Formerly the Statement and Reference Series, the new Timbre Series combines every next generation mid-range wooden phono cartridge into a striking and powerful family. Producing a warm, impactful, and accurate sound, this hand-built lineup delivers a signal with more control and accuracy than they ever have before.
The first step-up from the Opus3, the Platinum3 puts Jarrah wood and a twin magnet system to work for your favorite music.
Available in Stereo Low-Output, Stereo High-Output, Mono Low-Output, and Mono High-Output versions.
OVERVIEW
The Platinum3 is a great example of what the Timbre Series is made for: to start listening to your music with more clarity and depth than you’ve heard before.
To make the Timbre Series work as a whole, Grado created a way for Jarrah, diamonds, and a twin magnet system to integrate with their Flux-Bridge™. Grado modified their four piece OTL cantilever technology to achieve a 10% tip mass reduction over the Prestige Series and use ultra-high purity long crystal (UHPLC) oxygen free copper wire in the coils. The Platinum3 uses a specially Grado designed elliptical diamond.
After the Platinum3 cartridge is crafted, it is then placed inside an Australian Jarrah housing. Jarrah is necessary for the majority of Timbre Series with its ability to produce surgically precise clarity without losing any depth. Through a variation of thermal aging processes, the housing gains the ability to better dampen and control the resonant frequencies.
Grado has combined newly developed coil winding techniques with decades-old disciplines. A new two-step shielding process brings not only exact unison between the four coils but an unobstructed path for a cleaner signal. The music is allowed to travel undistorted through the coils, greatly reducing mechanical noise while improving tracking. There is an extreme clarity over the full frequency range, with absolutely no stridency or shrillness. Precisely hand tipped with a diamond, a great amount of care go into each cartridge Grado builds.
BUILT IN BROOKLYN
Each Platinum3 is hand-built by Grado’s team in Brooklyn. Fine tuned for everything from entry-level turntables up to the highest-end stereo systems, the solid mass of the wood helps keep the Platinum3 steady and producing the Grado signature sound. Grado started building cartridges on a kitchen table in 1953, and every experience since then has led to the creation of the Platinum3.
