Packaging and Closer Look
Honestly, I was surprised to see how the Grado SR225e was packaged and I was told that this is how Grado packs their headphones. Some of my friends, who are long time Grado fans, told me that this one actually looks better compared to the old “pizza-box” like that they used before.
As you can see, the packaging is very simple, no gimmick and straight to the point. A rectangular foam houses the SR225e in the middle. There are no additional pamphlets since the reading materials are printed on the inside portion of the box, this means no space is wasted.
The package includes the Grado SR225e and a 3.5mm (1/4″) to 6.3mm (1/8″) adapter. The cable is about (I think) around 1.5m long and is a little bit thicker compared to a usual headphone cable. The cables are obviously not removable, but I hope Grado implements a detectable cable design with their future headphones.
Having an open-back design, I don’t think it’s suitable to use the SR225e in a noisy environment, specially in public or busy streets. Not that you can’t use it outside, but I prefer to use the SR225e at the comfort of my home. Besides, the thick cable isn’t so mobile friendly for me.
The Grado SR225e headphone looks very simple, it is light and it looks like that it’s made out of cheap plastic. When I first unboxed the headphone I wasn’t even sure that it will sound good. But we do have a saying that we must not judge the book by its cover. And remember, this is just one of their entry level headphones. The higher end ones are made with real wood or aluminum. So if you are in for the looks, better check out the higher end ones.
Moving on, the SR225e comes with a foam-like ear pads called the L-Cush ear cushion and the company is known for using this type of ear pads. The pads are a little bit larger to be an on-ear, but it’s also smaller to be considered as an over-ear since it touches the corners of my ears. The pads are removable and replaceable, and aside from Grado there are third party companies, like Geekria and EarZonk, who sells replacement pads for Grado headphones.
If you are used to soft cushions or lambskin pads then you might need a few hours or so to get used to this type of ear pads. The texture is a little coarse but they are soft and they don’t press too much on your ears. They don’t make your ears warm or hot since you don’t get that tight seal. In my case, my only concern was that the pads were a little bit small and they rest on the tip area of my ears. After a few hours, the tip of my ears gets uncomfortable and I need to rest them for a while.
The ear cups of the Grado SR225e can be rotated 360°, but they don’t fold to a more compact form. You can adjust the height by simply sliding the ear cups. No click feeling or grooves, just simple mechanism of sliding it up or down.
Overall, I think the SR225e doesn’t have that “wow factor” due to the material used. It’s very simple but probably Grado invested more on the sound quality rather than its physical appearance, which we will find out on the next page. The Grado SR225e does have that good old classic Grado look and feel and I think it is sturdy enough for daily use.
So how does the Grado SR225e sound like? Let’s find out on the next page of my review.
