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grado

New Grado Statement X series headphones combine cocobolo, maple, ipê, metal and the largest driver yet

Grado is introducing the new Statement Series, which brings fourth-generation X Drivers to the wooden GS3000x and GS1000x. The GS1000x combines mahogany and ipê wood, while the GS3000x houses our most powerful driver yet inside a metal chamber surrounded by a single body of cocobolo wood. Along with the superior sound these new drivers produce, the GS3000x and GS1000x also utilise Grado’s improved 12-conductor braided cable and new headbands. Both are hand assembled in Brooklyn, New York.

The new flagship GS3000x is the best sounding headphone Grado has released in their seven-decade history. The largest driver to be placed in a Grado headphone yet, the new 52mm speaker is specifically tuned to embrace the tenacity of cocobolo and precision of metal. This speaker design features a more powerful magnetic circuit, a voice coil with decreased effective mass, and a reconfigured diaphragm. Teeming with texture and emotion, cocobolo’s sonic properties and innate mass makes it perfect for the new speakers. They paired this with a metal inner chamber to add even more mass, which lets them control the rigidity of our largest driver yet. Cocobolo has striking patterns and colour that tend to vary from pair to pair.

Continuing over two decades of one of Grado’s most important headphone designs, the now hybrid GS1000x sees mahogany and ipê wood come together for the first time. Mahogany has been a long -standing material in almost all of Grado’s wooden headphones and phono cartridges, so combining it with a wood not yet used in a Grado called for a delicate balance. Mahogany still exudes warmth and texture, while ipê improves the structural integrity of the sound passing through the grains of the housing. The GS1000x features a 50mm-sized driver.

“I remember trying on the first GS1000 decades ago when my dad (John Grado) brought the first pair upstairs from the workbench”, says Jonathan Grado. “I was seven or eight and they swallowed my head. The fact that they are in their fourth generation today is a testament to the design of the original GS1000. And I’m sure my mom has that photo somewhere.”

In thirty years Grado Labs has only released four generations of drivers, the speaker inside the headphone. Avoiding yearly update cycles “just because”, Grado has made sure to only place new drivers inside their headphones when there is a significant upgrade. The X Drivers bring a completely redesigned speaker and new harmony to the inner workings of the GS3000x and GS1000x. Each one is specifically tuned for the wooden enclosure they’re in. In Grado’s pursuit for the betterment of sonic reproduction, the Brooklyn company is using a first-time wood in their line-up, ipê, and released their largest driver yet at 52mm.

The Grado Statement X Series will be available from September priced (SRP):

Grado Statement GS1000x – £1,295/ $1,195

Grado Statement GS1000x with Balanced XLR connectors – £1,495 / $1,365

Grado Statement GS3000x – £2,195 / $1,995

Grado Statement GS3000x with Balanced XLR connectors – £2,395 / $2,165

ModelFrequency Response  SPL 1mW  Nominal Impedance  Driver Matched dB:  Cable type
GS1000x8- 35,000 hz  99.8 dB  38 ohms.05 dB  12 -conductor
GS3000x4- 51,000 hz  99.8 dB  38 ohms.05 dB  12 -conductor

To buy the Grado Statement X Series and discover other Grado products please visit www.grado.co.uk

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Grado Statement GS3000x

Grado Statement GS1000x

Categories
grado

Combining maple, cocobolo and hemp wood, the Grado RS1x and RS2x are now built with 4th gen drivers

Grado Labs is introducing the new Reference Series, which brings fourth generation X Drivers to the RS1x and RS2x. The RS2x combines maple and hemp wood, while the RS1x combines maple, cocobolo, and hemp wood. These newly built speakers are the fourth generation of drivers the Brooklyn company has designed since the introduction of the first Grado headphone in 1991. Along with the superior sound these new drivers produce, the RS1x and RS2x are now built with a new durable cable and new headbands.

Leading the way for our new fourth generation X Drivers, the redesigned RS1x combines a 50mm driver with three species of wood for the first time into a vivacious and elegant headphone. The housing is made of a maple sleeve, hemp core, and cocobolo outer ring. Grado builds with wood for its warm and embracing tonal abilities, but finding the right balance of three separate woods is no simple task.

The reward is an RS1x that opens Grado to a new level of sound. Their little brother, the RS2x, focuses on maple and hemp wood to bring out the most they have to offer with a 44mm driver. This is the first time X Drivers are built into wooden housings, and needed to be finely tuned for their specific environments. This combination brings out harmonic colors, a rich vocality, and the mid-range Grado is known for.

“In 1994 my dad (John Grado) went downstairs in the middle of the night to build our first RS1 headphone”, says Jonathan Grado. “It’s kind of extraordinary that this middle-of-the-night idea is now evolving into an even greater headphone 27 years later.”

In thirty years Grado Labs has only released four generations of drivers, the speaker inside the headphone. Avoiding yearly update cycles “just because”, Grado has made sure to only place new drivers inside their headphones when there is a significant upgrade.

The X Drivers bring a completely redesigned speaker and new harmony to the inner workings of the RS1x and RS2x. Each one is specifically tuned for the wooden enclosure they’re built into.

Grado has increased the magnetic power of the speaker while decreasing the effective mass of the voice coil. Along with the reconfigured diaphragm, this unison creates a speaker that represents the truest presentation of the original source.

Along with the new X Drivers, the RS1x and RS2x are now built with new durable 8-conductor cables and white-stitched leather headbands. 

The Grado Reference RS1x is available from www.grado.co.uk and independent retailers in December priced £799.95/$750

The Grado Reference RS2x is available from www.grado.co.uk and independent retailers in December priced £599.95/$550

Technical specification

Grado Reference RS1x

  • Housing materials: Cocobolo/Maple/Hemp wood
  • Transducer Type: Dynamic
  • Driver: 50mm
  • Operating Principle: Open back
  • Frequency Response: 12 – 30,000 hz
  • SPL 1mW: 99.8 dB
  • Nominal Impedance: 38 ohms
  • Driver Matched dB: .05 dB
  • Ear cushion design: L Cushion
  • Cable type: 8-conductor

Grado Reference RS2x

  • Housing materials: Maple/Hemp wood
  • Transducer Type: Dynamic
  • Driver: 44mm
  • Operating Principle: Open back
  • Frequency Response: 14 – 28,000 hz
  • SPL 1mW: 99.8 dB
  • Nominal Impedance: 38 ohms
  • Driver Matched dB: .05 dB
  • Ear cushion design: L Cushion
  • Cable type: 8-conductor

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Grado Reference RS1x

Grado Reference RS2x