GRADO phono cartridge
Timbre Reference3 (Stereo, low)
This product is ordered from a distributor. Please allow 2-3 business days from order for dispatch.
The Reference 3 is the top model in the series, requiring a complex and highly precise manufacturing process. The 5-piece OTL cantilever is 5% less massive than the Prestige series and features a uniquely designed solid natural diamond oval needle. The 5-piece OTL cantilever reduces its mass by 5% compared to the Prestige series and features a uniquely designed solid oval needle made of natural diamond. The coil is made of high-purity UHPLC (Ultra high purity long crystal) oxygen-free copper, and the latest technology has been applied to the power generation section as well.
This is a stereo low output model.
Product Features
Into the Woods
Achieving fantastic accuracy and control, the Reference3 does everything the Master3 can do - but does it better thanks to specialized intricate processes while being crafted.
Last Stop Before Lineage
Top of the Timbre
While similar to its younger sibling in a few aspects, the Reference3 has a much longer build time since it undergoes extremely unique processes only a few of our cartridges go through. This longer, more intricate practice produces a more colorful and deeper sound. When working in tandem with the special curing process and individual calibrations, we have the best cartridge in the Timbre Series.
Small Necessities.
The Materials
To make the Timbre Series work as a whole, we created a way for Jarrah, diamonds, and a twin magnet system to integrate with our Flux-Bridge™. We modified our four piece OTL cantilever technology to achieve a 10% tip mass reduction over the Prestige Series and use ultra-high purity long crystal (UHPLC) oxygen free copper wire in the coils. The Sonata3 uses a specially Grado designed nude elliptical diamond.
In the Details.
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 an unobstructed path for a cleaner signal. The music is allowed to travel undistorted through the coils, greatly reducing mechanical noise while improving tracking. There is an extreme clarity over the full frequency range, with absolutely no stridency or shrillness. Precisely hand tipped with a diamond, a great amount of care go into each cartridge we build.
The Sound of Wood.
Built from Jarrah
After the Reference3 cartridge is crafted, it is then placed inside a Australian Jarrah housing. Jarrah is necessary for the majority of Timbre Series with 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.
With Love.
Hand-Built in Brooklyn
Each Reference3 is hand-built by our team in Brooklyn, as it has been for decades. After a specialized process that brings it to life, they are 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. We started building cartridges on a kitchen table in 1953, and every experience since then has led to the creation of the Reference3.
Product Spacification
Body: Australian Jarrah Wood
Cantilever: Machined Boron / Diamond Tip
Output: 1.0mV @5 CMV (45)
Inductance: 6mH
Resistance: High Output 70 ohms
Input Load: 10k-47k ohms
Cartridge Weight: 10 grams
Tracking Force: 1.6-1.9 grams
Compliance: 20μm/mN
Channel Seperation: Average 30db - 10-30k Hz
Controlled Frequency Response: 10-60 KHz
Non-Sensative to Capacitative Load
Builds: Low Output Stereo
JAN code : 4528114020531