Breaks the price/sound barrier

I first purchased a pair of Grado SR-60's after hearing a lot of rave reviews of these headphones on many different Internet sites. My main purpose was doing digital audio work that required critical monitoring, and at the time I was fairly oblivious to the key differences between "closed" and "open" type headphones.

My first impression was one of disappointment. These headphones sounded too smooth and distant to me after using only closed cans for years (they sounded "dishonest"), and they didn't block out any ambient noise whatsoever. Moreover, they leaked so much sound that I knew I would never be able to wear them in public. Also, as far as overall sound quality they weren't much of an upgrade over my "old faithful" closed cans I'd been using for years (Denon AH-D550).

Later, I came to appreciate that the openness and sense of "distance" provided by these headphones (and open type headphones in general) is a strength and not a weakness, after listening casually rather than critically. These are not headphones you want for professional monitoring purposes, but for joyful listening to all sorts of music. Their real strength is in the sense of air and spaciousness, which nicely counteracts the illusion that the sound is sitting somewhere in the middle of your head.

On to the specifics of construction. My pet peeve with these is the cord. It is thick, ugly, short, tends to get twisted and tangled, and is a constant distraction both below the headphones (where they join in a stethoscope-like plastic piece) and at the earpieces, where you can occasionally hear them moving around. Also, the earpieces can turn 360 degrees, adding even more funny twists to the scenario after awhile. This is a cord that one has to get used to, learn to tolerate (I never learned to actually ignore it, however). Compulsive types who tend to focus on annoyances may hit the ceiling after a few hours with the infamous Grado cord.

The headphones themselves are quite comfortable (mine came with the "comfy" type pads, and I cut small holes in the center for better sound quality). They also seem fairly durable for a pair of cans at this price point -- don't drop them or anything, but don't worry about damage with normal type usage.

The sound I would best describe as spacious, airy, smooth and very clear. It doesn't lack accuracy in the upper or lower registers, but neither is it anything like analytical (get some closed headphones if you want a more analytical-type sound). These headphones are ideal for casual music listening, preferably in a somewhat quiet environment where you won't be disturbing others -- the sound leaks right out the back, and I wouldn't recommend these for anything but the quietest listening if you don't want everyone else to know what you're listening to. Barry Manilow fans, forget it ;-).

Believe me, I'm not knocking these headphones. They are more than a bit idiosyncratic and quirky (in looks especially), but the sound they offer is just glorious for a pair of headphones... that airy spaciousness I felt at first was "dishonest" really came to grow on me quickly, and I've found that these phones are especially appropriate for listening to vinyl records -- it's almost as if the surface noise escapes out the back (far less audible than with typical closed headphones).