« on: July 18, 2010, 09:49:50 PM »
The Grado SR60 has long been hailed as a true headphone classic. Very affordable, yet offering sound beyond those of its contemporaries, the SR60 satisfied the ears of tough audiophiles and came to be known as "the" entry-level headphone to the world of hi-fi.
Back in December last year I had the opportunity to pick up the SR60i -- the "improved" version of the SR60 which has larger cups. The picture here on this page is the older SR60, but
the SR60's sold today are all of the "i" type; the larger cups space the drivers further away from your head, purportedly to give you a larger soundstage. They also have some minor revisions to the driver. So how does this improved version of the old classic hold up today?
It's all about The Fit
Well for starters, the new comfy pads they ship with as opposed to the bowls are definitely comfier and help in letting you wear the SR60i for long periods of time. Grado's tend to be criticized for fit and comfort but I had no problems wearing the SR60i for hours on end. And that's good, because you can't really get into a headphone if you are constantly reminded of how your head or ears hurt from wearing them.
So after wearing and listening to the SR60i for many, many hours, I have managed to dissect the components of its sound and realized quite a few things.
Legendary Mids
First -- the Grado's truly deserve their reputation for rich, visceral mids. Playing some Guns N' Roses on the SR60i delivers Axel Rose's screaming vocals right into your face. The guitar riffs are suitably lush and have that crunch that brings a smile to any rock lover's face. It is this powerful, full-bodied mids that are responsible for the "Grado House Sound" that put Grado on the map.
They are here in all their glory in the SR60i's and give you a taste of what to expect in all the Grado's further up the chain. Even as an entry-level model, the SR60i is a good representation of what you will get even from the company's top end models. It may lack in refinement and fine resolution and separation compared to the higher-end models but nobody should feel like they got a crippled, poor man's version of anything with the SR60.
The SR60i also has a very forward character. These rich mids are aggressively thrown at you and make it sound like the band is right in front of your face. Again, this is typical Grado and a lot of people, particularly rock and metal fans, tend to favor it. Compared to the SR80i, the SR60i actually sounds more forward and aggressive, and I might actually prefer it over the SR80 for that reason. The two are very close brothers and have very few differences, but with the Grado sound I am thinking might as well play all the way to it strengths. The SR80i always felt just a little bit more muted and focused on the bass compared to the SR60i.
Moving on to the highs, the SR60i can sometimes sound a little harsh, but generally isn't an issue with most music. While I wouldn't term these as "smooth" by any stretch, the highs are still generally very listenable. They are a big improvement over the highs of the HD212 Pro for instance which just get plain screechy especially on distorted guitar tracks. These cans are definitely bright, with "hot" treble, but are not completely overwhelming in the glare. If that's your thing, these have it although the highs don't quite extend as high as, say, the AD700 or the K701. I generally don't find this a big deal, but I tend to be focused on the lows and mids when I listen to headphones.
The lows are also suitably impressive. Although far from being a bass-head's cans, the bass has a growl to them that should satisfy most people, even bass heads who aren't in a subterranean monster mood. As a huge bass lover myself, craving the company of bass favorites like the AKG K81 DJ, Beyer DT770 and even the Bose Triport OE, the SR60 never made me feel that I was missing that lower end thump. They certainly do a fine job with house, trance and even R&B, even if these are not these can's main strengths. I could easily get into the groove with Hed Kandi's latest mix, and that's all you can really ask for from a can's low end. There are much better headphone there with much stronger bass, but this one manages just fine as long as you aren't expecting the walls of your room to crumble down.
Flat, built like a brick....
One disappointment though is the very small apparent soundstage. Forward-sounding cans generally have a smaller soundstage, and despite the open-design the SR60i does not give a large sense of space, even with the improved cans. At this price range, I guess you cannot ask for miracles and the Grado Prestige line has never been known for expansive soundstage anyway. Soundstage is just not what you are getting with this set of cans.
With its relatively low impedance of 32ohms the SR60 also drives very well from any mp3 player. While not exactly the most portable of phones due to a non-folding design, long cable and the fat cups, the SR60i can be used on the go without lugging around an additional amp.
That said, the SR60i's, like most headphones, improve with even just a modest portable amp. The SR60i really opened up when I tried it with a Mini^3 and a GoVibe Petite. The midrange jumped out and reached as if to grab my soul! With the Petite there was a lot of tightening around the low end that really gave the bass slam and impact beyond what you'd expect in this price range. So while the SR60i can sound great off your iPod, I would definitely recommend getting a portable amp to pair with this on the go.
Maybe I can Blu Tak these...
Overall the SR60i is a great, bright-sounding phone. If I had any complaints with the Grado's, it would be in the physical design.
In terms of looks the SR60i looks more bulbous as the cups are less flat against your ear, and I actually prefer the flatter look of the older non-"i" series. Another complaint are the minor inconsistencies in the quality of the manufacture. The cable is made of rubbery plastic that has nicks and protrusions where it goes into the y-splitter and into the mini connector. The plastic on the cups don't seem finely machined and have small slivers on the shape. Although these have little to no effect on the sound, they really do remind you that Grado needs to hire better craftsmen or quality checkers!
My largest beef though is the headband strap. It's made of some black faux leather and work fine enough, but when you hang them over your neck (for instance, to take them off momentarily when someone is talking to you) the edge is not smoothly cut, digging into your neck with an itch that you just can't help but scratch.
But you know what? These are all just minor niggles in a product that is just simply a supreme value in its price range. At the end of the day the SR60s sound just plain incredible for the 4k to 6k you'll be paying for them. They aren't perfect, but the new SR60i definitely lives up to its reputation and remains the ideal entry into the world of audiophilia.
« Last Edit: July 19, 2010, 08:35:46 AM by Mochan »
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