Grado Prestige Red 4 Phono Cartridge

Grado Red4

The Grado Red4 is the phono cartridge that combines reliability, balanced sound, and surprisingly broad compatibility. It belongs to Grado Labs’ renowned Prestige Series and therefore inherits decades of experience in turntable cartridge design. First and foremost, the Grado Red4 uses the moving iron design based on Joseph Grado’s patented flux-bridger principle. Thanks to this solution, the cartridge generates a precise signal while maintaining an extremely low moving mass; as a result, playback is fast, controlled, and harmonically coherent.

Durability

The Grado Red4 not only delivers a natural sound, but also ensures excellent long-term stability. In fact, the injection-moulded body provides consistent construction and reliable performance. In addition, the stylus is user-replaceable and is also interchangeable with other models in the Prestige Series. For this reason, maintenance is simple and the investment lasts longer.

Sound

From a sonic perspective, the presentation is balanced and never aggressive. The midrange, in particular, conveys presence and body, while the low frequencies remain defined and composed. At the same time, the high frequencies are smooth and natural. As a result, every record is reproduced with consistency, separation, and a precise soundstage. Finally, because it is available in both standard mount and P-mount versions, the Grado Red4 easily adapts to a wide variety of turntables and phono preamplifiers.

Construction

From a construction standpoint, the signal path uses ultra-high-purity 5N OCC copper, specifically selected for its conductivity and consistency. Subsequently, each cartridge undergoes cryogenic treatment and internal damping; in this way, unwanted resonances are reduced and signal integrity is preserved. The elliptical diamond mounted on an aluminium cantilever completes the design: thanks to this combination, tracking remains precise and groove reading is reliable across every recording.

Specifications

Output: 4 mV @ 5 cm/s (45°)
Frequency response: 10 – 55,000 Hz
Channel separation: Average 25 dB (10 – 30,000 Hz)
Stylus: Elliptical diamond
Cantilever: Aluminium
Input load: 10 kΩ – 47 kΩ
Inductance: 50 mH
DC resistance: 660 Ω
Cartridge weight: 6 g
Tracking force: 1.6 – 1.9 g
Compliance: 20 µm/mN
Mounting: P-mount or 1/2″ screw mount
Design: Moving iron