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Grado: SR60i vs SR80i?

R

robodude666

Limp Gawd
Joined
May 22, 2008
Messages
142
Hey gang,

Although I love my Senny HD515s they are starting to show signs of wear. I've been using them a lot over the past ~1.5years as portables (take them to class, etc.) and think something slightly less bulky would be nice. The Grado SR60is look like they may fill this roll. I've heard many good things about them, and the price is very reasonable; however, I notice that there are the SR80is for only $20 more than the SR60is. I took a look at the website, and they appear to have identical specifications. The only difference I can see between the two is where the muff meets the headband. Is there any other difference i.e audio quality? If so, is it worth $20?

Cheers,
-robodude666
 
Grados are very Grado-like. I wouldn't recommend them unless you've tried them or unless you just have money to toss around on trying stuff out. The 80s are probably worth it, although I forget the exact differences (it's on Head-Fi somewhere, I'd have to look it up to tell you, so instead I'll just let you look it up :D).

Keep in mind that Grados are open. All Grados AFAIK. That may make them troublesome for "take to class" use.
 
My HD515s are also open, and haven't had any problems yet. The train is so noisy that you can't hear any audio bleed from them at all.
 
I'd pay $69 for the SR60i.

You couldn't pay me to take the SR80i.

There are some differences in the audio quality, especially in the high frequency range which is a bit hotter. These changes aren't necessarily for the better.
 
friend'scatdied said:
I'd pay $69 for the SR60i.

You couldn't pay me to take the SR80i.

There are some differences in the audio quality, especially in the high frequency range which is a bit hotter. These changes aren't necessarily for the better.
Click to expand...

I haven't heard the i's, but the SR80s were my first "good" pair of headphones after sending back a set of Sony cans that I tried and didn't like. I used the SR80s unamped although the universal mantra at Headroom and Head-Fi is that they improve with an amp.

I eventually sold the SR80s and tried some other cans by Beyer, Sennheiser, etc. None had the energetic, groovalicious drive that I loved about the Grados so I picked up a set of SR60s. They were good, but at the time I felt like I liked the 80s better. Of course the mind can play funny tricks and maybe by then I wasn't as impressed with the 60s after owning other headphones that cost 3-4x as much, as opposed to the 80s which blew me away after owning only crappy headphones.

Now the SR225s...those are a sweet set of cans. I preferred them to the Alessandro MS-2 (which was like a warmer SR325). Never did have the urge to try the RS1 or RS2 after hearing the 225s. I probably wouldn't have been able to appreciate them anyway (at least that's what I told myself to save my wallet). ;)
 
imyourzero, thanks for the detailed reply! Which Beyers, and Sennheiser headphones did you happen to use?

Do you think I should get the Beyer 770s or audio technica 700s instead? The SR60i/80is don't look as powerful as others out there. I really love my HD515s, even though they're a little huge. I guess I won't mind size/weight as long as they're built well.. The HD515s, unfortunately as great as they are weren't meant to be dragged around with you. Some of the plastic is starting to crack, and the pad on the headband comes lose once in a while.
 
Since you mentioned a train, I'd go for the Sony MDR-V6, or possibly head for some IEMs.

The V6s are damn near immortal if you don't abuse them, fold small enough to be relatively convenient on the go, grip your head well enough to use in public, have very good isolation if short of IEM-grade, and are extremely comfortable after replacing the stock pads with velour.

FWIW I have some SR60s or SR80s around, forget which. They're nice for some stuff, but I would never use them in a noisy environment, sound quality would go right down from interference. Also while they sound nice, they're horrible for some recordings. Extremely distorted, if in a way which can be pleasant when combined with the right music. I don't use them as often as other sets because they don't stay on my head securely, and I have to set what I'm listening to according to the headphones instead of according to what I want.
 
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Love my SR-80's, to my ears they had improved bass response compared to the SR-60's and I just wanted some entry level Grado cans to try out the sound, turns out I love it, but can't afford my next step into the Grade sound-signature I'd like to take..
 
robodude666 said:
imyourzero, thanks for the detailed reply! Which Beyers, and Sennheiser headphones did you happen to use?

Do you think I should get the Beyer 770s or audio technica 700s instead? The SR60i/80is don't look as powerful as others out there. I really love my HD515s, even though they're a little huge. I guess I won't mind size/weight as long as they're built well.. The HD515s, unfortunately as great as they are weren't meant to be dragged around with you. Some of the plastic is starting to crack, and the pad on the headband comes lose once in a while.
Click to expand...

