Grado Labs is a manufacturer of high-end dynamic open-air headphones

Headphones

Headphones are a pair of small loudspeakers, or less commonly a single speaker, held close to a user's ears and connected to a signal source such as an audio amplifier, radio, CD player or portable Media Player. They are also known as stereophones, headsets or, colloquially, cans. The in-ear...

 and phonograph

Phonograph

The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...

 cartridges

Magnetic cartridge

A magnetic cartridge is a transducer used for the playback of gramophone records on a turntable or phonograph. It converts mechanical vibrational energy from a stylus riding in a spiral record groove into an electrical signal that is subsequently amplified and then converted back to sound by a...

.

Background

Founded by Joseph Grado and based in Brooklyn, NY, Grado Labs specializes in dynamic open-air, supra-aural, high-fidelity headphones, which have won awards and accolades from audio-related publications such as Stereophile

Stereophile

Stereophile is a monthly magazine that focuses on high end audio equipment, such as loudspeakers and amplifiers, and audio-related news, such as online audio streaming. It was founded in 1962 by J. Gordon Holt....

 magazine. Grado Labs holds 48 patents as of October 30, 2006. Grado currently produces four families of headphones, (excluding the iGrado, GR8, and GR10 In-Ear Monitors) at different price points:

• The Prestige series (5 headphones)
• The Reference series (2 headphones)
• The Statement series (GS1000i as the sole offering)
• The Professional series (2 headphones)

An older series of headphones (the "HP Series") designed by company founder Joe Grado are also held in high regard in the audiophile

Audiophile

An audiophile is a person who enjoys listening to recorded music, usually in a home. Some audiophiles are more interested in collecting and listening to music, while others are more interested in collecting and listening to audio components, whose "sound quality" they consider as important as the...

 community, often selling for high prices on the used market. Currently all present and future Grado headphone models are designed by Joe Grado's nephew John Grado. The question of which member of the family is the better audio engineer has sometimes been a source of contention among Grado enthusiasts.
In addition to their headphones, Grado has also produced a highly-regarded series of phono

Phonograph

The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...

 cartridges for over 40 years.
In its close to 60-year history, Grado has kept a very low profile by relying on word-of-mouth advertising among audio dealers and consumers instead of mass advertising campaigns to protect its brand image. Nearly all of Grado's products are hand-crafted but all are produced in low numbers.

Grado also produces three models of headphones for the Pennsylvania-based Alessandro High-End Products company; the Alessandro Music Series One, Two, and Pro. These are built from the ground up and are not based on any existing model Grado produces at the moment, although they share many components. In addition, Grado produced a model for a German Distributor, which they call the PS1, and was sold in the US for a retail price of US$1400. However since this is a discontinued item, and almost all new stock has been depleted, secondhand PS1s have gone up in value and have sold for upwards of US$2,000.

Current line of headphones

All Grado headphones operate using Grado's vented diaphragm technology, dynamic transducers, open-air, "circled" 40mm driver-oriented supra-aural earcups , and Grado's GS and PS which deploys a larger earcup), an Impedance of 32 ohms, and a Sensitivity level of 98 dB. All Grado headphones have a non-resonant air chamber (with the SR325i having an aluminum version, and the Reference and Statement headphones having wooden versions each), and all Grado headphones use high-energy neodymium magnets for each earcup. All Grado headphones are available only in one color with the exception of the iGrado, available in either white or black.
The iGrado use the same drivers as the SR60, but are assembled in China to reduce cost.

