High-end audio manufacturer Grado Labs has announced the $49 iGrado, a new addition to the company’s line of headphones.
Described to Playlist as “the high end sound in the low end market,” the iGrado will use the same drivers as those in the Grado SR60 but will sell for substantially less. (The company currently manufactures headphones ranging in price from $69 to $995.) In addition, instead of a traditional over-the-head headband, the iGrado will feature the popular behind-the-head “streetstyle” design — an approach that should make the iGrado more suitable for portable use than its higher-end siblings.
This isn’t the first time Grado Labs has ventured into the lower end of the market; the company in the past offered a budget headphone, the SR40, that used less expensive components to achieve a lower price. The iGrado’s use of the same drivers as the SR60 should mean significantly better sound quality than the SR40.
The iGrado should be available the first week of September.
(For more on headphones, visit the Playlist Product Guide.)