The “SR125i” from Grado Labs: More comfort, better sound, the best value

Of all the headphones that Grado sent me to test and review, I feel the SR125i’s are the best overall valuefrom a consumer standpoint.  The comfort padded, on-ear style is the most comfortable for me to wear, and you get a very healthy dose of the full Grado sound at only $150.

When the ‘Beats by Dr. Dre’ headphone series was introduced, they used the marketing phrase “hear the music the way the artist intended”.  I tested their ‘Solo’ and ‘Studio’ models, and I can tell you that this phrase is several times more appropriate with Grado headphones…especially with the SR125i’s and higher.

As I do when I test all headphones, I listened to a few songs from every major genre of music.  I covered the super-slick production of major label artists, and also some independent self-produced gems here at Music Forte.  I’d like to highlight what I noticed specifically with the SR125i’s…

• Fingerpicking and rhythmic acoustic sounds are amazing.
• Songs with a deep punchy bass allow you to feel it in ways you just can’t with other headphones.  With the open-air design, it’s like there’s a mini subwoofer in your ears…and it feels good.
• Because you can hear all the proper panning, sound effects, and ear candy that the sound engineers intended in the mix, some songs sound like you’re hearing them for the first time.

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As I mentioned in my review of the “iGrado’s”, it’s much more of an event than a casual listening experience with these headphones.  To expand on that, it’s also a more sensual experience.  With such great detail and sensitivity in the sound, I found myself getting more moved by vocal performances and easily recognizing instrument brands and amplifier models.

NOTE: The SR125i’s ship with a 1/4 inch cable attached.  If you want to use them to listen to your iPod or mobile phone, you’ll have to pick up a 1/4 inch to 3.5mm adapter which you can easily find at Radio Shack or Best Buy for just a few bucks.