Customer Reviews

Great headphones, poor ear cushions

These were a step up from entry-level models but without the designer hemp or maple in the high-end cans. The leather headband seemed a better choice than plastic, and the aluminum ear cup housings look more retro than the wood. The sound is excellent, with an impressively larger sound stage than my other headphones. Some things I expected: the absurdly heavy and stiff braided cord and the fact that on-ear headphones can become uncomfortable in long listening sessions, especially for those who wear glasses. I hate to dwell on materials, but that's part of what you're buying. Foam for the ear cushions is not a good choice, as it will degrade over time and require replacement. The texture is on the scratchy side. And frankly, they look cheap (but definitely aren't!). I have an old pair of Bowers and Wilkins P5 on-ear wired headphones, with earpieces covered with soft leather, more comfortable, better looking, and no sign of degradation. Even my inexpensive pair of JBL wireless headphones that I used for video conferencing have soft plastic ear cushions, more comfortable and better looking than the Grados' foam. I tried the larger G-type cushions, ordered from Grado; larger in diameter, (more over-ear) but also much thicker, so they moved the sound further from my ears, requiring more volume. Not that comfortable, and they made the headphones loo unwieldy, so I went back to the original F-types. I love the sound of the Grados, but the cush

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Great spatial imaging

These are my first "serious" on-ear headphones. Been using the better performing ear buds until I decided to return to my earlier audiophile life! Started playing my old cassettes on the Sony Professional Walkman. I must say these Grado phones are impressive. The cassettes were all recorded on my Nak tape deck and are therefore noiseless and pretty close to the reel to reel. With the Grado phones, I think I am pretty much squeezing all of the audio fidelity out of my old cassettes. The spatial imaging capability of these phones is good... I am very pleased. The only negative is comfort... or lack of it. The foam is quite abrasive to my ears... and since my head tends to run on the warmer side, it's not as comfortable to use for extended periods as the ear buds. Typical trade-offs....

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Disappointed with build quality - twice same issue

I have recently purchased these headphones from Grado. Then after round 3 months the left earphone went silent, If I moved the cord around the sound would momentarily come back. I had the 225's and had the same issue after a couple of years. Same left side short. I sent them back for repair. The fact that they are hand assembled in Brooklyn does not mean much ever to me. I have had many less professional headphones that have never had any issues what so ever. I am not complaining about the sound which is very good, when they work. Their least expensive foam headphone earpieces are the most comfortable. The ones that come with the 325's are firm and come to a hard edge. I switched them out. However with their less expensive version in this series no issue. I am writing this as a warning and after I found myself looking at Sennheiser headphone on Crutchfield. For future purchase.

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A great upgrade

A nice step up from my beloved SR80Xs that in a moment of weakness I agreed to give away! Fit was fine for me after a little adjustment to the (metal) headband. And the sound is like the SR80Xs, but more detailed, roomier, a little warmer. I'm driving them through an ifi Zen DAC, and the higher the res the better they get. Streaming hi-res from Qobuz (and even better from Presto Music), listening primarily to classical. Yes, the ear pads are firmer, but the cans are so light that as long as you adjust the clamp size and strength to your head it's still more comfortable for me than some of the over-ear alternatives.

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Grado SR325x

I compared these Grados to a similarly priced Focal model. The Focal build has it all over the rather flimsy Grados, complete with carrying case and a solid, comfortable enclosed fit. I tried to burn them in, but the sound quality was nowhere near the Grados. I listen to jazz and classical and the clear, distinct instrument separation, the full sonic range from astonishingly good deep bass to singing flute or soprano sax sold me. Additionally, the Grados are open headphones, creating a larger soundstage which I appreciate as well. A fine product indeed!

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Great cans but could use a little more material craftsmanship

Great headphones. These drivers have a fuller bass response than my 2012 SR60 cans. Sound is absolutely fantastic and it just barely compensates for the physical shortcomings. The only knock is the same as has been for years and years - pads and materials. The pads are not very comfortable on the ear (itchy and tend to have pressure points on the earlobe depending on ear shape). Also, the cable is way too thick and heavy. Having to spend money on replacement pads and modify for the cable is silly. Also, for the money the gimbals and rod blocks should be aluminum like the cups. That is pure aesthetics but for $350 it shouldn't be plastic

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Grado SR325x

Purchased my headphones June of 2023; less than nine months later, the gimbal ring recently cracked allowing the right ear cup to slide off its post/slider; contacted a Crutchfield representative to get some help; the representative graciously gave me a customer service number for Grado labs; when I contacted Grado, I eventually got the help I needed and the necessary part required is in the post at no cost--this time; but, at the same time, their representative stated I was at fault for the broken part. Heads up prospective buyers--the plastic ring holding the ear cups onto their posts/sliders is a few millimeters in diameter; every time you make an adjustment so your headphones fit properly, you're that much closer to having to purchase a new gimbal; I use my headphones every day; this is beginning to look like a never ending sale for Grado labs. Three stars for the sound quality (it could have been more) minus two, at this time, for the prospect of having to continue purchasing replacement parts in the future.

