Grado Labs has been making phono cartridges and headphones in Brooklyn, New York, since 1953. It is a family company with no advertising, and every product still leaves the same house it always has, assembled by hand. At my HI-FI HOUSE we carry all three cartridge series and both families of wired headphones. This guide explains what sets a Grado cartridge apart, what changes from one series to the next and how to choose between a €139 SR60 and a €2,699 HP100 SE.
One house in Brooklyn, three generations
Joseph Grado was a watchmaker. In 1953 he started building phono cartridges in the building his family had bought in 1918 for a fruit store. The building is still the same and production has never left it. His nephew, John Grado, took over the company in 1990 and launched the first headphones the following decade. In 2023 he handed the reins to his brother Richard. Grado runs no advertising campaigns: it grew by word of mouth.
Why a Grado cartridge is different
Most cartridges up to the mid range are moving magnet (MM): the magnet rides on the cantilever, inside the coils. Moving coil (MC) designs flip the scheme and produce very little output. Grado follows a third path, which it calls Flux-Bridger and the market knows as "moving iron": magnet and coils stay fixed in the body, and only a tiny piece of iron travels on the cantilever. Less moving mass, and an easier time tracking the groove.
In practice, this is what matters: the high-output versions deliver 4 mV into a 47k ohm load, so they connect to any MM input, whether on the amplifier, on an external phono stage or on a turntable with a built-in preamp. The Timbre and Lineage series also come in low-output versions (1 mV) for anyone with an MC input. All of them track at 1.6 to 1.9 g, which suits the vast majority of tonearms.
Prestige, Timbre or Lineage: choosing the cartridge
The Prestige series is the entry point: plastic body and elliptical diamond stylus. The Green 4, at €149, is a clear step up from the stock cartridge on an entry-level turntable. The Red 4 and Gold 4 share the same architecture but are selected to tighter tolerances. Anyone with a turntable between €300 and €800 is well served here.
In the Timbre series Grado moves to wooden bodies, which damp resonances in a way plastic cannot. The Opus 4 (€325) uses American maple; the Platinum 4 and Sonata 4 switch to olive wood. From the Master 4 (€1,050) upward the body is Osage wood and the cantilever goes from aluminum to boron, stiffer and lighter. This is the right series for a turntable from €800 to €3,000, and the Opus 4 is the step where the jump from Prestige is most audible per euro spent.
The Lineage series is the top: hand-worked Brazilian ebony, Shibata stylus and low output only, so it demands a phono stage of matching quality. The Statement 4 (€3,650) has a boron cantilever; the Aeon 4 and Epoch 4 move to sapphire. These are cartridges for reference systems, a choice best made without hurry in our listening room.
| Model | Type | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Grado Green 4 | Prestige cartridge, elliptical | €149 |
| Grado Red 4 | Prestige cartridge, elliptical | €199 |
| Grado Gold 4 | Prestige cartridge, elliptical | €279 |
| Grado Opus 4 | Timbre cartridge, maple body | €325 |
| Grado Platinum 4 | Timbre cartridge, olive wood body | €425 |
| Grado Sonata 4 | Timbre cartridge, olive wood body | €650 |
| Grado Master 4 | Timbre cartridge, Osage, boron cantilever | €1,050 |
| Grado Reference 4 | Timbre cartridge, Osage, boron cantilever | €1,550 |
| Grado Statement 4 | Lineage cartridge, ebony, Shibata | €3,650 |
| Grado Aeon 4 | Lineage cartridge, ebony, sapphire cantilever | €5,490 |
| Grado Epoch 4 | Lineage cartridge, ebony, sapphire cantilever | €10,950 |
Classic and Signature headphones: what changes
Every wired Grado headphone is open-back: the rear of the cup is a grille, not a lid. The soundstage is wide and the feeling is closer to listening to speakers. The price you pay is isolation: whoever sits next to you hears what is playing. These are headphones for home, not for the subway.
The Classic series is the historic line. The SR60 (€139) and SR80 (€179) use the same 44 mm X2 driver; the SR80 gets a better cable and larger cushions. The SR325 (€369) moves to aluminum cups. The Hemp (€529) uses hemp pressed with wood and is the warmest Classic. The RS1 (€849) is the mahogany reference, and the GS1000 and GS3000 switch to large wooden chambers, a 50 mm driver and cushions that sit around the ear rather than on it. The cable is fixed on every Classic.
The Signature series is the new generation. The most practical difference is the detachable cable with a 4-pin mini XLR socket on each cup, which lets you go balanced or replace a damaged cable without sending the headphone back. Drivers are 50 mm on the S550 (€1,099), the S750 and the S950. The HP100 SE (€2,699) revives the name of one of the brand's legendary headphones, with newly designed 52 mm drivers in aluminum cups. Anyone with a headphone amplifier that has a balanced output gets the most out of the Signature line; anyone just starting out spends the money better on an SR80 or an SR325.
| Model | Type | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Grado SR60 | Classic, open-back, 44 mm | €139 |
| Grado SR80 | Classic, open-back, 44 mm | €179 |
| Grado SR325 | Classic, open-back, aluminum cups | €369 |
| Grado The Hemp | Classic, open-back, hemp body | €529 |
| Grado RS1 | Classic, open-back, mahogany | €849 |
| Grado GS1000 | Classic, open-back, wood, 50 mm | €1,299 |
| Grado GS3000 | Classic, open-back, cocobolo, 50 mm | €2,099 |
| Grado S550 | Signature, open-back, detachable cable | €1,099 |
| Grado S750 | Signature, open-back, detachable cable | €1,799 |
| Grado S950 | Signature, open-back, detachable cable | €2,399 |
| Grado HP100 SE | Signature, open-back, 52 mm, aluminum | €2,699 |
Why we chose Grado
Grado spends nothing on advertising, and the money it does not spend promoting itself goes into the product. A €149 cartridge assembled by hand in Brooklyn and a €139 headphone that has been recommended for thirty years are exactly the kind of value that my HI-FI HOUSE, in Lisbon, looks for in the brands it represents.
Frequently asked questions
Do Grado cartridges connect to an MM or MC input?
The high-output versions (4 mV), which are the ones we sell by default, connect to any MM input with a 47k ohm load, including the phono stage built into many turntables and amplifiers. The low-output versions (1 mV) of the Timbre and Lineage series need an MC input. If in doubt, tell us which turntable and amplifier you have.
Do Grado headphones leak sound?
Yes. Every wired Grado is open-back, and anyone in the same room hears what is playing. In exchange, the sound is wider and more natural than a closed-back headphone, which is why so many audiophiles prefer them at home.
Is a Signature worth the extra money over a Classic?
It depends on the rest of the system. The Signature brings a detachable cable, larger drivers and tighter tolerances, and makes the most of an amplifier with a balanced output. If the source is a computer or a phone, an SR80 or an SR325 gives you most of the Grado sound for a fraction of the price.
Read also Your first turntable: how to choose (and what to avoid) and DALI iO-8 and iO-12, to compare with closed-back wireless headphones.