The improvements made for early 2009 include upgraded driver designs, enhanced ventilated diaphragms, eight-conductor cable design, and refinements to cup housing, just to name a few. Each product before the PS1000 carries the "i" designation which means "improved" with the exception of the SR325, which carries the "is" designation. Below is a table of Grado's current headphone line-up:

Headphone Model	Headphone Class	Driver-matched dB	Construction	Earpads	Termination	US MSRP
iGrado	Prestige	0.1	Plastic	Comfort Pads	1/8" (3.5 mm) plug TRS connector A TRS connector is a common family of connector typically used for analog signals including audio. It is cylindrical in shape, typically with three contacts, although sometimes with two or four . It is also called an audio jack, phone jack, phone plug, and jack plug...	$49
SR60i	Prestige	0.1	Plastic	Comfort Pads	1/8" (3.5 mm) plug TRS connector A TRS connector is a common family of connector typically used for analog signals including audio. It is cylindrical in shape, typically with three contacts, although sometimes with two or four . It is also called an audio jack, phone jack, phone plug, and jack plug...  with 1/4" adaptor	$79
SR80i	Prestige	0.1	Plastic	Comfort Pads	1/8" (3.5 mm) plug TRS connector A TRS connector is a common family of connector typically used for analog signals including audio. It is cylindrical in shape, typically with three contacts, although sometimes with two or four . It is also called an audio jack, phone jack, phone plug, and jack plug...  with 1/4" adaptor	$99
SR125i	Prestige	0.1	Plastic	Comfort Pads	1/4" (6.5 mm) plug TRS connector A TRS connector is a common family of connector typically used for analog signals including audio. It is cylindrical in shape, typically with three contacts, although sometimes with two or four . It is also called an audio jack, phone jack, phone plug, and jack plug...	$150
SR225i	Prestige	0.05	Plastic	Bowls	1/4" (6.5 mm) plug TRS connector A TRS connector is a common family of connector typically used for analog signals including audio. It is cylindrical in shape, typically with three contacts, although sometimes with two or four . It is also called an audio jack, phone jack, phone plug, and jack plug...	$200
SR325is	Prestige	0.05	Aluminum Aluminium Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....  alloy	Bowls	1/4" (6.5 mm) plug TRS connector A TRS connector is a common family of connector typically used for analog signals including audio. It is cylindrical in shape, typically with three contacts, although sometimes with two or four . It is also called an audio jack, phone jack, phone plug, and jack plug...	$295
RS2i	Reference	0.05	Hand-Crafted Mahogany Mahogany The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....	Bowls	1/4" (6.5 mm) plug TRS connector A TRS connector is a common family of connector typically used for analog signals including audio. It is cylindrical in shape, typically with three contacts, although sometimes with two or four . It is also called an audio jack, phone jack, phone plug, and jack plug...	$495
RS1i	Reference	0.05	Hand-Crafted Mahogany Mahogany The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....	Bowls	1/4" (6.5 mm) plug TRS connector A TRS connector is a common family of connector typically used for analog signals including audio. It is cylindrical in shape, typically with three contacts, although sometimes with two or four . It is also called an audio jack, phone jack, phone plug, and jack plug...	$695
GS1000i	Statement	0.05	Hand-Crafted Mahogany Mahogany The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....	Circumaural Bowls	1/4" (6.5 mm) plug TRS connector A TRS connector is a common family of connector typically used for analog signals including audio. It is cylindrical in shape, typically with three contacts, although sometimes with two or four . It is also called an audio jack, phone jack, phone plug, and jack plug...	$995
PS500	Professional	0.05	Hand-Crafted Mahogany Mahogany The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany.... /Aluminum	Bowls	1/4" (6.5 mm) plug TRS connector A TRS connector is a common family of connector typically used for analog signals including audio. It is cylindrical in shape, typically with three contacts, although sometimes with two or four . It is also called an audio jack, phone jack, phone plug, and jack plug...	$595
PS1000	Professional	0.05	Hand-Crafted Mahogany Mahogany The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany.... /Aluminum	Circumaural Bowls	1/4" (6.5 mm) plug TRS connector A TRS connector is a common family of connector typically used for analog signals including audio. It is cylindrical in shape, typically with three contacts, although sometimes with two or four . It is also called an audio jack, phone jack, phone plug, and jack plug...	$1695

In addition to the currently available headphones listed on this table, Grado sells a Headphone Amplifier

Amplifier

Generally, an amplifier or simply amp, is a device for increasing the power of a signal.In popular use, the term usually describes an electronic amplifier, in which the input "signal" is usually a voltage or a current. In audio applications, amplifiers drive the loudspeakers used in PA systems to...

 called the RA1. It utilizes AC

Alternating current

In alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. In direct current , the flow of electric charge is only in one direction....

