Grado SR80 and SR125

The Editors’ Choice Grado SR60 have six bigger siblings; the SR80 and SR125 are the most affordable of the lot. (The top-of-the-line RS1 will set you back a cool $700.) Unlike most manufacturers, where there’s no guarantee that the more you spend the better sound you’ll get, as you go up the Grado line you get more of everything: better detail, better bass response, better soundstage, and so on. How high up the ladder you should go depends on how much you can afford, how good your ears are, how good your source is, and how serious you are about your sound. We think the SR80 and SR125 are the “sweet spots” for most people; anything higher up is wasted on an iPod or computer. Both of these models will sound better than the SR60 directly out of your iPod, but their higher prices will be more easily justified when you listen out of your home stereo (or a dedicated headphone amp, like the HeadRoom BitHead, connected to your iPod or computer).–Dan Frakes