RIP Joseph Grado - Founder of Grado Labs

[Ecopro]

 


 
JOSEPH GRADO, FOUNDER OF GRADO LABS, PASSES AWAY (UPDATED)
February 6, 20151 minute readby Grado Labs


It is with a heavy heart for the Grado family to say that Joseph Grado, founder of Grado Labs and inventor of the stereo moving coil phono cartridge, passed away this morning at the age of 90. In the early 1950s, Joseph began using the skills he gained as a master watchmaker to start crafting phono cartridges on his kitchen table in Brooklyn, New York. He went on to clear out the Grado family fruit store around the corner and in 1953, Grado Laboratories was born.
Joseph guided Grado until 1990 when he passed the torch to his nephew, John Grado, and our headphone era began. For the past two decades, he enjoyed living in South Carolina building and tinkering with anything to do with audio. The Grado family holds Uncle Joe in the highest regard, and without him, not only would we still be working in a fruit store, but we would have never started making headphones.
– John, Jonathan, and the Grado family





Update: We’ve seen a great outpouring of support in under 24 hours. Our family has been reading the comments you left on this Facebook post all day. None of this would be possible if he didn’t plant that seed 62 years ago. This really does mean a lot, thank you everyone.


His Headphones are outstanding and so good for many uses. I own the SR125e - great open flat monitor headphone (highly recommended).

 

http://www.gradolabs.com/headphones/pre ... m/3-sr125e

[am0eba]

Fantastic company, with fantastic products. A big loss for audiophiles everywhere...

_Dave_

[Benedict]

I had a Grado cartridge for years and it was a freaky thing to look at but boy was it nice.

[Ecopro]

I had a Grado cartridge for years and it was a freaky thing to look at but boy was it nice.

Their products are sturdy and last very long. The foam padding deteriorated on my Grado headphones over the years, but the cables, plastic shell and headband are still going strong.