Earbuds That Even Tony the Tiger Would Consider GR8
We are always on the lookout for the next pair of earbuds that allow us to listen to music and feel like we are close to the stage in the La Scala Opera House in Milan. The Grado name is synonymous with quality and a long history in the audio industry, and we’ve reviewed the old school but quite warm SR80is. The Grado GR8 earbuds are not inexpensive, so for those of think Ciara is the next Lena Horne, these probably aren’t the right fit for you.
The Grado GR8 headphones were all simple elegance from the single armature design to the understated packaging. In fact, plain and simple, with little in the way of accessories. You have a choice of three sizes: small, medium, and large silicon rubber ear tips and a cleaning cloth. For earbuds in this price range, it’s easy to get caught up in marketing or packaging, but in these it really is all about the sound.
The Grado GR8 earbuds did not disappoint. We decided to listen to some jazz (Ella Fitzgerald) and some classical (Cecilia Bartoli). The headphone cable is lightweight and made of oxygen-free copper which provides a clear path for our sound to reach us. Watch out though as the cord is easily tangled- we usually prefer cloth-wrapped cables for both appearance and avoiding tangling, but it doesn’t tend to last as long and can be heavier. The earbud tips were decent enough, though you may want to consider some specialty tips for better fit.
But, if it seems as if we’re being negative, we haven’t hit upon the sound. Now, bass lovers won’t get their deep beats here, as we found bass to be a bit natural (even understated) and doesn’t overshadow the treble. The headphones feature 20Hz – 20kHz frequency response, 118db/1mw sensitivity, and 120 Ohm impedance. But more importantly, voices were clear and concise, and we felt like we were in a room being mesmerized by their voice for a solo performance. You can hear the difference in track quality too- lower bitrate music sounded a bit hissy and the GR8s sounded best with lossless files. A nice detail: they have a raised dot on the left earphone, so we could put them in their proper place in the dark.
The plug of the earphones is made from gold-plated brass for durability and as a stand up to corrosion. It’s a typical 3.5mm minijack size, so we used it with our iPhone and laptop. We were enticed by the sound but wish Grado would give us a symphony instead of a string quartet; meaning we felt the packaging was skimpy. A travel pouch and perhaps some extra earbud options would have made us feel like these headphones were worth the complete $300 price tag. As it is, they look decent, feel durable, and sound amazing, but it’s definitely a tough jump from the near-$100 category to this price range. The Grado GR8s are in fact great, but a bit less costly would bring them closer to perfection.
We were able to purchase the Grado GR8 earphones from Amazon.
