Perfect sound poured into your ears!

Research precludes every major purchase I make, and the Grado SR225s are a perfect example of why research is critical to GREAT buying decisions!

I am an audiophile and videophile, and decided I needed to explore high-end headphones to get the most out of my iPod 5G 30gig player. I am also a college administrator, so am necessarily constrained by budget. So began my search, and my requirements, for the holy grail of headphones. I am always reading about audio and video equipment even when I am not in a buying mode, so it goes without saying that I was very in tune with the "universe" of options. In fact, I already use Shure e2c inner-ear monitors (IEM). I love their versatility (perfect for business trips and the gym), noise-isolation properties, and their compact size and suitability for travel. Their sound I would give a strong 8 out of 10. When properly placed in your ear, they give strong mid-bass, solid bass, and good highs. But I knew there was more, even as much as I love the Shures.

Grado SR225s are the "more" I knew existed!

The phones sound, in a word, transformational. They transform music into a listening experience. You can literally listen to well-recorded music and hear the breath and lip-movement of especially quiet passages. Yet this focused detail is not distracting or annoying. Instead it is revealing. It allows you to go deeper into the music.

They are transformational because they reproduce the music so accurately and cleanly, you can forget you're not listening to live performance. Close your eyes and you can identify where on the soundstage each instrument is, where the vocalist is, and its all reproduced with exacting clarity. Again, it manages to do all this without being tiring or harsh. Its smoooooth. I found this especially reveals the quality of the recording equipment and technique used. For instance, listening to a quality recording of Ray Charles from the 50s followed by Diana Krall's Christmas CD is mind-blowing. Other systems, even my home system, doesn't do as good a job of opening up the recording.

They are transformational because the noise floor (hiss and that sort of thing) with these is all but non-existent. When you hear a tune with quiet passages, you literally don't hear ANYTHING.

The instruments I love to hear most on these are upright bass, piano, and textured vocals (Diana Krall's voice has amazing inflection, and her working of single notes is lush, but its always been lost to me until I heard her through these headphones.

I listen to Hip Hop, Jazz, Latin Jazz, Gospel, Blues, and spoken word primarily, and these have truly shined on all formats. The bass is tight and deep, not boomy and rattling. The midrange is just gorgeously round and . . . juicy. The highs are accurate and precise, not shrill and hard on your ears. And most importantly, they all blend beautifully into what is the most enjoyable, rewarding, addictive listening environment I have ever experienced, in more than 15 years of seeking the best speakers my money could buy.

I thought I was going to need an amp to drive these headphones, but I do not. The iPod powers them beautifully. I also find myself listening at lower and more moderate volumes because these are so clean. I have made it a passion to listen to live performances because I really do feel transported. On an older live recording of Ray Charles I could actually hear him talking to his band, band members' feet tapping across the beat, and audience members individually voicing their approval. I truly felt like I was sitting in a dark old club with them. But I still want to amp them to really pull even more accurate sound through them.

The headphones are not perfect, of course. They aren't the prettiest girl at the dance, but they are the best dancer and most fun girl at the dance. They fit my head perfect and the cushions are all-day long comfortable for me, even though these are two of the chief criticisms people have made.

I have loved the retro look (to be kind) even before owning them, but others disagree. They are plasticy and vinyl covers the headband. The speakers make full, independent rotations and fold flat, but they don't seem too easily transportable.

They are open-air designs, so people around you will have to hear the residual sound when you are in company. Therefore, they are not suitable for listening in public.