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Grado Labs

5 verified products

Browse on Amazon →
HQ: Brooklyn, NYMade in: Brooklyn, NY

Last verified: April 2026

Read our full verification: Is Grado Labs Made in USA?

Verification Summary

American Score

94%

Manufacturing Location

Brooklyn, NY

Headquarters

Brooklyn, NY

Founded

1953

Products Verified

5 products

Evidence Breakdown

Factory Location Specificity

CITY

Specific factory city identified

Website Claim

Yes

Brand website explicitly claims Made in USA

Manufacturing History

LONG

20+ years of USA manufacturing

Known Overseas Production

No

No known overseas production

Verification Notes

Grado Labs has been hand-building headphones and phono cartridges in Brooklyn, New York since 1953. Joseph Grado founded the company above his family's fruit store in Brooklyn. Every Prestige series headphone is hand-assembled by the Grado team at their Brooklyn workshop. Family-owned for 70+ years.

Est. 1953Verified April 2026

Grado Labs has been manufacturing products in Brooklyn, NY since 1953. We carry 5 verified American-made Grado Labs products.

Seven Decades in Brooklyn

Joseph Grado founded Grado Labs in 1953 in Brooklyn, New York, initially producing phono cartridges for the emerging hi-fi market. The company has remained in the same Brooklyn location ever since, with the Grado family managing operations across three generations. In an industry where manufacturing has migrated almost entirely to East Asia, Grado's Brooklyn workshop is a genuine anomaly — a family-owned American audio company that still builds its products by hand on the same block where it started.

Joseph Grado was himself an inventor of note: he held patents in stereo phono cartridge design and was inducted into the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame. His nephew John Grado leads the company today, maintaining the same commitment to Brooklyn-made audio that defined the company from its founding.

Hand-Assembled in Brooklyn

Every Grado headphone is assembled by hand at the Brooklyn workshop. The process is labor-intensive by design — Grado's craftspeople wind voice coils, fit drivers, and assemble the headphone bodies individually rather than relying on automated production. The result is that each pair of headphones receives the kind of attention that mass production cannot provide.

The Prestige Series — the SR60x, SR80x, SR325x, and their siblings — represents Grado's entry-level to mid-range headphones and are among the most accessible domestically-produced audiophile headphones available. The open-back design, a Grado signature, creates a soundstage that closed-back headphones cannot replicate — the sense of listening in a room rather than through a tube. The trade-off is sound leakage in both directions, making them best suited for home use.

The Audiophile Standard

Grado headphones occupy a specific position in the audiophile world: they are known for a warm, musical sound signature that prioritizes natural timbre and midrange presence over the exaggerated bass and hyped treble common in consumer-oriented headphones. The sound is often described as analog in character — suitable for acoustic music, jazz, and classical listening where the texture of instruments matters as much as frequency extension.

For buyers entering the audiophile headphone market, Grado's Prestige Series offers something unusual: genuine American craftsmanship at prices that compete with mass-produced imports. A pair of SR80x headphones costs less than most smartphones while delivering the kind of listening experience that audio enthusiasts reliably recognize. The seven-decade continuity of the Brooklyn workshop is part of what that price represents.

Quick Picks

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Grado Labs made in the USA?

Yes. Grado Labs manufactures 5 verified products in Brooklyn, NY. Grado Labs has hand-assembled headphones and phono cartridges in the same Brooklyn, New York workshop since 1953, making it one of the oldest continuously operating American audio manufacturers and one of the few consumer electronics companies with genuine domestic production.

Where is Grado Labs manufactured?

Grado Labs is headquartered in Brooklyn, NY. Manufacturing takes place in Brooklyn, NY.

What Grado Labs products can I buy?

We carry 5 verified Grado Labs products across Electronics. Every listing links directly to Amazon with verified American manufacturing.

When was Grado Labs founded?

Grado Labs was founded in 1953. Grado Labs has hand-assembled headphones and phono cartridges in the same Brooklyn, New York workshop since 1953, making it one of the oldest continuously operating American audio manufacturers and one of the few consumer electronics companies with genuine domestic production.

Does Grado Labs ship from Amazon?

Yes, all Grado Labs products listed here are available on Amazon with free shipping for Prime members.

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