GRADO REFERENCE PLATINUM 3

Pre owned. Comes with compatible non-original packaging.

Restyled by Cartridgelab

The Grado Reference Platinum 3 cartridge is the result of a fusion between craftsmanship and engineering research, designed and handcrafted entirely at Grado Labs in Brooklyn. Its body is made from Australian Jarrah wood, selected for its natural acoustic properties. This wood undergoes a special thermal polymerization treatment, a delicate and complex process aimed at optimizing its sonic response, giving the cartridge clarity and musicality expressed with balance across the entire frequency range. The sound reproduction maintains detail and naturalness in the deep, solid bass, the rich and full midrange, and the precise yet never fatiguing highs.

The Reference Platinum 3 incorporates a modified version of the OTL (Optimized Transmission Line) technology that has always distinguished Grado cartridges. In this model, the cantilever is lighter compared to the Prestige series, with a 10% reduction in tip mass, enhancing tracking and dynamic precision. Inside, the coils are wound with ultra-high purity long crystal oxygen-free copper wire, ensuring an extremely clean signal flow free from interference. The stylus features an elliptical diamond specifically designed by Grado, carefully mounted by hand to guarantee uniformity and long-term reliability.

Each cartridge undergoes individual testing and calibration, a process that achieves superior channel separation and timbral consistency. The Reference Platinum 3 maintains compact dimensions compared to other wooden cartridges in the same line, making installation easier even on mid-range turntables, while being aimed at high-end audio systems. The recommended tracking force ranges from 1.6 to 1.9 grams, ensuring perfect groove adherence and consistently controlled sound reproduction, never aggressive or unbalanced.

Technical specifications:

• Body: Australian Jarrah wood
• Cantilever: aluminum / elliptical diamond
• Output: high 4.0 mV @ 5 CMV (45); low 1.0 mV @ 5 CMV (45)
• Inductance: high output 55 mH; low output 6 mH
• Resistance: high output 660 ohms; low output 70 ohms
• Input load: 10k–47k ohms
• Cartridge weight: 9 grams
• Tracking force: 1.6–1.9 grams
• Compliance: 20 μm/mN
• Channel separation: average 30 dB – 10–30 kHz
• Controlled frequency response: 10–60 kHz
• Insensitive to capacitive load