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Alessandro High-End Products and Grado Labs have combined their design capabilities to create a new line of headphones. The Music Series headphones focus on the needs of the music industry. Each model has been specifically tuned to produce extraordinary results at their respective price points.Superior Design & PrecisionAll Music Series headphones have a vented diaphragm design that incorporates a large air chamber. This design lowers the frequency resonance (distortion) of the diaphragm and extends bass response. A unique process to de-stress the diaphragm results in enhanced inner detail. The diaphragm is made of a low-mass polymer, carefully formed to broaden resonant modes to reduce their amplitude. The diaphragm’s total mass is calculated to provide a full 20 KHZ bandwidth while avoiding breakup at lower frequencies. Our headphones all feature voice-coils that are wound from ultra-high purity, long crystal (UHPLC) oxygen-free copper. Ultra-high conductivity copper yields the clearest transmission and lowest coloration possible. This combined with high-power neodymium magnets provide maximum efficiency giving a smoother, cleaner, and more dynamic sound and a larger perceived sound stage.Music Series One headphones feature voice-coils that are wound from ultra-high purity, long crystal (UHPLC) oxygen free copper. Larger air chamber than original version, to open sound stage and bass detail. Ultra-high conductivity copper yields the clearest transmission and lowest coloration possible. This combined with high power neodymium magnets provide maximum efficiency giving a smoother, cleaner and more dynamic sound and a larger perceived sound stage.SPECS:Transducer Type – DynamicOperating Principle – Open AirFrequency Response – 10-22 K HzSPL ImV – 100Nominal Impedance – 38 ohmsDriver Match db – 0.1Features – Vented diaphragm, Non-resonant air chamber, UHPLC voice coil wire, Standard copper connecting cord
At USD125 for used Alessandro MS-1x open-backs, you're looking at a fair ask, right in the sweet spot of the typical USD100-150 range for these lightly modded Grado-inspired cans in good shape. They're not a steal like the sub-USD100 deals that pop up occasionally, but far from ambitious—especially if the X-version's larger air chamber and UHPLC copper coils are intact, delivering that punchy bass and crisp Grado house sound without the stock hype.
Before biting, verify the driver match is tight (under 0.1dB variance) by checking both sides through the mesh for consistent markings like the Grado 32-ohm unit, and test for non-resonant chambers by gently tapping—no rattles or buzzes. Confirm the 2.1m dual-entry cable ends in a clean 3.5mm plug with 1/4-inch adapter included, as these wear out from coiling.
Independent perspective — not a price guarantee. Always verify condition, accessories and provenance before purchase.
Grado Labs, a family-owned American audio pioneer, traces its roots to 1953 when Joseph Grado, a former watchmaker and Audio Hall of Famer, founded the company in Brooklyn, New York. Starting in his family's kitchen—once a fruit store—he and his brother John developed the world's first moving coil stereo phono cartridge, patenting it in 1959 and earning a reputation for precision engineering that propelled millions of units into recording studios and homes worldwide. Still handcrafting products in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, under third-generation leadership, Grado embodies enduring Italian-American ingenuity in high-fidelity sound.
The brand focuses primarily on phono cartridges and headphones, categories where it has defined benchmarks for decades. Early ventures included speakers, turntables, and wooden tonearms before concentrating on cartridges in 1963; by the late 1980s, Joseph Grado pioneered high-end dynamic headphones that rivaled top speaker systems in dynamics, pitch control, and bass. Today, iterative lines like the Prestige, Signature, "E," and "X" series deliver open-back designs prized for their natural timbre and detail, all assembled by hand without venturing into amplifiers, DACs, or speakers.
Grado occupies a niche boutique position in the high-end market, revered by audiophiles for its uncompromised, value-driven performance and vintage-inspired warmth. Free from corporate gloss, its handmade Brooklyn products command loyalty among discerning buyers seeking authentic vinyl playback and headphone immersion, blending collector appeal with modern relevance in an era of digital dominance.
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