Grado SR80
Manufacturer: Grado Labs Inc. Part number: SR80
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Grado's made-in-Brooklyn headphones kick butt on CDs and DVDs.
Read more
Where to buy
| store | customer rating | inventory | tax & shipping | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon.com Marketplace |  | In stock | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 11/07/2009 |
CNET editors' review
Grado SR80 price range: $99.00
- Reviewed by: Steve Guttenberg
- Reviewed on: 02/23/2004
The good: Retro-styled, over-the-ear headphones; excellent high-frequency detail; taut, powerful bass.
The bad: Not the most comfortable model on the market.
The bottom line: Grado's made-in-Brooklyn headphones kick butt on CDs and DVDs.
If your frame of reference includes only flimsy, plastic headphones sold in blister packs, the Grado SR80's retro styling, solid build quality, and full-bodied sound will require a major realignment of your senses. The headset's hefty earpieces house large speaker drivers that deliver impressive dynamic range and satisfying deep-bass response. With a suggested retail price of $95, it's no wonder that the SR80 is the go-to choice for audiophiles on a budget.
While we love the SR80's sound, we're not about to claim that these headphones set a new standard for wearability. After spending a few hours with those big cushions clamped over your ears, you'll need a break. The SR80's cable is fitted with a gold-plated miniplug, and the included gold-plated 1/4-inch adapter enables home-stereo use.
The SR80 is a dead ringer for Grado's $69 SR60, but the pricier model uses a slightly higher-quality cable and larger, deeper ear cushions. That might not seem like much of a difference, but the resulting sonic improvements aren't subtle--the SR80 provides better bass and greater overall detail. Those qualities, as well as the headphones' more natural midrange and treble, were readily apparent on our home system. We have reversed preferences on the road; the SR60's more laid-back tonal balance seems to bring out the best in pint-size portable players, such as our Apple iPod.
The SR80 strutted its stuff on the Pirates of the Caribbean DVD; the sound was so lively and engaging that we forgot we were using headphones. That wasn't the case with AKG's $130 K 301 Xtra; though these 'phones did deliver more bass, their sonics seemed canned and hollow in comparison. On both DVDs and CDs, the Brooklyn battler easily trounced the AKG. Then again, the K 301 looks hipper, and its closed-back earcups permit private listening. The SR80's open design leaks sound, which may disturb other people in the room.
All in all, the Grado SR80 performs splendidly with music and home theater. However, the step-down SR60 is more efficient and probably better for use with portable MP3 players.
User reviews
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Incredible headphones for under $100
by jdparkin on November 12, 2005
Pros: Fantastic sound and gret price
Cons: the cords can occasionally get twsited
Summary: The very thing that makes these headphones so awesome are the one thing that prevents them from getting a 10. At times the cords get twisted and it makes me ...
Summary: The very thing that makes these headphones so awesome are the one thing that prevents them from getting a 10. At times the cords get twisted and it makes me mad. Other than that, these headphones are incedible. The sound is so awesome with these, I have heard sounds I never knew existed. I got them online from I think decibel audio, based in chicago. No shipping and they were professional and fast, even called me because I had a simple question. I had to give them a shoutout.
As for the comfort, I have had very little problems. I have a nearly 6 hour break between my morning and afternoon classes and I can put these on for the whole time and have no problem with them at all. As for sound leaking, I use them primarily in the library and I have not had a problem with other people being disturbed. If you are buying someone an ipod or another musical device this holiday season, make sure you do them a favor and get them these headphones.6 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Stupendous sound, cumbersome for portable use, break-in needed
by biggbrother on May 21, 2005
Pros: SOUND! retro style
Cons: Uncomfy at first, v. awkward for commuting
Summary: I researched this purchase extensively and (over)paid about $200 Canadian for these things. I've owned these for about two months now. I have used them an average of ...
Summary: I researched this purchase extensively and (over)paid about $200 Canadian for these things. I've owned these for about two months now. I have used them an average of perhaps two hours per day during this period, the two main sources being a laptop and a portable mp3 player. Some thoughts on sound, comfort, style, and overall awkwardness:
1. SOUND: The biggest benefit by far. I am biased; my reference point is cheap blister-pack headphones. That said, the sound on these things appears to be as great as everyone writes. Absolutely fabulous, esp. on the bass and treble response. I compared these with the SR60 in a store demo and strongly advise against the SR60 if you're a fan of the bass and treble. I use the SR80s on both on my laptop and mp3 player, and have been rediscovering my music. The phones reveal things I've never heard before, even on compressed, un-remastered Beatles releases.
