Okay Geek Farm
Grado GR8 in-ear headphones review
Jason Tsay
Grado is a company that needs no introduction when it comes to the headphone industry. For almost 60 years, they’ve been serving the audiophile community with cans that fail to disappoint. Today, we’ll be taking a look at their in-ears, the GR8’s. Are they great (pun intended)?
Features
- Driver: Moving Armature
- Connector Type: Standard mini plug (gold over brass)
- Frequency Range: 20 -20,000 Hz
- Sensitivity: 118db/1mw
- Impedance: 120 ohms
- Maximum Input Power: 20mW
- Cable Length: 51”/130mm (oxygen-free copper wire)
- Weight: 9 grams including plug and cord
Our Impressions
The Grado GR8’s come in a pretty plain box with the headphones, two extra sets of tips, and an extra set of earwax shields.
Design and Build Quality
Design wise, the GR8’s aren’t really anything to write home about. The pointy, bulbous buds are constructed of plastic and coated in a metallic dark blue. Grado and L/R are printed on each earbud in tiny silver text, with the addition of a raised indicator nub on the tip of the left earbud. The clear silicone tips attach securely to bits of metal that wrap around the headphone drivers. A tiny curved arm joins the buds with the thin, semi-rubberized cable which ends at the gold plated 3.5 mm jack. The cable doesn’t feel super durable but is lightweight and doesn’t result in much “cable noise.” Based on looks alone, we weren’t too blown away by the GR8’s but they definitely aren’t the ugliest headphones we’ve seen either. Build quality also doesn’t particularly excel but definitely suffices. We should also add that the GR8’s are manufactured in Japan, which is a rare departure from the “made in China” stamp found on most products today.
Sound Quality 
Let’s talk about sound quality. When you’re paying $300 for a pair of in ear headphones, there’s no doubt that audio quality will be your first priority (unless you’re buying headphones from Dr. Dre, that is). Right out of the box, we plugged the GR8’s into our iPad and played a couple of tracks (more specifically, 320 kbps). With their moving armature design, the GR8’s are quite efficient and easy to drive. The first thing that hit us was the amount of clarity that the GR8’s offer. The sound signature is very crisp and balanced, providing an accurate but not overly analytical reproduction. We’d say it leans toward treble, placing much less emphasis on the bass. The bass is best described as “accurate” more than anything else, so bass heads should definitely look elsewhere. Vocals, on the other hand, come through loud and clear. Soundstage and separation are quite impressive and truly provide for a great three dimensional listening experience. All the instruments in the background sounded fantastic. Acoustics popped right out in a lifelike and vibrant way while drums pounded subtlely. After about 100 hours of burn in, mid bass seemed to be a tad bit more prominent although not much else changed significantly. The GR8’s dealt well with most genres of music, although it strugged with some hip hop and other sub bass reliant tracks. Most things, especially acoustics, sounded “just as they should.” Once you grow accustomed to the GR8’s sound, you learn to appreciate the level of detail and clean quality of sound.
The included silicone tips do provide a good seal and allow for some passive sound isolation. They’re also pretty comfortable to wear for several hours of listening a day.
Overall
Overall, the Grado GR8’s are definitely a pair of very impressive in ear headphones. While design and build quality aren’t particularly stunning, the audio reproduction lives up to the Grado name. However, at $300, we feel that the GR8’s simply don’t offer the best bang for the buck given other options on the market.
Pro’s
- phenomenal sound stage
- great clarity
Con’s
- build quality isn’t stellar
- sub bass hardly present
Where to buy
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