T3 Awards 2020: Treat your ears with our wired headphone champ, the truly sensational Grado SR325e

T3 Awards 2020: Grado SR325e is our #1 wired headphones

(Image credit: Grado)

published 10 June 2020

The best wired headphones of 2020? Look no further than Grado’s superlative SR325e. Anyone who's serious about headphone listening enjoyment wants a pair of cans that are comfortable as well as crystal clear, tough as well as tuneful, dynamic as well as delicate. Well, these Grados tick all those boxes, and probably some other ones we can't think of, off the top of our heads. That's why they have romped to glory in the T3 Awards 2020!

While they might not be built quite as much like an oak-trimmed battleship as some rivals, they are not as flimsy as their pleasingly light weight might suggest. Similarly, while the design does not scream 'cutting edge' or 'opulent', we do appreciate its retro-inspired mesh and metal styling.

Most importantly, Grado has poured all its expertise into ensuring they deliver truly exceptional sound – and for considerably less money than you might expect. They can usually be had for around £250.

Admittedly, the Grados are not ones for the bus, unless you're extremely brave and/or a sociopath. These are open-back headphones, and like all their breed, they leak a lot of sound. However, when you’re in the mood for sheer solo audio bliss at home, they’re by far and away the best option at this kind of price point.

We honestly think you’ll struggle to find a better pair of headphones without spending an awful lot more money. They’re particularly good with delicate acoustic music, but there’s plenty of punch when you want something more powerful. As with most Grado 'phones, they can be quite unforgiving to poor source material, but feed them a Tidal HiFi stream or a slab of vinyl and the SR325e will make sweet love to your ears.

The Grado SR325e on-ear headphones have already won their fair share of awards, and we’re delighted to add another one to the collection. The most prestigious award of all, many people would say! We wouldn't; we're too modest.

• T3 Awards 2020 – all the announcements so far.

Writer, musician and broadcaster Carrie Marshall has been covering technology since 1998 and is particularly interested in how tech can help us live our best lives. Her CV is a who’s who of magazines, newspapers, websites and radio programmes ranging from T3, Techradar and MacFormat to the BBC, Sunday Post and People’s Friend. Carrie has written more than a dozen books, ghost-wrote two more and co-wrote seven more books and a Radio 2 documentary series; her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards. When she’s not scribbling, Carrie is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind (unquietmindmusic).