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  • The Outfit

  • The Audio

  • The Bottom Line

  • The Insides That Count

  • Frequency Response

  • Distortion

  • Other Tests

  • The Outfit
  • The Audio
  • The Bottom Line
  • The Insides That Count
  • Frequency Response
  • Distortion
  • Other Tests

Meanwhile, a little plant in Brooklyn, NY diligently toils away without a single advertisement. Founded in the 1950s by a gifted Sicilian watchmaker, time-honored Grado Labs just released its newest hand-assembled family member, the SR80e open-backed headphones (MSRP $99). An update to an older model, the SR80e on-ears seek to impress listeners with updates like patented polycarbonate materials for lowered distortion, and precious metal flourishes that resist corrosion.

Whatever its fancy components, the SR80e is certainly worth a listen: Thanks to its open-backed form factor and quality guts, these on-ears deliver truly excellent sound. They won't work for commutes or public places—open backs mean that outside noise gets in, and inside sound leaks out—but for a private space, the Grado SR80e is nothing short of an outstanding choice.

The Outfit

Luxurious listening, durable design

There are so many great things to say about this product's hand-assembled ensemble. To begin with, the SR80e on-ears are extremely comfortable. The foam speaker pads are soft and large, and the band applies enough clamping force for a firm fit, but not enough to cause your ears to ache. I was able to wear these for the better part of a day before my ears felt tired. I also appreciated the six-foot long cable, which gave me plenty of wiggle room at my desk.

The Grado S80e open-backed headphones are sizable over-ears.

These over-ears are pretty sizable headphones, and they don't collapse at all—just one more reason to keep them at home on a desk.

The components are quite durable, as well. Grado outfits various components with a type of platinum called rhodium, for instance, to help prevent corrosion of vulnerable connections. Hefty metal rods join the cups safely to the band. A thick, brawny cable uses solid reinforcements at every joint, and the foam speaker pads are replaceable—adding yet another measure of longevity to this already super-durable product.

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These belong in a quiet, stationary place: Think John Cusack making mix tapes in High Fidelity.

In case you're wondering, you definitely shouldn't take these headphones on your commute: If you do, you risk looking like Indiana Jones with the sprawling 6.83-foot long cable; outside noise masks and distorts your music because of the open-backed design; and you'll bother everyone in the vicinity with your Creedence Clearwater Revival. These belong in a quiet, stationary place: Think John Cusack making mix tapes in High Fidelity. Finally, the only extra included in the box is a gold-plated stereo adapter—no carry case, microphone, or remote.

The Audio

High quality from the inside out

As a headphone critic, one of the most enjoyable moments you can experience during the review process is when an instrument you never really noticed before suddenly stands out in a familiar song—which is precisely what happened to me while listening to the Grado SR80e open-backs. You think: Wow, I never noticed that soft tambourine in the background before.

Metal coils crackling across the underside of a snare, clapping hands, twinkling chimes, the initial touch of an animal-hair bow against a taut string—delicate details just flood forth with impressive auditory detail.

Generally, I listen to headphones prior to running tests on them. Last week, I slipped the SR80e headphones on and hit play. The first thing I noticed was that delicate musical details and gentle overtones stood out with impressive clarity. Metal coils crackling across the underside of a snare, clapping hands, twinkling chimes, the initial touch of an animal-hair bow against a taut string—delicate details just flood forth with impressive auditory detail.

From top to bottom, every note in the book is expertly emphasized to retain high levels of detail and clarity.

Sure enough, testing revealed very judicious balance across the audible spectrum. Bass notes are plenty strong without receiving inordinate volume; middle notes on strings, brass, percussion and the rest are perfectly audible; and high notes ring forth with ample volume. Literally, from top to bottom, every note in the book is expertly emphasized to retain high levels of detail and clarity.

Another standout feature of the SR80e on-ears is that they deftly avoid high amounts of perceptible distortion, or that unwanted mechanical noise that sometimes underpins your music during playback. The open speaker backs allow sound waves to travel outward as they would in an open space, which prevents music from bouncing around an enclosure, as with closed-back types. Where many headphones produce a prominent and unwanted ssssss sound that clutters the background of a soundstage, the SR80e doesn't.

