The Grado SR325 have good and open sound reproduction for critical listening. Unfortunately, they are subpar headphones for everyday use. They leak enough to be distracting to the people around you even at lower volumes and also will quickly fall off your head from slight physical activity. They also won't fare well in loud environments because they don't block any ambient noise.
Our Verdict
The SR325e are designed for critical listening. They're not versatile enough to be useful everyday headphones.
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Good and open sound reproduction.
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Decent build quality.
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Easily fall off your head.
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Poor noise isolation, by design.
The SR325e are above-average headphones for neutral listening. They have a good reproduction of instrument and vocals and a spacious soundstage thanks to their open back design. They lack a little bass but reproduce the detail in high-res audio with remarkable accuracy.
Not intended for commuting. They don't block any noise. The SR325 struggle in loud environments.
Not designed for sports. They're unstable, and the thick cable is bothersome. They're also a little uncomfortable and heavier than the other models in the Prestige series.
Not suitable for office use. They don't block office chatter, and they leak a lot which will be audible even at lower volumes.
- 5.1 Mixed Usage
- 7.5 Neutral Sound
- 4.2 Commute/Travel
- 5.2 Sports/Fitness
- 4.6 Office
- 4.3 Wireless Gaming
- 6.1 Wired Gaming
- 1.5 Phone Call
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
- Updated Aug 10, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
- Updated Mar 01, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Jun 10, 2016: Review published.
- Updated Jun 08, 2016: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated May 20, 2016: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Compared To Other Headphones
The Grado SR325e/SR325 and the Grado The Hemp Headphone are two similarly designed on-ear headphones. The SR325e/SR325 have a metallic design that are more comfortable, while the Hemp have a maple and hemp build. Both struggle to produce low-bass sound, but the SR325e/SR325 sound much brighter overall.
The Grado GW100 Wireless are better headphones than the Grado SR325e/SR325. They are wireless and offer more freedom to move, and are slightly more comfortable and more stable. They also have a microphone and pack a bit more bass. On the other hand, the SR325e are a bit more breathable and have a flatter mid-range, which is great for vocal-centric music. They also don’t have any latency, but the GW100 are compatible with aptX-LL for minimal latency issues and can also be used wired to completely get rid of it, even if the battery is dead.
Test Results
The Grado SR325e have the same style as the SR225e but with metal ear cups and a more premium appeal. They have a thick, black leather coating on the headband and the silver metal ear cups give these headphones a cool two-tone color scheme. They look better and more high-end than the previous models of the same series. Also, the ear pads like the SR225e are different from the SR80e, and SR125e. This makes these headphones look like an over-ear design although they are still on-ear headphones.
The Grado SR325e like the SR225e have a different ear pad design than that of the lower end models of the Prestige series. Unfortunately, this padding design is too small to fully encompass the ear like an over-ear headphone and too large to rest comfortably on the ears like an on-ear headphone. This causes slight discomfort when listening over long sessions, especially, for listeners with larger ears. The SR325 are also a little heavier than the other models in the series because of the metal ear cups. On the upside, they're not too tight on your head.
These headphones are somewhat portable but do not fold up into a more compact format. They are not too large, the ear cups fold flat, and the headband is thin wich takes up less space. They are bigger than most on-ear models but are still relatively smaller than a lot of over-ears. Unfortunately, they don't come with a case or pouch to carry them in which is a little disappointing.
The SR325e deliver a denser more robust design with metal ear cups. That combined with their lightweight design means they're able to handle a few drops without damage. They also have a thick, durable audio cable. Unfortunately, they have the same issues with the joints as the other models in this series. They're plasticky, feel poorly glued together and have a few flaws in the finish of the plastic that makes the headphones look a little cheap and not durable.
The Grado SR325e are not stable headphones. Like the other models in this series, these headphones do not have enough tension in the headband to deliver a good stable fit. They also have the thick non-detachable audio cable that will yank the headphones of your head if it gets hooked on something. Unfortunately, the additional weight of the metal ear cups of the SR325 model makes them sway even more during physical activity. On the upside, they're able to stay in place during casual listening sessions as long as you don't tilt your head too far or too fast.
Poor isolation. Due to the open-back of these headphones, the isolation is poor by design. They barely isolate any external sound in Bass and Mid Ranges, and only 8dB in the Treble Range.
Poor leakage. Being open headphones, it is natural for them to be loud and leak a lot of sound. The majority of the leakage happens between 200Hz and 20KHz which is quite a broad range. The leakage on these headphones sounds loud and present, and could bother the people around you, even at low listening levels.
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