2. COMFORT: The prevailing opinion is that these phones are uncomfortable. This is quite true--they are very oppressive at first; a lot of undue pressure on the outer ears. It will actually make that tender flesh sore with prolonged use. However, there is a caveat: my experience has been that this is no longer a problem after about ten days of steady use. (Presumably this is the headphones adjusting to my head rather than vice versa). The comfort issue was serious, almost shocking at first, now it is no longer a problem.
3. STYLE: I know this is trite, but the simple, heavy-duty, retro looks of these things are just great. A nice departure from the space-cadet look of a lot of other headphones kids are wearing these days (and forgive me, but the white iPod earbuds, quite apart from flagging the attention of thieves, not only sound terrible but scream pretension).
4. COMMUTING A LOT? Then you might not want to buy these. I would hesitate to recommend these for portable use.
A. The cord, well, you'll have to find a way of tying it back to restrain it--it's just too long (and very heavy--you won't want it dangling from your body). The cord is the biggest drawback. Also, the reinforcements surrounding the jack make the plug itself almost bigger than a lot of today's mp3 players.
B. The second-biggest reason why I wouldn't recommend these for the road is the sound intrusion. The open-air design apparently creates a great sound, but remotely loud environmental noise will totally counteract that.
C. Sound leakage is significant at comfortably loud-ish listening levels; not ideal for subways, buses, etc.
D. No folding design--it's rather difficult to stow these things away unless you have a lot of free space available in a bag.
In short, I love these phones for the sound, but I had underestimated how problematic they'd be for commuting. In retrospect, I'd probably sacrifice a bit of the sound quality for a more convenient and appropriate design.4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Uncomfortable But sound good
by caracal223 on March 29, 2006
Pros: GREAT Sound
Cons: VERY Uncomfortable
Summary: Amazing headphones but what was Grado thinking.. They re so uncomfortable.. even with a sock over the pads its still too uncomfortable. At the beginning I couldn't wear them ...
Summary: Amazing headphones but what was Grado thinking.. They re so uncomfortable.. even with a sock over the pads its still too uncomfortable. At the beginning I couldn't wear them for more than 15 minutes because the back of my earlobe would be hurting LOTS!... I put a sock over the pads to help with the coushioning but still not so comfortable so I can forget I have them on.... I have to always take them off to massage my earlobes from all the intense pain..
It's pretty sad to make such good sounding phone with such insanely crappy system..
The speaker turns and I believe this is the main cause of intense pain... because they turn they always want to turn towards the back of the head and put pressure on the rear of the ear. Now I gotta figure out how to get them to be stuck in one place and stop turning.
Also the headband even on the shortest setting doesnt even touch the top of my head???.. And I don't have a small head..
This also contributes to all the pressure sliding down on the ears!! I had to wrap some material over the top to get some coushion going so they won't slide down...
To summarize, COMPLETE garbage in sense of any comfort or fit on the head, but good sound...
Makes you wonder, did grado think we'd hold the speakers to our ears with our hands just because it sounds so good?2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Best sedentary headphones
Pros: Supple cord with gold-plated plugs, superb detail, extremely nice bass extension & balance; needs a good source to perform; superb value for quality.
Cons: A little bright, but still in break-in; long cord is good at home, but inconvenient when out and about with an MP3 player; a bit fatiguing on a 4 hour plane flight.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Is CNET Serious!!
Pros: It's obvious to me that whoever did this review for CNET is NOT an audiophile. Because if they were they wouldn't have rated these 7.8 and given the CRAP Etymotic ER-6's an 8.3!! Are you crazy?! I've owned both, and there is no comparison. The Etymoti
Cons: The only cons would be, 1. the nature of open designed headphones means that everyone else is going to hear what you're listening to. But that's just the sacrifice you make for true audio. The ear pads are a bit uncomfortable, as other have said, howeve
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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I Can't Take Them Off!!!
Pros: I've had these for 6 days now. I have about 1,500 songs in my iTunes library and I'm in the process of re-discovering all of them. I'm hearing exquisite sounds that I've just never heard before. The spaciousness is so pleasing and there is no harshness
Cons:
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Sound disappearing on left ear
by perkn on August 29, 2009
Pros: This is the most irritating product that I've ever bought.
