Grado's Prestige headphones look so alike from one decade to the next that most listings simply say "Grado SR80" and leave you to work out which one. That matters, because a pair from 1996 and a pair from 2016 have different drivers, cables and cups, even if the badge reads the same. Here's how the line developed, how to tell the generations apart in photos, and what goes wrong with them.
Where the Prestige series came from
Grado started as a phono cartridge maker. Joseph Grado founded it in Brooklyn in 1953, and his nephew John Grado bought the company in 1990 and steered it into headphones. The first ones were the expensive HP series around 1990. The model that made the company's name came in 1994, when Stereophile's Corey Greenberg reviewed a cheap new Grado called the SR60 and Grado showed it officially at the Consumer Electronics Show. John Grado later said the SR60 was the one that gave the company credibility.
The SR60 was the entry to a new range Grado called the Prestige series. When Stereo Review's Julian Hirsch tested the SR125 in the mid-1990s, he described the series as five models, the SR60, SR80, SR125, SR225 and SR325. All five share the same layout. A driver sits in a cup that hangs from two metal rods on a thin spring-steel headband, and a single cable runs from the plug to a Y-split and then up to each cup.
The generations, in order
- Original (no suffix). From 1994 for the SR60 and the mid-1990s for the rest, until 2008.
- i series. In 2008 Grado updated the whole line and added an "i" to every model name, with new drivers, a cable with more conductors and a larger cup.
- e series. 2014.
- x series. 2021, with what Grado called its fourth-generation driver, a 4-conductor cable on the SR60x and SR80x and an 8-conductor cable on the SR125x and up.
- Classic series. 2026, which replaced the Prestige x line.
The SR325 breaks the pattern. It got an improved "i" version in 2003, five years before everything else, finished in gold to mark Grado's 50th year. When the rest of the line went to "i" in 2008, the SR325i became the silver SR325is, and in early 2009 Grado had to confirm to confused buyers that the new SR325i was silver, not gold. So a gold SR325 is the 2003 model, not the original.
You may also read that early Prestige models used hemp drivers. The period reviews describe Mylar and polymer diaphragms, and Grado's Hemp headphone is a much later model with a wooden body. There was no hemp era for the SR series.
How to tell an original from a later pair
Start with the cups, because the badge won't help. Every Prestige model carries a round button on the back of each cup with the model number on it, and the originals and the i series both have one. The cup shape is the reliable tell. An original SR60 has a small, straight-walled cup about 5.5 cm across and 2.4 cm deep. The SR60i's cup is larger and tapered, about 6.3 cm across and 3.2 cm deep. The same change shows on the SR325, where the original's cups are straight and the SR325i's have two edges.
Next, look at the cable. The i series moved to a cable with a higher conductor count, which looks thicker, and the x series is thicker again. Then look at the plug. The original SR60 came with a 3.5 mm mini plug and a snap-on 1/4-inch adapter, while the original SR125 had a gold 1/4-inch plug.
Finally, check the color. The first SR325s had black anodized aluminum cups with gold lettering, and later originals were silver. Gold is the 2003 SR325i. Owners also report pink diaphragms on early drivers and white ones later, but treat that as lore, not proof.
What sets the models apart
The SR60 was built for Walkmans and portable CD players. It's a 32-ohm design with small flat pads and plain copper wire, and Greenberg drove it to loud levels from a cheap Walkman. The SR80 is one step up, with a 1¾-inch plastic-diaphragm driver. Grado calls it the best-selling model it has ever made, and it won a 1995 Golden Note award for its design.
The SR125 moved to UHPLC copper for the voice coil and wiring, bigger 75 mm pads and the full-size plug. Hi-Fi News reviewer Ken Kessler called its sound entry-level high-end. Hirsch measured it as very flat through the midrange, though he doubted the special copper made any difference. The SR325 was Grado's first model with metal cups, aluminum on the same frame, rated at 32 ohms and 96 dB.
All of them are easy to drive. Every original Prestige model is a 32-ohm design rated in the mid-90s of decibels, so a phone or laptop gets them loud, and a headphone amp is a nice extra rather than a must. Our guide to impedance and your amp explains why that matters for other headphones on this site.
Pads
Grado's current pad names help here. The S-cushion, a small flat foam pad, is standard on every generation of the SR60, SR80 and SR125. The L-cushion is the deeper bowl pad, and it was the stock pad on older SR325s. The G-cushion is a large around-ear pad for Grado's top models, and the flat F-cushion is a recent design. Grado still sells all of them and says its cushions fit every Prestige model. Pads crumble with age and come loose, so treat missing or worn ones as a small extra part to buy, not a reason to pass.
What goes wrong
- The cable. The cable is wired in, and it fails just above the plug or at the Y-split. Ask the seller to play music and flex the cable at both places. Both sides should stay on with no crackle.
- Twisting. The cups spin freely on their rods, so the two legs of the Y-cable wind up over time. Owners describe simple ways to unwind them. Gentle twists aren't a problem, but kinks and splits are.
- End caps. Small caps on the ends of the rods stop the cups sliding off. They get lost, and Grado sells replacements along with gimbal rings.
- Headband holders. One long-term SR80 owner reports the plastic part that holds the headband breaking. Look at where the band meets the rod blocks.
Buying used
Grado's warranty only covers headphones bought from an authorized dealer, and its dealers aren't allowed to sell on marketplaces or auction sites. A used Grado from eBay carries no warranty, so the photos and the seller's answers are what you have. We found no documented fake Grados, but there is a real lookalike. Grado made the Alessandro Music Series for Alessandro, the MS1 in plastic, the MS2 in aluminum and the MS Pro in mahogany. They're genuine Grado-made headphones, but they lack the model button, and listings sometimes mix an MS2 up with an SR325. For the general checks that apply to any used pair, read how to check used headphones, or see every model on the Grado page.