As Grado's new flagship; a statement piece, the Grado GS2000e has been built to a specific sound using what Grado says is "the varying personality and resonance of wood types".

While founder Joseph Grado may no longer be with us, his principles and his legacy live continue to live on in the family operated business out of Brooklyn, NY.

GS2000e features handcrafted mahogany and maple merged enclosures. With the use of maple in the inner shaft Grado says it allowis the energy of the sound of music to be fully transmitted, while the mahogany in the outer shell opens up the sound to reveal the true harmonic structure, as well as the space the artist intended.

If you think the combination of woods in sound is familiar, it is. Musical instrument makers have been employing these techniques for centuries.

George Poutakidis, Managing Director of Australian distributor Busisoft AV, told StereoNET:

Grado's new flagship headphone is skillfully crafted. Every component in the GS2000e is considered carefully, with new purpose built 50mm drivers paired with 12 conductor ultra-high purity copper cables, all coming together for an engaging and whole musical experience. This organic approach embodies the truly artisanal, and is the essence of how we can effectively connect to the music.

Thanks to the light wood design, and the large G around the ear pads, Grado says the GS2000e is particularly comfortable to wear.

Available now, the base model comes with a standard headphone 6.3mm headphone jack ($1999 RRP) while there is also upgraded balanced four pin XLR jack ($2499 RRP).

Manufacturers Specifications

• Transducer Type: Dynamic
• Operating Principle: Open Air
• Frequency Response: 4 - 51,000 hz
• SPL 1mW: 99.8 dB
• Normal Impedance: 32 ohms
• Driver Matched dB: .05 dB

Grado is distributed in Australia by Busisoft AV.