grado sr 60 review

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Average Ratings

Sound Quality	8.8/10
Comfort Level	7.7/10
Value for Money	9/10
Reviewer Rating	9.1/10
Overall Rating	9.2/10

100% Recommended9 out of 9 Reviews

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  • airspring.'s review
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By airspring. on 25th Jul 2001

airspring.'s Ratings

Sound Quality	9/10
Value for money	8/10
Overall value	9/10
airspring.'s recommendation

Good Points

That sound.

Bad Points

The comfort, maybe not, but they aren't that robust.

General Comments

I bought a set of these headphones a little while ago for use with my hi fi separates after some research into different headphone makes and models. I looked at a set of Sennheiser 590 going cheap at a shop near ware I work, and although I was slightly impressed with their sound and extreme confront they turned out to be nothing compared to the excellence of the Grados.
The first time I heard the 60's I was more concerned with the 80-pound price tag rather than the sound. -You must understand I am a student, and that happens to be a lot of money to me, especially as I hadn't envisaged spending that on a set of headphones. When my friends enquired as to the cost of these vintage looking Grados they fell about laughing. - However the sound soon made me realise I simply had to have a pair of these. The sound was-and still is-fantastical the best I've heard; the bass clear, pure and well defined, where as the higher frequencies are very exact and distortion free. Even on the most of 'extreme' frequencies of Leftfield and The Prodigy can't stop the Grados from doing their job. They simply never distort no matter what the sounds you push through them.

Classical music too sounds well coped-with and extremely enjoyable. G.F. Handel's Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks has a huge lifting presence and power about it that smaller earphones (or earbuds) simply can't come close to. Vivaldi changes too; it has a greater fuller sound than when listened to through cheap speakers or cheap headphones you use for the television.
Change the music to REM, The Verve and other such guitar based bands, and you can hear individual instruments plainly on their own from others. You can also hear instruments and vocals, which were completely inaudible on the recording before you listened to it through the Grados. In short these headphones give the best listening experience I've ever had, with only electrostatic headphones only being able to top the Grado performance.

They do need a little time for the drivers to brake-in. I did detect a little vibration coming from them when I first bought them whenever I played a particularly low frequency track through them at some volume; though after the initial couple of months they'll be fine.

They are so very light in weight, the construction is to a minimum. There are no thick foam headbands or absurd earmuffs here, they are minimalist and not sporting any fancy gimmicks that claim to give 'Mega Bass,' or 'ultra low weight'. These headphones are simple, simple in internal design and simple in external design, they are for those who care about great sound and not whether their headphones will make them look cool.
The foam pad which the user's ear sits next to is more comfortable than that of the previous models, making wearing them for a couple of hours perfectly comfortable. As their design is minimalist these headphones aren't as comfortable as they could be, (Sennheisers are usually the best for comfort as a rule;) though with the newly designed foam ear pads they are perfectly exactly for some lengthy listening.
They don't happen to be over physically durable either, which isn't surprising considering the build. They're not designed to be thrown about and abused, and would brake very easily if you should sit on them, far example, so treat them with some respect and don't take them out of the house.

The Grado SR 60s do happen to designed in an 'open' fashion, meaning there are little holes on the sides of the headphones allowing the sounds to resonate better, and overall improve the quality of the sounds when compared to a set of 'closed' design headphones. (Please consult a good hi-fi magazine for more information on this subject as I won't profess to know too much.) The down side to having 'open' design headphones is every decibel of music is audible by those in modest proximity. The Grados leak sound, and they leak sound a great deal, so they're not for use on any form of public transport, or in a place where people are likely to take offence to your music. Sitting on a crowded bus in the morning on your way to work with a set of these headphones bleating out the Wu Tang Clan is likely to result in your being assaulted.

There is just one matter about these headphones that may put off some potential buyers, the look of them. They have a 1930's BBC radio presenter style about them that may not be to everyone's taste. They don't look particularly conformable ether, with the thin plastic and metal headband not seeming all that inviting. Having said that, you don't buy Salvador Dali to listen to it, do you? No. In the same light, you don't buy a set of headphones to hang then on your wall and muse over. It's not really the looks you should be after.

The cable is also a little short at around ten feet which can be difficult if you have a listening chair more than a few feet from your hi-fi, though it is at an impressive thickness. A gold plated adapter is supplied with the headphones allowing them to be used with both sizes of jacket socket. This is very handy as it allows you to use them with your hi fi separates at home, and a portable. (Talking of portables I have recently plugged these headphones into my portable Sony Discman, and I can tell you it has never ever sounded quite so brilliant. These headphones would probably make a cassette tape player sound good!)

When compared with a set of Sennheiser headphones the sound is the most obvious difference after the comfort. I had a good listen to a few sets of Sennheiser headphones especially the 590s (please note I didn't have the chance to try the much acclaimed 580s and 600s,) and I can honestly say that that although these Grados are cheaper in financial terms, the sound was far batter. They seemed to be more detailed in sound, better in weight and not sounding nearly so bright and uncomfortable. The sound on the Grado SR 60s was just better all round. They stir emotion, Sennheisers sadly don't.

At the end of the day, these are 80 quid ear Jacuzzi's. They are simply fantastic sounding and the fit is not all that bad at all. Buy some, and buy some Radiohead and Vivaldi to listen through them at the same time; with a good CD/MD player you should be immersed in sound.. (Steer clear of MP3 though, it's complete nonsense, and never sound have been invented.)

Total Respect: +18