By aspect — in detail
Tonality
Contested · 7 srcThe central Grado argument, and it's genuinely split. The SR325x is an energetic, presence-forward, bright-of-neutral voicing — but reviewers disagree sharply on whether that lands as 'linear, neutral and natural' or as an 'aggressive, mid-forward, one-of-a-kind' tilt that can tip into piercing. Both camps are describing the same measured presence lift; they part ways on how it feels.
Measured
The Prestige house tuning runs energetic and presence-forward: the family FR (RTINGS' SR325e/SR325, the graph Home Studio Basics reproduces) shows a lift around 2 kHz and an upper-treble peak near 9–10 kHz over a sub-bass that rolls off. The 4th-gen X driver and flatter F-pads soften that tilt without flattening it — so the 'aggressive' and 'neutral' readings are the same balance heard by different ears.
Where it splits
Linear, neutral and natural — tonally uncoloured, not the caricature bright-Grado you'd expect.60%
“Music ebbs and flows in a manner that’s tonally uncoloured.”
Kob Monney, Trusted Reviews
An aggressive, mid-forward, one-of-a-kind Grado tilt — energetic and, to some, a bit extreme.40%
“their EQ balance is quite truly one-of-kind, maybe even a bit extreme”
MajorHifi
Broadly agreed to be the big change: the X driver and new pads tame the classic Grado glare, so most reviewers now hear the highs as crisp and present but controlled — even sibilance-free on some material. The dissent is that the measured upper-treble energy is still there, so treble-sensitive listeners (and owners of the older, hotter 'e') can still find sparkle that tips into sibilance at volume.
“Vocal sibilance? None, despite the proliferation of Ss in the opening lyrics.”
Addicted To Audio
“the typical Grado sound: Sparkle at the top, plenty of air, and a somewhat Sibilant sound when you push the volume”
Stuart Charles Black, Home Studio Basics (on the predecessor SR325e)
Measured
The family FR carries an upper-treble peak near 9–10 kHz that drives the Grado 'sparkle' and fast transient feel; the X's revised driver and flatter F-pads are why most SR325x reviewers now call it 'not overly' bright where the older 'e' read as hot and sibilant.
The forward, present midrange is core to the SR325x and mostly a strength — vocals and instruments are pushed to the front with clarity and bite. The recurring caveat is that the very forwardness, centred on the family's ~2 kHz lift, can swing bright and turn 'almost piercing' on higher vocals at volume.
“Clarity verges on purity with Jessie Buckley’s voice in Country Girl, the tone of her voice rendered sharply but naturally.”
Kob Monney, Trusted Reviews
“The mids balance swings bright, and introduced a strong, almost piercing quality to higher vocals that at times was a little piercing but at other times got me hyped.”
MajorHifi
Measured
The ~2 kHz presence lift on the family FR is what makes the midrange read as forward — natural and 'ripping with vengeance' to most, occasionally shouty/piercing at high volume for mid-sensitive listeners.
Agreement on the shape, a mild split on the verdict. The mid-bass is tight, clean and well-defined, and the X driver gives it more weight than the cheaper Prestige models — but the sub-bass, as on any open on-ear, rolls off. Most hear that as 'tight and enough'; the more bass-minded hear it as simply light. Either way it's not a bass-first headphone.
“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?
Measured
Addicted To Audio measured bass extension down to a 'slightly muted' 32 Hz first harmonic, with the open design rolling off the deepest sub-bass; open-back 44 mm 4th-gen dynamic driver, 18 Hz–24 kHz.
Detail
Strong consensus · 6 srcA near-universal strength: reviewers hear the SR325x as clean, crisp, articulate and precise — clearer and more insightful than the cheaper Prestige models, and a good chunk of its appeal. The lone caveat is one reviewer noting it isn't the most technical set in its class next to pricier planars.
“the SR325x sound notably cleaner and clearer than before”
What Hi-Fi?
“The overlaying melodies of the similar sounding wind instruments were relayed with sufficient precision to easily discern one from the other.”
Gary Alan Barker, Headphone.Guru
Measured
Some of the perceived detail rides on the bright presence/treble region, which is roughly the point Everyday Listening makes in listing 'Not the most technical in-class' as its one sonic reservation.
Dynamics
Strong consensus · 5 srcThe other half of the Grado signature and a consistent high point: fast, punchy and 'exciting,' with the snap and pace that make it feel alive rather than polite — the trait reviewers mean when they call it fun, especially on rock and anything guitar-driven.
