You’ve probably never thought about succession in headphones, but just like taking on your family’s business legacy, Grado’s SR225x steps up to continue the tradition. It’s the successor to the beloved SR225e, a favorite among headphone enthusiasts for nearly a decade. Grado, known for its iconic look, introduces upgrades like the “F cushion,” enhancing textured tones, an improved headband, and a more durable cable. The star feature is the 4th generation X Series Driver, promising a more powerful magnetic circuit and reconfigured diaphragm.
The SR225x maintains the family resemblance but adds modern touches. The unboxing is minimalist yet informative. In terms of usability, it’s suitable for home use but not an ultra-portable option due to its slightly heavier construction. A standout surprise is its unexpected aptitude for PC gaming, providing an open soundstage and impressive mid-range and dynamic bass response.
In terms of sound, the SR225x impresses with a warm and nuanced middle range, punchy lows, and a well-balanced presentation across genres. The headphone excels in reproducing vocals.
The Grado SR225x successfully follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, the SR225e. With enhanced build quality, remarkable sound, and a stylish design, it lives up to the family name and sets a new standard in this price range.
The clarity and range of Grado headphones can reveal new notes and details in songs heard hundreds of times. The driver and housing working in tandem react to sound vibrations and virtually eliminate transient distortions. With warm harmonic colors, smooth top-end, excellent dynamics, and a world renowned mid-range, the SR225x produces a sound that’s pure Grado.
Features
- Polycarbonate housing
- 8 conductor cable
- Vinyl headband
- Drivers matched .05db
- De-stressed driver
- F cushions
- Hand assembled in Brooklyn
4th Generation Grado drivers are here. Specifically tuned for the SR225x, this new speaker design features a more powerful magnetic circuit, a voice coil with decreased effective mass, and a reconfigured diaphragm. Reengineering these components for our 44mm drivers improve efficiency, reduces distortion, and preserves the harmonic integrity of your music.
Customer Reviews
I've put this review off for a few weeks to make sure I can give an adequate review. What follows is my experience with the headphones from unboxing, to now. These are my first pair of Grados.
The package was small and minimalist, which i very mush appreciate. The box was just large enough to safely hold and transport the headphones. Inside the box were the headphones, a small amount of packing material, and a folding pamphlet with pictures (advertisements, essentially) of their other products. Unfortunately no care / maitainence information was provided, but I didn't subtract any stars for that.
As for sound quality, there isn't much to say here. Grado has a reputation for a reason, and its the fantastic sound.
The build quality is where they lose me a bit. The headphones are mostly plastic with a metal mesh grill, this isn't a problem as it makes the headphones light and comfortable. However, the molded plastic parts have obvious craters and blemishes where i assume the plastic was injected to the mold. While annoying slightly, I don't mind enough to subtract points. Where i will ding them, and this is annoying enough to get two stars off my personal rating, is the cable and where the cable meets the housing/drivers.
The cable is a long, stiff, braided cable. The cables inflexibility makes it awkward to maneuver, and constantly crinkly. The yolk where the cables meet is also just as stiff, and i could never get it to lay flat without twisting on one side or the other. this causes one side or the other to rub uncomfortably against my cheek when bobbing my head.
However, the WORST thing about my experience with the headphones is a clicking sound coming from the drivers that occurs when the cables shift laterally in a specific way. This also sometimes happens when bobbing my head, and when it does, completely breaks my immersion. I'm subtracting two stars for this issue alone.
I really love the sound of these headphones, but some build quirks prevent me from loving these.
These headphones are used only on my iMac, nearly always on Youtube
sources, mainly music. They are very linear, have great bass, clean highs,
excellent musicality. Highly recommended, a great bargain.
I bought these headphones in 2019 thinking they would last a long time, but the cord has failed on me twice. In 2023, one side of the headphones went out. I got it repaired by Grado themselves for $80. Two years later, the same thing happened - no audio in one side. My Apple EarPods have lasted longer than these, and they have been thru much worse conditions. I am very dissatisfied, especially since Grado promised that the quality would improve over time, but the quality has slowly gotten worse, even after buying new cushions. Also, not to mention, these headphones were very uncomfortable for the first 2 years I had them. The headband is poorly constructed and has begun cracking and falling apart at year 6. You can tell it’s mostly plastic and not leather. As a long term user, I would recommend your money go somewhere else if you want a product that will last a long time.
Good shit
an excellent upgrade to SR 80 e which was a classic