Platinum3

From the start, this is a wonderful cartridge that overall sounds as good as much more expensive options. I find the balance, tone, sound stage and music presentation engaging and easy to listen to. Set up is a bit tricky on a protractor since the stylus is set back from the front of the body. I have the low output version so you need a phono stage that allows for MC gain (60db) with MM load (47k ohms). Can't say enough good things for a $400 cartridge. Kudos to Grado.

Incredible cartridge - a little tricky to align, but well worth the work…big step up sonically from my AT carts - instrument separation and soundstage are vastly improved!!

I upgraded from the Gold to Opus to Platinum 3 looking for explosive and defined highs and mids. Platinum 3 on. a
Technics MK2 through a Marantz 4240 and JBL L-36 speakers provides attacking but defined horns and vocals. Blood Sweat and Tears, St. Paul & the Broken Bones and Charles Mingus all pop. Vintage comes alive!

There's no doubt that this is a large cartridge even in comparison to the Platinum 1, which the new 3 replaced. However, the shape of the beautiful wood body makes it easy to align. It is important to make sure that the cartridge is perfectly flat as regards the record because it seems to me that the bass/treble relationship depends on it. But the sound is open and clear with clean definate bass response. The sound stage is beautifully centered and out front of the speakers. I enjoy small ensemble jazz and classical and the cartridge reveals these with space and clarity. Highlly recommended.

I love the sound of low output Platinum 3 cartridge. I have Koetsu Gold line but Grado Platinum 3 is simply superb when mated with the high gain Conrad Johnson preamp with High Gain (it can accept a max of 1mV, which the Platinum 3 is). The soundstage is enormous with lively clarity. I have used it on Denon DP2000 and also on Linn Sondek LP12 with McIntosh MC2500 amp and Bowers and Wilkins 804s speakers and Platinum 3 brought out the nuances that I couldn’t hear before. The low and mid ranges are amazing without over powering (try Ride Across the River by Dire Straits and also Four Seasons by Vivaldi, Blue Train by Coltrane or any track of Arctic Monkeys). No matter what genre of music, Platinum 3 definitely brings out the best. I highly recommend this. Comparable cartridges with close to 1mV output are at least three to four times the cost of Platinum 3 - I don’t think there is any other cartridge with this kind of performance at that price! (Several reviewers attest to that).
Other pleasant surprise was the packaging in the nice wooden box and the ease of installation. The cartridge has an arresting visual presence. Love the wooden body.
The only thing I would have wished to see was an easy stylus guard. Maybe a slider instead of trying to find the holes under the head - fiddly and was worried I might damage the stylus.