Considering wired headphones? These open-backed Grado pair have won five What Hi-Fi? Awards in a row – and are at their lowest price

Grado SR325x wired on-ear headphones on a red fabric surface — (Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)

In our 50-year lifetime, several products have won a coveted What Hi-Fi? Award.

But very few products have won five What Hi-Fi? Awards, including two Product of the Year gongs for good measure.

That’s just how good the Grado SR325x are – and they still hold up astonishingly well in 2026. Only now they are available a bit cheaper: the cans are available for £199 at Peter Tyson, a £131 saving and the lowest price we’ve seen.

If you’re sick of Bluetooth headphones disconnecting and are looking for the quality and convenience of wired cans, then these Grados are among the best you can buy.

The Grado SR325x are class leaders at this price point, and indeed have taken the wired headphones spot on our best headphones buying guide.

“We switch to Lana Del Rey’s Chemtrails Over The Country Club set and love the Grados’ ability to convey the texture and attitude in her voice,” our Grado SR325x review reads. “The excellent insight generates a lovely sense of atmosphere and we find ourselves getting lost in the music rather than focusing on analysing the SR325x’s performance. The newfound sense of refinement makes it easier to relax when listening too.”

You’ll have to bear in mind the SR325x are open-backed headphones, so they are best reserved for listening at home, as they are quite leaky. This open-backed design does mean that they are wonderfully expressive dynamically, with agile and tuneful lows, so it’s a trade-off we’re willing to make.

To get the most out of the SR325x, you’ll want a good DAC such as the Chord Mojo 2 or a decent audio source such as a portable music player. With a high-quality pairing, you’ll hear the full scale of the SR325x’s talents, including a fast, sparky yet authoritative signature.

The retro design might not be for everyone, but the SR325x are rugged and durable, with the majority of the attention clearly focused inside on the sound quality.

If you’re looking for true audio greatness from your headphones, then the Grado SR325x are a very easy recommendation. They may lack some of the high-tech features of Bluetooth headphones, but they more than deliver where it counts – sound – and are now under £200 at Peter Tyson.

MORE:

Read our guide to the best wired headphones

Read our Austrian Audio Hi-X55 review

Closed-back vs open-back headphones: which design is better for you?

Daniel Furn is a staff writer at What Hi-Fi? focused on all things deal-related. He studied Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield before working as a freelance journalist covering film, TV, gaming, and consumer tech. Outside of work, he can be found travelling far-flung corners of the globe, playing badminton, and watching the latest streaming sensation (in 4K HDR, of course).