Grado SR325x

Sources split three ways over the same curve. Most — including the measuring reviewer who called it 'less bright, more neutral' — hear the X as the balanced, natural Grado. Others hear it as still unmistakably coloured and forward, built around a 2 kHz spike. A smaller group of Grado loyalists and one harsh critic hear the opposite problem: darker and duller than the old SR325e, with the house bite gone.

Mostly agreed to be the big change: reviewers hear crisp, sparkling highs that no longer screech or sibilate, and owners of older Grados call it the smoothest treble in the Prestige range. A minority still finds it bright, sibilant or 'metallic' around 4 kHz; a smaller one finds it too tame, 'a little lacking in highs'.

“The quick answer is no, it does not screech.”

Marvey, Super Best Audio Friends

“My problem with the Grados is that they're very sibilant/high-focused to a fatiguing amount, and they lack depth.”

CyanParadigm, r/headphones

The forward, present midrange is the SR325x's calling card for most sources — vocals up front with texture and attitude. The minority hears the same forwardness as a problem: Resolve rates it around a 'massive' 2 kHz resonance, MajorHifi finds higher vocals 'almost piercing', and one critic hears the opposite, a warm and veiled middle.

Broad agreement on the shape: tight, punchy, textured mid-bass with more weight than any previous SR325 — 'surprising oomph' for an open on-ear — over a sub-bass that still rolls off. Most hear that as plenty; What Hi-Fi and a few owners call it a little light next to closed headphones, and a couple of SR325e loyalists found the extra bass boomy.

“What impressed me right away was how strong and tight the bass was.”

Gary Alan Barker, Headphone.Guru

“The SR325x can sound a little bass-light in comparison to such products”

What Hi-Fi?

Most reviewers call it clean, articulate and insightful — clearer than the cheaper Prestige models and, to T3, unmatched at the price. The dissent is about resolution rather than clarity: Kinemoss kept his SR325e because the X is 'not as resolving', Everyday Listening calls it 'hardly class-leading', a Head-Fi owner found it congested with the stock pads, and one critic calls the driver 'lo-fi'.

Most sources hear the Grado signature intact — fast, zippy transients and punchy, energetic dynamics. The dissent comes from reviewers comparing it with the SR325e: Everyday Listening finds it not especially hard-hitting, Kinemoss less lively, and two critics call it flat or anemic next to the older model.

Generally well regarded: instruments are easy to place, separation is strong, and several owners single it out. The reservations are about busy mixes — an owner hears 'image separation isn't a strength' there, and pricier headphones like the Focal Clear pull clearly ahead.

“putting each musician in their own space”

Gary Alan Barker, Headphone.Guru

“The staging sort of falls apart and image separation isn’t a strength”

Onaha, HifiGuides Forums

Sources split on size. Most reviewers hear an open, spacious, speaker-like stage; others — including two reviewers and several owners — hear an intimate one, 'very small for an open back'. Pads decide much of it: the stock flat F pads put the driver on the ear and give the narrowest stage, while Grado's big G pads widen it dramatically at the cost of the stock tuning.

The biggest complaint, and a lopsided split. A third of the weighted evidence — mostly reviewers — finds it light and fine once the headband is bent to fit. Two-thirds find the thin F-cush pads press the driver onto the ear: owners and reviewers report pain after 20 minutes to two hours, it is worse with glasses, and Amazon owners mentioning comfort run 14 to 1 negative. Pad swaps and headband bending are the standard fixes, and they change the sound.

Split almost evenly, along the reviewer-owner line. Reviewers praise the aluminium cups and leather band as rugged and 'impressively robust'. Owners report the failures loan units don't show: dead or cutting-out drivers, a rod-block coming off within a day, glue and paint flaws, and the thick fixed cable failing at the cup after months. Amazon's durability mentions run 0 positive to 8 negative, and even fans call the plastic gimbals 'comical'.

Open-back by design: it blocks almost nothing and leaks freely both ways. Not a flaw for the type, but it rules out commutes, offices and shared rooms.

“provide almost nothing in the way of noise isolation from the environment”

What Hi-Fi?

“The design is especially open so isolation is almost non-existent”

Ryan Soo, Everyday Listening

Most sources call it strong value at $295 — 'a steal', 'among the very best pound-for-pound', easy to drive from a phone. The dissent is specific: owners who swapped its F pads onto a cheaper SR80x or SR60e heard nearly the same sound and returned it, and others argue better-rounded rivals cost the same. Amazon owners mentioning value run 7 to 5 positive.