This week, GearCrave asked Bill Keyser of GoodCans.com a few questions about headphones. We absolutely love our music, but we needed expert advice on how to get the most out of our audio experience. In other words, our standard iPod earbuds aren’t cutting it… Bill Keyser is one of the top names in audiophile headphones on the web. We gave Bill the GearCrave soap box to share with us his take on some good, better, and best headphones available from his own store. Wisely, Bill suggested we move past names like Sony, Sennheiser, and AKG for this one and take a look at one of the top boutique headphone manufacturers on the planet– Grado Headphones. Continue reading for Bill’s sound advice on audiophile headphones.

Grado is a smallish audiophile manufacturer out of Brooklyn, NY that has been in business over 50 years. They basically only manufacture two types of products, turntable cartridges and headphones. They focus on sound quality and their headphones have continually caught my ear. I’ve been reviewing headphones since 1995 and have consistently been impressed by Grado. While they do offer 9 headphones in their line-up, being familiar with all of the models, it’s fairly easy for me to weed down their offerings to Good, Better and Best.

Good Headphones: Grado SR80

For quite a few years now, I’ve felt the SR80 offers just about the best “Bang for your Buck” in the headphone world. It’s sound quality is well above that of any headphone you’ll find sitting on a department store shelf! You hear very good detail in the mids and the highs from the SR80’s. And bass wise, though it might not be louder, it has a good clean bass and not muddy like the sound you’ll find on most of the discount headphones. And a plus, the Grado’s are easy to drive. While they are a good headphone for home use, they are also being used by many connected up to portable players. Though they are not portable sized headphones, (more of a mid-sized headphone), the earpieces do rotate 360 degrees so they can lay flat and are stowable in a suitcase or bag. FYI, all Grado’s are what is known as “Open” headphones. They have open grills behind the drivers, (speakers), so sound does leak in and out. While this may preclude them from being used in some public places, the open headphone design is a major improvement that gives the headphones a more natural sound than that of a “Closed” headphone.

Better Headphones: Grado SR325i

Grado offers two models between the SR80 and the SR325i. But basically, they are the SR80 tweaked for slightly better sound. It’s not until you step up to the SR325i that you get a bigger jump in sound quality. The SR325i has a larger body than that of the SR80 and it is machined from a special non-resonant, very hard alloy as compared to the plastic body of the SR80. The larger sound chamber of the SR325i gives it a fuller sound and better bass. In addition, the drivers are tested and more closely pair-matched for exact imaging. The voice-coils are wound from ultra-high purity, long crystal (UHPLC) oxygen free copper. The SR325i can be powered by many portables, but it is somewhat more demanding of power than the SR80. Therefore, it’s borderline as to whether you would want to use this headphone with a portable player or not? And given it comes with a standard 1/4 inch plug, Grado obviously feels this is more of a home headphone. However, Grado does make an optional mini-adapter so there are some who connect the SR325i to their portable players.

Best Headphones: Grado GS1000

GS stands for “Grado Statement!” This is a beautiful, wooden bodied headphone that has captured the ears of many audiophiles. The GS1000 has an even larger body than that of the SR325i, as well as larger earpads. The size gives it an even fuller sound, (often referred to as a “Larger Soundstage”). The wooden body optimizes the tonal quality, not to mention an added allure! Grado redesigned the driver in order to achieve a correct balance between the driver and the wooden driver housing. The driver and wooden housing work together to move air and react to sound vibrations and are less affected by transient distortions. Speaking of allure, one might equate this beautiful wooden headphone to a hand crafted instrument. A labor of love, as well it should be as like most Grado headphones, I’m sure the GS1000 is mostly hand made/assembled in Grado’s Brooklyn facilities.

Thanks for your audio insight, Bill. We’re sold on Grado and are ready to take a big step in our aural experience.  The price tag of the GS1000 puts them in luxury territory, a topic we love here at GearCrave.  For those that don’t have a budget for the Statement series, those SR80s and SR325i’s look like the perfect option. Check out GoodCans.com, GearCravers, for more headphone reviews, how-to’s, shootouts and more.

(average rating: 5 out of 5)

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