Grado Prestige SR325x Open-Back Headphones

The Grado Prestige SR325x is an open-back on-ear headphone with a 44mm X driver in a brushed aluminium housing, and the flagship of the Prestige x series.

It's the only Prestige model whose housing is made of metal rather than plastic. You notice it the moment you pick it up – and again the moment you start listening.

Why the SR325x?

The brushed aluminium housing damps resonances differently to polycarbonate, giving the sound more body and control. Add to that the tightly matched drivers with 0.05 dB tolerance, the large F-cushions, a leather headband and the 8-conductor super-annealed copper cable. At 18 to 24,000 Hz, the frequency response reaches furthest of any model in the series.

What you hear

A full, energetic Grado with a solid bass foundation, present mids and a bright, open treble. It keeps things organised when the music gets dense and doesn't make loud music tiring – as long as the recording plays along. Thinly produced albums, on the other hand, it exposes mercilessly.

Who is the SR325x for?

For anyone who wants to push the Prestige series to its limit before stepping up to the wooden RS2x and RS1x models. Straight talk: it's the heaviest of the range, isolates nothing, and doesn't forgive weak recordings. It was never meant for travel – and doesn't want to be.

Our verdict

The SR325x is the reference point of the Prestige series, and not just by our own taste: What Hi-Fi? named it class leader at the Awards in both 2022 and again in 2024. If you want classic, fully grown Grado sound, your search ends here.

"The best just got that bit better: Grado's SR325x open-back headphones remain a class leader at this level." – What Hi-Fi?, SR325x review (Sound 5 out of 5)

Technical data

• Type: Open-back on-ear headphone (Open-Back, dynamic)
• Series: Grado Prestige x (flagship)
• Driver: 44 mm, Grado X driver
• Frequency response: 18–24,000 Hz
• Sound pressure (1 mW): 98 dB
• Nominal impedance: 38 Ω
• Driver channel matching: 0.05 dB
• Ear cushions: F-cushion (large)
• Cable: 8-conductor, super-annealed copper, permanently attached
• Housing: Brushed aluminium
• Headband: Leather
• Connector: 3.5 mm jack, 6.3 mm adapter included
• Manufacturing: Hand-assembled in Brooklyn, NY
• What's included: Headphones, 6.3 mm jack adapter

Frequently asked questions

What does the SR325x's aluminium housing offer?

It's stiffer and heavier than the polycarbonate used on the other Prestige models and damps self-resonance more effectively. Sonically, that shows up as a firmer bass foundation and more calm in complex music. The trade-off is weight: the SR325x sits noticeably heavier on the headband than the SR225x.

What awards has the SR325x won?

What Hi-Fi? named it winner of the wired on-ear category between £200 and £400 at the 2022 Awards, and again best premium-class over-ear in 2024. In its review, the magazine awarded five out of five stars for sound, with four each for build and comfort.

Does the SR325x sound different from the wooden RS2x and RS1x?

Yes. The SR325x works in an aluminium housing and sounds taut, bright and energetic. The Reference models RS2x and RS1x use wooden housings and consequently sound warmer and rounder. Both approaches are valid – it's a matter of taste, not quality. The SR325x remains the tauter all-rounder of the two.

Why buy the Grado SR325x from HD Zürisee?

Because a headphone in this class needs to match the rest of your chain. We'll help you work out which headphone amplifier or DAC suits the SR325x, and which cushion suits your ear. HD Zürisee in Wädenswil is an authorised Grado dealer – advice by phone, email or WhatsApp.

Goes well with

A matching headphone amplifier gets the most out of the SR325x. Replacement F-cushions and extension cables are in our headphone accessories; the larger Grados are in our headphones range.