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Grado SR325x

Very happy with this headphones..

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Great sound

I have come to love these headphones. The bass is present and tight. The treble is good and these headphones do not distort or appear to strain to produce highs. While I understand the comfort complaints, I feel these headphones ar at least as comfortable an other headphones I have owned.

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Chandler

Out of the box, this is a very well made headphone, handmade in Brooklyn NY. It has a very beefy cord and it does takes some time to getting used to them. However, the original foam pad that comes with it is not comfortable nor provide adequate movement suppression if you wear them while doing chores. So I recommend getting a knock off "G" pad like cushions first and try them out. Once you get the feel for them, I suggest investing in the original G pad directly from Grado though it may be pricey. It's constructed slightly different than knockoffs. Now for the sound. You may not know that it takes many hours before its broken in so to speak. So each day when you get it, play pink or white noise track (hopefully you have some type of headphone amp) over and over for several days or weeks. You will notice the big improvement in the lows and especially on the mids. Headphone's sound stage will start to expand. This is an excellent entry level Grado headphone for audiophiles. It's sound signature mimics somewhat that of the old traditional LP stereo but with much better fidelity. Good luck!

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The Best from Grado (The Sweet Spot of Price and Performance)

The best pair of headphones that I have ever owned. Rich, warm, dynamic, full-bodied sound. Comfortable. Better than most $1,000 headphones that I have owned or tried.

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Grado SR325x

Sound is good. They are uncomfortable.

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Grado SR325x

Not as comfortable with the standard cushions. Had bought the L-cushions, and that made the headphones much more comfortable. Great sound for the price!

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Whats the problem?

I don't see any of the bad reviews are about with these headphones. They jam! Plenty of bass and sound pretty fantastic. I had to check a couple times with my first listen to make sure my sound system wasn't playing. The bass is plentiful and hits pretty low. Nice and punchy. Very real clarity when watching some shows on paramount or whatever. It's like a theatre on your head honestly. I can see why those with sensitive ears will complain about comfort but I mostly enjoy on ear headphones and my choice of sound is on the heavy, alternative metal side. When looking for headphones I wanted just bare bones high quality headphones. No frills, no Bluetooth. Nothin. Just good headphones. At 35 I'm just in the retro side of things. These fit the bill! I love them so far. Using a DAC btw. Love em!

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Grado SR325x

My first decent headphones were a set of Grado SR 60s. I went on to buy Sennheiser HD-600s, Hifiman planars, a couple of ESS Heil phones, and several IEMs. But I realized that, at the end of the day, i just preferred the Grados. So I decided to step up to the SR 325X. It's the same Grado goodness, just more of it. Warm, defined lows, crisp ultra detailed mids, and the kind of huge soundstage that, at least to me ears, are unique to on-ear phones. I also recently stepped up to a Grado Gold cartridge. Same experience. Great products from an iconic family business.

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Grado SR325x

Quality headphones made in Brooklyn by an audiophile family that cares. So far, as a classical music fanatic, the headset has made me sense the rich "oomph" of cellos, woodiness of the violins, and the tension of the drumskins....what sonics!

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Great for general use hi-fi

These Grados have gotten me back into truly enjoying music. With the stock pads they definitely hurt my ears after an hour or so. I switched to the larger G pads to fix that. I also use them while throwing pottery, and they like to slide forward a bit (and it sucks to reposition them with clay covered hands). Those things aside I love them. The sound is so nice and live. They are good ones to wear around town. Great appearance and build quality.

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Great Headphones!

I purchased the Grado SR325X headphones without having had the opportunity to audition them, relying instead on virtually every review I could find on the internet. The reviews are a mixed bag, some decrying the lack of comfort, others the lack of bass, others discussing frequency charts, and yet others the lack of sound isolation. Reviewers wrote of the "Grado Sound" which some loved and other hated. Don't listen to the nay-sayers; listen to these headphones, which are actually rather amazing. Listen to details in your music that you never knew were there. Amaze yourself and experience clarity, especially in classical music, jazz and country. You will experience superior imaging and staging. The bass is rich and full, and accurate to the actual instruments playing. If you want booming bass these are not for you. The heck with specs. The "proof of the pudding" is in the listening and so far it's been a feast of music and sound. Oh, and by the way, Crutchfield's service and attention to timely shipping was incredible: ordered on a Monday morning and delivered to Long Island on Tuesday afternnoon.