I had the Beyer DT-531 and DT-440. The 531s were a lot better IMO; I don't think they are being made anymore but they were a very popular set of cans at one time. The earpads were like velvety pillows...so comfortable!

As for Sennheisers, I owned the HD 580, 555, and 595. They were also comfortable and the soundstage was nice and wide, but they didn't have that immediate, up-front sound signature of the Grados which sounds excellent with the type of music I typically listen to (rock).

Here are the other headphones I've owned...I think that's most of them anyway. It's not a huge list, but I did a lot of research on Head-Fi and tried to choose the ones I thought I'd like. For the most part I was not disappointed!

I preferred the Senns for gaming because they had more prominent/punchy bass while the Grados' bass was tighter and quicker. They also blocked a bit more outside noise than the Grados, which helped immersion. Finally, they were comfortable for longer periods of time. The bowl pads sounded great with the Grados IMO, but they were kind of fatiguing for long listening sessions.

I agree with ash as far as toting them around, though. As great as Grados sound, there isn't much to them in terms of construction. The design is a simple one, and it's not meant to withstand a lot of abuse. Unless you're really careful with them, I wouldn't recommend taking them on a daily commute.

You mentioned the train is noisy -- do you want to block that sound out? Have you considered IEMs at all?
 
Hmm you like your 515's but want portable? I don't know why no one hasn't suggested some Sennheiser PX 100's yet. They are collapsable, rugged, and come with a carrying case and you will most likely be amazed at the sound level for a sub $50 headphone. Despite their design they do offer a decent amount of isolation. I am actually wearing them right now using my iMod at 1/3 volume and it is near impossible to hear my co-workers in the office.


Otherwise if you like the Grado sound skip the 60's and go for 80's.

For me though I auditioned everything from 80's to RS1's over the course of two days in a very agreeable shop in southern Maryland just north of the District and settled on the 225's.
 
Woops, sorry for not replying! Seems my subscription to this thread wasn't saved.

kydsid, I don't particularly want higher portability. While getting new headphones that are more portable would be a plus, they don't necessarily have to be. To be honest, I don't really know what I want. I love my HD 515s, and if I had the choice to keep them forever I easily would. Unfortunately, after almost two years of loyal service they're starting to die on me. There are several cracks in the plastic, and I can hear the right driver move around in the muff a bit. The amount of isolation the HD 515s provide with, and without music playing, on the train is good enough. I can barely hear anything outside of the headphones.

I've considered the Beyer DT 770, Audio Technica ATH-AD700, AKG K 701, and Denon AH-D2000 headphones as options. From what I understand, they're all pretty bassy and not necessarily good for rock/metal that I listen to. I was recommended the Grado SR80i headphones as they are slightly less bassy and happen to be smaller. I have considered in-ear earphones such as Ultimate Ears, but every time I try in-ear earphones my ears hurt quite badly.. and that isn't very enjoyable on a 1hr+ train ride.

-robodude666
 
AD700 is open; it's almost impossible to have a "bassy" open headphone. DT770 and D2000 are both great for rock (DT770 could use an amp, D2000 probably needs one). K701 is more towards classical and needs a specialized amp to do well, very good but not what I'd look to given your musical interests.

Grados will be interesting for some rock, problematic for other stuff. I also tend to use them when the song has recording issues, their native distortion will compensate somewhat by smoothing over some types of flaws.

If you're worried about it being too bassy, again, the MDR-V6. Very neutral, good clarity. An amp is nice, I think they can use a little more juice than most sound cards will put out, and they positively shine on a nice tube-based amp - but by no means do they need one. Broader usefulness than the DT770 but note that the DT770 is stronger in its specialty. The D2000 with a good, complementary amp should be solidly better than the MDR-V6 in a number of areas - but the cost at this point is quite a bit more, and the amp requirement could become problematic since you want this for on-the-go use.
 
The Sony MDR-V6 are very nice, however my stepbrother has a pair and the muffs are a little leathery. I lasted about 15 minutes before they started to bug me.

When you say amp, do you mean like a ~$1k amp or any sort of amp? I've got a Yamaha 6140 receiver for my home setup, and plan to get some emotiva loving later this year. I'm working on starting a cmoy amp. Would that work as a little amp for portable use?

If I don't mind going into the $100-300 range, what would be a killer set of high-build quality headphones? Most of my collection is mostly rock/metal, though I've lately gotten into electronic music and some hip hop.
 
