Grado Labs
Established 1957The history of the headphone is tied together with a string of brands and innovations. Heritage-wise you are well off buying a pair from Koss, the inventor of the world’s first SP/3 stereophone (1958). Wikiconic would go for a vintage Koss Pro-4AA (as pictured below), which has been on the market for over 15 years and was re-launched in 1988.
However, the true audiophile will opt for a Grado. Founded in 1953 by watchmaker Joseph Grado, Grado Labs is an audio manufacturer known for hand building headphones in Brooklyn. Initialy a manufacturer of phono cartridges, Grado today is solely specialized in dynamic open-air, supra-aural, high-fidelity headphones. In its over 60-year history, Grado has kept a very low profile by relying on word-of-mouth among audio dealers and consumers instead of mass advertising campaigns. They don’t need to: the quality of their headphones is unequalled and the design breathtaking.
The Koss Pro-4AA as mentioned above:
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