I have a great chance to test two models of Grado SR225e vs SR325e and share with you my impressions of these high-end open-air headphones of on-ear wired design.
Features
The headphones have equal impedance of 32 Ohm and sensitivity of 100 dB. Grado SR225e vs SR325e falls back a bit with the frequency response 20Hz-22KHz vs 18Hz-24KHz.
Sound
The Grado SR225e has a deep and wide soundstage. They sound very accurate and warm. The vocals and instruments are very clear and even harsh at times being a high-res audio. The SR-325e has a heavier bass. They sound quite neutral with quite a clear balance of highs, mids, and lows. The soundstage of both models is very spacious for their open-back design. The imaging places you inside the music scene with distinct directions of sounds behind and in front of you.
Comfort and design
The on-ear design is comfortable as it does not make my ears sweat and hot. The padding on cups is sufficient but plain. The headband padding seems more comfortable and improved in the headphones Grado SR325e vs SR225e. However, the latter is lighter with its 280 vs 355 g of SR325e.
You may improve the comfort adjusting the headband that is possible in both the models. The cups are not foldable but lay flat to take less space.
GRADO SR225e pros and cons
Pros
- Incredibly spacious soundstage with clear imaging and flat ranges of sound
- Does not make ears sweat for long listening thanks to the open back on ear design of cups
- Moderately portable with cups laying flat, thin headband, and light weight to carry
Cons
- Very leaky sound and no noise suppression for the open back cups
- No stable and cheap design with plastic cups and not durable fabric of cushions
GRADO SR325e pros and cons
Pros
- Slightly more pumping bass compared to SR225e
- Clear and neutral sound
- Improved design with metal ear cups and thicker paddings compared to previous model
Cons
- Feel not very durable in built and joints
- Open cups design makes everyone around hear your music and does not keep you from the sounds from beyond