I went through a SR-80 and now I have a SR-225. I love both headphones and moreso my SR-225. But be weary with Grado, their cables are terrible. Not so much in the audio sense but the fact that they are so delicate. I learned from my SR-80 that any tugs and strain will break the wiring over a short period of time. I babied my SR-225s and it still encountered the same issues.

So I decided to re-cable my SR-225s and it's golden now.
 
Term-X said:
I went through a SR-80 and now I have a SR-225. I love both headphones and moreso my SR-225. But be weary with Grado, their cables are terrible. Not so much in the audio sense but the fact that they are so delicate. I learned from my SR-80 that any tugs and strain will break the wiring over a short period of time. I babied my SR-225s and it still encountered the same issues.

So I decided to re-cable my SR-225s and it's golden now.
Click to expand...



I had my sr80's for almost a year and never had a cable problem. I would say it depends on the person and where they take the headphones. FYI grado's are a at home heaphone, if you want something to travel with get a in ear headphone.
 
master noran said:
I had my sr80's for almost a year and never had a cable problem. I would say it depends on the person and where they take the headphones. FYI grado's are a at home heaphone, if you want something to travel with get a in ear headphone.
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My headphones have strictly been at home. My SR-225s lasted just near 2 years before encountering the problem but that's only because I've babied them. At any rate, it's not an issue that is unheard of, lots of results on this stuff when searched.


I'm not bashing the audio quality, I can't live with anything other than Grado but one should be prepared for the issues that may arise. In this case, the possibility of having to recable.
 
The Grados I've seen do have cable issues, namely it doesn't seem terribly durable and it's prone to get in the way more than some other cable options. The higher-end models might have better arrangements, I don't know. Also it's fine electrically, at least until and unless it turns out to wear out quickly the way it seems like it would. I don't know about that for sure either, I'm generally pretty gentle to my headphones.

Well, except my sub-$50 Yuins that I use because I can abuse them and toss them in my pocket like it's nothing, because they can take it and because when they finally wear out they won't cost much to replace.
 
My SR80's took a good two years of hard abuse (college student at the time) before the cable started biting it. After that, it was ad hoc repairs every 6 weeks or so, often requiring a soldering iron / new cables. I managed another year, year and a half.

A lot of portable media players wont have enough headroom to let you really party with the SR80's.
My understanding is the SR60's have significantly better sensitivity. I'm not certain, but thats my understanding.

I bought a new pair of SR80's this past spring, at a Virgin going out of business sale, for $75. Really happy to have them back in my life.
 
Hmm, seems like the Grados are off my list just based on the weak cable. I lost my Razer headphones to the connector being ripped off when I was pushed into a wall (people go crazy when they hear the train coming) and snagged the cable on a handrail.

How much of an audio-quality difference is there between the Senny HD 515 and 555s? The 555s are $105 on 'zon and seem like a good option. Same solid quality like the 515s but better audio. Think it would be a fair upgrade, or should I hold onto the 515s until they officially die?
 
I am quite surprised by these claims of weak cables. I've had my SR80s for 6 years now and there's nothing wrong with the cable. I had to have the jack replaced once when I (more or less literally) dropped a brick on it in the most unfortunate way possible, a freak accident which left the jack bent out of shape. But otherwise the cable has been absolutely fine and to me it seems quite sturdy and thick.
 
On second thought, I've decided on the Grado SR80i headphones. I saw a pair of SR60s on the train on my way to class, and was quite impressed. They look much more solid in real life than in the picture, and the cable looks definitely thick enough. The headphones are attached to the headband via an aluminum rod to a square plastic block. This will prevent the cracking issue I had with my HD515s. The SR80s are just a bit more expensive but has better audio quality, from what I understand, and the headphones are attached to the center of the headband rather than to the sides making it a bit more comfortable I think.

-robodude666
 
My Grado SR80's are over 5 years old with no issues, like anything else if you take care of your stuff it will last.

The 80's have better sound and more bass response but you give up some efficiency over the 60's. If you are not running a headphone amp you may want to test for enough volume before you dive in.

Like anything else i recommend you go out and listen to many models to determine what model sounds best to you.
 
jason_str, I won't be using a headphone amp just yet but I plan on building the cmoy amp in the future if I see a need for it. What do you mean by "give up some efficiency" ?
 
robodude666 said:
jason_str, I won't be using a headphone amp just yet but I plan on building the cmoy amp in the future if I see a need for it. What do you mean by "give up some efficiency" ?
Click to expand...

