For the true audiophile, these expressive wired headphones will enhance your listening experience
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Grado SR325x £269
Grado’s Prestige range of headphones was introduced three decades ago and has been at the core of the company’s output since. Over time, Grado has consistently developed the range in small evolutionary steps – and so it is with this ‘x’ generation, with most of the important work going unseen.
For instance, the 44mm drive unit has been given a revised motor system, new diaphragm and upgraded coil, with the aim of improving efficiency and reducing distortion. Similarly, that new eight-conductor cable uses ‘super’ annealed copper and is claimed to deliver a purer sound than before.
These still remind us of the headphones air traffic control operators used in the 1940s. The open-backed design means that they leak sound, but also provide almost nothing in the way of noise isolation from the environment. If you are listening in a room with others, be prepared for your listening experience to be disturbed if they make any noise at all.
Those changes to the drive unit are obvious too. We listen to Massive Attack’s Heligoland and the SR325x sound notably cleaner and clearer than their predecessor, the SR325e. These headphones have always been detailed and articulate performers, and that hasn’t changed, but the ‘x’ generation sounds that bit more precise and insightful. We can follow low-level instrumental strands with more ease, especially in the album’s more densely produced tracks. Rhythms are still delivered with enthusiasm and punch.
The SR325x’s open-backed design means they are wonderfully expressive dynamically, and lows are agile and tuneful, but there is still not the outright weight and low-end punch of closed headphone designs. The SR325x can sound a little bass-light in comparison with such products, though we are happy to make that sacrifice given the many benefits of the open-design approach.
We switch to Lana Del Rey’s Chemtrails Over The Country Club set and love the Grados’ ability to convey the texture and attitude in her voice. The excellent insight generates a lovely sense of atmosphere and we find ourselves getting lost in the music rather than focusing on analysing the SR325x’s performance. The new-found sense of refinement makes it easier to relax when listening, too.
These headphones always please if fed with a good enough signal. Whether it’s the soul of Gladys Knight, the hard-edged tunes of Nirvana or hip-hop of Eminem, these headphones
