Talk to an audio consultant

GRADO - STATEMENT REFERENCE MC CARTRIDGE .5MV OUTPUT

The Statement Reference model uses the five-piece cantilever design and Grado’s true ellipsoid design diamond for exceptional resolution and dynamic range.

This is state-of-the-art in moving magnet design. Don't take our word for it; see Michael Fremer's rave review in Stereophile!

NOTE: Due to our dealer agreement with Grado Labs, this product is not available for sale outside of the United States. For information on purchasing Grado products outside of the US, please contact Grado Labs directly. www.gradolabs.com

Specs:
Frequency Response - 5-75
Principal - MI
Channel Separation at 1KHz - 45
Input Load - 47K
Output at 1KHz (5CM/sec.) - .75mV
Recommended Tracking Force - 1.5
Stylus Type - Elliptical
Inductance - 2.4mH
Resistance - 36
Compliance CUs - 20
Stylus Replacement (F=Factory) - F
Mounting - standard
Weight - 7

The Statement Reference model uses a five piece OTL cantilever technology, achieving an additional 5% tip mass reduction over the Platinum and Sonata models. The coils are wound with ultra-high purity long crystal (UHPLC) oxygen free copper wire.

More about the Statement Series cartridges:

This new series of low output moving magnet cartridges from Grado Labs came about through insights gained in the design of their world-class The Statement Cartridge. This design bowled over many a reviewer and listener, prompting Grado to re-design the entire line at a lower output of .5mV.

This new design enables them to wind the coils with only 380 turns of a much larger size wire (as opposed to over 6,000 turns on the Reference series!). This new wire has over 16 times the area to carry the signal, and also lowers the resistance from 470 ohms to only 2 ohms in the Statement Series! Fewer windings also shorten the signal path from 125 feet to a mere 6 feet. Statement cartridges are also less subject to magnetically induced hum.

The lighter cantilever assemblies reproduce the quick transients and airy highs of the best moving coil cartridges.The result is a sound wide open, uncolored, with much better definition and transparency, and increased dynamics. If your phono stage can be driven with a .5mV output, then you should really give the new Statement Series a listen!

General notes on all Grado Labs phono cartridges:

All Grado cartridges now use a derivation of the moving iron principle which features the following:

OPTIMIZED TRANSMISSION LINE (OTL) STYLUS /CANTILEVER: Grado's OTL provides an ideal transfer of the signal from point to point, e.g., stylus to cantilever to magnet to coils, etc. This has been achieved by eliminating resonance at each of these key junctions. The transmission line cantilever consists of separate sections that are telescoped into each other. All sections are made of different alloys, some sections hollow, other sections solid. These sections are bonded together with materials that act as dampers, and are coated with a black proprietary material which controls and absorbs resonances that travel on the surface of the cantilever (known as skin effects). The OTLstylus/cantilever design will make your records sound quieter, improve the height, width, and depth of the soundstage, and offer more detail than previously obtainable.

PIVOTED FIXED AXIAL CANTILEVER STYLUS-GENERATOR: This design feature is basically quite simple. The 'OTL' cantilever shaft is brought to a fixed axial pivot that supports the entire cantilever assembly. A miniature element attached to the end of the cantilever is allowed to move freely within the lines of flux of a stationary magnetand coil structure.

This system of support is mechanically more accurate (more linear) than conventional 'teeter-totter' designs that utilize an iron armature to balance the mass of the cantilever. The teeter-totter design is supported in the center with a rubber donut mounting. The fixed axial design has a very low tip mass, which results in lower distortion, improved transient response, and longer record life.

This proprietary design allows the implementation of theFLUX-BRIDGER GENERATOR SYSTEM:

The Flux-Bridger design uses four separate magnetic gaps that the miniature element of the cantilever bridges. The miniature element moves between opposing flux gaps creating an increase in flux in one gap while reducing it in the other. The four separate magnetic gaps create a highly efficient and perfectly balanced system. This design requires fewer coil turns than conventional designs.

Fewer coil turns allow Grado cartridges to have lower mass and lower electrical inductance, making them insensitive to tone arm cable capacitance. The four gap design is perfectly balanced and eliminates magnetic residue which contributes to increasing distortion over longer time periods. Grado cartridges reduce distortions that cause listener fatigue.

Each individual cartridge manufactured by Grado is hand assembled and tested for frequency response, channel output, channel balance, phase linearity, inductance and resistance. This meticulous care in design and construction lavished on each Grado cartridge contributes to an unchallenged consistency of performance and guarantee of reliability.