Grado Epoch3, cartridge

The flagship Grado Epoch3 produces a dimensional sound field giving it a truly believable presentation, and combines sapphire, gold, diamond, and cocobolo wood to produce the finest hand-built cartridge ever.

The Epoch3 brings to life an exceptional reproduction of vocals and instruments, with superlative tonal balance, dynamics, imaging, and realism. The Epoch3's reproduction of low frequency pitch information is second-to-none, while the bass dynamics are solid and authoritative. Harmonics are extremely faithful giving the recording the correct color, and the mid-range is plush with resolution

A major step forward in phono cartridge design, the sapphire, gold, diamond, and cocobolo work in harmony to bring this cartridge to life. The specially designed diamond stylus, for the first time in a Grado, is mounted on a sapphire cantilever that connects to the stylus generating system. The Epoch3 features a unique generating system that has the lowest effective moving mass of any cartridge, tracking accurately on vinyl. Our patented Flux-Bridger generator design creates a superior balance throughout the full frequency spectrum with superb resolution and clarity, which produces an overall truer picture of the music

Grado has combined newly developed coil winding techniques with decades-old disciplines. All of the internal magnetic circuit parts are Swiss screw machined or molded metal, which have tolerances on the order of the best Swiss-made watches. A new four-step shielding process brings not only exact unison between the four coils but an unobstructed path for the cleanest signal in any phono cartridge. This creates precise balance between channels and accurate stereo imaging. The Epoch3 is wound with the finest properly sized and annealed 24-karat solid gold wire, which is the ultimate conductor for the transmission of the music from your record.

The flagship Grado cartridge is nestled inside a cocobolo housing, adding solid mass and a bold yet revealing signature sound. Cocobolo, known for fine instruments and those chess sets that look too nice to touch, is some of the most beautiful and tonally pleasing woods we have ever used. This specially selected species of cocobolo goes through a variation of thermal aging processes and enhances its ability to better dampen and control the resonant frequencies throughout the cartridge. Its denseness and grain is a primary reason why it produces such a unique sound.

Each Epoch3 built sees final assembly by John Grado himself on his workbench, fine tuning them for the best turntable and hi-fi setups. Every experience in our history has led to the creation of the Lineage Series. The Epoch3 represents the craftsmanship and unwavering dedication to sound that has been Grado's main focus since 1953.