For more than 30 years, Grado headphones have been part of my daily listening regimen and travel kit. My old pair of Grado SR80s were stolen from my bus seat during a trip in the Negev; a wave of suicide bus bombings at the time resulted in our bus being thoroughly searched by the Israeli Police and they were never to be seen again. Since then, I’ve owned other pairs of Grado headphones like the SR80x and RS1, but the Head-Fi revolution opened my mind (and ears) to other brands like Meze Audio, HiFiMAN, Audeze, and Dan Clark Audio. The one thing that I always liked about Grado — their disdain for “sameness” — started to lose a big part of its edge. With the recently introduced HP100 SE and brand new Grado Signature S950 Headphones, it’s become clear that our friends in Brooklyn are creating a new path for themselves.
CanJam NYC 2025 takes place this weekend and it will represent only the second time in recent memory that Grado has participated; it is the first time in NYC which is somewhat astounding considering that both headphones are engineered and assembled across the Verrazzano Bridge in Brooklyn.
You can read our recent review of the Signature HP100 SE here; we suspect that the new direction for the company will be somewhat polarising within its traditional customer base and the Head-Fi community, but the changes are positive.
A New Tree Grows in Brooklyn…
Staying true to Grado’s longstanding tradition of using woods in crafting their headphone housings, the Signature S950 utilises Brazilian Walnut, the first time Grado has chosen this family of woods. Grado believes that different woods offer distinct sonic characteristics and that their choice here offers a key point of differentiation to the more analytical sounding HP100 SE.
Weighing in at 395 grams, the lightweight but durable nature of Brazilian Walnut offers a comfortable fit and reduced fatigue for those long listening sessions. The wood grain on each individually crafted housing is never identical, bringing a special one-of-kind quality to each build.
The Signature S950 utilises a version of the new Grado 52mm S driver originally designed for the Signature HP100 SE. Grado’s goal was to create a new driver that minimises distortion, while preserving tonal accuracy and improving detail retrieval.
To achieve this, a paper composite cone was selected, paired with a high-flux magnetic circuit made from rare earth alloys. The driver also features a lightweight copper-plated aluminum voice coil. Together, the advanced magnetic circuit and voice coil enhance dynamics and transient response while providing a refined sense of space, soundstage, detail and imaging.
Detachable cables
In the words of Carole King…”I feel the Earth move under my feet.”
When I took delivery of the review sample and schlepped them in my 4Runner for the drive down to Florida, my first thought was to make sure that the rumour was true.
It’s true.
The Grado Signature line will continue to feature detachable cables. First introduced with the launch of the Signature HP100 SE, these new cables are a welcome change to Grado headphones — welcome might be an understatement.
The Signature S950 headphone will ship standard with the Grado Signature Gold cable, with a length of 6 feet and a 6.35mm single ended termination. All new Grado cables have been redesigned with a softer more durable braided finish as well as an improved insulation that enhances flexibility while reducing overall weight.
The cable connects to each housing via a 4-pin balanced mini XLR plug. Future Grado detachable cables will be available with termination options; there will be a 4-pin balanced XLR termination and 4.4mm balanced termination, and variable cable lengths will also be available.
But are they comfortable?
The Signature S950 utilise the new headband assembly that was first made available on the Signature HP100 SE. Built for long listening sessions, the updated headband includes 50% more padding than earlier Grado models — which is a considerable change because I wasn’t aware that there was that much to begin with.
It features a stainless-steel band and adjustable height rods, allowing for a customized fit that helps reduce listening fatigue.
Grado Labs has crafted the engraved gimbals from an aluminum alloy, while the stainless-steel height rod adds stability at the connection point. The height rod is designed to remain secure to the junction block as well as restrict the housing rotation to 105 degrees, helping minimise wear over time.
The supplied ear pads are going to be hit or miss with most users; a Barista at Starbucks in Boynton Beach asked me if I had forgotten to take off my ear protection from my shift at Palm Beach Airport. #ouch #donotworkthere
Very few people are going to take these open-back headphones on the train while commuting or use them on the airplane, so you’re probably safe using either one at home regardless of which ear pad you select.
I do wish that Grado would go with a removable leather or suede ear pad which would probably work better sonically and look more appropriate on a pair of $2,100 USD headphones.
Specifications
- Transducer Type: Dynamic
- Operating Principle: Open Air
- Frequency response: 3.5Hz – 51.5kHz
- THD: <0.1% @100 dB
- SPL 1mW: 115 dB
- Nominal impedance: 38 ohms
- Driver size: 52 mm
- Driver Matched dB: 0.4 dB
- Cable type: 12-conductor detachable
- Headphone Connection: 4-pin Mini XLR
- Source Connection: 6.3 mm
- Earpad Supplied: G Cushions and F Cushions
The Bottom Line
Without giving too much away about their sonic performance (you can read the first part of my review here), it’s safe to say that Grado has made the decision to not only change the design and build of their headphones; but also alter its performance in a way that makes them much more competitive with designs from HiFiMAN, Sennheiser, Meze Audio, and Beyerdynamic.
The Grado Signature S950 are easy to drive and far more comfortable than previous iterations for longer listening sessions and it will be interesting to see how the market responds.
We suspect that with the right source devices and amplification, the Signature S950 might become rather popular.
Where to buy:
Related Reading:
Anton
February 19, 2025 at 6:44 pm
So Grado did something other than move the letters around and finally ditched those terrible cables?
Is it the same tonal balance as the HP100 SE because I was interested after reading the review.
Ian White
February 19, 2025 at 6:47 pm
Anton,
Not touching the first comment.
The decision to ditch fixed cables took forever but it was the right move and it allows users to try different connectors; which is rather important these days when you look at the DAPs, Dongle DACs, and headphone amplifiers on the market.
So, the tonal balance is somewhat similar but the overall presentation is not as neutral sounding. The midrange is warmer. The treble is not as sharp compared to other Grado models that I’ve owned over the years.
The ear pads make a huge difference. Don’t even bother with the on-ear ear pads. The over-ear are far more comfortable and the passive isolation is superior.
Tell Sherriff Bell I say hello…
IW