Prestige X series encapsulates everything we love about New York’s Grado

With all of its headphones designed and hand-built at the company’s Brooklyn HQ, Grado is one of the few US audio brands that hasn’t outsourced manufacturing to the Far East to save a few bucks. That commitment to tradition, along with transparent open-backed signature audio quality and fetching 1950s aesthetic, is one of the things that makes the Prestige Series so appealing – and the latest generation of this 30-year-old core range has just arrived. Consisting of five different models, the Grado Prestige X series (from £109.95, availability TBC) features improvements and refinements to its speakers, headband and cable design in comparison to its predecessor the E series, but the pricing remains quite reasonable: even the flagship SR325x model, which features a real leather headband and 18-24,000Hz frequency response, is available for £329.95.

Sam Kieldsen Contributor

About

Tech journalism's answer to The Littlest Hobo, I've written for a host of titles and lived in three different countries in my 15 years-plus as a freelancer. But I've always come back home to Stuff eventually, where I specialise in writing about cameras, streaming services and being tragically addicted to Destiny.

Areas of expertise

Cameras, drones, video games, film and TV