Grado intros new flagship PS2000e headphones made from maple and metal

Grado Labs is known for its Brooklyn heritage and handcrafted line of headphones. While they’ve spent the last few years focused on unique releases and shoring up its entry-level devices, the attention has now turned to the high-end. Today, Grado announced the PS2000e model as its new flagship pair of headphones with a hybrid metal and wood design.

Grado has long used a variety of woods and metals in crafting its headphones. Not only does it help the brand standout from the competition, this attention to detail delivers some of our favorite sounding cans on the market today.

Every pair of Grado headphones goes through a strenuous design process and the PS2000e continues that trend. CEO John Grado put two years of design work into this new release, depending on years of expertise to craft a signature sound.

The decision to use maple and metal was two-fold. Wood delivers the type of sonic response that Grado prefers with “minimal signal colorations” that “produce un-obscured details from the music.” Each maple chamber is carved by hand and then placed inside the Smoked Chrome colored metal housing. The coloring here is killer. It’s like a sleek version of Apple’s Space Gray found on MacBooks or an iPhone.

Vice President Jonathan Grado explains the design process further to us:

“When I first started at Grado I wanted new releases to always be happening, but I’ve learned from my dad two fundamental powers, quality and patience. It’s been a decade since we last built a new flagship but I knew there was no reason to rush out a new one. Waiting has afforded us the opportunity to try new things, like using Maple, and combining all our learnings into the PS2000e to make a headphone that truly represents our heritage.”

Like most of Grado’s headphones, the latest flagship model is made by hand in Brooklyn. With a price tag of $2,695, these cans aren’t designed for your average listening session but rather for high-end situations and studio work. If you’re interested, the PS2000e’s are available for purchase today direct from the manufacturer.

Looking for Grado sound without the big-time price tag? Its lower-end models are an excellent buy at under $100. I’ve been using the SR80e’s for some time, and definitely prefer them to my AirPods or Beats. When it comes to listening to music as it was intended, it doesn’t get much better than Grado.

[9to5-press-release]

GRADO INTRODUCES THEIR NEW FLAGSHIP HEADPHONE, THE PS2000e
The Brooklyn Company Has Metal Meet Maple In Their Top Headphone
Brooklyn, NY June 1, 2017: Grado Labs is excited to introduce their newest flagship headphone, the PS2000e. With their latest Brooklyn-built headphone, the company found the perfect marriage of metal and maple for their highest-end headphone yet. Though owner & CEO John Grado will say it took him over two years to create, the new PS2000e inherently possesses more than sixty years of refinement & craftsmanship. It is the finest headphone Grado has ever built.
The diaphragm geometry was redesigned to more accurately render the signal into music and a new front cap for the driver limits diffractions of the diaphragm. All this is mounted in a proprietary hybrid housing that ultimately gives the driver the utmost support while eliminating distortion and resonance, thus minimizing signal colorations to produce un-obscured details from the music. The incomparable sonic signature of Maple, first used in their limited edition GH1, delivers a unique but desirable response so Grado designed a hand-carved maple inner chamber and then seamlessly paired it to a beautiful new Smoked Chrome colored shell. Cladding the wood with metal alloy serves a profound purpose, it eliminates ringing and unwanted distortions. The PS2000e also has a wider leather band for increased comfort for long listening sessions. Both the maple chamber and headband are exclusive to the PS2000e.
“When I first started at Grado I wanted new releases to always be happening, but I’ve learned from my dad two fundamental powers, quality and patience” notes Jonathan Grado. “It’s been a decade since we last built a new flagship but I knew there was no reason to rush out a new one. Waiting has afforded us the opportunity to try new things, like using Maple, and combining all our learnings into the PS2000e to make a headphone that truly represents our heritage.”
The PS2000e is hand-built in their Brooklyn facility and every hand that touches it during manufacturing knows that something special is being built. From the speaker chassis, to the wire, voice coil and magnets, every detail was researched and the materials selected are of the highest grade. The PS2000e’s soundstage is immense, accurately placing each musician on it. With the new PS2000e, if the artist performed it, and the engineer captured it on the recording, you will hear it. The PS2000e is available now for $2,695 and can be found here.
About Grado Labs

Grado Labs was founded in 1953 by audio legend Joseph Grado, inventor of the stereo moving coil phono cartridge. Today Grado makes world-renowned hand-built headphones, phono cartridges, and amplifiers. This third-generation family-owned company still operates out of its original Brooklyn location, led by current owner and CEO John Grado, whose son Jonathan serves as VP of Marketing. The company has been called “the finest electricity-to-sound transducer in the world,” and sound remains the company’s top priority.

 

[/9to5-press-release]

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