THE NEW GRADO STATEMENT X HEADPHONES COMBINE COCOBOLO, MAPLE, IPÊ, METAL AND THE LARGEST DRIVER THAT THE BRAND HAS USED

Grado is introducing the new Statement X Series, which brings fourth-generation X Drivers to the wooden GS3000x and GS1000x headphones.

The new models feature exotic woods and balanced cable options.

Grado Statement X GS1000x Headphones

GRADO STATEMENT X GS3000X

The flagship Grado Statement X GS3000x houses their most powerful driver yet inside a metal chamber surrounded by a single body of cocobolo wood. The GSX3000x features Grado’s improved 12-conductor braided cable and new headband and they are hand assembled in Brooklyn, New York.

Grado Statement X GS3000x

Grado says that the GS3000x is the best-sounding headphone they have 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. Cocobolo’s sonic properties and innate mass makes it perfect for the new speakers. They paired this with a metal inner chamber to add even more mass, which lets them control the rigidity of the driver. Cocobolo has striking patterns and colour that tend to vary from pair to pair.

The wooden earcups of the GS3000x

GRADO STATEMENT X GS1000X

The GS1000x combines mahogany and ipê wood, and the same 12-conductor braided cable and new headband as the GS3000x.

Grado Statement X GS1000x

Continuing over two decades of one of Grado’s most important headphone designs, the now hybrid GS1000x sees mahogany and ipê wood come 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 yet used in a Grado called for a delicate balance.

Grado tells us that: “Mahogany still exudes warmth and texture, while ipê improves the structural integrity of the sound passing through the grains of the housing”.

“I remember trying on the first GS1000 decades ago when my dad (John Grado) brought the first pair upstairs from the workbench”, says Jonathan Grado. “I was seven or eight and they swallowed my head. The fact that they are in their fourth generation today is a testament to the design of the original GS1000. And I’m sure my mom has that photo somewhere.”

GRADO X DRIVERS

In thirty years Grado Labs has only released four generations of drivers, the speaker inside the headphone. Avoiding yearly update cycles “just because”, Grado has made sure to only place new drivers inside their headphones when there is a significant upgrade. The X Drivers bring a completely redesigned speaker to the inner workings of the GS3000x and GS1000x. Each one is specifically tuned for the wooden enclosure they’re in.

GS3000x feature the most powerful Grado driver yet

GRADO STATEMENT X PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

The Grado Statement X Series will be available from September priced (SRP):

Grado Statement GS1000x – £1,295/ $1,195

Grado Statement GS1000x with Balanced XLR connectors – £1,495 / $1,365

Grado Statement GS3000x – £2,195 / $1,995

Grado Statement GS3000x with Balanced XLR connectors – £2,395 / $2,165

HiFi Pig Says: The use of different woods to tune the sound of headphones is a very interesting subject, and of course, the gorgeous finish is a bonus.

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