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We've recently released our Test Bench 1.6 update for Headphones! Read the Latency R&D Article to learn more.

Grado SR125e/SR125 Headphones Review

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1
Reviewed May 30, 2016 at 02:02 pm
Latest change: Test bench update Nov 21, 2019 at 11:22 am
Grado SR125e/SR125 Picture
5.1
Mixed Usage
7.3
Neutral Sound
4.1
Commute/Travel
5.4
Sports/Fitness
4.6
Office
4.4
Wireless Gaming
6.2
Wired Gaming
1.5
Phone Call

The Grado SR125e are sub-par headphones for everyday casual use but have an above-average and open sound reproduction. They're comfortable and lightweight but will easily fall off your head. Their open-back design also doesn't block much noise and leaks a lot, which is distracting to the people around you even at moderate volumes.

Our Verdict

5.1 Mixed Usage

The Grado SR125e are designed for critical listening. They're not versatile enough for everyday headphones.

Pros
  • Lightweight and comfortable.
  • Above-average and open sound quality.
Cons
  • Easily fall off your head.
  • Flimsy, plasticky build.
  • Poor noise isolation, by design.
7.3 Neutral Sound

The Grado SR125e deliver decent sound quality and a wide, open soundstage that's great for neutral listening. They lack a little bass and sound slightly sharp at times, but they reproduce the detail in high-res audio with above-average accuracy.

4.1 Commute/Travel

The Grado SR125 aren't good for commuting. They're very open and don't block any noise, which isn't ideal for frequent commuters.

5.4 Sports/Fitness

The Grado 125e aren't intended for sports. They're unstable and the thick cable is bothersome. They're also a little uncomfortable.

4.6 Office

Not designed for the office. They don't block any office chatter and also leak enough to be distracting.

4.4 Wireless Gaming

The Grado SR125 aren't intended for wireless gaming.

6.2 Wired Gaming
1.5 Phone Call

The Grado 125e aren't intended for phone calls.

  • 5.1 Mixed Usage
  • 7.3 Neutral Sound
  • 4.1 Commute/Travel
  • 5.4 Sports/Fitness
  • 4.6 Office
  • 4.4 Wireless Gaming
  • 6.2 Wired Gaming
  • 1.5 Phone Call
  1. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
  2. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
  3. Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
  4. Updated Aug 10, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
  5. Updated Mar 01, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
  6. Updated May 30, 2016: Review published.
  7. Updated May 28, 2016: Our testers have started testing this product.
  8. Updated Apr 29, 2016: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Compared To Other Headphones

Grado SR80e/SR80

The Grado SR80e/SR80 are pretty much identical to the Grado SR125e/SR125. The SR125e have slightly thicker and more durable cables, but have the same design and build quality as the rest of the budget Grado line up. The SR80 are, therefore, a better value for your money since they have the same performance at a cheaper price point. They also do a bit better in the treble range, although both headphones are a bit too sharp and may sound piercing on already bright tracks. Also, the difference in the treble is within the margin of error for our sound test, since its consistency varies from person to person.

Test Results

Design
Design
Style
Type On-ear
Enclosure Open-Back
Wireless No
Transducer Dynamic

These headphones have the same retro appeal as the Grado SR60e/SR60 and Grado SR80e/SR80. They share the same open-back design, but they have slightly larger ear cups. They have an all-black color scheme, and they look decent overall. However, the plastic used in their build looks a little cheap.

7.0
Design
Comfort
Weight 0.32 lbs
Clamping Force
0.55 lbs

They're comfortable for an on-ear design. They're lightweight and don't apply too much pressure on the ears. They lack padding on the headband, although it's not too noticeable because of the lightweight design. Unfortunately, the padding used on the ear cups is a cushion-like material that's susceptible to wear and tear and doesn't feel as good on the skin as faux leather padding would.

0
Design
Controls
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use N/A
Feedback N/A
Call/Music Control No
Volume Control No
Microphone Control N/A
Channel Mixing
N/A
Noise Cancelling Control N/A
Talk-Through
N/A
Additional Buttons N/A
8.2
Design
Breathability
Avg.Temp.Difference 2 °C
6.1
Design
Portability
L 7.09"
W 6.69"
H 1.97"
Volume 93.31 in³
Transmitter Required N/A

These are moderately portable headphones. Like the Grado SR80e/SR80, they'll easily fit in a backpack, and the ear cups lay flat to take up less space. Unfortunately, they don't fold up into a more compact format and the thick cable is also a bit cumbersome. They also don't come with a carrying case or pouch, which is disappointing.