During testing, I could see coworkers from across the room head-bopping to my Led Zeppelin. If you absolutely need something for a public office and you have a smaller budget, the excellent Sony MDR-7506 might be your best bet.

Of course, the SR80e can't do everything well. I discovered an imbalance in volume in the left and right speakers that occurs in the high end, for example. Luckily, the flaw is mild enough that most listeners won't notice, but it's something for picky listeners to look for just in case.

Nor are these headphones made for commutes or noise blocking. Since these are open-backed, you can hear outside noise all too easily, even if you crank up the volume; conversely, your neighbors will hear your music because sound also leaks out. During testing, I could see coworkers from across the room head-bopping to my Led Zeppelin. If you absolutely need something for a public office and you have a smaller budget, the excellent Sony MDR-7506 might be your best bet.

The Bottom Line

High fidelity, low price

Enthusiasts in search of headphones to use in private, stationary spaces need look no further than the Grado Labs SR80e open-backed on-ear headphones. For just $99, this American-made product delivers extremely detailed audio, plush design, and tons of clarity.

On the topic of comparison shopping, many buyers will no doubt compare the SR80e to the beloved Sony MDR-7506. The Sonys are certainly the better choice if you require similar performance with closed speaker backs, but the Grados boast lower distortion and more natural-sounding audio.

They won't do for commutes or public spaces due to the open-backed speakers, but there are still plenty of reasons to invest in these excellent Grado headphones.

So while they won't do for commutes or public spaces due to the open-backed speakers, there are still plenty of reasons to invest in these excellent Grado headphones.

The Insides That Count

Headphones have a big job to do, and we like to give each pair a run for its money using a robot, an audio lab, and a judgmental software suite. Grado's SR80e (MSRP $99) didn't crumble under pressure, though; from the comfortable form factor and durable parts, to the tasteful frequency response and low distortion, these affordable open-backed headphones really shine.

Frequency Response

You never know what a set of headphones will do when you plug them into a source. Will they rattle your brains with a blaring bass response? Will they pierce ears with grating high notes? We run a test to find out.

Grado's SR80e on-ear headphones really impressed in this regard. Bass and sub-bass are much flatter than what we normally find on sub-100 dollar headphones. Mixers and hobbyists will love this refined low end; when headphones abstain from boosting bass, it means users can alter the sound profile themselves without introducing tons of added distortion. Happily, I also noted that the entirety of the midrange—including the often-neglected overtones that live between 3 and 5kHz—is perfectly audible, as well. Rounding out this expertly balanced soundscape, very high notes between 6kHz and 10kHz sound forth with plenty of volume.

With emphasis like what I found on the SR80e, every instrument gets its time in the sun; from thumping bass, to softly rattling tambourines, to trilling female vocals, every note sounds perfectly audible and judiciously balanced.

For the most part, the SR80e headphones maintain a very flat response, which means you can equalize your music without introducing lots of distortion.

Distortion

Although I've found better results on other models this year, Grado's SR80e still performed quite well in terms of distortion. Where many headphones produce a soft ssssss sound in the background of a soundstage, the SR80e does not. Likely due to the open backs and other strategic build qualities, sound frequencies have plenty of space to travel, as opposed to bouncing around inside of a closed speaker.

When we run distortion tests, we hope to find no more than 3% of total harmonic distortion across the entire spectrum. On the SR80e, I found 4.8%, with most of the distortion occurring in the sub-bass range. Since human ears are less sensitive to sub-bass frequencies, and since these Grados don't exaggerate that portion of the range anyway, I never experienced noticeable distortion during music listening.

Grado's SR80e open-backed headphones keep distortion below 2% throughout most of the audible spectrum.

The SR80e open-backed headphones keep distortion below 2% throughout most of the audible spectrum.

Other Tests

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Meet the tester

Virginia Barry

Virginia Barry

Former Managing Editor

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Virginia is a former Managing Editor at Reviewed.com. She has a background in English and journalism. Away from the office, Virginia passes time with dusty books & house cats.

See all of Virginia Barry's reviews

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