Hello, I’m Alexander, and today we will talk about the Grado SR325e and my experience with this pair. This is my own pair that I bought to upgrade from SR80e. No one paid me to make this review. And all thoughts and opinions expressed in this video are my own.
There are 5 headphones in the Prestige series of Grado headphones. SR60, SR80, SR125, SR225 and SR325. The SR325 is the top of the Grado’s entry level series and it comes at $295.
As far as I know, there have been 4 revisions of this product line. The first revision has just a number as a model name. The second revision has the letter “i” next to the number in model name. The third revision (the one in this review) has a letter “e” next to the number in model name. And the fourth (current) revision has the letter “x” next to the number in the model name.
During the upgrade I went straight from SR80e to SR325e as I wanted to see what the top of the Grado’s Prestige series has to offer. You may disagree, but in my opinion SR125 and SR225 are more of a side-grades to SR80 sound profile wise.
Grado headphones features a vintage open-back design, which I’m personally a big fan of. SR325e have 40 mm drivers that are matched at 0.05 db and a leather headband. The ultra-low resonance metal alloy ear cups help with the tuning and the headphones also come with a notably thick and durable cable. The impedance of SR325e is 32 Ohms, and the sensitivity is 99.8 dB. The headphones weigh 356 g with the cable.
🛒 Grado SR325x on Amazon
Design & build
Grado headphones are famous for their utilitarian and simple design. In addition it’s hard to mistake this design for any other pair of headphones. I like their vintage look and the fact they are hand-made in Brooklyn.
The headband is made out of spring steel and it’s covered with the leather. There is no padding present here, so the headband can create a hot spot on your head. The clamping force is above average.
The hinges that connect the headband to ear cups are metal and represent a simple rod with the adjustment mechanism. The hinges also have plastic blocks on both sides with the channel indication. I’m not a big fan of the adjustment mechanism and it tends to become loose over time. This is exactly what happened to one side on my pair, though I think it can be fixed.
The SR325 ear cups are made out of metal as opposed to fully plastic ear cups on the other models of the Prestige series. The back side of the ear cups is protected with a metal mesh. There is a Prestige Series and Grado Labs inscription around the ear cups. The model name is printed on a small round piece of plastic that is glued to the mesh. Over time this part tends to fall off, but it’s still going strong on my pair.
The headphone comes with a thick non de-attachable cable that has 3.5mm connector on its end. While I appreciate such a thick wire, the cable is not very comfortable, especially in portable scenario.
Ear pads
Now a couple of words about the ear pads, as Grado ear pads and its mods can be considered a niche hobby within headphone hobby.
Grado uses four different sets of pads in their headphone line up: S, F, L and G. The G pads are over ear pads, while the rest are on ear. The SR325e comes stock with the L pads. All Grado headphones are tuned for the pads they come with. Which means if you change the ear pads you will also change the intended headphone sound signature.
Fit & comfort
The fit and comfort with Grado headphones is hit or miss. This is especially true for SR325e with the stock L ear pads. There is not enough padding on the headband, which sometimes bothers me and creates a hot spot on top of my head.
The cups swivel well and it’s not hard to find a good position, but in the end, this is definitely not the most comfortable pair of the headphones I own. Especially with the glasses.
With the G ear pads this pair becomes much more comfortable, but it alters the sound profile too much for my personal taste.
Grado SR325e sound impressions
It’s important to mention that all sound impressions in my reviews are completely subjective. You should take them with a grain of salt.
Rated at 32 Ohms of impedance and 99.8 db of sensitivity the SR325e are relatively easy to drive, but the headphones are power hungry and source dependant. That’s why I recommend pairing it with a proper DAC/AMP combination. Most Grados tend to have a very forward, in-your-face sound and SR325 is no exception here.
I personally like this approach, as well recorded material sounds very bold and energetic and makes you want to crank the volume up. The overall tonality is mid forward and slightly bright with a recessed bass response.
This results in a good level of details and combined with a narrow sound stage gives you a very intimate presentation. This pair especially shines with 80s and 90s rock and metal music, so I wonder what the Grado’s in-house playlist looks like. At the same time the sound profile is definitely not for everyone. And people sensitive to sibilance, might find this pair way too harsh and sharp.
