brooklyn – Grado Newsroom

Grado Labs, designer and manufacturer of award-winning headphones, announces the Signature S150, the most accessible entry into its expanding Signature Line.

Featuring a newly developed 44mm S driver incorporating technology from Grado’s higher end HP100 SE and S950 headphones, the S150 delivers exceptional clarity and detail while maintaining a full-bodied, musical presentation.

The S150 also introduces an entirely new single-piece housing design, modernizing the classic Grado appearance while retaining its unmistakable identity. Combined with detachable Signature Bronze cables, a comfortably padded leather headband, and refined mechanical components, the S150 offers a compelling combination of musical performance, comfort, and versatility.

New 44mm S Driver

At the heart of the Signature S150 is Grado’s 44mm S driver, marking the first use of this new driver design. The driver incorporates a paper-composite diaphragm based on the technology found in the larger 52mm S drivers utilized in the HP100 SE and S950.

Developed specifically for the smaller 44mm format, the new driver builds on Grado’s ongoing exploration of materials and magnetic design, and their influence on musical reproduction.

The S150 delivers a level of clarity and detail that challenges expectations for a headphone in its class, while preserving the natural body and musical character of the performance.

While open-back headphones are often associated with a more restrained low-frequency presentation, the S150 delivers clean, articulate bass with a satisfying sense of presence. This contributes to a balanced presentation across the frequency spectrum, allowing subtle musical details to emerge without sacrificing fullness or musical engagement.

As with every Grado headphone, the S150’s final acoustic presentation reflects a combination of engineering, extensive listening, and fine-tuning, with the goal of bringing listeners closer to their music.

Signature Bronze Detachable Cables

The Signature S150 features Grado’s detachable cable system, incorporating the new Signature Bronze cable as standard equipment.

Part of Grado’s latest generation of Signature Line cables, the Bronze cable features a lighter, softer, and more flexible construction, improving comfort and convenience during everyday listening.

The S150 features 3.5mm connections at each headphone housing, providing additional freedom to adjust cable orientation to suit individual listening preferences and comfort. The included cable terminates in a 3.5mm plug at the source end and is supplied with a 6.3mm adapter, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of portable audio players, headphone amplifiers, and home audio equipment.

The S150 can also be ordered with alternative cable terminations, allowing listeners to select the connection that best suits their audio equipment.

Comfort, Fit and Refined Engineering

Weighing just 220 grams, the Signature S150 combines lightweight construction, a padded leather headband, and updated mechanical components to provide a comfortable and secure fit for extended listening sessions.

The S150 incorporates Grado’s new Signature headband assembly, featuring a padded leather strap that distributes the headphone’s weight comfortably across the head. A flexible steel band within the headband allows listeners to adjust the inward tension, providing a more personalized fit and level of comfort.

The assembly includes redesigned matte-black polymer gimbals, stainless-steel height rods, and reinforced junction blocks, providing improved stability, adjustability, and durability. Controlled housing rotation limits unnecessary movement while maintaining the flexibility needed for a personalized fit.

The new Signature headband assembly is also available separately as an accessory, offering owners of compatible earlier Grado headphones a convenient way to incorporate the latest comfort and mechanical refinements.

The S150 is supplied with Grado’s F cushions, selected as part of the headphone’s overall acoustic tuning. Their design incorporates internal acoustic slits that promote airflow and contribute to the headphone’s open, detailed presentation.

The S150 is also compatible with the complete range of Grado headphone cushions, allowing listeners to explore different cushion options and personalize the headphone’s sonic presentation and comfort.

A Contemporary Interpretation of a Classic Design

The Signature S150 introduces an entirely new, single-piece acoustic chamber body, bringing a contemporary refinement to Grado’s iconic headphone design.

Moulded from engineered ABS polymer, the housing combines lightweight construction with durability and dimensional consistency. Its rich matte-black finish creates a refined, understated appearance while preserving the recognizable character of a Grado headphone.

The new housing design reflects Grado’s continued approach to product evolution, combining modern materials and manufacturing techniques with the distinctive appearance that has defined the brand for generations.

Continuing the Evolution of the Signature Line

The introduction of the Signature S150 represents the next step in Grado’s ongoing commitment to advancing headphone design and musical performance, making the latest Signature Line developments accessible at a new price point.

Combining the new 44mm S driver, paper-composite diaphragm technology, detachable Signature Bronze cables, updated headband engineering, and contemporary housing design, the S150 brings together meaningful developments in acoustic performance, listening comfort, and versatility. The result is a headphone designed to reproduce music with clarity, detail, and natural musical expression, continuing

Grado’s longstanding goal of bringing listeners closer to the music they love.

