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Grado Gold Upgrade Path

I don't know the Grado's personally, but I have a feeling they're nice people. It is the impression I have when I see them on video. Maybe it is their Italian origins that make me feel close to them, or their history that makes me like their products aiside from performances (which I appreciate a lot, anyway - but this might be matter of taste). I don't know, I don't see why they should give the impression of being corrupted or why thay should be so just because they are in Brooklyn or wherever...
 
SB12345 said:
I'm not a fan of doing Grado's Beta Testing for them, especially without compensation! They should have warned their customers that their product was not yet ready for commercial release. I lived in Brooklyn for sixteen years and witnessed the bribery, corruption, and general malaise that plagues that place. I should have known better than to have bought the Grado Kool-Aid.. A lesson learned.
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p.robustini said:
I don't know the Grado's personally, but I have a feeling they're nice people. It is the impression I have when I see them on video. Maybe it is their Italian origins that make me feel close to them, or their history that makes me like their products aiside from performances (which I appreciate a lot, anyway - but this might be matter of taste). I don't know, I don't see why they should give the impression of being corrupted or why thay should be so just because they are in Brooklyn or wherever...
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I spent my work life in the corporate environment and I can say for certainty that the Grados share little with that world. They do their best to join the modern world with websites etc. But, they are still a family business.
 
Blewpernt said:
I think this goes a little too far.

I thought the 2 series was a big step up as a matter of getting the cartridge to work well out of the box. I didn’t like the 0 series or the 1 series until I got an arm with fluid damping as people recommended and the issues I had evaporated. The really old Grados were my favorites until the 2 series.

I think they ought to in addition to the MI line, get back into high end MC. They invented the stereo MC as it is.

I’m annoyed that the 3 series comes on the heels of my many enthusiastic purchases of 2 series cartridges. I think I ended up with five of them. Two Golds and three blacks in 1/2” and P Mount sizes and now the 3’s come out?!

I’m annoyed because I’m pretty sure I’m going to buy at least a couple 3s and I don’t think I can even hold out for another two weeks, though I am trying to resist.
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A slew of manufacturers update their products way more frequently than Grado. As a family friend, John asked me to let AK members know in advance that the 3 series and new Lineage series would be coming to market in early 2020 which l did. Grado does not update it's products for the sake of profit as you can see since there have been no price increase in the Prestige series. Be assured that the 3 series will put l smile on your face
 
SB12345 said:
The Prestige Gold sucked big time. So shortly after Art Dudley's less than glowing review Grado came out with the Prestige Gold 1, and I bought one. It still sucked, so Grado came out with the Prestige Gold 2, which was a bit better than the Gold 1, but still no cigar! So they released the Gold3.

I don't think that Grado (as a company) is any longer competent and should shut down that factory in Brooklyn, allow their present employees the freedom to either retire or seek other employment, and quit ripping their customers off with their products that seem to require upgrading quite too frequently.

Kudos to Grado for sticking around while the death of vinyl was almost a foregone conclusion, but get a grip, Grado! Get out while you're not yet a laughingstock. Shure had to do it, why don't you?
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To buy just based upon a reviewers opinion is imo nuts.
 
Blewpernt said:
I think this goes a little too far.

I thought the 2 series was a big step up as a matter of getting the cartridge to work well out of the box. I didn’t like the 0 series or the 1 series until I got an arm with fluid damping as people recommended and the issues I had evaporated. The really old Grados were my favorites until the 2 series.

I think they ought to in addition to the MI line, get back into high end MC. They invented the stereo MC as it is.

I’m annoyed that the 3 series comes on the heels of my many enthusiastic purchases of 2 series cartridges. I think I ended up with five of them. Two Golds and three blacks in 1/2” and P Mount sizes and now the 3’s come out?!

I’m annoyed because I’m pretty sure I’m going to buy at least a couple 3s and I don’t think I can even hold out for another two weeks, though I am trying to resist.
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The MI carts which all Grado carts are take the advantages of mc and mm and combine them in one. Pretty novel idea. That's why no mc carts. If one wants low output the low output wood bodies are still out there.
 