More efficiency means they will play louder with the same input.
 
jason str said:
More efficiency means they will play louder with the same input.
Click to expand...

Not just that...if you don't have enough amplification for the load, you can lose detail because fainter bits will fall below the threshold where you can perceive it clearly. Avoid getting something that needs more than normal amplification if you don't plan to have it available.
 
friend'scatdied said:
Grados may look solid, but they most definitely are not. Even my HF2s feel flimsy to me.
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My impression of Grado's headphone lineup is that the build quality doesn't scale up with price. i.e. The expensive (and super-expensive) Grado models are barely (if at all) more sturdy and longlasting than the lower priced models like the SR80. So it's not that the SR80 and SR60 are poorly built, it's that the higher end models are poorly built given their high price.

Which is possibly the main reason why I haven't stepped up to a more expensive model (I know a lot of people do gradually migrate up the Grado lineup's price range). I'm convinced sooner or later an unfortunate accident (or simple accumulation of wear and tear) will happen to my headphones and an expensive model would die just the same as the cheaper one. Only the loss of an expensive headphone is a lot more painful than the loss of a cheaper one.
 
I've heard if you're in the market for Grados you might as well skip the 80's and 125's and head straight up the 225's if you've had a taste with the 60's. Anyone care to confirm/deny?
 
robodude666 said:
Hmm, seems like the Grados are off my list just based on the weak cable. I lost my Razer headphones to the connector being ripped off when I was pushed into a wall (people go crazy when they hear the train coming) and snagged the cable on a handrail.

How much of an audio-quality difference is there between the Senny HD 515 and 555s? The 555s are $105 on 'zon and seem like a good option. Same solid quality like the 515s but better audio. Think it would be a fair upgrade, or should I hold onto the 515s until they officially die?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if the cable is different with my sr225i's, but this thing is thick and bulky as hell. This thing feels like it would need a chef's knife to cut through it, or a strong man to tear it off my headphones.
 
zero940 said:
I've heard if you're in the market for Grados you might as well skip the 80's and 125's and head straight up the 225's if you've had a taste with the 60's. Anyone care to confirm/deny?
Click to expand...

I would tend to agree with that. I owned the 60s, 80s, and 225s...except I didn't own them in that order. I'm not sure what's up with the 125s; they are like the bastard child -- relatively few people seem to own them. At any rate, I liked the 80s better than the 60s but it was a more marginal difference than the difference between the 60s and the 225s. I liked the sound of the 225s and HF-1s the best, with the 80s probably being my favorite from a bang/$$ perspective.
 
I'm quite confused now, to be honest.

I think I may stick with the SR80i, as for $99 it isn't too big of a gamble, unless there is another recommendation. While I do trust that the 225s are worth the extra $100, I'm not willing to gamble it to a brand I've never personally used. While I trust everyone's opinions here, Grado isn't a brand I heard much about, to be honest. There also seems to be some split here in opinion regarding Grado which sort of concerns me unless its just all of their low-end products that aren't as good compared to higher-end ones, yet their lower-end ones have more value... ?
 
Sorry robodude, I didn't mean to confuse you.

Go for the SR80i. I don't blame you for not wanting to shell out $200 for a pair of 225s, and the SR80i is a great introduction to the world of Grado as they are somewhat better than the SR60i for not too much more $$$. I didn't mean for my post to sound like I was recommending you to go straight for the 225s; I was simply agreeing with zero940 in that if someone already heard the SR60's and liked them enough to upgrade, it might be a wise move to skip the SR80 and SR125 and go straight to the SR225 as they are a significant leap up...they retain all of the positive traits of the less expensive Grados while giving improved quality to the unique Grado sound signature. For someone just jumping in like yourself, I would go for the SR80 since I believe them to be wonderful for the price (as are the SR60s, but I like the 80s better).

As far as the lower end ones having more value, well that's true for most people. Audio, like many other things is largely about diminishing returns at the high end of things. In other worse, you might spend 5x or 10x more when you certainly aren't getting 5x-10x more audio quality. Just like spending $1000 on Intel's high-end Extreme CPU won't get you 5x the performance of the $200 processor. That's all I meant.

You may not have heard much about Grado, but neither had I until I joined Head Fi and started reading all about the world of good headphones. I learned about Grados as well as other brands I previously hadn't heard of or had little interest in. If you end up getting the SR80i be sure and let us know how you like them!
 
Placed an order for a set of Grado SR80i Headphones a moment ago! Should get them either on friday or monday. Excited!
 