The Grado Signature S150 is available for pre-order at an MSRP of $295 and SRP of £295 USD, with shipping expected to begin in early November 2026.

Technical Specifications

Transducer Type: Dynamic

Operating Principle: Open Air

Frequency Response: 16Hz – 34kHz

THD: <0.3% @100 dB

SPL 1mW: 104 dB

Nominal Impedance: 38 ohms

Driver Size: 44mm

Driver Matching: 0.05 dB

Weight: 220g

Cable type: Signature Bronze Detachable

Headphone Connection: Dual 3.5mm Mini

Source Connection: 3.5mm with 6.3mm Adapter

Earpad Supplied: F Cushion

To learn more about the Signature S150 and discover other Grado products, please visit www.gradolabs.com.

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Grado Signature S150 Lifestyle Images

Grado Signature S150 Product Shots

Grado Labs, the family-owned American headphone manufacturer founded in 1953 and operating from its original Brooklyn location, announces the Classic Series, a newly defined lineup bringing together several of the company’s most recognizable headphone models.

The Classic Series introduces a clearer structure within the Grado headphone lineup, joining the Signature Line and Wireless Series as part of the company’s evolving product ecosystem. Together,

these three series define the modern Grado headphone lineup, each serving a distinct role within the company’s evolving product family.

While these models have long been central to the Grado story, the Classic Series now brings them together under a single banner representing decades of design and listening philosophy. For many listeners, these headphones marked the beginning of their journey into high-fidelity listening.

With the introduction of the Classic Series, these models incorporate Grado’s X2 driver platform along with updated cable assemblies and refined build components—continuing the company’s tradition of evolving its products while remaining true to the sound that has defined Grado for generations.

Listeners seeking detachable cable designs will find them in the Signature Line, while the Classic Series continues Grado’s traditional hard-wired construction.

The X2 Driver Platform

At the center of the Classic Series is Grado’s X2 driver platform, developed to deliver improved consistency, control, and refinement, with greater clarity, extension, and balance while preserving the lively presentation that has long distinguished the company’s headphones.

The X2 platform represents a further evolution of Grado’s long-standing driver architecture, refined through extensive development and listening evaluation. The result is a presentation that balances clarity, dynamics, and openness while maintaining the immediacy and musical energy that have made the company’s headphones recognizable to listeners around the world.

Each model is tuned in relation to its housing, resulting in an open, dynamic, and engaging presentation across the lineup.

Updated Build Components

Alongside the introduction of the X2 driver platform, the Classic Series incorporates updated build components designed to improve durability, flexibility, and long-term listening comfort.

All Classic Series models feature Grado’s newly developed Signature cable design, building on developments first introduced in the Signature Line. Engineered to be lighter, softer, and more flexible while maintaining signal integrity, the updated cables improve handling and durability while remaining true to Grado’s traditional hard-wired construction.

Classic Series models also incorporate refined headband designs, developed to enhance comfort and long-term durability while maintaining the familiar aesthetic that has defined the brand for decades.

Every Classic Series headphone continues to be assembled in Brooklyn, New York, reflecting the company’s commitment to maintaining its long-standing manufacturing traditions while continuing to refine its products.

The Classic Series Lineup

The Classic Series brings together seven of Grado’s most recognizable headphone models:

Classic GS3000 – $1,995 / £1,995

Classic GS1000 – $1,195 / £1,195

Classic RS1 – $750 / £750

Classic Hemp – $495 / £495

Classic SR325 – $350 / £350

Classic SR80 – $175 / £175

Classic SR60 – $125 / £125

Together these headphones represent decades of Grado design, spanning from entry points that introduce new listeners to the brand to reference models crafted from carefully selected materials. For many listeners—including industry professionals and longtime enthusiasts—these headphones were where their journey into high-fidelity listening began.

Additional information, full specifications, and model details can be found at: gradolabs.com

A Continuing Evolution

The introduction of the Classic Series reflects Grado’s ongoing effort to bring greater clarity to its headphone lineup while continuing to refine the products that have defined the company for decades.

By bringing together these well-known models under a single series while incorporating the X2 driver platform and updated components, the Classic Series represents the next step in the evolution of the Grado headphone family – bringing improvements once reserved for higher-tier models into a more accessible part of the lineup.

As with every generation of Grado products, that evolution continues as the company refines its designs while remaining guided by the same principles that have shaped its products for more than seventy years.

The Grado Classic Series will begin shipping in late March with prices starting at $125 / £125

To learn more about the Classic Series and discover other Grado products please visit gradolabs.com

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Grado Classic Series