Grado RS1x Headphones

A Vivacious and Elegant Reference Headphone with New 50mm X Drivers

Leading the way with Grado's Fourth Generation X Drivers, the brand new redesigned Reference Series RS1x headphone combines maple, hemp, and cocobolo wood into a vivacious and elegant headphone. You will also find new cables and headbands and the new 50mm X Driver.

Gear Patrol "Best Expensive Headphones" Pick

The RS1x was chose by Gear Patrol in Ian White's "The Best Expensive Headphones That Are Actually Worth Buying" article, June 28, 2024.

"Grado toughed it out during the dark days of digital and the unexpected boom in both vinyl playback and personal audio has allowed them to invest heavily in new driver technology to compete with all of the new brands."

"The RS1x are the embodiment of the Grado house sound that certainly favors rock and detail freaks. The gorgeous wood earphone cups add some necessary warmth to the tonal presentation and there is a visceral feel to the music that can be quite intoxicating."

The Sound of Wood

Grado is known for using wood in some of its headphone bodies. For the first time ever, three different wood species work together in a Grado headphone with the RS1x. The housing is made of a maple sleeve, hemp core, and cocobolo outer ring. Grado builds with wood for its warm and embracing tonal abilities, but finding the right balance of three separate woods is no simple task. The reward is an RS1x that opens Grado to a new level of sound.

Signature Sound

Pulling everything they can from the new 50mm X Driver, Grado's technician bring Grado signature sound to new heights when combined with maple, hemp, and cocobolo. Maple takes care of most of the work, hemp smooths out the top and low ends, while cocobolo adds that extra punch. Together the sound the woods produce, when combined with Grado's special processes, are full-bodied, dynamic, and truly defined.

Grado X-Series Drivers

Fourth Generation Grado drivers are here. The RS1x is the first headphone to be built with the larger 50mm X Drivers. Specifically tuned for the tri-wood RS1x, this new speaker design features a more powerful magnetic circuit, a voice coil with decreased effective mass, and a reconfigured diaphragm. Reengineering these components for the 50mm drivers improve efficiency, reduces distortion, and preserves the harmonic integrity of your music.

New Cable and Headbands, Too

Along with the speakers, the cables and headband have been redesigned for the RS1x. Housed in a more durable exterior, the now super annealed copper eight-conductor cable reveals even more of your music with improved purity. The new black leather headband features a white-stitched accent for a special stylish look.

Hand-Built with Love in Brooklyn

Grado's first wooden headphones were built back in 1994 by John Grado, and wood has been a staple on Grado's workbench ever since. Each RS1x headphone is hand-built by Grado's team in Brooklyn. These headphones go from workbench to workbench until they’re ready for your ears. Grado originally started building audio gear on the family's kitchen table in 1953, and every experience since then has led up to the RS1x.