SKU: 70837156985

Grado Timbre Series The Reference 3 Cartridge

Sale price$897.75 Regular price$997.50
Save 10%

Pay in installments of $249.38 with ShopPay, AfterPay and Klarna

Shipping Estimate
USA
  • USA
  • CAN

Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Aug 20 - Aug 25

Promo Codes Available:

For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15

Description

Grado Timbre Series The Reference 3 CartridgeGrado Timbre Series The Reference 3 Cartridge Body: Australian Jarrah Wood Cantileaver: Machined Boron Diamond Tip Output: High 4. 0mV @5 CMV (45) Low 1. 0mV @5 CMV (45) Inductance: High Output 55mH Low Output 6mH Resistance: High Output 660 ohms Low Output 70 ohms Input Load: 10k 47k ohms Cartridge Weight: 10 grams Tracking Force: 1. 6 1. 9 grams Compliance 20m mN Channel Separation: Average 30db 10 30k Hz Controlled Frequency Response: 10 60 KHz Non

Grado Timbre Series The Reference 3 Cartridge

  • Body: Australian Jarrah Wood
  • Cantileaver: Machined Boron / Diamond Tip
  • Output:
    High 4.0mV @5 CMV (45)
    Low  1.0mV @5 CMV (45) 
  • Inductance: 
    High Output 55mH
    Low Output  6mH
  • Resistance:
    High Output 660 ohms
    Low Output  70 ohms

  • Input Load: 10k-47k ohms
  • Cartridge Weight: 10 grams
  • Tracking Force: 1.6-1.9 grams
  • Compliance 20μm/mN
  • Channel Separation: Average 30db - 10-30k Hz
  • Controlled Frequency Response: 10-60 KHz
  • Non-Sensative to Capacitive Load
  • Builds: High Output, Low Output, Mono

‫Into the Woods‬

Achieving fantastic accuracy and control, the Reference3 does everything the Master3 can do - but does it better thanks to specialized intricate processes while being crafted.

Last Stop Before Lineage

Top of the Timbre

While similar to its younger sibling in a few aspects, the Reference3 has a much longer build time since it undergoes extremely unique processes only a few of our cartridges go through. This longer, more intricate practice produces a more colorful and deeper sound. When working in tandem with the special curing process and individual calibrations, we have the best cartridge in the Timbre Series.

Small Necessities.

The Materials

To make the Timbre Series work as a whole, we created a way for Jarrah, diamonds, and a twin magnet system to integrate with our Flux-Bridge™. We modified our four piece OTL cantilever technology to achieve a 5% tip mass reduction over the Prestige Series and use ultra-high purity long crystal (UHPLC) oxygen free copper wire in the coils. The Reference3 uses a specially Grado designed true ellipsoid diamond.

In the Details.

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 go into each cartridge we build.

The Sound of Wood.

Built from Jarrah

After the Reference3 cartridge is crafted, it is then placed inside a 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. 

With Love.

Hand-Built in Brooklyn

Each Reference3 is hand-built by our team in Brooklyn, as it has been for decades. After a specialized process that brings it to life, they are fine tuned for everything from entry-level turntables up to the highest-end stereo systems, the solid mass of the wood helps keep the Sonata3 steady and producing the Grado signature sound. We started building cartridges on a kitchen table in 1953, and every experience since then has led to the creation of the Reference3.

 

"The arrival of a cured mahogany cartridge identical to the one I already owned found me unprepared for the next vaulting leap in my listening education. Within a week of auditioning the 0.5 mv Statement Reference, I began to believe that both my new and vintage vinyl had received a rite of purification, cleansed and made better than new. It was also as though the tiny hairs in my inner ear had been degunked, and in a stroke my hearing was perfectly clear."

Lang Phipps, Audio Reviewer
Shipping Notes
  • Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
  • Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
  • Delivery to the USA:
  1. Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
  • If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
  • We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
  • Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
  • To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
  • Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
SKU: 70837156985

Discover Niche Categories That Outsell

Top-Converting Item to Boost Your Average Order

4.0 ★★★★★
Based on 23 reviews
Sort
Highest Rating
Newest First
Oldest First
Product Reviews
F
Verified Purchase
frequentnytraveler
Boise, US
★★★★★ 5
Best SPF on the go!
I use this everyday! I keep it in the car to re-apply. Does not affect makeup and feels like nothing going on. Love this!
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2026
C
Verified Purchase
Carmen Jimenez
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 4
Its good item n protects
It slides on face easily looks natural
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2025
K
Verified Purchase
Karla Green
Bozeman, US
★★★★★ 5
Dewy
Great price Does NOT DRY LIKE A POWDER!
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2026
K
Verified Purchase
Kara
Alexandria, US
★★★★★ 1
This is the only miss from Naked Sundays so far :(
I normally love naked Sundays. It’s my go to for face sunscreen especially. I’m not sure if I got a defective stick or something. It’s not expired or anything but I used it on a vacation and I got extremely burnt even with reapplying often. I just figured it was fluke thing maybe because it was winter and I was paler than normal. But we went on another vacation last week and my preteen daughter used it on her face and she ended up with a sunburn and rash. She’s never had a sunburn before as she has an olive skin tone. She ended up having to use an antihistamine medication for how bad her skin hurt and cool cloths. Like I said, I LOVE their other products so I’m wondering if I got a defective batch or something.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2026
M
Merissa Hatch
Battle Creek, US
★★★★★ 5
Works on dark hair, too and lasts for multiple dyes.
I got this because my nephew wanted to have red hair for a day. It works really well. Its super vibrant, even if you have darker colored hair, which is surprising. A little goes a long way, so you can dye your hair several times with just one bottle. It washes out very easily. One wash and its out. Also, it came out of a pillowcase pretty well when he played his head down on the pillow. You have to wait till it ia dry to touch it, or it does your hands a little, but it still does not stain skin.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2026

recommand products