Grado Labs iGrado Headphones Review
By Mark Brezinski
Reviewed.com Editorial Staff
Published on May 13, 2008
Just by looking at its name, you can probably tell the iGrado headphones from Grado Labs are intended for use with media players. Such is the power of the now-ubiquitous "i" prefix, which is actually from the Latin word insinuo: to insinuate, work one's way in, or intimate. Really, in a world where the term "media player" has been replaced with "iPod" it's hard to fault the iGrados for adopting such powerful nomenclature. Factor in the $49.99 price tag and the implied quality of the Grado brand and you've got yourself the makings of an inexpensive upgrade for everyone's favorite media player.
To be a media player's headphones, there is really only one criterion: portability. With a cord that's a bit less than four feet long, the iGrados reach to your pocket but won't leave a lot of cumbersome slack. As on-ear headphones, the iGrados are a bit bigger than the typical ear buds associated with media player use. Though they are smaller and lighter than most on-ear options, the band won't collapse. This means it'll look like you have a tiny hula hoop in your pocket.
There is a bit more to portability than size, however. For example, the iGrados' portability is hurt a bit by its open-backed design. Though open-backed headphones allow for an airy, open sound quality in an ideal (read: quiet) listening environment, they don't do much to keep the drone of the bus out of your head. It's very easy for the outside world to infiltrate your listening session, which really limits where you can feasibly take the iGrados. Also, open backs don't hold sound in well. Chances are, if you pump up the volume to drown out the sound of the morning train ride, the people around you will be able to hear every note.
We don't think the iGrados are particularly comfortable. The main issue is that the plastic band doesn't have much give, and fits tightly over our temples. After a few hours, the constant head squeezing hurts a bit. Of course, if these are only meant to be worn for an hour or less at a time, this issue may not crop up. This factor, however, combined with the open-backed design's inability to keep sound out, makes the iGrados just about the worst choice for airplane travel, second only to the wireless sets that mess with the pilot's equipment.
In terms of audio quality, the iGrados do all right, but they're not for audiophiles. They tend to play bass sounds fine, but anything from the mid-range up is played more softly than it should. Also, we found frequency response is a bit erratic in this territory: this means two neighboring pitches can be played at noticeably different volumes, placing unwanted deemphasis on certain frequencies. We also saw a spike in distortion toward the high end; that small range of frequencies sound a bit off. Other than this spike, however, the iGrado headphone showcases very minimal distortion.
The cord is a bit less than four feet in length, which will reach your pants pocket but not leave a ton of slack. The iGrados are also smaller than most on-ear sets, thanks mainly to its around-the-back-of-the-head design. Unfortunately, the plastic band might be a bit uncomfortable. Since it can't be adjusted, it feel stight against all but the tiniest of heads.
In the end, the iGrado headphones miss the mark a bit. In use, they're very limited. They can't feasibly be brought on your morning commute, unless you don't mind cranking up the volume, deafening yourself, and disturbing those around you. They also don't offer the best audio quality. The best quality is the $49.99 price tag, but even then they're so limited in use that the low price doesn't entirely redeem them. We think the iGrado headphones are best used for doing chores around the house: they'll allow portability, keep the sound close to your head, and presumably your house will be a much quieter listening environment than the train ride to work. You just need to pick up the dustpan and broom instead of that noisy vacuum cleaner.For a more in-depth review, visit the Grado Labs iGrado Review at our partner HeadphoneInfo.com
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