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Grado Green4 Phono Cartridge
The Grado Green4 is the entry point to Grado's cartridge lineup, delivering the company's patented flux-bridger moving iron technology in a standard-mount design. It outputs 4.0mV into any standard moving magnet phono input, tracks at 1.5 grams, and weighs 5.5 grams, making it compatible with virtually any medium-compliance tonearm. If you're buying your first quality cartridge or upgrading from whatever came bundled with your turntable, the Green4 is where Grado starts.
Grado Labs has been building phono cartridges and headphones by hand in Brooklyn, New York since 1953. The company was founded by Joseph Grado, and four generations of the Grado family have since refined the company's patented flux-bridger moving iron generator system, which delivers the speed and detail retrieval associated with moving coil designs while keeping the higher output and simpler loading requirements of moving magnet cartridges. Every Grado cartridge is hand-assembled in the same Sunset Park facility where Joseph first began his work over seven decades ago, then tested and voiced before it ships. Nothing about the operation has been outsourced, automated, or moved offshore.
Grado's flux-bridger generator is the technology that separates the Green4 (and every other Grado cartridge) from conventional moving magnet and moving coil designs. It pairs the low moving mass associated with moving coil cartridges with the 4.0mV output and standard MM loading of a moving magnet, so the Green4 works straight into the phono input on any integrated amplifier, receiver, or basic phono preamp. No step-up transformer, no specialized loading, no MC-capable phono stage required. Plug it in, set tracking force to 1.5 grams, and play.
All three Prestige cartridges share the same body and the same flux-bridger generator with OFC copper coils. The Green4 sits at the entry of the series. The Red4 and Gold4 step up with tighter grading tolerances during hand-assembly. Tighter tolerances translate to wider channel separation and lower distortion. Frequency response also gets more linear at the top of the line. Because all three accept the same replacement stylus assemblies, you can start with the Green4 and move up to Red4 or Gold4 performance later by swapping styli, without sending the cartridge in. The natural step beyond the Prestige Series is the Timbre Series, which adds a wood housing and OCC copper coils.
We're a third-generation family business with a brick-and-mortar showroom in Chestertown, Maryland, and a reputation built on exceptional service and relentless passion for hifi. Whether you're visiting in person or ordering online, we bring decades of experience, personalized service, and honest guidance to every interaction. We don't just ship boxes. We help build systems, answer your questions like real humans, and make sure every detail of your setup is right, from the cables to the final connection. Our passion is helping you get the most out of your gear, with support that lasts well beyond the sale.
| Cartridge Type | Moving Iron (Flux-Bridger) |
| Stylus | Elliptical Diamond (User-Replaceable) |
| Cantilever | Aluminum |
| Output Voltage | 4.0mV |
| Coil Wire | OFC Copper |
| Body Material | Polymer |
| Tracking Force | 1.5 grams |
| Cartridge Weight | 5.5 grams |
| Compliance | 20 µm/mN |
| Mount | Standard ½" Mount |
| Origin | Hand-built in Brooklyn, NY, USA |
The Green3 is a great entry-level cartridge that punches well above its price. There is a directness and immediacy to the Grado's presentation that makes budget rivals sound slow and woolly by comparison. It has more detail and refinement than you would expect at this price, and the moving iron design gives it a speed and attack that most budget cartridges simply cannot match. It makes a strong case for the moving iron approach at the affordable end of the market.
,What Hi-Fi? · October 2020
