Grado Timbre Series Sonata3 Moving-Iron Phono Cartridge: Precisely Engineered and Meticulously Crafted for Exceptional Sonic Performance

The Grado Timbre Series Sonata3 MI Phono Cartridge doesn't look like a boring, typical cartridge, and it certainly doesn't sound like one. This beautiful model is precisely engineered for exceptional sonic performance. This moving-iron phono cartridge is meticulously built by hand and features Jarrah wood for stability and clarity.

Sonata3 is available in high-output and low-output models.

A Step Up

The Sonata3 does everything the Grado Platinum3 can do—but does it better. While similar to its younger sibling in a few aspects, the Sonata3 has a much longer build time since it undergoes extremely unique processes only a few Grado cartridges go through. This longer, more intricate practice produces a more colorful and deeper sound.

The Materials

To make the Timbre Series work as a whole, Grado created a way for Jarrah, diamonds, and a twin magnet system to integrate with the Flux-Bridge™. Grado modified the four-piece OTL cantilever technology to achieve a 10% tip mass reduction over the Prestige Series, and the company uses ultra-high purity long crystal (UHPLC) oxygen-free copper wire in the coils. The Sonata3 features Grado's specially designed nude elliptical diamond.

Extreme Precision

Grado has combined newly developed coil winding techniques with decades-old disciplines. A new two-step shielding process brings not only exact unison between the four coils but an unobstructed path for a cleaner signal. The music is allowed to travel undistorted through the coils, greatly reducing mechanical noise while improving tracking. There is an extreme clarity over the full frequency range, with absolutely no stridency or shrillness. Precisely hand-tipped with a diamond, a great amount of care goes into each cartridge Grado builds.

Built from Jarrah

After the Sonata3 cartridge is crafted, it is then placed inside an Australian Jarrah housing. Jarrah is necessary for the majority of Timbre Series with its ability to produce surgically precise clarity without losing any depth. Through a variation of thermal aging processes, the housing gains the ability to better dampen and control the resonant frequencies.

Hand-Built in Brooklyn

Each Sonata3 is hand-built by the Grado team in Brooklyn, as it has been for decades. After a specialized process that brings the cartridges to life, they are fine-tuned for use in everything from entry-level turntables to the highest-end stereo systems. The solid mass of the wood helps keep the Sonata3 steady and producing the Grado signature sound. Grado started building cartridges on a kitchen table in 1953, and every experience since then has led to the creation of the Sonata3.