Grado has made headphones in Brooklyn since 1953, from the same building on the same block, by the same family. The Signature series sits at the top of that output: open-back headphones built for focused listening rather than commuting or casual use. The S550, launched in March 2026, is the newest entry in the line at $995 in the standard 3.5mm configuration, with balanced variants available for $1,045.
The housing is turned from Brazilian walnut, hand-selected and finished in Brooklyn. Grain patterns vary between pairs; no two will look exactly alike. The open-back design is deliberate. It produces a wider soundstage and more natural imaging than closed-back alternatives, at the cost of isolation. These are headphones for a listening room, a dedicated desk set-up, or a proper headphone amplifier.
Grado’s tuning leans warm in the upper midrange, with a presence that suits acoustic music, jazz, and vocals in particular. The S550 sits alongside open-back offerings from Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, and Focal at similar or higher prices. What it brings that those alternatives do not is American craft manufacturing with a specific address attached to it, and a warranty backed by a company with an unbroken 70-year record in a single discipline.
At $995, the S550 is the newest addition to a line that Grado has been refining, in the same Brooklyn building, for over seven decades.
$995 — gradolabs.com