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Grado SR325x

These sound great! I am using an ifi hip dac2 with them. They can be a bit uncomfortable, but I'm not sure if it's because of my glasses.

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Grado SR-325x

Great headphones for the price. Also own a couple other audiophile headphone sets much more expensive than the Grado SR-325x. The Grados' have very good sound quality, are well built, and I find them comfortable to wear.

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Hoodsport

Wow, these are amazing for the price, I have Focals at home that were very expensive. They are replacing my SR80e Grados I use these at work so i can I hear the phone etc., they are surprising, I run it with a Lenovo ThinkPad-work computer and they were a bit muddy and i was not happy. I took them home and burned them in and played it though my Cambridge DAC and they were excellent. I just bought a small DAC and plugged it into my laptop. Worth every penny, i liked my SR80e's until I heard these, no comparison, buck up, it is worth it.

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Awesome sound

I owe the original Grado SR60 and while they do sound good I thought it was time for an upgrade. I originally purchased the Philips Audio Fidelio X2HR headset and while pretty comfortable, the sound was just too muffled and I felt that the audio reproduction was not as good as the SR60s. I decided to purchase the SR 325X knowing that Grado's are not known for their comfort. However, the sound is awesome! Ozzy's voice on the original 1970 Paranoid is outstanding and the music just comes to live and the soundstage is outstanding. My musical preferences lean towards Classic Rock and Metal, so your mileage with other types of music may vary. If you are looking for some serious bass, these are not the headphones that you will like. Also, as a sidenote....these are not the most comfortable headphones out there and the pads that they come with are little on the rough side. However, I purchased a nice set of soft cushions elsewhere for $10.00 and they did make a difference. Overall, very nice set and highly recommended.

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Jace

I owned a pair of the Grado 125 for 8 to 10 years and they were fine. I thought I wanted to move up. I compared the features of some Grado models and chose the 325x and the best value. They are great and everything I expected. Great definition and range.

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Very Solid

Excellent bass, a step up for sure from old JVCs and Marshall's . not as crystal highs as I'd love. Get a bit warm, but comfortable overall. Build seems like a battleship so far.

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Simple thumbs up

Nice upgrade to my SR80s. Appreciate the deeper bass response. Adjusting to the different ear pads as they might take some time getting used to. The cans are much heavier with the metal housing but it is still pretty snug, they don't fall off your ears. These headphones are fantastic listening to live music due to the spaciousness the open-backs provide.

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Grado SR325x

Sound is excellent

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Grado SR325x

I have the Grado 325e and now the 325x both are great head phones. the 325x has a little more punch in the base tones. Quality of phones are very good. comfort is better on the 325x than the 325e.

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JAMMING!

Jamming!

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Great sound; feel takes getting used to.

This was a step up from my SR80 e. I was interested to see how palpable the difference would be, since I have loved the SR80s. Happily, the upgrade seems very much worth it. There is appreciably more detail and transparency and just an overall sense of hearing more from both old vinyl and CDs. I liveness that makes vintage recordings much more pleasurable to listen to. The only drawback for me (and I'm adjusting to it) is the thinness of the padding on the ear cups and the fact that the foam has a circular cut-out in the center where the SR80s were completely foam covered. Since the cut-out is neither the size or shape of a human ear, there is a feeling of the cups being never situated quite correctly, and one is aware of feeling the somewhat scratchy mesh underneath the foam, covering the drivers. This may be ideal for the sound, but takes getting used to. I may try replacing it with the other pads Grado offers to see if that helps. However, I am very, very happy with the sound and with the headphones overall.

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These Grado's make the grade

My reference point for headphones is the AKG 702 for its wide soundstage and flat response. The 325x's have a tighter in-your-head soundstage which demands your attention without being obnoxious or claustrophobic. The lows and highs are very nice but the mids are a bit unfocused...lyrics are not as easily understood as on the AKGs. While I have a large head it only took a few adjustments to find a comfortable fit. Overall, very nice headphones.

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Saltlakecity

These are simply the the best grados I have ever heard it has Balence body warmth and textures I have always loved grados prestige series and this top model in the line puts it in a whole new league

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Happy!

I love them! Right out of the box these were comfortable and sounded great. Yes, the could be more comfortable but the comfort was enough to still enjoy them for an initial hour long session. I rolled the pads trying the L and G cushions and and the comfort only gets better with the larger pads. The G pads are so comfy, no issues. The sound... Awesome. Very balanced and great soundstage... open with some air. Super pleasing set of headphones.

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