Grado Hemp Classic Series Open-Back Headphones

The Grado Hemp is the first wood-cup model in the Classic Series, and the wood is the point. Its housing pairs hempwood with maple: hempwood for damping and tonal warmth, maple for structural stability at the driver-to-shell junction. Inside sits the 44mm X2 driver, tuned here for a fuller and more grounded presentation, on F cushions and an eight-conductor cable.

Key Features of the Grado Hemp

• 44mm X2 Dynamic Driver: Mylar diaphragm, copper voice coil and a rare earth magnet system, tuned on this model for a fuller and more grounded presentation.
• Hempwood and Maple Housing: A bi-wood shell. Hempwood contributes natural damping and tonal warmth, maple provides stability at the driver interface.
• A Renewable Housing Material: Hemp fibers can be cultivated and replenished far faster than traditional hardwoods, which is Grado's stated reason for using them.
• F Cushions: Bring the driver close to the ear, reinforcing the immediate and engaging presentation the model is voiced for.
• Signature Silver Headband Assembly: The same engineering foundation as the Signature Gold system, on a leather headstrap with contrasting white stitching.
• Eight-Conductor Cable: Hard-wired into the cups and terminated in 3.5mm, with a quarter-inch adapter supplied.
• 13Hz to 28kHz Quoted Response: Wider at both ends than any Classic Series model below it.
• 0.05 dB Driver Matching: The two channels track within 0.05 dB of each other, the tightest tolerance Grado specifies in the series.
• Assembled in Brooklyn, New York: Built in Grado's own building alongside every other model in the range.

Hempwood and Maple, and Why Both

The Hemp housing is built from two woods doing two different jobs. Hempwood is the damping half: Grado credits it with natural damping and tonal warmth, and describes the presentation it shapes as grounded and physical. Maple is the stiff half, and Grado uses it at the driver interface for structural stability.

Hempwood is also the more interesting material commercially. Hemp fibers can be cultivated and replenished far more rapidly than traditional hardwoods, which is Grado's stated reason for reaching for it. The fibrous grain is visible on the face of every cup, and because the material is worked individually, no two pairs look the same.

The 44mm X2 Driver, Tuned for Weight

The Hemp runs Grado's 44mm X2 dynamic driver: a Mylar diaphragm, a copper voice coil and a rare earth magnet system. It is the same diaphragm size the SR60, SR80 and SR325 use, so the step from those models to this one is about the housing and the cushion, not about driver area.

Grado's voicing here is different from the models below it. Where the SR325 is tuned for articulation and speed, the Hemp is tuned to favor a fuller and more grounded presentation. Each Classic Series model is tuned in relation to its own housing rather than to one house curve, and the wood is what this one is tuned around.

F Cushions and What They Do

The Hemp ships on Grado F cushions, which bring the driver close to the ear and reinforce the immediate, engaging character the model is voiced for. It is the same cushion the SR80 and SR325 use, so it is the constant across three different housings in the range.

It is also adjustable. Grado sells S, F, L, B and G cushions separately and treats the pad as a tuning element: a larger cushion sets the driver farther from the ear and opens up width, a smaller one brings it closer and pushes the midrange forward. On a Grado the cushion is a choice you make rather than a part that simply wears out.

The Signature Silver Headband and Eight-Conductor Cable

The Hemp carries Grado's Signature Silver headband assembly, which shares its engineering foundation with the Signature Gold system used higher in the Classic Series but is lighter. A padded leather headstrap with contrasting white stitching sits against the head, over an internal steel spring band.

Clamping pressure is set by bending that band by hand rather than by a click-stop mechanism, so the fit is dialed in once and stays. The cable is an eight-conductor Signature Silver design terminated in a 3.5mm mini plug, with a quarter-inch adapter supplied, and it is hard-wired into the cups. Detachable cables are a Signature Line feature and are not offered anywhere in the Classic Series.

What the Classic Series Means

The Classic Series is Grado's name for seven of its most recognizable headphones brought together on the X2 driver platform, with updated cable assemblies and refined build components. Grado's stated goal for the platform was improved consistency, control and refinement, with greater clarity, extension and balance, while keeping the lively presentation the range is known for.

Where the Grado Hemp fits in the Grado Classic Series

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Grado Hemp Specifications