Headphones hand-assembled in the USA offer great audio
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USAToday.com reports that in recent years, and with the help of everyone from Dr. Dre to supermodel Kate Upton to Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, marketing noise has roared for the first time in the headphone industry — rocketing certain brands to unprecedented heights.
Meanwhile, a little plant in Brooklyn, N.Y., has diligently toiled away without a single advertisement since the ’60s. Founded in the 1950s by a gifted Sicilian watchmaker, Grado Labs just released its newest hand-assembled family member, the SR80e open-backed headphones (MSRP $99).
An update to an older model, the SR80e on-ears are certainly worth a listen: Thanks to their open-backed form and quality guts, these headphones deliver truly excellent sound. They won’t work for commutes or public places — open backs mean that outside noise seeps in, and inside sound leaks out — but for a private space, the Grado SR80e is an outstanding choice.
