Grado Timbre-Series Opus3 Phono Cartridge

Description

MY TAKE: If you prefer a warm, rich and relaxed tonal presentation from your vinyl, Grado cartridges are sure to satisfy. Fans of these cartridges find them particularly appealing in the midrange, and that's here, in spades. - Galen Carol

The Opus3 cartridge is the entry-level offering in Grado’s new Timbre Series. Timbre, which replaces Statement and Reference models in one fell swoop, represents a broad reshuffling of Grado cartridges in an effort to close the gap between its entry-level and mid-range lines—in Grado’s words, to create “an even tighter ecosystem of cartridges.” Since the Opus3 debuted, the Timbre family has expanded and now includes the Platinum3 at $400 and the Master3 at $1000.

With a list price of $275, Opus3 incorporates techniques and engineering from Grado’s higher-end models and, in a first for Grado, features a maple wood housing in a newly formulated shape. The decision to use maple was a direct outgrowth of Grado’s experience working with this wood in its Heritage and Statement Series headphones. Maple is known to be a fine tone wood for musical instruments, and Grado says that “through a variation of thermal aging processes, the [maple] housing gains the ability to better dampen and control resonant frequencies.”

REVIEWS:

The Absolute Sound: "During the course of this review I lost track of the number of times I mumbled, “Are you kidding me? $275?” But there it is. When the Opus3 settles in the groove and a rush of music pours forth, there’s an overriding sense that everything is right with the analog world. From a company known for exceptional performance and value, the Grado Opus3 resets the bar. Pure and simple, a celebration of LP playback." - Neil Gader

Enjoy The Music: "In a way, for a sound quality achievable with it, Opus3 is a bargain of the year."- Danko Suvar

Headphone Guru:

Conclusions on the Grado Opus3 Maple Bodied Phono Cartridge:

"Once again, the VPI Player performed flawlessly and anything that was left wanting in my last two reviews of the table was more than made up for with the Grado Opus3 Maple Bodied Moving Iron Phono Cartridge. The Opus3 completely reaffirmed my love and respect of Grado cartridges and reinforced my love of vinyl once again (as if it needed it). High-Resolution digital is great when you can find it, but there is something viscerally organic about pure analog, and records are still the best pure analog source.

"The tonality of the Opus3 is natural and musical and the resolution can stand toe to toe with the big boys. My only regret in this review is not currently having a two-channel loudspeaker system set up to fully appreciate the magnificent soundstage produced by the Opus3, perhaps something that can be revisited at a future date.

"Record wear is one of the key considerations in choosing cartridges, and one of my great fears in using standard conical or elliptical styli and given the performance of the Opus3 I would not have any problem using this as a daily use cartridge. All in all, the Grado Opus3 is a first-class cartridge that I can heartily recommend to anyone setting up a medium to high-end turntable ensemble or upgrading an existing system. Two thumbs up."

Audio Karma post: "I have now had quite some time to get acquainted with the Opus3. This is the entry level of Grados Timber series. Believe me there is nothing entry level about this cart. The first thing that struck me is the gorgeous maple body a first for Grado. Aside from the sonic property of the maple it allows the mass to be centeted more evenly around the stylus. Like all other woodies it is tapped fot easy installation. At 8gs it compatible with most tables. Mine works fine in mt Audio Technica AT LP 7.
The Opus3 through only $15 more than the Gold3 is in a another class tonally. It is.much more resolving with more inner detail retrieval. It has imo a modern sound than the typical Grado house sound..it tracks flawlessly with no hint of sibilance or igd. At $275 it's truly a bargain. I tested this against a blue3 with both 8mz and mcz replacements. The Opus3 was far superior to both. Try the Opus3 for sonic bliss." - jbl Joe

SPECIFICATIONS:

Body: Maple Wood
Cantilever: Aluminum / Elliptical Diamond
Output:
High 4.0mV @5 CMV (45)
Low  1.0mV @5 CMV (45) 
Inductance:
High Output 55mH
Low Output  6mH
Resistance:
High Output  660 ohms
Low Output   70 ohms

Input Load: 10k-47k ohms
Cartridge Weight: 8 grams
Tracking Force: 1.6-1.9 grams
Compliance: 20μm/mN
Channel Seperation: Average 30db - 10-30k Hz
Controlled Frequency Response: 10-60 kHz
Non-Sensative to Capacitive Load
Builds: High Output, Low Output, Mono