Grado SR60i

In my last blog post, I told you about my Sennheiser buds. I have been enjoying the heck out of them, especially on the go. With extended listening at home, though, I began to notice some things. Sounds are easily transmitted when the wire rubs on something, like clothes, when I move, or by the earpiece when I chew, the latter often leading to the buds getting dislodged from my ear canal. Lastly, after a few hours of continuous listening, I start to feel some pressure in my ears. Don't get me wrong, I still really love these buds, and I my ipod never leaves home without them.

Without the need for the utmost in portability, I started looking around for larger, over-the-ear headphones (or "cans," as they are referred to) to use at home. Last time I used those was back in the early 80's, and I really was not impressed. In fact, when the sony walkman came along, the bundled thin plastic headphones (and later, buds) were comparatively astounding.

In my search, I came across quite a number of favorable reviews of the Grado line of headphones in the audiophile sites and web publications. In particular, the entry level SR-60i is popularly touted as the best buy in sub-$100 headphones, and is most often recommended as an introduction to audiophile headphones. Even this kid likes 'em.

It is currently retailing for $79 shipped in many places including Amazon. I found the best deal at Headphones.com, for the old price of $69 including 2-day shipping, and with a 30-day, no questions asked return policy! What the heck, I said. Not much to lose if I didn't like it except the cost of shipping.

When it arrived, I hooked the Grado up to my ipod, and my jaw dropped. And that was just with an MP3. I pulled my 15 year-old Sony portable CD player out of the drawer, popped in a CD, and it was pure bliss. Before long, I was digging up old CD's and hearing things in the tracks that I never new were there!

The sound from the SR-60i is fast and engaging. The highs are crisp and detailed. The mids are clear. The bass is a little laid back, but it is there and is tight. It has a nice soundstage and is quite 3d, unlike the usual buds. Build quality is very good, especially at this price point. The cable is thick, hefty, and long (7ft). It comes with a gold mini jack for ipods, and a gold 1/4" adapter to plug in to your stereo. It is also made in the USA.

If you scour the reviews on the net, there are typically two complaints about the SR-60 (the "i" stands for "improved," I think in terms of the headband and foam pads, but acoustically the same):

First, many complain that it clamps down tightly on the head and the ears begin to hurt after some time. BS. I have a big head and it is just fine. I have even fallen asleep wearing these.

Second, some say it does not have enough bass. Well, it depends. On what you type of music you listen to, and on your personal preference.

When there is bass in the recording, you hear it, and it is tight. It just seems laid back a bit, probably because the mids and highs are more forward. Plugged into an amp, it is even less of an issue. An into a receiver, one "+" notch on the bass knob takes care of that.

The latter is even more important. The folks that comment on a lack of bass are mostly headphone fanatic audiophiles and they are comparing it to other headphones, many costing much more than this Grado. Off an ipod, well let's just say that if you are happy with the bass from the apple buds, this is not even an issue.

If it is a concern, you can step up one level to the $99 SR-80. Problem is, from there, there will be yet another reason to justify the $150 SR-125's or the $200 SR-225's or the $295 SR-325's. Of course, at that price point, the playing field gets larger, with offerings from Sennheiser, AKG, Denon, etc. Yes, you can go over the $1k mark for the top-end headphones. It becomes a matter of minimal incremental gain for a LOT of additional cost.

One thing the lower end Grado has going for it is that, compared to its larger brothers, and to most of the higher end audiophile phones, it was designed to have enough sensitivity to be easily driven by portable music players like ipods and personal CD players, and even laptops, without the need for headphone amplifiers. Sure an amp will improve the sound, but not by too much. Most of the higher end headphones won't even sound right without one.

Bottom line is, for $69, you will be taking the pleasure you derive from your music to a whole new level. Not a bad deal at all.