Sonata3

Upgraded from my damaged Platiumum 3 cartridge, and the improvement was immediately noticeable. Great clarity, but warmer. I heard new details in my old records with this cartridge. Thanks Grado for the exchange program, and for a great cartridge!
Sincerely Eric Gould

Grado's Timbre Series Sonata3 (Low Output) cartridge is amazing and does not disappoint.

There's a lot of information in those grooves and this cartridge reveals how very special vinyl playback can be. Well worth the money.

Many thanks to Rich Grado for the expedited shipping (at no extra charge) and Grado's "Trade in/Trade up" Upgrade Program.

GradoLabs.com offers the convenience of an online retailer while treating their customers with "Brick and Mortar Store" service.

Associated equipment: Thorens TD-124 turntable, SME 3009 Series II (non improved) tonearm, Audio Research Corp PH3 Phono Preamp.

I'm coming off using a platinum v2 and a sumiko blueprint Evo iii for years, and I regret not upgrading sooner. Cliche, but the clarity and depth is amazing. Even my wife l, unsolicited, said that it sounds amazing, which never happens. I'm not sure of there's a break in or if I just had to adjust to the warm sound, but it sounded a bit off to me at first, but now I want to listen to every album I have.

I’ve spent the better part of the last few years trying to find my “End Game” cartridge. My first cartridge was a Grado Black, followed by a Gold with an 8MZ stylus, that was a wonderful cartridge and started the inevitable cartridge “bug”.
I’ve tried moving magnet, moving coil, moving iron, affordable $150 cartridges to $2000 cartridges. The long and short of it is simple, we all have our own tastes and preferences, no matter how great the specs might be, the sound signature just might not appeal to you.
I purchased an Opus3 when it was first released, love it, and over time as I was trying others, I noticed something, the Opus3 never left, that thought never crossed my mind. With that I decided to contact Rich Grado to see if he could help me. This time I kind of wanted to be as sure as I could, the discussions with Rich really helped. My initial thought was a Platinum3, but after a few more emails with Rich, I ended up with the Sonata3.
I am so glad I did, the Sonata3 is warm, full, and detailed, the bass is tight with a hint of air, highs are clean and clear and the mids round off the sound signature perfectly. My journey went full circle with Grado, and I couldn’t be happier. The Sonata3 is everything Rich mentioned and more, and now I’m deciding which Grado Mono cart should join the Opus3 and Sonata3.
Great company, great product and wonderful customer service really appreciated Rich taking the time to share his thoughts. The Sonata3 is an easy recommendation.

Easy setup. Wonderfully warm accurate sound. Outstanding support from Grado. Rich Grado actually answered my questions. A much needed upgrade to my vintage Technics turntable. I’m enjoying my vinyl more than I have in years. Sound is very natural and smooth especially on vintage classical.