Grado SR60i

If you listen to music a lot and care enough about sound quality that you rip your CDs at a higher bitrate than most MP3s (or you rip to FLAC or similar lossless), you'll get a lot out of these affordable,… well-made, low profile headphones. They fit well, are easily adjustable (they have a nice touch where the posts that connect the cans to the head band are free to rotate and slide up and down, making getting the fit right a no-fuss affair), and most importantly, they sound great. The best way I can describe it is you will notice better "spatial" separation with the instruments and voices in the music -- it's much easier to hear the sometimes too-subtle-for-earbuds sounds, like a high hat or a little down-in-the-mix flourish from a keyboard -- something that previously was lost in the noise but now cuts through clearly. It makes a big difference. I also like that they are hand-made in the U.S., and feel pretty solidly built. You won't be disappointed with these, unless perhaps you are one of those guys who claims he can tell the difference in sound quality between different grades of speaker wire (puh-leeze, spare me).

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i have been a long time hifi fan. i have built numerous sound rooms and home theatres from various brands. however, i have not explored as much the hifi world of headphones. i have a bose QC3 which i… thought was pretty good 3 years ago. i have been reviewing a lot of headphones in search of the best entry level hifi headphone there is, and i decided to buy the grados for their excellent reviews and their price. the moment i put them on, my god! they are bloody brilliant! i knew i had to break them in first but was too excited to wait. it didn't matter. the grados performed beautifully. the high frequencies were clear, the midrange had a full body, and the bass was so defined (unlike many others that just gives you an earful). you really enjoy the full range of orchestra, from the violin to the percussion instruments. more importantly, it performs so well on vocals. you can really here every breath as the singer pauses, you can hear soft second voices in the songs you are so familiar with, but never heard before. there is no doubt that this is an amazing engineering feat. if you are looking at this, look no further, for this price range, it is simply, THE BEST.

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I have damaged hearing so I don't waste my money on top dollar headphones. Honestly these headphones sound good to me. If the manufacturing quality of the Grado Prestige Series SR60 were not falling apart,… I wouldn't be writing this. To be clear I only listen to my SR60s at my desk while using my computer, they have never left my office. I have also owned them for less than a year. So far the foam ear pads have disintegrated to the point my ears look like they're seasoned with black pepper after I wear them. Also mysteriously the cord branching to the right ear has twirled into something that resembles a cocktail straw halfway through an awkward first date. Miraculously the embarrassingly ugly super chintzy pleather headband and the sloppily molded hollow plastic parts AND those shiny sticks on the sides that curiously resemble metal haven't simultaneously all burst into smithereens after listening to hours upon hours of European free jazz (ruptured ear drums have some advantages!!) is well probably more than miraculous, it's probably impossible. They should be studied by physicists. Maybe the neighborhood crows can use them for nesting or something.

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I put these headphones into my iPod and played one of my favorite songs. Usually, I will listen for about 30 seconds, take the headphones off to listen for bleed to the outside world, etc. I couldn't take… them off. They sounded CONSIDERABLY BETTER THAN ANY SUB-$100 HEADPHONES I HAVE EVER HEARD. It was a beautiful experience, and I hadn't even broken them in yet. The bleed to the outside world is considerable -- and I don't listen to music too loud. You probably shouldn't wear these on an airplane or bus. Otherwise, these headphones are superb and a very high recommendation.

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