null Skip to main content

Ask an Expert

1-800-942-0220 Weekdays: 9am - 7pm EST
Audiophile Learning Center
Ultimate Audiophile Gift Guide Shop Now

Grado Timbre Sonata 3 Phono Cartridge - High Output

Click on image to enlarge.

Share
SKU: GRSONATA3-HI
WARNING: for more information go to http://www.P65Warnings.ca.gov

The Sonata3 phono cartridge from Grado Labs does everything the Platinum3 can do – but does it better, resulting in more colorful and deeper sound.

    $449.37 - $600.00
    $600.00
    Temporarily Out of Stock. Usually Ships in 5-7 Business Days.
    Have a Question? Ask Our Experts!

    Colorful, Deeper Sound and a Step-up from the Superb Platinum3

    The Sonata3 phono cartridge from Grado Labs does everything the Platinum3 can do – but does it better. While similar to its younger sibling in a few aspects, the Sonata3 has a much longer build time since it undergoes extremely unique processes only a few of Grado cartridges go through. This longer, more intricate practice produces a more colorful and deeper sound.

    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 Sonata3 uses a specially Grado designed elliptical diamond.

    Built from Jarrah Wood

    After the Sonata3 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 Sonata3 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 Sonata3 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 Sonata3.

    Choose high output, low output, or mono models.

    Product Features

    • Body: Australian Jarah Wood
    • Cantilever: Aluminum / Elliptical Diamond
    • Choose high output, low output, or mono models
    • Non-sensitive to capacitive load

    Product Specs

    • Output: High 4.0mV @5 CMV (45); Low 1.0mV @5 CMV (45)
    • Inductance: High Output 55mH; Low Output 6mH
    • Resistance: High Output 660 ohms; Low Output 70 ohms
    • Input Load: 10k-47k ohms
    • Cartridge Weight: 9 grams
    • Tracking Force: 1.6-1.9 grams
    • Compliance: 20μm/mN
    • Channel Separation: Average 30db - 10-30k Hz
    • Controlled Frequency Response: 10-60 kHz
    • Builds: High Output, Low Output, Mono

    Product Warranty

    1 Year Parts & Labor Grado Warranty Information

    Best Phono Cartridges: 2021 Holiday Buying Guide - ecoustics.com

    "The 4.0mV output makes it compatible with a wide range of phono pre-amplifiers and it’s almost impossible to not pick-up on the Grado house sound; extended dynamics, low end punch, and a warm tonal balance that is highly addictive. The new Timbre models are quieter than the previous models with improved levels of detail. The wood body Grado cartridges sound particularly robust on VPI and Clearaudio turntables."

    - Ian White, ecoustics.com, November 10, 2021

    DISCOVER EXPERT TIPS

    Audio Advisor Learning Center - Level Up Your Audio Education

    Customer Reviews

    Back to Top