I have the new sr80i's as well and am petrified at how thin the connector where the wire splints into is. The Cable is superbly thick, but right at the splitting, it feels fragile. Just a warning to be extremely careful when the headphones inevitably gets tangled.

Then you put the headphones on, and just wow.
 
imyourzero said:
If you end up getting the SR80i be sure and let us know how you like them!
Click to expand...

Got them earlier today, but didn't get a chance to open the box or try 'em on until now.

My thoughts:

They come in a very shady box, which I don't really like after owning a pair of sennheiser headphones which come in one of the most advanced boxes I've seen. They're well packed though, which is nice. The headphones themselves look very cool. They also have a mini-jack (3.5mm aka "1/8-inch") which is great for portable use as you don't have a huge 3" connector sticking out of your player. An adapter to 1/4" is also included, in case you want to use them with some more beefy equipment. They're also very light for how solid they look. Unfortunately, the good things I have to say end there. Most of the "bad" features brought up in this thread are true, at least in my experience after a couple hours use (Both on an iPhone 3G and Yamaha 6140 Receiver).

First of all, the construction of the band and the way they are attached to the band feels a little janky (cheap). The muffs themselves are actually well built I'd say. The cable is solid, for the most part except for the Y where they split. I wouldn't worry about it, but it would be scary to get them snagged while running or possibly even walking quickly. The headphones as a whole aren't very comfortable, or at least not as comfortable compared to the HD 515s I came from. The headband is basically a piece of leather with no padding. The muffs are basically plastic with a small piece of foam in front of them, similar to those 99c headphones you get on a plane. The muff itself is about the size of your ear and sits well on it. Personally, it pushed down a little too much. I like how the HD 515s just float on your head. And, lastly.. they sound very flat. Extremely flat and dead compared to what my HD 515s can output. I've tested it with a range of music from low quality 128Kbps to 320Kbps to even Apple Lossless or FLAC ripped from a CD. In all cases the audio sounded very flat, as if it were going through a soul-eating EQ.

Overall, I'm highly disappointed. I've only given them about two hours listen, but I'll try again in the morning. I'll most likely be listening them up for sale on sunday then :(.

-robodude666
 
robodude666 said:
And, lastly.. they sound very flat. Extremely flat and dead compared to what my HD 515s can output. I've tested it with a range of music from low quality 128Kbps to 320Kbps to even Apple Lossless or FLAC ripped from a CD. In all cases the audio sounded very flat, as if it were going through a soul-eating EQ.
Click to expand...

Wow, that is not at all how I would describe the sound of Grados. I've not heard the HD 515s but I did own the 555s, 595s, and 580s. They were great sounding headphones but none of them had the energy of the Grados...I certainly wouldn't categorize Grados as flat sounding. I think one of two things could be attributed to your disappointment. First, it's possible that the headphones require a burn-in period before they sound their best. I was never a huge believer in having to burn in audio equipment, but some people swear that it results in night and day differences and that some headphones require as much as a 200 hour burn-in period before they settle in. Mind you, Grados shouldn't require that many hours to break in but it's possible that they will loosen up and sound better after several hours of operation.

The second possibility (what I'm leaning toward) is that Grados have a totally different sonic signature than what you're used to. I think this is more likely. Headphone brands tend to have different sound signatures and the Grados are going to sound different than your HD 515s simply because you are used to the Sennheisers. It's amazing how our ears become acclimated to something after being exposed to it for a while. I owned several pairs of decent headphones and IEMs and I'll admit I wasn't thrilled with them all when I first put them over (or in) my ears. Many people on Head Fi were raving about various cans that I bought and telling me that I would be in sonic heaven, but I didn't see what all the fuss was about. Some lacked bass, some sounded flat, etc...but the fact is they didn't sound like what I was used to, and to me that was a bad thing...at first. After listening to them for a while, my mind slowly forgot the sound I was used to and grew to appreciate the various qualities of other headphones.

Of course, it's entirely possible that you just don't like the Grado sound and you'd be happier with another pair of headphones. I did buy a couple of pairs of headphones that I couldn't grow to like because they didn't possess the sonic qualities that made music pleasing to me. I don't want to have to use an EQ to "shape" the music into sounding good. EQs are generally frowned upon in the audiophile community. It could be that you simply don't care for the Grado sound signature and need to try something else...I will not say that any particular headphone is for everyone. That's why there are so many different models. ;)

All that being said, if you decide to sell them, shoot me a PM. I wouldn't mind having another pair.
 
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