Grado's longest-running headphone, first built in 1991, gets a fourth-generation driver overhaul — a more powerful magnetic circuit and reduced voice-coil mass paired with a reconfigured 44mm diaphragm for improved efficiency and lower distortion. Every unit is still hand-built in Brooklyn, moving between workbenches on the same production line the family has run since 1953.

An open-air on-ear design leaks sound freely into the room in exchange for a wide, airy soundstage rarely matched at this price, with vocals and mids rendered in the clarity Grado has built its reputation on. A redesigned four-conductor cable with braided sheathing and a more cushioned headband round out the update.