Grado’s latest wired and open model headphones are both a nod to the company’s past and a signal of what to expect in the future. The Signature HP100 SE are a tribute to founder Joe Grado as he approaches what would have been his 100th birthday (Joe passed away in 2015), and they take inspiration from the sound and design of Joe’s HP1 – the first Grado helmet ever made.

Like the HP1, which was followed by the HP2 and HP3, the Signature HP100 SE’s cases are individually machined from specially treated aluminum with the product name carefully engraved on the face. Joe Grado initially selected aluminum for the HP1 for its anti-resonance qualities.

However, inside these enclosures is an all-new speaker design with 52mm drivers made with composite paper cones and powered by a high flux magnetic circuit using rare earth alloys, as well as a new lightweight copper-plated aluminum voice coil.

The company says its goal was to provide a speaker that “produces excellent high-frequency resolution, midrange smoothness, and bass energy with low distortion, resulting in musically and harmonically correct sound.” “.

The HP100 SE is the first Grado headset to offer detachable cables. Each earphone uses a 4-pin mini XLR jack. The HP100 SE comes with a 12-conductor braided cable with a 6.3mm source connection, but Grado says additional detachable cable options, such as 4-pin XLR termination, 4.4mm balanced termination mm and various cable lengths, will be available in the future.

The headband and height charts look almost unchanged from the HP1, but the company says they’ve been completely updated. The new headband features 50% more padding than previous Grado models, while the stainless steel height posts are designed not to slide out of the terminal block if the zinc alloy tips become dislodged.

Grado says you can expect the HP100 SE to provide a frequency response of 3.5 Hz to 51.5 kHz, with less than 0.1 percent total harmonic distortion at 100 dB, a sound pressure level of 1 milliwatt of 117 dB and 38 ohms of impedance. In other words, they should be as easy to drive as the rest of the country. The Grado range of headphones.

Speaking of the lineup, I asked Grado if the HP100 SE’s “Signature” designation marked a return of the Signature Series, but a company spokesperson said that decision was “undetermined” at this time.

The Grado Signature HP100 SEs are hand-assembled in Brooklyn, just like the HP1, and cost $2,495. They will be available in November on gradolabs.com.