FOR SALE: Grado Statement Reference Cartridge

[Elephantears]

Grado Statement Reference. £500 plus postage or pick up in SE London.

This is a Low Output Moving Iron cartridge which takes the loading of an MM cart. I bought it new and have had it for less than a year, during which times I've rotated cartridges, so it has a long life ahead of it.

Output: 0.5mV
Loading: 47KOhm

It has a superb combination of guts, dynamics, tonal colour, finesse, and clarity, which I personally could not find in any MC carts I heard at this price point. I have heard quite a lot, and tried a few at home. I sold my AT50ANV after hearing this one.

The low output versions of the Grado Wood Bodied cartridges have more sense of air and space than the high output ones. I tried the high output version, confusingly titled 'Reference Reference', before I bought this one, and it wasn't as open. This one has a real magic to it.

Some photos, but I'm sorry I haven't got the camera for stylus close ups. If you need better photos I can see if a friend can take one. Condition is superb.

I am also going to sell my Trilogy 907 phono stage, which goes very well with this

http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb412/andreweastham/IMG_9322.jpg (http://s1204.photobucket.com/user/andreweastham/media/IMG_9322.jpg.html)

http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb412/andreweastham/IMG_9325.jpg (http://s1204.photobucket.com/user/andreweastham/media/IMG_9325.jpg.html)

http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb412/andreweastham/IMG_9324.jpg (http://s1204.photobucket.com/user/andreweastham/media/IMG_9324.jpg.html)

[Floyddroid]

Grado Statement Reference. £500 plus postage or pick up in SE London.

This is a Low Output Moving Iron cartridge which takes the loading of an MM cart. I bought it new and have had it for less than a year, during which times I've rotated cartridges, so it has a long life ahead of it.

Output: 0.5mV
Loading: 47KOhm

It has a superb combination of guts, dynamics, tonal colour, finesse, and clarity, which I personally could not find in any MC carts I heard at this price point. I have heard quite a lot, and tried a few at home. I sold my AT50ANV after hearing this one.

The low output versions of the Grado Wood Bodied cartridges have more sense of air and space than the high output ones. I tried the high output version, confusingly titled 'Reference Reference', before I bought this one, and it wasn't as open. This one has a real magic to it.

Some photos, but I'm sorry I haven't got the camera for stylus close ups. If you need better photos I can see if a friend can take one. Condition is superb.

I am also going to sell my Trilogy 907 phono stage, which goes very well with this

http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb412/andreweastham/IMG_9322.jpg (http://s1204.photobucket.com/user/andreweastham/media/IMG_9322.jpg.html)

http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb412/andreweastham/IMG_9325.jpg (http://s1204.photobucket.com/user/andreweastham/media/IMG_9325.jpg.html)

http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb412/andreweastham/IMG_9324.jpg (http://s1204.photobucket.com/user/andreweastham/media/IMG_9324.jpg.html) What are you replacing it with?

[Floyddroid]

Grado Statement Reference. £500 plus postage or pick up in SE London.

This is a Low Output Moving Iron cartridge which takes the loading of an MM cart. I bought it new and have had it for less than a year, during which times I've rotated cartridges, so it has a long life ahead of it.

Output: 0.5mV
Loading: 47KOhm

It has a superb combination of guts, dynamics, tonal colour, finesse, and clarity, which I personally could not find in any MC carts I heard at this price point. I have heard quite a lot, and tried a few at home. I sold my AT50ANV after hearing this one.

The low output versions of the Grado Wood Bodied cartridges have more sense of air and space than the high output ones. I tried the high output version, confusingly titled 'Reference Reference', before I bought this one, and it wasn't as open. This one has a real magic to it.

Some photos, but I'm sorry I haven't got the camera for stylus close ups. If you need better photos I can see if a friend can take one. Condition is superb.

I am also going to sell my Trilogy 907 phono stage, which goes very well with this

http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb412/andreweastham/IMG_9322.jpg (http://s1204.photobucket.com/user/andreweastham/media/IMG_9322.jpg.html)

http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb412/andreweastham/IMG_9325.jpg (http://s1204.photobucket.com/user/andreweastham/media/IMG_9325.jpg.html)

http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb412/andreweastham/IMG_9324.jpg (http://s1204.photobucket.com/user/andreweastham/media/IMG_9324.jpg.html) What are you replacing it with?

[Elephantears]

'It's complicated', as they say of relationship status on social media sites.

I didn't want a new cartridge; what I wanted to do was put my Hashimoto HM-3 SUT to use. I needed to sell some things but realised I just didn't want to sell that, so I would have to sell my Trilogy 907 first (now sold). But then to use the HM-3 I would have to buy an MC cart. The long term plan is to use the HM-3 into a preamp with MM stage. So...I knew from reading around that there were a couple of strong recommendations for carts with the HM-3; Transfiguration and Miyajima. Fortunately Ammonite Audio do a loan scheme with Miyajima so I tried a Takumi and liked it very much with the HM-3.

I clearly have a taste for wood bodied carts! I have to say that with the Trilogy I'm not sure I'd necessarily go for the Miyajima over the Grado. The Grado has a guts and tonal rightness that I've not found any MCs I've tried in my system can match, at least with a conventional phono stage. With the HM-3 though the Miyajima has some special magic, and it is a bit more extended than the Grado, in a way that benefits with instruments like trumpets and also piano.

However the Grado's mid-range performance is just as good as the Miyajima - it is wonderful with voices, saxophones, etc, but it's not like a mid-range focused Nagaoka, for instance. This mid-range performance is placed in a big dynamic open space. This sounds like it would be particularly good for rock, but I have found it excels with classical and jazz. All round it has been a wonderful cart, and the low output ones are the best.

[Elephantears]

Still available.

[Elephantears]

SOLD