Grado Labs

About this resource

Grado Labs is a family-owned American audio company founded in 1953 by Joseph Grado with his brother John. Its company history ties the business to Brooklyn, New York, and to successive generations of the Grado family. The product identity rests on both phono cartridges and headphones, rather than treating its analogue history as merely background to a headphone catalogue. ^{[1] [2]}

The official page records an April 2026 update to the Prestige, Timbre and Lineage cartridge families, identified by the /4 generation. It states that all Grado cartridges continue to be assembled in Brooklyn. For wired headphones, the earlier Prestige, Reference and Statement lines were brought together as the Classic Series in April 2026. This current naming matters when older reviews still use the former family divisions. ^{[1] [2]}

The Signature Line began with the HP100 SE in 2024 and adds new driver platforms, detachable cables, revised headbands and different material choices. The site names S950, S750 and S550 as subsequent examples. Grado’s history also includes wood-housing experiments, special editions and wireless headphones such as GW100, but these historical launches should not be mistaken for a guarantee of present availability. Comparing Classic, Signature and the cartridge families gives a more accurate first map of the brand than a single general headphone label. ^{[1] [2]}