Grado Rocks!
If you're looking for a great bang for the buck, buy the iGrado, which sells for $49. This is Grado's high-end entry into low-end headphones and they sound better than anything Bose has for inder $200. The iGrados look like those sporty back-wrap headphones you buy for $15 with one exception: These monsters have 40mm drivers, using the same transducers in the $69 SR-60s. They just barely match the sound of the SR-60s, which have won skads of awards for bringing audiophile sound to headphones under $200.
But also know that I'm a Grado junkie. Grado, like Apple, has a very loyal fanbase. In the world of audiophilic pleasures, we are committed to the one true faith. My first Grados were the $95 SR-80s, which made a believer out of me. After years of returning fancy-looking cans that sucked, I was sold on Grado, which cares nothing about looks, style or even comfort.
I have to warn you that these cans are addictive. Once you hear their clarity - and if you don't mind a soundstage that's up front rather than 12 rows back, the detail of even their throwaway iGrados is amazing. With my first pair - those SR-80s - I didn't need a headphone amp to hear details off my iPod, stuff I'd never heard before. Once you go Grado, everything else sounds muddy - unless you're willing to get out your Goldcard.
Within a month after buying the SR-80s, I bought a pair of $300 SR-325i's, which have more range and base (because of their use of oxygen-free ultra-high purity copper throughout) but honestly, there's a point when you reach the law of marginal utility. I think the SR-80s nail the price-point sweet spot for most people - though I went on to buy the $700 RS-1s because I simply couldn't deny myself such pleasures. In fact, considering the difference between Grado and everything else, if you're looking for great sound at a low price, those iGrados are more than ample. Their $49 price kills most cans below $300.
As for whther these cans are good for working out, I wear the 325is to the gym,even though they make me look like I'm operating a ham radio. Why? Because if I'm going to sweat and grunt, I'd rather cover it up with great sound.
If you're looking for a great bang for the buck, buy the iGrado, which sells for $49. This is Grado's high-end entry into low-end headphones and they sound better than anything Bose has for inder $200. The iGrados look like those sporty back-wrap headphones you buy for $15 with one exception: These monsters have 40mm drivers, using the same transducers in the $69 SR-60s. They just barely match the sound of the SR-60s, which have won skads of awards for bringing audiophile sound to headphones under $200.
But also know that I'm a Grado junkie. Grado, like Apple, has a very loyal fanbase. In the world of audiophilic pleasures, we are committed to the one true faith. My first Grados were the $95 SR-80s, which made a believer out of me. After years of returning fancy-looking cans that sucked, I was sold on Grado, which cares nothing about looks, style or even comfort.
I have to warn you that these cans are addictive. Once you hear their clarity - and if you don't mind a soundstage that's up front rather than 12 rows back, the detail of even their throwaway iGrados is amazing. With my first pair - those SR-80s - I didn't need a headphone amp to hear details off my iPod, stuff I'd never heard before. Once you go Grado, everything else sounds muddy - unless you're willing to get out your Goldcard.
Within a month after buying the SR-80s, I bought a pair of $300 SR-325i's, which have more range and base (because of their use of oxygen-free ultra-high purity copper throughout) but honestly, there's a point when you reach the law of marginal utility. I think the SR-80s nail the price-point sweet spot for most people - though I went on to buy the $700 RS-1s because I simply couldn't deny myself such pleasures. In fact, considering the difference between Grado and everything else, if you're looking for great sound at a low price, those iGrados are more than ample. Their $49 price kills most cans below $300.
As for whther these cans are good for working out, I wear the 325is to the gym,even though they make me look like I'm operating a ham radio. Why? Because if I'm going to sweat and grunt, I'd rather cover it up with great sound.
