Grado Timbre Master3 Phono Cartridge

1090

New product

993,20 €

This article it's not in stock but can be ordered and it will take a number of days indicated into the Blue tab below, to be shipped to you. Please verify the availability for immediate shipping of other eventual versions of the same product.

Brand: Grado

 
Description

The Master3 models uses a five piece OTL cantilever technology achieving an additional 5% tip mass reduction over the Platinum3 and Sonata3 models. The coils are wound with ultra-high purity long crystal (UHPLC) oxygen free copper wire. The Master3 model is mounted with Grado's specially designed nude elliptical diamond. These cartridges are individually calibrated.

Specs:

    • Body: Australian Jarrah Wood
    • Cantileaver: Machined Boron / Diamond Tip
    • Output:
      High 4.0mV @5 CMV (45)
      Low 1.0mV @5 CMV (45)
    • Inductance:
      High Output 55mH
      Low Output 6mH
    • Resistance:
      High Output 660 ohms
      Low Output 70 ohms
    • Input Load: 10k-47k ohms
    • Cartridge Weight: 10 grams
    • Tracking Force: 1.6-1.9 grams
    • Compliance 20μm/mN
    • Channel Separation: Average 30db - 10-30k Hz
    • Controlled Frequency Response: 10-60 KHz
    • Non-Sensative to Capacitive Load
    • Builds: High Output (for Low Output or Mono Cartridges please contact us) - Please note we can suggest you the right Phono Preamp for Low Output models)
"The reproduction with the Grado Series Reference heads, even at low frequency and its overall sound representation, were the best I've ever heard from any head: solid, authoritative and powerful music. "

- Stereophile, Micheal Fremer

 
Designer

Heritage Matters

Grado Labs is a Brooklyn based company that hand makes headphones and cartridges. Family run since 1953, Grado has seen three generations: Joseph, John, and Jonathan Grado. As Ars Technica says, “…on a quiet street in south Brooklyn is a manufacturing operation that produces some of the most renowned headphones… it's just the Grados in their narrow townhouse making the little-known, well-loved line of headphones.”

 Joseph John Jonathan Grado Three Generations 2016

1953-1989: Foundation and phono cartridges

Grado Labs was founded by Joseph Grado (1924-2015) in 1953 in Brooklyn. Over the past 61 years, Grado has become famous for their remarkable headphone and phono cartridge designs. Joseph Grado is responsible for more innovations in phono cartridge design than any other person in our lifetime, inventing the stereo moving coil phono cartridge and holding more than 48 patents.

Joseph Grado is responsible for more innovations in phono cartridge design than any other person in our lifetime. He was inducted into the Audio Hall of Fame in 1982.

Born in New York, Joseph Grado left vocational high school at age 16, where he had been studying watch-making and had been at the top of his class. He went to work for Tiffany & Company and also taught the craft of watch-making in the evenings. When he discovered hi-fi sound in the early fifties, he visited Saul Marantz to get help in improving the sound of his audio system. Impressed by Joseph's gifted ear, Marantz sent him over to Sherman Fairchild's floundering hi-fi division. With Saul Marantz making the introductions, Joseph promptly landed a top position in the company. As soon as he came up with a design for a viable product, he went out on his own. Scraping together $2,000, Joseph began to produce phono cartridges. In 1953 he started production of his cartridges on the kitchen table, Grado Labs’ first home. In 1955 Joseph opened a factory in Brooklyn on the site of his Sicilian born father's grocery business which, to this day, has been the home of Grado Laboratories.

In the early years Grado also produced speakers, turntables and the highly acclaimed wooden tone-arm, which came in several models. In 1963 all of Grado's resources were dedicated to creating the world's finest phono cartridges. Grado Labs ceased production of all other products and, for the next 21 years, focused only on cartridges. In 1976 phono cartridge design was taken to the next level and the first true high-end cartridges were created under the tutelage of Joseph Grado Signature Products. These new cartridges were very highly regarded and were the first to reach a price tag of $1,000. In 1984 Grado introduced the Joseph Grado Signature Tone-arm that was so well received that, even now, years after the last one was shipped, calls are still received inquiring whether any are available for sale.

In the late 1980s Joseph began the development of what was to become the first true high-end dynamic headphone. The introduction of the Joseph Grado Signature Series of headphones was a major event in the evolution of headphone design. Joseph's painstaking design process, combined with nearly a half century of experience manufacturing precision audio devices, astonished even the most critical reviewers. Joseph extended headphone performance to levels previously attained by only the very best full-range speaker systems in areas of dynamics, pitch control, harmonic accuracy and bass quality. In the process, he once again created a new category - true audiophile quality headphones. Now deceased, Joseph was inducted into the Audio Hall Of Fame in 1982.

