We've evolved from the victrola to the record, the walkman to the Discman, the iPod to the iPhone, and now the record player is making a comeback, and for good reason. Nothing quite has that vintage sound like the crisp static from a vinyl record. Nothing quite adds nuances of life and movement to a room like a turning record. And it is with this that I introduce Brooklyn-based Grado, a family owned manufacturer of record player cartridges (the important part with the needle) using a unique design to ensure high-quality sound with minimal wear and tear to your vinyl records.
Founder Joseph Grado began as a watchmaker at Tiffany & Company in the early 1950s. He was gifted with excellent hearing which borne him interest in the manufacturing of record cartridges, speakers, and turntables. He began manufacturing in his kitchen, and later he moved into the storefront of his parent's grocery store in Brooklyn. Grado narrowed his focus to cartridges, and for several decades he researched and improved the product resulting in many patents. The business grew and was passed on to subsequent generations.
In the 1990s, still family owned, John Grado, Joseph's nephew expanded to include handmade headphones, their primary product today. Everything about their process has quality in mind. Grado prefers treated mahogany as a building material for its natural tonal properties. Their headphones offer a very broad frequency range to perfectly recreate those low bass and high treble acoustics. The connectors incorporate expensive rhodium to prevent corrosion. Critics have repeatedly lauded Grado products for their outstanding tonal quality.
