Grado Prestige Silver review

Well known for their excellent headphones, Grado also makes cartridges, and this is an able performer - although fiddly to fit Tested at £115.00

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

We like the sound of this Grado, but it's a fiddly little monster to fit

Pros

  • +

    Smooth sound

  • +

    tonally balanced

  • +

    cohesive

Cons

  • -

    Fiddly to fit

  • -

    feels cheap

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You should be familiar with the name Grado from the company's excellent headphones range, but this US firm has considerably more strings to its bow, including cartridges.

Second in the Prestige range is the Silver, which is a sprightly £115. It also has a relatively light tracking weight, at 1.5g.

Tested with The House of Love's pulsing Plastic, the Grado responds with a smooth, balanced sound that is tonally well integrated.

It's fast-paced, too, with a wonderfully cohesive edge that cements music together and lends a real sense of enjoyment to playback.

Needs time to run in
Working through Dory Previn's pensive 20 Mile Zone there's dextrous handling of resolution, with the prevalent 12-string acoustic sounding sweet and harmonic, and Previns' voice coming across as suitably emotional.

We'd recommend allowing this cartridge plenty of time to run in, and also giving yourself ample time for fitting, as some may find the lack of captive nuts and pin colour-coding tricky to deal with.

Despite this, the Prestige Silver is a feisty contender and should be given a listen.

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What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.


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