, or DC

Direct current

Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...

 power supplied by two 9 volt batteries (depending on model). It has two RCA connector

RCA connector

An RCA connector, sometimes called a phono connector or cinch connector, is a type of electrical connector commonly used to carry audio and video signals...

s and a 1/4" (6.5 mm) jack

TRS connector

A TRS connector is a common family of connector typically used for analog signals including audio. It is cylindrical in shape, typically with three contacts, although sometimes with two or four . It is also called an audio jack, phone jack, phone plug, and jack plug...

, enclosed in a solid mahogany

Mahogany

The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....

 box.

Grado also manufactures an alternate headphone line for Alessandro Music Products; a maker of higher-end guitar components. Known as The Alessandro Music Series, these models have roughly the same external appearance with those from Grado, but feature a slightly different printed text and lack the identifying "button" of many lower-end Grado models. The series has said to have been designed for the musician market, and encompasses the entry-level MS-1 (or Music Series 1) with plastic driver housing, the MS2 with aluminum driver housing, and the "professional grade" MS-Pro, which features a mahogany driver housing similar to that of the RS-1.

Past production

The Joseph Grado Signature Products HP-1000 series headphones were limited to 1000 units produced. The HP-1000 series consisted of the HP-1 (with phase/polarity switches), HP-2, and HP-3. They came in two varieties of cable. The Joseph Grado Signature Ultra-Wide Bandwidth Reference Cable and the Signature Laboratory Standard. Please note that the older, non "improved" models in Grado's lineup (such as SR-60 and RS1) are not contained within this table because the improvements were not significant and they directly replaced the older models in the lineup.

Below is a table of headphones no longer offered by the manufacturer:

Headphone Model	Headphone Class	Sensitivity (dB)	Impedance (Ohms)	Driver-matched dB	Construction	Earpads	Termination	Succeeded by
SR40	Unknown	100	32	Unknown	Plastic	Foam	1/8" (3.5 mm) plug TRS connector A TRS connector is a common family of connector typically used for analog signals including audio. It is cylindrical in shape, typically with three contacts, although sometimes with two or four . It is also called an audio jack, phone jack, phone plug, and jack plug...  with 1/4" adaptor	iGrado
SR325	Prestige	98	32	0.05	Aluminum Aluminium Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....  Alloy	Bowls	1/4" (6.5 mm) plug TRS connector A TRS connector is a common family of connector typically used for analog signals including audio. It is cylindrical in shape, typically with three contacts, although sometimes with two or four . It is also called an audio jack, phone jack, phone plug, and jack plug...	SR325i
HP1000	Joseph Grado Signature	Unknown	40	Unknown	Aluminum Aluminium Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....  Alloy	Flats	1/4" (6.5 mm) plug TRS connector A TRS connector is a common family of connector typically used for analog signals including audio. It is cylindrical in shape, typically with three contacts, although sometimes with two or four . It is also called an audio jack, phone jack, phone plug, and jack plug...	No Successor
SR100	Prestige	Unknown	32	Unknown	Plastic	Flats	1/4" (6.5 mm) plug TRS connector A TRS connector is a common family of connector typically used for analog signals including audio. It is cylindrical in shape, typically with three contacts, although sometimes with two or four . It is also called an audio jack, phone jack, phone plug, and jack plug...	SR125
SR200	Prestige	Unknown	32	Unknown	Plastic	Flats	1/4" (6.5 mm) plug TRS connector A TRS connector is a common family of connector typically used for analog signals including audio. It is cylindrical in shape, typically with three contacts, although sometimes with two or four . It is also called an audio jack, phone jack, phone plug, and jack plug...	SR225
SR300	Prestige	Unknown	32	Unknown	Plastic	Flats	Unknown	SR325

Limited edition/specialty headphones

Most of these headphones are rebranded and/or limited versions of Grado headphones. The Grado HF1 was sold exclusively to the Head-Fi online community, which had a total of 450 original November sales, one replacement (December), seven waitlist sales, three March sales and twenty April sales, each numbered 001–481. RRP for the HF1 was US$200. The HF1 is, arguably, one of the most sought-after Grado headphones. Most contend that its sound stands unique among the models.

