretixAevum Thanks for the late night chuckle

[@mahoslash]

I think the SR-225 series are extremely underrated as a class of it's own. I actually asked a friend to help me mod a spare SR-225i driver and a 6.3mm 8 point connector cable into a first gen SR-80 can just a day ago and it came out a lot more surprising than I thought it would be. (There was a garage sale and my first gen SR-80 is already half dead with all my abuse over 16 years, so I decided I might as well do something idiotic as a change.) In short it turned into a phony 1st gen SR-225 and it had a real charm that's really hard to describe. That SR-80 phony SR-225 upgrade made me actually reget that I skipped the first gen SR-225 because everyone said it is not worth it. By the way, in case anyone is wondering, I already own a GH2, RS-1e and GS-2000e as my permanant collection. So it isn't exactly that I never tasted what higher end Grados are like. But if a phony first gen SR-225 can make a huge impression on me, it really says a lot on how underrated the entire series are.