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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want an open, airy, lively sound that makes home listening feel like a small concert, choose GRADO Classic Series SR80; if you need closed-back isolation, deep bass and a studio-ready cable setup you can take anywhere, choose Audio-Technica ATH-M50x.
• GRADO SR80's biggest strength: open-back construction that lets sound breathe, giving you a spacious, natural presentation with strong instrument separation.
• GRADO SR80's biggest trade-off: no noise control and an open enclosure, so it leaks sound and lets room noise in — it's a home-listening tool, not a commuter's.
• Audio-Technica ATH-M50x's biggest strength: circumaural closed-back isolation plus a detachable cable and a box full of adapters and accessories.
• ATH-M50x's biggest trade-off: sound isolation means a more enclosed, less airy feel than an open design, and the bundle adds bulk you may not want for casual walks.
• Who the SR80 is for: the home listener who wants lively, immediate sound and long-session comfort.
• Who the ATH-M50x is for: the producer, podcaster, DJ or traveler who needs isolation, deep bass and a rugged, portable kit.
The SR80 is built around one idea: open-back listening. Its open-air enclosure lets music breathe, and that's where the character comes from — a more spacious, natural presentation with improved instrument separation and detail. Grado's house sound is lively and immediate, with clear vocals and detailed highs, so guitars, strings and voices sit forward rather than buried. If you mostly listen at a desk or in a quiet room, that energy is the whole point.
Comfort is a real part of the pitch here. The SR80 is a lightweight over-ear design with a comfortable headband and improved cable flexibility, both aimed at longer sessions. It's wired, with a 3.5mm mini jack and a 1/4" adapter in the box, so it plugs straight into a laptop, phone, tablet or a home amp without fuss. Impedance is a low 38 ohms, which means it doesn't demand a powerful source to reach a usable volume — a modest headphone output will drive it.
Who should buy it? Someone who listens at home, cares about an engaging, forward sound, and wants a light pair they can wear for hours. Who should skip it? Anyone who needs to block out noise. There's no noise control at all, and an open-back headphone both leaks your music outward and lets the room in — bad on a train, worse in a shared office or a loud café. It's also plastic-bodied and built for home use, not for being thrown in a bag. In my opinion, the SR80 is a specialist: superb at one job, and honest about what it isn't.
The ATH-M50x is the opposite philosophy. It's a closed-back monitor headphone with a circumaural design that contours around the ears, and the payoff is excellent sound isolation in loud environments. That single trait reshapes how you use it. On a plane, in a noisy room, on location with gear humming around you — the M50x keeps the outside out and your work in front of you.
The drivers are the technical story: proprietary 45mm large-aperture dynamic drivers with rare earth magnets and copper-clad aluminum wire voice coils, tuned for clarity across an extended range with deep, accurate bass. The description cites a 15 Hz to 28 kHz frequency range. Audio-Technica frames these as professional studio monitor headphones, and the hardware backs that up: 90-degree swiveling earcups for one-ear monitoring, professional-grade earpad and headband material, and a detachable cable.
The bundle matters too. You get the headphones plus a coiled cable (3.9 to 9.8'), a straight 9.8' cable, a straight 3.9' cable, a 1/4" screw-on adapter and a carrying pouch — then separately a headphone stand, a USB-C headphone adapter with a built-in DAC, and a microfiber cleaning cloth. That USB-C DAC adapter is genuinely useful if your phone or laptop dropped its headphone jack. Compatibility is broad: laptops, desktops, music production gear, gaming consoles, tablets, phones, smart speakers and TVs.
Who should buy it? Producers, mixers, podcasters, DJs and anyone who records or monitors audio — plus travelers who want isolation. Who should skip it? If you want an open, airy soundstage for relaxed home listening, the closed design and isolation work against that feel. And if you want the lightest possible pair, this is a more substantial closed-back build with a full accessory kit.
• Best for sound isolation → Audio-Technica ATH-M50x. Circumaural closed-back design, explicitly built for loud environments.
• Best for open, spacious home listening → GRADO Classic Series SR80. Open-back construction for a natural, breathable presentation.
• Best for deep, accurate bass → Audio-Technica ATH-M50x. 45mm large-aperture drivers with rare earth magnets, tuned for extended low end.
• Best for studio and monitoring work → Audio-Technica ATH-M50x. 90-degree swiveling earcups for one-ear monitoring, detachable cable, monitor-grade materials.
• Best for long, relaxed listening sessions → GRADO Classic Series SR80. Lightweight build, comfortable headband, improved cable flexibility.
• Best for easy-to-drive everyday plug-in → GRADO Classic Series SR80. 38-ohm impedance and a 3.5mm jack with a 1/4" adapter.
• Best out-of-the-box kit → Audio-Technica ATH-M50x. Three cables, a screw-on adapter, a pouch, a stand, a USB-C DAC adapter and a cleaning cloth.
• Best for quiet rooms, worst for noisy ones → GRADO Classic Series SR80. No noise control and an open enclosure leak both ways.
If I had to pick one for myself, I'd take the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x. The closed-back isolation, the deep and accurate bass tuning, the detachable cable, the swiveling earcups and the accessory bundle make it the more versatile tool — it works for recording, mixing, traveling and casual listening, and the USB-C DAC adapter covers laptops and phones that lack a headphone port. The GRADO SR80 is the better choice only if your listening happens in a quiet room and you specifically want that lively, open, spacious Grado character. Two different jobs, two different answers — pick the one that matches where you actually listen.
The ATH-M50x, clearly. Its circumaural closed-back design is made for sound isolation in loud environments. The SR80 has no noise control and an open-back enclosure, so it leaks sound out and lets noise in.
No, not really. Its impedance is a low 38 ohms, and it connects with a 3.5mm mini jack plus a 1/4" adapter, so a laptop, phone or tablet output should be enough to drive it to normal listening levels.
The ATH-M50x. It's a closed-back studio monitor headphone with 45mm drivers, a detachable cable, 90-degree swiveling earcups for one-ear monitoring, and a bundle that includes three cables and a 1/4" screw-on adapter.
Yes. The bundle includes a USB-C headphone adapter with a built-in DAC, so you can connect it to USB-C devices that lack a 3.5mm port. The headphone itself uses a standard 3.5mm jack.
Value means different things here. If you want the most complete package — cables, adapters, stand and carrying pouch — the ATH-M50x bundle gives you more in the box. If you only need a light, open-back home headphone, the SR80 covers that need without extras. Either way, check the current price on Amazon before deciding.
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