GRADO SR80e Prestige Series Open Backed Headphone

I bought a pair of Grado SR60i headphones in 2010 direct from then SuperFi without hearing a pair, they were only for my iPod so anything was going to be better than what 'Apple' provided with the iPod and was happy with the sound from them using the iPod but was amazed by the sound quality from them when plugged into my CD player, these are the cheapest that Grado offered at the time, I paid around £80 for them, headphones this cheap just do not sound that good with a good CD player.I bought a pair of Sennheiser HD660s headphones in the summer of 2018, just before E.I.S.A gave them 'Headphones of the year' award, I had a credit note left with a dealer so I gave them a try, was I very disappointed in them, they were going to go back but I gave them 50 hours use and found they were good with classical music and live concerts, they are so laid back they make heavy rock sound slow, big band sound they are perfect, brass sections as with other parts of the band are placed perfectly into a pin point stereo image but with such a high impedance of 150 ohms a fair bit of power was needed to get them going, my Marantz's headphone output just wouldn't drive them.It was with the reasurance of good sound quality i ordered a pair of Grado SR325e headphones in July 2019 for use with my Marantz SA11s3 player.They are heavier than the SR60i headphones but have the alluminium headpieces and a heavier gauge cable. They are slightly less comfortable also but not intrusive as to make them uncomfortable, I did find the cable shorter than I would like.Sound quality, this to me is the most important thing, i do not care what they look like as long as the sound quality and the build quality is good then i am happy.The first disc i played 'The Beatles' 1967-1970 Disc One (1995 issue) It took a bit of time for the headphones to settle in but by the end of the disc i can honestly say i have heard things from this recording i have never heard before, the sound was neither forward or set back, you are inside the recording or actually on the stage during the performance unlike my Sennheiser HD660s headphones which place the recording so far back that you would have thought the harmonies and multi-tracked instrument drops were just not there.The next disc i played amazed me, it's a recording i have played hundreds of times since i bought it 4 years ago, it sounds stunning via my Musical Fidelity NU-Vista 600 amplifier and Bowers & Wilkins 805D3 speakers 'The Girl In The Other Room' (SACD) by Diana Krall, these headphones showed clearly every nuance of Diana Krall's stunning gravel vocal and stunning piano playing every foot movement on the piano foot pedals, every smack of her lips, every instrument that was recorded was there, everything had that 'magic' and it's only the second disc these headphones have had anything played through them and they improve up to 50 hours of use upon where they settle down fully and you are left with that rich, detailed stunning Grado sound quality.I payed £269.00 for these from HiFiHut/Amazon, i was hoping to get a price reduction during the 'Prime Day' offers but alas 'No'I tried them on my Computer using the 'Loxjie' valve headphone amp via the 'Balanced' output from the 'Korg DS-100 DAC' but they sounded rather 'spitty' and as they are reserved for my Marantz SA11s3 direct using the onboard Class A headphone amplifier I will be happy using the Grado SR60i and the Sennheiser HD660s in 'Balanced and Single ended' modes respectively with the computer.Without a doubt these are the best headphones from my collection of the three, anyone looking at these as a upgrade please be in no doubt there really are amazing.As a footnote.Anyone who is not happy with the sound from their pair of 'Sennhhiser HD660s' try removing the ear pads and taking the thin foam pad out then replace the ear pads, they come alive instead of sleeping in the background, big improvement but still not a patch on the Grado SR325e, i wonder just how good the reference series of Grado's headphones are ??

As others have said the retro industrial look is something that is going to appeal to you or not. The cable is thicker than the ring main in my house (nearly)! I personally love the function first approach. What you can't fail to be blown away by is the sound quality. I primarily use mine paired to an Oppo HA2 portable DAC/Headphone Amplifier (another top product) fed with ALAC ripped CDs, HiFi grade streaming from TIDAL and some Hi Res Audio files using the Onkyo HF Player (a highly recommended App). I can't easily describe in words just how stunning and absorbing the sound quality is from this combination.Some people have marked these Grado's down because of the sound leakage. They are open back headphones! If you buy them in that knowledge you won't be dissapointed. They aren't going to totally isolate your music from the world and they aren't going to totally isolate you from the noise of the world around you. Therefore they are most suited as an "at home" headphone.Fashionistas may want to look elsewhere but if the music itself is the most important thing to you, these Grado's are the dogs dodahs. Highly recommend.

Forget build, forget looks, unless you like retro, put them on and close your eyes. The soundstage and presence it uncanny, just like cleaning your windows to the sound. I was a bit reluctant to buy these because I have headphones for 3 times the price.Grados have their own sound signature which to me sound natural with added magic but not too much. I suppose everyone has their own taste and if you are a D Beats fan, they probably will not have enough Bass. I listen to natural flat response headphones which I like, but sometimes I feel are a bit boring. These headphones have an altogether full bodied great lively sound without being way too over the top. For the money, I totally agree that they are amongst the best sounding headphones for the price! Remember just to put sound first. Open back means no sound isolation which means everyone can hear you and you can hear all that is Going On around you. Turn the music up however and you will hear a wider soundstage than in closed back headphones.