1990-2012: Resurgence and first line of headphones

Taking the reins and becoming President & C.E.O. in 1990, John Grado, Joseph’s nephew, created and released Grado’s first line of headphones that the Brooklyn company is known for today. From Grado’s first headphone entry to 2014, John has created over 60 headphones. This Prestige Series of headphones went on to win more awards than any other headphone line in the world. He had come a long way from sweeping the floors of Grado in the ‘60s. 

In the beginning, John lived with his family on the top floor of the factory. His wife, Loretta, and he would build  the headphone order themselves on a small worker’s bench everyday for the first few years. Around the same time of the introduction of the headphones, he built the Grado Towers: a twin set of six foot tall stack of 32 RS1 drivers (64 total) encompassed in a wooden body. Due to the immediate popularity of the headphones though, the Grado Towers remain unreleased to this day as there was no need to enter both the speaker and headphone space. The Towers are currently in Grado’s Listening Room, which WIRED calls, “the Magical Room Where the Best Headphones in the World Are Made”. 

John Lived With His Family On The Top Floor Of The Factory. His Wife, Loretta, And He Would Build The Headphone Orders Themselves On A Small Worker’s Bench Everyday

With a new focus on headphones, John didn’t forget about Grado’s roots. He set out to redesign the entire Grado line of phono cartridges. John took the knowledge gained while designing the wooden Reference headphones and applied this in the cartridge designs. Grado’s system of damping has virtually eliminated resonant distortions in the magnetic and electrical circuits in the cartridge, bringing analog to a new level of performance. The wooden Reference and Statement Series of phono cartridges have been praised by analog aficionados as "the most significant advancement involving analog reproduction in the last thirty years", and honored with a Golden Note Award for analog design. Grado also revised the entry level cartridges with the Prestige Series which has been touted as the "Best Value" in phono cartridges in the world.

John has brought Grado’s headphone lines from one generation to the next, introducing every headphone that is available to this day. In 2008 he created The i Series, the second generation of Grado. For the first time, he also decided to enter the in-ear headphone market at the urging of his sons, Jonathan and Matthew. In 2011 the in-ears came to fruition. The boys realized the importance of this booming segment of the headphone market and that the third generation of Grado would be a part of it. Jonathan and Matthew were both instrumental in the process of voicing of the iGi, GR8 and the GR10. 

2013-Present: Grado goes social and The e Series

Jonathan Grado is now Vice President of Marketing for Grado Labs, “I grew up on the top floor of Grado Labs,” says Jonathan, “so now I’m working with people who have known me all my life". Even though he’s John’s eldest son, Jonathan never felt pressured to join the family company. It was only in his sophomore year of college that he found a passion talking to Grado users, leading him to craft Grado’s social efforts and expand the company’s narrative.  Jonathan was in charge of the launch of The e Series, the third generation of headphones, in mid 2014. Although the new headphones look suspiciously similar to the older models, everything about them is improved. From the housings to the wiring, to the cones and coils, The e Series represents Grado’s third generation of audio excellence. With being named in the Top 8 Most Social Small Businesses in America, Grado has shown it can adapt while keeping their traditions deep rooted in family, quality, and Brooklyn

"I Grew Up On The Top Floor Of Grado Labs," says Jonathan, "So Now I’m Working With People Who Have Known Me All My Life"

John and Loretta Grado with sons Matthew (L) and Jonathan (R).

Write a review

Grado Timbre Master3 Phono Cartridge

Write a review

 
Questions

30 other products in the same category:

Availability

Products availability:

  • Grado Timbre Master3 Phono Cartridge

    This product can be ordered and will be shipped within 3 days. Also see the Availability tab and eventual options of the same product.


  • Available for immediate shipping.

    Product is available.
  • This product can be ordered and will be shipped within a certain number of days.

    Product is available to be ordered and will be shipped within the specified days.
  • This product is out of stock. The product is not available to be ordered. It could be incoming and to be email informed when it will be available for ordering, please click on "Email me when available" or contact us.

If a product is available an insufficient quantity, the system will not let you finalize the order, so in this case please contact us to know the future date when more quantities will be available.
Product availability is real-time updated and correspond to our actual stock quantities (Green) or to estimated obtainability times (Blue); in the case of (Blue) products, although the specified times are a realistic and conservative estimate, have to be intended as indicative and not as a binding obligation.

If you place an order containing both readily available products (Green) together with products that will make available within the indicated number of days (Blue), will be shipped alltogether when all product types are into our wharehouse; if you’d like we immediately ship the in-stock articles, it’s better that you place a separate order, or contact us.

When your order is shipped, we send you an email containing all details to track it.

For any further information please contact the Customer Service, available from monday to friday (hours: 9-13 / 15-17).

Menu