Product Description
Grado Labs, the family-owned American audio manufacturer founded in 1953, announces the evolution of its phono cartridge lineup. Spanning the Lineage, Timbre, and Prestige Series, the updated lineup introduces meaningful improvements to cartridge performance through refinements to the stylus assembly, coil composition, and housing geometry.
Phono cartridges are the foundation of Grado’s history.
For decades, they defined the company’s work in analog and were central to its early innovation. This latest evolution focuses on their performance. These refinements contribute to better tracking, greater control, and a more balanced presentation, while also improving consistency and ease of setup.
Refined Core Elements
At the center of the updated lineup are refinements to the elements that most directly influence performance. The stylus assembly has been further developed across the range, with diamond profiles and cantilever materials carefully matched to each model. Select models now incorporate nude Shibata diamonds, expanding beyond the elliptical profiles used throughout much of the previous generation, improving groove contact, tracking, and detail retrieval. Coil composition has been updated across all models, moving to OCC copper at varying levels of purity. These changes contribute to improved signal transmission, greater clarity, and more consistent channel balance. Housing geometry in wood-bodied cartridges has also been refined, with updated profiles designed to improve both performance and the setup process, allowing for easier installation and greater stability during use. Together, these refinements result in a more controlled, more consistent presentation across the entire cartridge lineup.
Lineage Series — Highest Level of Performance
The Lineage Series represents the highest level of performance in Grado cartridge design. Each model is built around a nude Shibata diamond paired with precision cantilever materials, including sapphire in the Epoch and Aeon and machined boron in the Statement. Combined with ultrahigh purity coil composition, these designs deliver speed, resolution, and control while preserving the natural character of vinyl playback. Grado’s moving iron design, based on its patented flux-bridger system, remains central to the Lineage Series. This approach delivers the speed, detail, and low-level resolution associated with moving coil designs, while providing greater stability, consistency, and long-term performance. All Lineage models utilize Brazilian Ebony wood housings, selected for its density and mass, contributing to stability, resonance control, and a more grounded presentation. Models such as the Epoch and Aeon reflect this approach, offering reference-level performance and strong value within the high-end analog category. Lineage cartridges are available in low output configurations, with both stereo and mono options.
