Posted: 2021-11-28
Watch This Space
Grado Labs are a well known manufacturer of audiophile headphones.
They exclusively manufacture open-diaphragm designs which are well known for their light weight, bright high end, transient responsiveness, extreme leakage and easy to drive nature. They are comfortable in a very specific "barely feel it on your head" way, and have a bit of a stereotype for being the choice of audiophiles who have maybe experienced some high end attenuation of their hearing from old age, and who find the bright and vibrant sound stage appealing.
Despite their high-end price tags, their designs are actually particularly simple and modular. Unlike most headphones, you can quite trivially mix and match components to create unique combinations.
It also means you can simply build a pair from scratch!
| Part | Cost (USD) | Cost (AUD) | Delivery (USD) | Delivery (AUD) | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cups | $115.00 | $29.75 | Etsy | |||
| Cushions | $26.99 | $0.00 | Amazon | |||
| Headband Leather | $50.00 | $15.00 | Turbulent Labs | |||
| Gimbals + Headband | $135.00 | $25.00 | Shipibo Audio | |||
| Drivers | $149.00 | $15.00 | Symphones | |||
| Sockets | $4.90 | $5.00 | Jaycar | |||
| Gasket | $0.00 | $0.00 | Custom | |||
| Cotton Wool | ||||||
| Total | $449.00 | $31.89 | $84.75 | $5.00 | ||
| USD->AUD Exchange Rate | 1.35 | |||||
| Grand Total | $757.45 |
Something fun about doing this is that there are so many different permutations of components, it's nearly impossible not to end up creating a unique design that is not quite like anything else.