0
Design
Case
Type No case
L N/A
W N/A
H N/A
Volume N/A
5.5
Design
Build Quality

Build quality is subpar. They're lightweight, and their ear cups are dense enough not to get damaged by a few falls. However, they feel cheaply built and not as durable as some other on-ear models. Sadly, the plastic used for the ear cups and joints feels cheap. The joints look poorly glued together and very susceptible to moderate physical stress. The cushion-like padding on the ear cups is prone to wear and tear.

5.5
Design
Stability

These headphones like the Grado SR60e/SR60 and the Grado SR80e/SR80 don't have enough tension in the headband to provide a tight, stable fit. They will quickly fall off your head while jogging and the thick, and long cable can easily get hooked on something, yanking them off your head. They're somewhat stable during casual listening sessions, but leaning or tilting your head while listening will make them slide and potentially slip off your ears.

Design
Headshots 1
Design
Headshots 2
Design
Top
Design
In The Box

  • Grado SR125e headphones
  • 1/8" to 1/4" adapter

Sound
Sound
Sound Profile
Bass Amount
-5.6 dB
Treble Amount
1.59 dB
7.7
Sound
Frequency Response Consistency
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.46 dB
Sound
Raw Frequency Response
7.8
Sound
Bass Accuracy
Std. Err.
2.91 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
48.96 Hz
Low-Bass
-5.97 dB
Mid-Bass
-1.41 dB
High-Bass
-0.08 dB
8.6
Sound
Mid Accuracy
Std. Err.
1.91 dB
Low-Mid
0.13 dB
Mid-Mid
-0.22 dB
High-Mid
1.68 dB
5.9
Sound
Treble Accuracy
Std. Err.
5.15 dB
Low-Treble
4.12 dB
Mid-Treble
5.66 dB
High-Treble
-1.66 dB
7.0
Sound
Peaks/Dips
Peaks
2.14 dB
Dips
1.21 dB
8.8
Sound
Imaging
Weighted Group Delay
0.22
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.17
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.66
Weighted Phase Mismatch
5.98
6.0
Sound
Soundstage
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
3.31 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
0.64 dB
PRTF Distance
5.47 dB
Openness
9.8
Acoustic Space Excitation
9.0
7.9
Sound
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.100
WHD @ 100
0.273
Isolation
0.7
Isolation
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-1 dB
Noise Cancelling No
Bass
-0.06 dB
Mid
1.03 dB
Treble
-3.77 dB

These headphones have poor isolation. Due to the open-back design, isolation is poor. They don't isolate below 1kHz, and the isolation provided above 1kHz is negligible.

1.0
Isolation
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
65.83 dB

Poor leakage. Being open, these headphones are loud and leak a lot of sound. A significant portion of leakage is between 100Hz and 20kHz which is a very broad range. The leakage sounds loud, full, and present, and therefore could bother the people around you.

Microphone
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
N/A
In-line
N/A
Boom
N/A
Detachable Boom
N/A
Mic No
0
Microphone
Recording Quality
Recorded Speech
N/A
LFE
N/A
FR Std. Dev.
N/A
HFE
N/A
Weighted THD
N/A
Gain
N/A
0
Microphone
Noise Handling
Speech + Pink Noise N/A
Speech + Subway Noise N/A
SpNR
N/A
Active Features
not tested
Active Features
Battery
Battery Type
N/A
Continuous Battery Life
N/A
Additional Charges
N/A
Total Battery Life
N/A
Charge Time
N/A
Power Saving Feature
N/A
Audio While Charging
N/A
Passive Playback
N/A
Charging Port N/A
0
Active Features
App Support
App Name N/A
iOS N/A
Android N/A
macOS N/A
Windows N/A
Equalizer
N/A
ANC Control
N/A
Mic Control N/A
Room effects
N/A
Playback Control
N/A
Button Mapping N/A
Surround Sound N/A

No compatible app.

Connectivity
0
Connectivity
Bluetooth
Bluetooth Version
N/A
Multi-Device Pairing
N/A
NFC Pairing
N/A
Line of Sight Range
N/A
Default Latency
N/A
aptX Latency
N/A
aptX(LL) Latency
N/A
0
Connectivity
Non-Bluetooth Wireless
Non-BT Line of Sight Range
N/A
Non-BT Latency
N/A
9.0
Connectivity
Wired
Analog Audio
Yes
USB Audio
No
Detachable No
Length 5.6 ft
Connection 1/8" TRS
Wired Latency
0 ms
Connectivity
PC / PS4 Compatibility
PC / PS4 Analog
Audio Only
PC / PS4 Wired USB
No
PC / PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
Connectivity
Xbox One Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
Xbox One Wireless
No
0
Connectivity
Base/Dock
Type
N/A
USB Input
N/A
Line In
N/A
Line Out
N/A
Optical Input
N/A
RCA Input
N/A
Dock Charging
N/A
Power Supply
N/A