A Beloved Hi-Fi Brand Just Made Its Signature Audiophile Headphones Way More Affordable

Grado has been hand-building headphones in Brooklyn since the early 1990s. Today, it makes a wide variety of open-back headphones characterized by their retro design and energetic, spacious sound. You can snag a pair for as low as $99, or go big with one of the brand’s Signature series headphones, which can cost north of two grand.

Of those Signature series headphones, the Signature HP100 SE ($2,950) is the flagship. But the company has made a move to make their range a little more attainable, adding the Signature S950 ($2,195) and Signature S750 ($1,695), in the last few years.

Now, with the release of the Signature S550, Grado has added a fourth pair of headphones to its Signature series. And they are its most affordable models yet.

Grado’s entry-level Signatures

Grado

Signature sound, less steep price

Grado’s Signature S550 open-back headphones are positioned as more affordable alternatives to the brand’s Signature S750, which were just introduced this past October.

The two headphones share the brand’s all-new 50mm S2 dynamic drivers, although Grado claims that the Signature S550’s drivers have been tuned specifically for its all-wood enclosure. (Instead of wood, the Signature S750 has an all-aluminum housing.)

Grado

Rather than pursuing an entirely new driver architecture, Grado claims it focused on optimizing the interaction between the S2 driver and the wooden housing. This has led to the Signature S550 delivering a warmer and more forgiving sound than the Signature S750.

“Designed for listeners seeking warmth, openness, and clarity without fatigue,” reads the company’s press release. “The S550 offers a more relaxed presentation while preserving the speed, detail, and immediacy that have long defined the Grado sound.”

Grado

Brazilian Walnut housings

Speaking of wood, the Signature S550 features housings that are entirely crafted from Brazilian Walnut. Given that they are made of real wood, each individual model will have natural variations in grain , and therefore no two pairs will be exactly alike.

Grado

Like its Signature S750, Grado has outfitted the Signature S550 with its new B cushions, which rest flatter on your ears to more evenly distribute pressure. This should help the headphones be more comfortable during longer listening sessions.

Grado

The Signature S550 share several other features with Grado’s higher-end Signature S750 headphones. This includes the same narrower leather headband strap and adjustable height rods (which are made of stainless-steel).

Like Grado’s more recent headphones, the Signature S550 come with a detachable cable system.  Each cable hooks up to the cans via a 4-pin balanced mini XLR connector. And the cable is terminated with a 3.5mm mini plug, but Grado includes a 6.3mm adapter, so you can use the headphones with a wide range of audio equipment. 

Grado

Availability and pricing

Grado’s fourth addition to its Signature series of headphones, the Signature S550, will be available later in March.

They cost $995, which is $700 less than the Signature S750, making them by far the most affordable headphones in the range.

Grado

Grado Signature S550

The Signature S550 is the most affordable pair of open-back headphones in Grado’s flagship Signature series. Positioned as more affordable alternatives to the brand’s Signature S750, which are nearly twice as expensive, the S550 has the same 50mm S2 dynamic drivers, but they have been tuned specifically for its all-wood enclosure (instead of wood, the Signature S750 has an all-aluminum housing). According to the brand, they offer “a more relaxed presentation while preserving the speed, detail, and immediacy that have long defined the Grado sound.”

• $995 at Grado

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