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Fantastic Accuracy and Control from This Top-of-the-Timbre-Series Cartridge
Achieving fantastic accuracy and control, the top-of-the-Timbre-line Reference3 phono cartridge from Grado Labs does everything the Master3 can do, but does it better. While similar to its younger sibling in some aspects, the Reference3 has a much longer build time since it undergoes extremely unique processes only a few Grado cartridges go through. This longer, more intricate practice produces a more colorful and deeper sound. The special curing process and individual calibration after manufacture results in the best cartridge in the Timbre Series.
To make the Grado Timbre Series work as a whole, Grado's engineers created a way for Jarrah wood, diamonds, and a twin magnet system to integrate with Grado's Flux-Bridge. Grado modified its four-piece OTL cantilever technology to achieve a 10% tip mass reduction over the Prestige Series and has ultra-high purity long crystal (UHPLC) oxygen free copper wire in the coils. The Reference3 uses a specially Grado designed true ellipsoid diamond.
Built from Jarrah Wood
After the Reference3 cartridge is crafted, it is placed inside an Australian Jarrah wood housing. Jarrah is relied upon for the majority of Timbre Series due to its ability to produce surgically precise clarity without losing any depth. Through a variation of thermal aging processes, the housing gains the ability to better dampen and control the resonant frequencies.
Extreme Precision
Grado has combined newly developed coil winding techniques with decades-old disciplines. A new two-step shielding process brings not only exact unison between the four coils but also an unobstructed path for a cleaner signal. The music is allowed to travel undistorted through the coils, greatly reducing mechanical noise. There is an extreme clarity over the full frequency range, with absolutely no stridency or shrillness. Precisely hand tipped with a diamond, each cartridge is the end product of a great amount of care.
Hand Assembled in Brooklyn, USA
Each Reference3 is hand assembled in Brooklyn, USA. Fine-tuned for everything from entry-level turntables up to the highest-end stereo systems, the solid mass of the wood helps keep the Reference3 steady and producing the Grado signature sound. started building cartridges on a kitchen table in 1953, and every experience since then has led to the creation of the Reference3.
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