Grado Labs

In our last issue, we described the introduction of Grado Labs' new generation X drivers for their headphone line. They have just released the new generation X GS3000x and GS1000x wood headphones in their Statement Series. These new flagship models combine mahogany, cocobolo, maple, ipe, metal, and the largest speaker ever used in one of their headphones.

The GS1000x ($1,195) combines mahogany and ipe wood while the GS3000x ($1995) houses their 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 use Grado's improved 12-conductor braided cable and new headbands. Both models 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. Replete with texture and emotion, cocobolo's sonic properties and innate mass make it perfect for the new speakers. The company paired this driver with a metal inner chamber to add even more mass, that lets them control the rigidity of their largest driver yet. Aesthetically, cocobolo has striking patterns and color that tend to vary from pair to pair, making each piece visually unique.

Continuing over two decades of one of Grado's most important headphone designs, the newly- hybridized GS1000x has mahogany and ipe wood coming 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 previously used called for a delicate balance. The complementary properties of two woods work together. Mahogany exudes warmth and texture while ipe improves the structural integrity of the sound passing through the housing. Grado has released only four generations of drivers in their entire history and avoids pushing out new models just for marketing purposes. So users can be confident that a new generation of drivers from this company is truly meaningful.