Grado Labs in Brooklyn, NY

Grado Labs has been operating out of the same nondescript location in Brooklyn since 1953! I had the opportunity to meet with John Grado and John Chen last week while I was in town.  I wanted to see first hand the legendary digs and find out more about this great American company!

Grado Labs has been operating out of the same nondescript location in Brooklyn since 1953! I had the opportunity to meet with John Grado and John Chen last week while I was in town. I wanted to see first hand the legendary digs and find out more about this great American company!

Before my visit, I had no idea that Grado made every part in house!  The injection molding machines are over 60 years old!  Don't fix it if it's not broken!

Before my visit, I had no idea that Grado made every part in house! The injection molding machines are over 60 years old! Don’t fix it if it’s not broken!

Grado employs just a handful of people.  They all seemed very focused and content working for such a great company!  Grado are proof that the USA has, and still can, make quality products!  I'm very proud to be a dealer for them.

Grado employs just a handful of people. They all seemed very focused and content working for such a great company! Grado are proof that the USA has, and still can, make quality products! I’m very proud to be a dealer for them.

New York City?

Whetstone Audio will be closed February 23-27. I will reopen on Saturday the 28th. I’m going to New York to visit with Grado Labs, DeVore Fidelity, Box Furniture and Tone Imports! Mainly, I just want some decent Italian food. See Y’all soon..

Jazz-in-New-York-City

LSD! Coming Soon!

LSD

The Funk Firm turntables from the UK are coming to the shop!! The first to appear will be the Little Super Deck (LSD). I’m getting mine equipped with the F6.5 tonearm and 3mm Achromat ($115). Retail price with deck and arm is $1995. LSD is offered in Black or White. The F6.5 tonearm is available by itself for $895.

Read all about it HERE!

Transfiguration Cartridges

New to the shop are the excellent Transfiguration cartridges. “The unique yokeless design and double ring magnet result in an extremely accurate coil / magnet interface in which the coils are positioned right inside the magnets. This ground-breaking design was conceived to remove the variations in flux introduced by traditional magnetic field-dispersing yoke type assemblies. The result is a new level of focus, resolution of the subtlest details and a stunningly live performance”

Read more here: Transfiguration

phoenixweb

cocktail audio X12

In my never ending search for “awesome” and “value”, I’ve found the next great contender. They call X12 the “swiss army knife of audio”. What does it do? Basically everything. HD Hi Fi Music Server with database, CD Ripper, High Quality DAC, Built-in 60W Amplifier, Network Streamer, FM / Internet radio, UPNP, Apple Airplay and Bluetooth. You will need to buy a HDD disc. I got a 2 TB for $80 off Amazon. Dump ALL of your CD’s on this and access them through the APP. Just add some speakers or look into the other Cocktail Audio products for the perfect fit. The X12 is a great place to start without forking out tons of cash. A winner at $799!

Cocktail Audio

Cocktail-Audio-X12-1

My very first record!

I remember being around three years old and playing a stack of 45’s my aunt left at our house. This was the one that started it all! I remember playing this over and over. It was WILD! It was FAST! It was ROCK & ROLL!! I still have this record and it’s still my favorite.