Grado's new Reference headphones are made out of wood

Grado Labs has introduced its latest Reference Series of headphones, bringing its fourth generation Ten Drivers to the RS1x and RS2x, which both make use of wood in their construction.

Grado Labs has only released four generations of headphones drivers, with this latest revision seeing the new X Drivers get a complete redesign.

The RS1x and RS2x besides mark the first fourth dimension that Grado's X Drivers have been built for wooden housings, each one specifically tuned for the wooden enclosure they're congenital into, while maintaining Grado's unique design aesthetic.

The intention with the new tuning was to bring out harmonic colours, rich vocality, and mid-range that Grado headphones are known for in concert with the wooden earcups effectually the new drivers.

The RS1x is the bigger of the two headphones, featuring a 50mm driver and combining three types of forest in maple, cocobolo and hemp woods. The RS2x keeps things a footling more simple and goes smaller with its 44mm driver, using maple and hemp wood every bit Grado looks to wood structure for its "warm and embracing tonal abilities".

Tweaks to the tuning of the headphones include increasing the magnetic power of the speaker while decreasing the effective mass of the vox coil. Grado says that this, along with the reconfigured diaphragm, "represents the truest presentation of the original source."

Other upgrades see the RS1x and RS2x built with new durable 8-conductor cables, equally well as a new white-stitched (real) leather headband.

On the annunciation of the new Reference series headphones, Jonathan Grado said: "In 1994 my dad (John Grado) went downstairs in the middle of the night to build our get-go RS1 headphone. It's kind of extraordinary that this middle-of-the-night thought is now evolving into an even greater headphone 27 years subsequently."

Yous'll need to save some pennies to afford either one of the Reference series headphones. The RS1x goes on sale in December for £799.95 / $750 on the Grado website and contained retailers. The RS2x is available for purchase at the same time for £599.95 / $550.