In May 2009, the limited edition HF2 was announced, also for sale exclusively to Head-Fi members. The production limit was set to 500 units or however many units sold by the end of July 2009, whichever came first. The 500 units quickly sold out, ending the sales of the HF2 early. It was announced on October 12, 2009 by Todd Green that there were several left unsold, bringing the total number produced to 524. These extra pairs also quickly sold out. RRP for the HF2 was US$429. As of February 2010, there was a run of 26 B-stock HF2 that were released, totalling the production to 550. The B-stock serial numbers began from #550 and went until #575.

The PS1 Pro was a special production order for a German Distributor, and was more expensive than any of the Grado line. A partnership between headphone manufacturer Grado and wireless technologies manufacturer FreeSystems paved way for the FreeSystems headphones. The FreeSystems package included an integrated Grado RA 1 amplifier (as mentioned above), headphones which have a physical appearance similar to that of the Grado PS1, and a Free Systems infra-red transmitter and receiver. The RRP was $3,800. The system was intended for release by February 2002, but was never released.

All headphones have a 32 ohm-Impedance.

Headphone Model	Headphone Class	Construction	Earpads	Termination	Production Limit
HF1	Limited Edition	Plastic and Hand-Crafted Mahogany Mahogany The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....	Bowls	1/4" (6.5 mm) plug TRS connector A TRS connector is a common family of connector typically used for analog signals including audio. It is cylindrical in shape, typically with three contacts, although sometimes with two or four . It is also called an audio jack, phone jack, phone plug, and jack plug...	481
HF2	Limited Edition	Mahogany and Aluminum Alloy	Bowls	1/4" (6.5 mm) plug TRS connector A TRS connector is a common family of connector typically used for analog signals including audio. It is cylindrical in shape, typically with three contacts, although sometimes with two or four . It is also called an audio jack, phone jack, phone plug, and jack plug...	550
PS1 Pro	Limited Edition	Aluminum Aluminium Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....  Alloy	Bowls	1/4" (6.5 mm) plug TRS connector A TRS connector is a common family of connector typically used for analog signals including audio. It is cylindrical in shape, typically with three contacts, although sometimes with two or four . It is also called an audio jack, phone jack, phone plug, and jack plug...	250
FreeSystems LE	Limited Edition	Aluminum Aluminium Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....  Alloy	Unknown	Unknown	Never released

Phono cartridges

Each individual cartridge manufactured by Grado is hand assembled and tested for frequency response, channel output, channel balance, phase linearity, inductance and resistance.

Prestige Series

The Prestige series of cartridges are designed for high output and stability under much use. A considerable tip mass reduction results in a manufacturer-reported frequency response to 50 kHz and tracking forces from 1 to 2 grams.

Prestige models available in both ½" mount and P-mount. 78 RPM styli are available for these models. All styli in the Prestige series are user replaceable.

Reference Series

The Reference series of wooden cartridges are a fixed coil design, handmade at Grado labs from a specially selected species of mahogany. A curing process is performed between production steps to achieve Grado Labs' desired sound. Unlike the Prestige series, the Reference series generator/stylus module is not replaceable allowing a redesigned one piece magnetic circuit and a reduction of chassis resonances. The Reference Series is considered by some to be among the finest cartridges in the world, and has been a flagship of Grado Labs since its early history. Recommended tracking force ¾ to 2 grams .

All Reference series cartridges are ½" mount. 78 RPM styli are not available with the Reference series. All re-tipping on the Reference series is done by Grado.

External links

• Interview with John Grado on Head-Fi.org