The bass is recessed, and this can come as a surprise if you are new to Grado headphones. Especially if you come from a closed-back pair of headphones. The bass is tight, it has a good texture and control, but lacks in quantity. While out of the box this is a bass-light pair of headphones, over time I got used to character of its bass and started to appreciate it. Bass-heads need to look elsewhere, as the strong bass roll off starting at 100 Hz might leave your favourite tracks without their main pillar. But if you value quality over quantity, you will be pleased with the bass and its performance.
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The midrange is linear, very engaging and organic. As the Grado 325e has quite narrow sound stage, the vocals and instruments sound very upfront and intimate. Lower mids have a good presentation, details and texture. Distorted electric guitars sound fantastic and have a lot of bite. The upper midrange is slightly on a brigher side and the upper midrange peak at around 2Khz may be bothering to some people. In my case the midrange never sounded harsh, but on rare occasions the upper midrange was a borderline sibilant. I particularly enjoyed the mid-range with a lot of 80 and 90 rock and metal music as it sounds like Grados were made for it.
The treble is energetic but it’s not even. This is by no means a reference pair of headphones and it’s quite coloured. There is a of air and sparkle here with a good level of details and resolution. The treble is sharp, but natural, and it was never harsh in my case. It revels a lot of details, but can be unforgiving with poorly recorded & mastered recordings.
Sound stage, imaging and details
The soundstage of SR325e is quite narrow for an open-back headphones, which results in the intimate music presentation. At the same time the sound stage doesn’t feel compressed or congested. In addition the sound stage is also deep, which makes the layering and instrument separation a bit better. SR325e is good at revealing the details and they do it on par with other leading models in this price range.
Swapping the ear pads to G cushions makes the sound stage wider and those addicted to wide soundstage will appreciate it. Though as I already mentioned the G cushions will alter the sound beyond my liking.
SR325e vs SR325x. Is newer better?
Before settling down on SR325e I also compared it with the SR325x, the most up to date model. Comfort wise I preferred the 325e because 325x is shipped with F ear pads which in my opinion are the least comfortable Grado pads. And in my case the drivers were sitting directly on my ears and it wasn’t the most pleasant experience.
Yes, I could just swap the ear pads, but as I already mentioned, Grado headphones are tuned for the pads they come with. Which means changing the 325x stock pads would change the intended headphone sound signature.
Sound wise the SR325x is a more balanced than SR325e. It has a better bass response and bass performance. Its treble is also tamed a bit compared to SR325e which makes the presentation a little bit more rounded and smooth. In addition the SR325x doesn’t sound thin on occasions like SR325e does.
The differences between SR325e and SR325x still boil down to a personal preference, so there is not clear winner here. I picked SR325e over SR325x because in my opinion has a more lively and engaging sound. It’s more revealing, more bright and is more crisp. While SR325x is slightly warm, full and lush, with a better midrange reproduction, in my opinion it’s not as resolving as SR325e.
So what do I like about these headphones?
- Vintage design
- Lively and engaging in your face sound
- Good sounds stage depth and instrument separation
- Natural presentation
- Textured bass
- Linear and detailed midrange
- Sharp and revealing treble
- Great technical abilities
- Excellent value for the money
What I don’t like?
- Not the most comfortable pair of headphones
- The stock cable is too hefty and long for portable use
- The top headband part could use some padding
- The soundstage is too narrow for a pair of open-backs
- And the headphones are unforgiving with poor recordings
All in all, the SR325e is a very controversial pair of headphones for me. But its pros outweighs its cons in my case. This pair has a personality, something that a lot of headphones in the market are missing. And I personally love the vintage design and looks, though I think the comfort could be better.
To me SR325e is a special pair of headphones that I reach for short and engaging listening sessions. I enjoy its in-your-face sound that is lively, revealing and entertaining. If you haven’t had any experience with Grado before, going with the lower models in Prestige line might be a better idea. But if you are coming from SR60 or SR80 and looking to upgrade, SR325 in my opinion is the next logical upgrade.
And that concludes my review for today. If you want to see more content like this consider subscribing to my YouTube channel for future updates. Thank you for joining me, and until next time, goodbye!
🛒 Grado SR325x on Amazon
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