“Dynamic control was excellent.”
Addicted To Audio
“The dynamics of the crescendos were fully realized creating an exciting wall of sound”
Gary Alan Barker, Headphone.Guru
Imaging
Strong consensus · 4 srcWell regarded: instruments are easy to place, separation is clean, and the metal-cup design is credited with 'vivid positioning' — each player sitting in its own space. Strong for the price and a help for acoustic and live recordings.
“putting each musician in their own space”
Gary Alan Barker, Headphone.Guru
“resulting in a vivid positioning of the various tracks in a mix”
MajorHifi
Soundstage
Contested · 6 srcEveryone agrees the open back breathes — it's airy and spacious for a closed-adjacent on-ear — but they split hard on size. One camp hears a huge, open, room-filling stage; the other hears something alluring but intimate, 'a little small' and constrained around the head, and even a touch less open than the previous generation. Pad choice swings it, as on every Grado.
Where it splits
Open and expansive — the design bestows real space and room.63%
“The open-design of the headphones bestows plenty of space and room.”
Kob Monney, Trusted Reviews
Intimate and not actually that big — pleasant, but mostly stuck around your head.37%
“it did feel a little small, mostly constrained around my head rather than reaching out past me”
MajorHifi
Genuinely contested, and the split is physical. It's light with a modest clamp, and to some it's comfortable for the price — even 'exemplary.' To others the on-ear foam 'F-cush' pads press the hard driver against the ear, tire it within an evening, and fight glasses, so it's not an all-day headphone. It depends heavily on your ears and head, and pad-swapping is the known fix.
Measured
Light (~340 g per What Hi-Fi; Addicted To Audio measured 351.5 g incl. cable + adaptor), on-ear flat 'F-cush' foam pads, modest clamp. Everyday Listening notes the ears 'tend to tire' after an evening; pad-swapping is the standard comfort/tuning fix.
Where it splits
Light, modest clamp, comfortable for the price — even exemplary for some.36%
“the comfort of the Grado SR325x is exemplary for a headphone in this price range, light with just enough clamping force to keep it secure”
Gary Alan Barker, Headphone.Guru
The on-ear foam pads and design don't suit everyone — ears tire, and glasses make it worse.64%
“not everyone will get along with the new foam earpads, or the on-ear design”
What Hi-Fi?
The SR325x's headline upgrade over the plastic Grados: brushed-aluminium earcups and a real leather headband, and reviewers call the metal construction top-notch and impressively rugged. The offset is that it's still a hand-built, minimal design — squeaks, creaks and rough seams show up — and the thick 8-conductor cable is heavy and non-detachable.
“The build quality is top notch with the majority of the construction being metal with only the gimbal parts being plastic.”
Gary Alan Barker, Headphone.Guru
“Other small niggles such as squeaks and creaks alongside mismatched seams and slightly mal-aligned model button all highlight that this is a hand-built product.”
Ryan Soo, Everyday Listening
Measured
Aluminium cups, leather headband and an 8-conductor cable (non-detachable, terminated in 3.5 mm with a 6.3 mm adaptor); What Hi-Fi calls the structure 'impressively robust' and durable in long-term use.
Isolation
Strong consensus · 3 srcOpen-back by design: essentially no passive isolation, and it leaks freely both ways. Expected for the type and not a flaw, but it rules out commutes, offices and shared rooms — a quiet-room headphone.
“The design is especially open so isolation is almost non-existent”
Ryan Soo, Everyday Listening
“provide almost nothing in the way of noise isolation from the environment”
What Hi-Fi?
Widely seen as strong value for the sound at $295 — 'class-leading' open-back performance, with more than one reviewer claiming it plays above its price. The dissent is real: the same critical voice that flags Grado's 'diminishing returns' argues a much cheaper Grado gets you most of the way, and What Hi-Fi cautions it only shows its full talents fed by a quality DAC rather than straight off a phone.
“nothing quite beats the Grado for communicating all elements of music faithfully and with such enthusiasm”
What Hi-Fi?
“I’m not sure that they’re worth the asking price when you could get 90-95% of the sound from the Grado SR60e”
Stuart Charles Black, Home Studio Basics (on the predecessor SR325e)
Measured
Easy to drive on paper (38 Ω, 99.8 dB), but What Hi-Fi hears its best only with an outboard DAC of Chord Mojo 2 / Astell&Kern SR35 quality, while Headphone.Guru found it 'well within the ability of my phone to drive' — a real split on how much source gear it demands.