Well I just ordered a Blue3 :)
I have a Gold2 that I like but didn't want to shell out another chunk of change for a Gold3.. which is probably what I'll end up doing after listening to the Blue3 :yikes:
 
Blewpernt said:
I think this goes a little too far.

..........................

I’m annoyed that the 3 series comes on the heels of my many enthusiastic purchases of 2 series cartridges. I think I ended up with five of them. Two Golds and three blacks in 1/2” and P Mount sizes and now the 3’s come out?!

I’m annoyed because I’m pretty sure I’m going to buy at least a couple 3s and I don’t think I can even hold out for another two weeks, though I am trying to resist.
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I would be pissed, too...
Anyway, you can never know when this is going to happen... luckily, we have Jbl Joe here! ;-)
But there will always be someone who had just bought a product when the news of an upgrade come out. Inevitable...
 
ctjetta said:
The fact marcmorin likes Grado cartridges is all I need to know. :thumbsup:
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when the guy behind the counter at Stereo Lab tossed me a new release called the FTE+1 to go home and have a listen.........I quickly moved up the line to my first Signature 1BB, then the 2, then 3 then 4. life happened and i took some time off from stereo, until I purchased an as new AR Theturntable, and had to have a new cart for it. enter the 8MZ
 
Lorenzo47 said:
I now have about 7 hours on my new Blue3. I like it quite a bit. Too soon to tell and not close to broken in but I might favor it over my Gold2.
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Just received my Blue3 (good old Amazon Prime 1-day free shipping). If I may ask, what date code is on your Blue3? Curiously, mine has an E19 date code. Why would it have a May 2019 date code if they just came out? Maybe they have a bunch of pre-made cartridge bodies that they are putting new guts in, I don't know. Would be good to know the date codes people are getting with these new Prestige 3's, just to ease my worried mind. :idea:
 
Redd House said:
Just received my Blue3 (good old Amazon Prime 1-day free shipping). If I may ask, what date code is on your Blue3? Curiously, mine has an E19 date code. Why would it have a May 2019 date code if they just came out? Maybe they have a bunch of pre-made cartridge bodies that they are putting new guts in, I don't know. Would be good to know the date codes people are getting with these new Prestige 3's, just to ease my worried mind. :idea:
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Don't be concerned with date codes. The 3 series has been in development for some time. What you say is quite possible. If Grado says its a 3 series rest assured it is. My carts are always specialty prepared by John so they are not a good barometer.
 
Jbl Joe said:
Don't be concerned with date codes. The 3 series has been in development for some time. What you say is quite possible. If Grado says its a 3 series rest assured it is. My carts are always specialty prepared by John so they are not a good barometer.
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I posed the question to Rich. I just wanted to make sure I didn't get a Blue2 in a 3 box by mistake before mounting it in a headshell.
 
Redd House said:
Just received my Blue3 (good old Amazon Prime 1-day free shipping). If I may ask, what date code is on your Blue3? Curiously, mine has an E19 date code. Why would it have a May 2019 date code if they just came out? Maybe they have a bunch of pre-made cartridge bodies that they are putting new guts in, I don't know. Would be good to know the date codes people are getting with these new Prestige 3's, just to ease my worried mind. :idea:
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Do they still look like they've been smeared with boogers like the 2's did?

Hows the sound?
 
Multiplex said:
Do they still look like they've been smeared with boogers like the 2's did?

Hows the sound?
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No, the Blue3 is 'nude'... Not smeared with boogers like my Gold2. Havent had a chance to mount it in a headshell yet so I can't comment on how it sounds.
 
Blewpernt said:
Are you talking about that thin layer of clear epoxy?
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Yeah, the material slathered onto the outside of the plastic portion of the cartridge, which seemed to be exclusive to the series 2.

If the 3 doesn't have this, I wonder if they've gone back to internal potting?
 
Where would my Grado X1+ with MCZ stylus match up with a modern Grado cart? If it does at all?
 
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