About the Grado Hemp Headphones
Limited edition headphones, made from hemp
Grado challenged themselves to make the Hemp headphones sound as fun and distinct as they look.
Limited edition headphones, made from hemp
Well, we've always said that Grado loves to experiment. And the small-batch Hemp headphones might just be the company's most ambitious (and fun) creation yet. For the first time, the Brooklyn headphone shop used hemp for their legendary earcups.
This machined version of the industrial hemp plant provides a sturdy, wood-like structure that looks sharp. And the material's natural acoustic damping lends some smoothness to Grado's dynamic sound signature. You still get those active, lively mids and articulate highs, but the hemp helps mellow out harsher tones.
A homegrown tale
If you're unfamiliar with the Grado story — or sound — consider these headphones a "gateway" of sorts. For the past seven decades, this family-owned company has been in the same modest factory in Brooklyn. In lesser hands, you might dismiss these headphones as gimmicky — not here! Even when they're pushing the design envelope, Grado takes a measured, old-school approach.
And the Hemp headphones are hardly their first buzzworthy release. Years back, Grado came out with another limited edition headphone sporting ear cups made out of maple. So as their engineers "trial-and-errored" their way through harnessing the tonal qualities of hemp, they turned to that familiar wood. An inner sleeve of maple helps lower distortion and extend lower frequencies for deep, true-to-life bass.
The Grado Hemp headphones took two full years to go from a half-baked idea to a set of high-performance headphones.
Drivers designed to perform
The custom-designed dynamic drivers are voiced specifically for the hybrid hemp/maple enclosures. Grado puts all of their diaphragms through a "de-stressing" process that ensures they perform well in the vented, open-air housings. Grado headphones are known for their spot-on imaging where vocals jump out in front and every instrument has a sense of place.
Classic Grado design
Grado's gone back to their more traditional "F" ear cushions for this model. These thinner ear pads position the drivers closer to your ears, so the overall presentation is more immediate and lively. You can replace these pads with Grado's larger, thicker "L" cushions, but just note that the sound will be a relaxed a bit, along with the fit.
The rest of the design is all Grado — old-school metal frame and leather headband. The eight-conductor connecting cable is terminated with 3.5mm miniplug and a 1/4" adapter is included. While these headphones are efficient enough to play with your phone or computer, I always recommend you connect to a headphone amplifier for the best sound quality.
Product highlights:
- Featured in our article: Best wired headphones for 2023
- open-back, on-the-ear design with replaceable ear cushions
- we recommend a separate headphone amplifier for optimum sound quality
- limited run features hand-crafted hemp earcups
- highly compressed hemp fibers offer natural acoustic damping
- maple wood air chambers for extended bass and highs
- blending hemp and maple results in naturally detailed, full-bodied sound
- dynamic drivers designed and voiced specifically for the hemp/maple enclosures
- positioned close to the ear for an immediate sound with clear vocals and mids
- special "de-stressed" diaphragms for enhanced midrange detail
- driver pairs matched to within 0.05 dB for better stereo imaging
- vented diaphragms (open-air) for airy, low-distortion sound
- adjustable leather headband
- ultra-high-purity 8-conductor headphone cable terminated with 3.5mm plug
- 1/4" gold-plated adapter
- frequency response: 14-28,000 Hz
- sound pressure level (at 1mW): 98 dB
- impedance: 38 ohms
- warranty: 1 year (does not include earpads)
- Our 60-day money-back guarantee
- MFR # HEMP
Fit FactorsSM
- Feels lighter than most
- Snug fit
- Good for focused listening
What's in the box:
Grado Hemp Headphones owner's manual
- On-ear headphones with attached 68" braided audio cable
- 3.5mm-to-1/4" Audio adapter
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More details on the Grado Hemp Headphones
Features & specs
| General | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fit Style | On-ear | |
| Earcup Type | Open | |
| Earcup Width x Height | 3.12" x 3.12" | |
| Noise-canceling | No | |
| Bluetooth | No | |
| Bluetooth Version | N/A | |
| Single-earbud Operation | --- | |
| Mic For Taking Calls | No | |
| Voice Assistant Access | ||
| Amazon Alexa | No | |
| Google Assistant | No | |
| Siri | No | |
| Connectors | ||
| 3.5mm | Yes | |
| 1/4" | Yes | |
| Lightning | No | |
| 4.4mm balanced | No | |
| XLR4 balanced | No | |
| 2.5mm | No | |
| Other | None | |
| Specs | ||
| Frequency Response | 13-28k Hz | |
| Sensitivity | 98 dB | |
| Impedance | 38 Ohms | |
| Weight | 10.35 ounces | |
| Cord Length | 68" | |
| Parts Warranty | 1 Year | |
| Labor Warranty | 1 Year | |
Product Research
Features
Overview: The Limited Edition Hemp Headphone from Grado Labs is the first of its kind. These hand-built, on-ear headphones feature beautiful wooden housings made of hemp and maple. The Grado drivers are specifically tuned for this new material to bring out the full potential of the headphones. The Grado Hemp Headphone features a leather headband, and has an attached 68" braided 8-conductor cable with a 3.5mm plug. A 3.5mm-to-1/4" adapter is included.
Hemp and Maple Housings: Creating headphones made of hemp was an experiment that was presented to the designers at Grado Labs. The highly compressed hemp fibers had a damping effect on the sound, with a distinctive bass response and an extended high end. To help balance out the sound, a maple insert was placed in the housing with its known sonic properties. Working in tandem, the hemp and maple materials present a precise sound with warmth and brilliance.
Drivers: The Hemp headphones feature custom drivers that were specially tuned for this new material. Starting with the known properties of maple, the drivers were continually tweaked until the sound engineers found the sound they were looking for. Like many fine speakers, these "de-stressed" drivers get better each time you listen. To insure consistancy, the two headphone drivers are matched to within 0.05dB of each other.
Cable: The Grado Hemp Headphones are equipped with a 68" non-detachable braided headphone cable, which is terminated into a straight 3.5mm plug. The cable has a 2-sided design that is hardwired into both the left and right earcups. The plug has a sturdy molded sleeve with ample stress relief. A snap-on, gold-plated 6.5mm (1/4") audio adapter is included for use with your home audio and studio equipment. This high-quality 8-conductor cable is the same cable used in the Grado Professional Series PS500e and Reference Series RS1e and RS2e headphones. The cable exhibits greater control over the low and high frequencies, and lets Grado's world-famous midranges sing.
Ear Cushions: The headphones are equipped with the low-profile "F" cushions that place the drivers close to your ears. You can replace them with the "L" cushions, which are a little thicker and provide a little more distance between the drivers and your ears.
Specifications:
- Frequency Response: 13 Hz - 28 kHz
- Nominal Impedance: 38 ohms
- SPL @ 1mW: 98dB
- Driver Matched: 0.05dB
- Dimensions:
- Diameter 2.284" (housing); 3.12 (w/cushion)
- Depth 1.572"
- Headband Width 1.4"
- Weight: 10.35 ounces
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Customer Q&A
2 questions already asked
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I love my Grado headphones, but I agree that they aren't the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn. But for a Grado fan upgrading from 12-year-old SR60s these are AMAZING. I did swap out the new earpads with the old ones from my SR60...which are about 6-years-old so they are very cozy.
Seiji from MONTPELIER