I’m not a professional reviewer. I make no money writing 99 percent of the stuff I write on the internet. I like to let my personal tastes dictate what headphones, tech, and games I cover.
Last month, I ran a reader survey in which I pitched a list of possible upcoming articles. Every single article got enough votes for me to “greenlight” them in my future stack.
Including a review of the Grado SR80e headphones.
I’ve reviewed every other headphone I put on that list already.
But I can’t work up the gumption to buy the Grados.
I’ve never owned a pair from the divisive New York-based headphone manufacturer. Some folks swear by their ear-tuned audio and their old-school charm…and others hate their non-typical sound signatures, questionable comfort, and rough build quality.
It’s best to try a wide range of products if you’re looking to develop your tastes in a particular area. I wouldn’t try one type of coffee and suddenly make up opinions about every kind I hadn’t tried.
But I can’t do it.
I just can’t work up the enthusiasm. I buy every headphone I review…in part because it gives me more flexibility and editorial distance, and in part because it’s the only way I can really make this work given how I’ve failed to build an online community (most of my readership comes from random google searches).
I’m sure that everyone who loves Grado headphones has a reason for it. I’m not calling Grado fans liars, and I’ve even had people I personally trust say they’re worth listening to. But I just can’t muster the enthusiasm. So if you were waiting for that review…it’s not happening.
I’m sorry.
With that off the list, I’m out of pre-planned headphone content for 2018. I’m also looking to increase the amount of gaming, tech, and fiction content I write because there’s more interest in those sorts of articles than headphone reviews.
I do still want to check out the new headsets from Razer and Steelseries when I can manage to find the models I want in stock at a local retailer, and I have a few more blog-style headphone pieces in the upcoming pipeline.
Am I totally wrong about Grado? Do you have passionate feelings about them that overcome their comfort and build issues? Please share them below!
