Grado is the kingI bumpped into Grado headphone by while wandering around at a local audiophile store many years ago, and it blew me away and I never bothered with speakers and amps since. Didn't know headphone can be this much fun! These retro looking cans are extremely neutral and faithful to the source. I've been using my SR125 at work for 7 years nonstop, they are as good as new. During which time, I stepped on the cord with the cans on my ears, dropped cans on the floor countless times. The foam ear pieces are pretty flat now. But the cans are as good as ever, with nothing going loose, disconnected or falling apart. These cans are made to last for sure.
Got myself a pair of SR325, equally fantastic. A lot more expensive than this SR125. Worth the upgrade? Probably more for my fragile ego more than anything else. I tried expensive cans of different brands, none come close.
Only downside to the Grado is your roommate will share some of your music if the volumn is high enough. After all, these are open cans, that's where the fantastic Grado sound comes from. Some says the cans pinch ears too hard over long period time of continuous listening, I completely agree. But I think the beauty and strength of these Grados are the simplicity and straightforward design and fabrication based on a ingenious and insightful idea. That idea is simply superior than other things out there. That is why you got the Grado sound at such reasonable price.
IMHO, SR125 is as good as anything out there. It's probably like this, Horse draw cart to Model T is a revolution; and so is Grado cans to everything else.
