Grado

Grado

Also known as: Grado Labs, Grado Laboratories

Unclaimed

Grado Labs is a family-owned American audio company based in Brooklyn, New York, founded in 1953 by Joseph Grado. Originally a watchmaker who apprenticed at Tiffany & Co., Joseph began hand-building phono cartridges on his kitchen table above the family's fruit store, eventually converting the storefront into a workshop. He patented an early stereo moving coil cartridge in the late 1950s and ac...

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Grado Labs is a family-owned American audio company based in Brooklyn, New York, founded in 1953 by Joseph Grado. Originally a watchmaker who apprenticed at Tiffany & Co., Joseph began hand-building phono cartridges on his kitchen table above the family's fruit store, eventually converting the storefront into a workshop. He patented an early stereo moving coil cartridge in the late 1950s and accumulated nearly 50 patents over his career. The company has remained in the Grado family across three generations, with John Grado taking over leadership in 1990 and Jonathan Grado handling much of the brand's public-facing work.

The brand is best known for its open-back dynamic headphones, which are hand-assembled in the same Brooklyn building where the company started. Its headphone lineup spans the entry-level Prestige series (SR60, SR80, SR325), the mahogany-cupped Reference series (RS1, RS2), the larger-enclosure Statement series (GS1000, GS3000), and limited models like the Hemp Headphone. Grado also continues to produce phono cartridges across its Prestige, Timbre, and Lineage lines, alongside wireless models such as the GW100 and GT220.

Grado headphones have a distinctive retro aesthetic — metal rod blocks, foam pads, and exposed drivers — and a forward, vocal-centric house sound that has made them a recurring recommendation in audiophile and mixing circles. The company operates largely outside typical consumer-electronics marketing, relying on hand-built construction and a small product catalog rather than frequent model refreshes.

Grado has 16 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Headphones & In-Ear Monitors and Pedalboards. Their gear is featured by 6 artists, with the strongest followings in Electronic, Rock, and Folk, World, & Country. Notable users include John Mayer, Dave Gahan, and Patrick Alavi.

Artists Who Use Grado

John Mayer uses 1 Grado product

John Mayer

Guitarist · John Mayer Trio

Dave Gahan uses 1 Grado product

Dave Gahan

Singer, Composer · Depeche Mode

Patrick Alavi uses 1 Grado product

Patrick Alavi

Singer, Guitarist

Memorex Memories uses 1 Grado product

Memorex Memories

Keyboardist, Music Producer

EMBRZ uses 1 Grado product

EMBRZ

Music Producer

Austin Peters uses 1 Grado product

Austin Peters

Guitarist, Composer · Outrun the Sunlight

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