Cons: Some time after I bought these f*** headphones the sound on my left ear keeps fading out. This happens after a while every time I listen to music for a while. It's so f** irritating.I wouldn't recommend these headphones to anyone.
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Excellent sound for the money.
by memcdm on July 3, 2009
Pros: Great sound for the money. They deliver loud, clear sound my everything I have used with the product.
Cons: The headset was not up to service in my home studio. The plastic ring holding the ear piece won't take much of a beating. The sound is, however, wonderful so be careful.
Summary: Wonderful sounding product but Mr. Grado needs to redesign the product for improved durability.
Summary: Wonderful sounding product but Mr. Grado needs to redesign the product for improved durability.
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not comfortable
by j30lajon on April 29, 2009
Pros: the sound is better than i thought it would be.
Cons: the sr80 does hurt my ears after about an half hour of wear.
Summary: i had a pair of seenheisers and they where nice, but the cord wore thin. i tried the bose and almost bought them because they sounded perfect and were very ...
Summary: i had a pair of seenheisers and they where nice, but the cord wore thin. i tried the bose and almost bought them because they sounded perfect and were very comfortable. i then read that they broke a lot. dr. dre's headphones, if the price wasn't so expensive, i would have bought them, for they were perfect in all ways. they had a sound that equaled my home stereo. not wanting to spend to much, before i decided, i went to the internet and came across the sr80's. had i read the opinions a bit closer, i think i would have not bought the sr80's. their price and sound are hard to compete with, but they are hard to wear for any length of time. i did read that they weren't the most comfortable, but one opinion mentioned that they would eventually loosen up. i've had mine for over a month, and i do use them daily, but they still cause pain. the bose, over the ear, were the most comfortable earphones i'd ever tried on, so maybe if the sr80's had over the ear pads, i'd be giving them thumbs up.
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great, clear sound but not bassy enough.
by whattheF on March 27, 2009
Pros: clarity. solid sound. good first step to audiophile sound. unique build.
Cons: a tad too much treble. not enough bass.
Summary: In retrospect, if i had a chance to sample the sound before buying, i probably wouldn't have gotten it. Cause I'm a total basshead, and this is where ...
Summary: In retrospect, if i had a chance to sample the sound before buying, i probably wouldn't have gotten it. Cause I'm a total basshead, and this is where this model (and probably all grado's) lack compared to other high end stuff. Treble is sharp and hissy at times. So beware bass addicts. It seems cnet just throws in 'powerful bass' to every model it reviews. The grado's are more for clarity.
BUT, a little fiddling of controls on your audio source can fix the sound. e.g raising the bass, lowering treble. and it seems these cans can produce better bass without distortion.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Grado Labs Inc.
- Part number: SR80
- Description: The SR80 utilizes a 4 conductor connecting cable and larger ear cushions, the result of which gives a more open stage. The SR80 provides an improved bass resonance, which enhances the overall detail. John Grado says he strove for the best sounding phones for the money, and with the glowing reviews the SR80's have received, who can argue. PRODUCT FEATURES: Vented diaphragm; Non-resonant air chamber; Standard copper voice coil wire; Standard copper connecting cord; Mini plug with 1/4" adaptor.
General
- Product Type Headphones
Headphones
- Headphones Type Headphones - Binaural
- Headphones Form Factor Ear-cup
- Headphones Technology Dynamic
- Connectivity Technology Wired
- Sound Output Mode Stereo
- Response Bandwidth 20 - 20000 Hz
- Sensitivity 98 dB/mW
- Impedance 32 Ohm
Remote Control
- Type None
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x Headphones ( Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm )
Miscellaneous
- Included Accessories 6.3 mm (1/4") stereo adapter
Power
- Power Device None
- Battery None
Product series
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Manufacturer: Grado Labs Inc.
Specs: Headphones, Ear-cup, Stereo, Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm
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Manufacturer: Grado Labs Inc.
Specs: Headphones, Ear-cup, Stereo, Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm
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Manufacturer: Grado Labs Inc.
Specs: Headphones, Ear-cup, Stereo
Manufacturer info
- Grado Labs Inc.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Grado Labs Inc. products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.gradolabs.com/
- Address:
4614 Seventh Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11220 - Phone: 718-435-5340
