Grado Labs SR60

Who's It For

Audiophiles

The Grado SR60s offer pretty good sound quality, but not the best. The main source of the problem lies in the padding: porous foam forms a terrible seal around the ear. Also, while some prefer an open-back design, it requires an ideal listening environment or else If you get a chance to try on both, compare the SR60s to the Bose QuietComfort 3 headphones: the soft pleather-covered padding on the QC3s forms a good seal.

Portable User

The six-foot length of cord dangling from the SR60s don’t make these the most portable headphones. Also, as on-ear headphones, you can’t exactly shove these in a pocket when you’re done with them. That being said, if you don’t mind three feet of extra cable, the SR60s are a light-weight on-ear option.

Airplane Traveler

Those in airplanes will find these things almost useless. You’d have to turn up the volume so loud that you’d damage your hearing. Open backs are really only a viable option in a quiet listening environment.

Home / Office Use

The SR60s best fit in a home theater or audiophile setup. Here, the open-backed design can create an airy, open soundstage unimpeded by ambient noise. The only issue here would be whether or not the six feet of cord is long enough to reach your sound system.

Conclusion

Really, we can’t say much more about the SR60s that we didn’t already say in their value section. They look like cheap plastic or, at best, provide some ‘80s nostalgia aesthetics. Their sound quality is never bad, but it’s not really outstanding either. They’re also not the most comfortable headphones out there, although again they aren’t really uncomfortable. Really, the SR60s are either average or above average across the board. If you strictly measure what you’re getting for how much you’re paying, however, the SR60s are a great deal at $69. We’d recommend the SR60s to anyone who is looking at entering the higher-end zone of home theater headphones, but doesn’t want to pay audiophile prices. As long as their open-backed design isn’t a detriment, the SR60s are a good pair of on-ear headphones for pocket change.