The SR225 was the gateway to the Grado line for me. Unlike many who would start off with the SR60, I know that first impressions are very important- thus I chose the middle of the lineup for auditioning.

Grado is a relatively small manufacturer that specialises in phono cartridges and headphones and makes a virtue of its no-nonsense approach. This extends to the aesthetics, which divides opinion amongst audiophiles.

After years of owning Sennheiser, AKG, Ultrasone, Ultimate Ears, Etymotic and Beyerdynamic, I finally tried the Grado SR-225. Needless to say, I am not disappointed. For the money the SR-225 offer a very dynamic, energetic, detailed and just plain fun listen.

The SR225 is a sweet spot in the grado line-up for an audiophile. It has that classic grado sound and gritty guitar sound and that arena rock presentation for a nice price where congestion isn't an issue in my opinion.

First, a big thanks to Todd The Vinyl Junkie for making the 'e' series loaner program possible. To the next guy in line: sorry I kept them for so long.

Startling clarity; expansive soundstage; tuneful and articulate bass

A bit strident on suboptimally engineered / mastered recordings

GRADO SR 225 Upon first arrival I knew these would be superb headphones, the packaging suggests they are more about putting the quality in the product instead of the packaging, I know break in isn't necessary but I put on some jazz and let them run at ? power than ? power for a full 5 hours before I...

Very firm padding that surrounds the ear without putting pressure on the ear lobe. Allows for extended listening.

I bought it in addition to Sennheiser HD 250 Linear, which is very well balanced and sounds very "right" but more tiring although comfortable (closed). I'm glad to have both.

Grado Labs' headphones have been audiophile favorites for decades. The company rarely introduces new models, but it recently upgraded its entire headphone line, adding an "i" to the model number to denote "improved.

Highly dynamic and detailed sound; long-term factory service and support; unique retro design

Not the most comfortable design; large 6.3mm plug requires adapter (not included) to interface with portable audio sources; open-backed design lets in external sound

When a company carries out a model refresh, it is almost an unspoken convention that whatever engineering improvements they carry out will be accompanied by an aesthetic refresh too.

Honest; accurate and unfatiguing sound; Well built; Usefully sensitive

Suitable for home use only; Not as comfortable as some rivals; Cord a little short