The  Statement Reference 2 Mono was a wonderfully human-sounding cartridge, at times breathtakingly so Here, finally, was "hear-around mono." The voice sounded whole, and the guitar sounded physically separate from it. The Absolute Sound

This is the most intensely musical and organic mono cartridge I have ever heard, surpassing the Dynavector XV1 Mono and the Koetsu Coralstone Mono in overall performance. The Grado may be exceeded very slightly in color density and right-to-left separation (which is not the same as stereo!) by the Miyajima Premium BE Mono Phono Cartridge, though the Grado beats it in depth, definition, and cost.  At last, a high-end, state-of-the-art Mono cartridge At a price less than ALL the major competition, it outperforms the best of them I had no idea how many mono LPs I owned, both original and reissue, but night after night I have enjoyed listening to these heavenly records as they were meant to be played. When you use a mono cartridge, you hear the real deal, not just a contrived production.     The Grado yields unprecedented and unequaled depth of image, with extraordinary solidity of imaging on my top mono LPs. Ultra-low grain is apparent. Musical colors are addictive and extremely dense, bringing life to golden oldies and reissues alike. Right-to-left separation is excellent, filling the space between the speakers in most cases. The cartridge never mistracked, 33 or 45 RPM, flat or warped, thin or thick.

The high band is smooth, open, and natural. Nothing forced or etched with this design. You'll hear a beautiful sense of integration with the mid-band. Enjoy tons of definition here, and always a very neutral feel, with dense musical colors. I particularly like the way it subdues surface noise without loss of musical detail. The Grado leaves the original 1950's studio sound alone, retaining the character of the early content.   The mid-band is delicious! More air than a tornado in Kansas! Older LPs sound right as rain. Reissues do sound more modern and powerful, as well they should. Images are the right size, but very dense with suave musical colors. Grain is nearly non-existent. The Grado Mono produces very alive, weighty, and natural uber-definition which makes one feel just like the performance is in the room! No exaggeration! Just wait until you hear vocals gorgeously rounded and life-like with this new Grado cartridge!   The Grado Labs Statement Reference Series 2 Mono Cartridge is an instant classic and a mainstay for anyone who loves authentic mono LPs and calls themselves an audiophile.  My highest recommendation! Tone Audio

The Reference2 model uses a five piece OTL cantilever technology achieving an additional 5% tip mass reduction over the Platinum2 and Sonata2 models. The coils are wound with ultra-high purity long crystal (UHPLC) oxygen free copper wire. The Reference2 model uses Grado's true ellipsoid design diamond. 

Features:
• Coil size optimization, cutting back on the number of turns, for sonic quaility!
• Potting coil process which controls the resonance and noise even more than before!
• Made from Jarrah Wood, which is much harder and denser, adding greater stability!

Specifications:
Output: 1.0mV @ 5 CMV (45)
Controlled Frequency Response: 10-60 kHz
Channel Separation: Average 40 DB - 10-30 kHz
Load: 47,000 Ohms
Inductance: 40 mh
Resistance: 600 Ohms
Non Sensitive To Capacitive Load
Chassis Mass: 10 Grams
Tracking Force: 1.5 - 1.9 Grams

20% Trade In - Just send your old Statement  Cartridge for a New One - or a Higher Spec Wood Statement / Reference

All re-tipping on the Statement and Reference series will be done by Grado.

GRADO is one of the oldest family-owned companies in the audio industry and has for almost half a century been a leader in design engineering for the high-end audio and recording industries. Renowned for their remarkable headphones and phono cartridges, the company holds over 48 patents and company founder, Joseph Grado, is credited as the inventor of the stereo moving coil phono cartridge. All GRADO cartridges are hand made to GRADO's full performance specifications. Acclaimed by experts as virtually the finest pickups in the world at their price points, nothing leaves the factory unless it sounds pure GRADO     In 1963 Grado was focusing everything into creating the worlds best phono cartridges. Grado Labs stopped the production of all the other products and, for just over 20 years, concentrated on cartridges. Phono cartridge design was improved dramatically in 1976 when truly top quality cartridges were first made with the supervision of Joseph Grado Signature Products. The newly created cartridges were well received and were given a price tag of $1,000 - the first to be sold for that amount. & recently we introduced the $12,000 Epoch Range