Grado Labs Hemp
Grado Hemp turns open-back listening into an intensely musical experience, pairing natural midrange, wide-open staging and crisp rhythmic drive. Hi-Fi Choice praises its clarity, poise and warm bass, while DMS highlights lifelike piano tone and expansive imaging. Hemp-and-maple housings complete an expressive, easy-to-drive listen that prizes emotional connection over studio neutrality.
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Nicely Roasted
Sound Quality
91/100
Comfort Fit
76/100
Build Quality
76/100
Features Usability
78/100
Value for Money
88/100
Pros
Clear, poised presentation with revealing low-level detail and crisp, precise rhythmic attack.
Natural instrumental timbre, especially piano, alongside expansive staging and strong instrument separation.
Warm, rich bass presence and dramatic dynamics give orchestral and rock material satisfying momentum.
Easy to drive from a broad range of amplifiers and sources.
Cons
Stock pads and limited headband padding can make comfort inconsistent during longer sessions.
Permanently attached cable is a notable usability limitation.
Build feels less premium than the price suggests, with concerns around the adjustment mechanism.
Open-back design leaks sound and offers little isolation; occasional vocal sharpness is possible.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 91/100
The Hemp is widely praised for an unusually involving, open and emotionally immediate presentation. Reviewers highlight its natural instrumental tone, spacious imaging, clean clarity and dramatic energy, while noting that its tuning can make vocals sound harsh for some listeners.
Bass
87/100
Hi-Fi Choice hears a rich, warm bass voice that comes forward convincingly in the mix, while DMS says the larger pads improve the bass response. Z Reviews also finds more low end than in other Grados, though the reviews offer limited detail on bass control, texture or sub-bass extension.
Midrange
94/100
DMS calls piano exceptionally natural, both in timbre and its placement in the acoustic space. Hi-Fi Choice also finds voices and harmonies clearly resolved, although DMS warns that vocals can sometimes turn harsh.
Treble
89/100
Hi-Fi Choice praises crisp percussion and bright, clearly audible horns, while Z Reviews describes the overall sound as smooth rather than harsh. DMS finds more upper-treble air with the larger pads, but also notes that the headphone can make vocals sound harsh.
Resolution Detail
89/100
Hi-Fi Choice reports that the Hemp uncovers very quiet background vocal detail, and DMS finds instrument separation strong enough to isolate and follow individual parts easily. DMS does not consider it a class-leading technical-detail specialist, however, describing its detail as good rather than mind-blowing.
Soundstage Imaging
94/100
The open presentation is a major strength: Hi-Fi Choice hears clarity and poise, while Z Reviews praises the Hemp's airiness and sense of openness. DMS calls its staging phenomenal on suitable material, with some sounds extending beyond even the HD800's perceived boundaries, though vocals can sit relatively close.
Dynamics
91/100
Hi-Fi Choice finds orchestral swells dramatic and convincing, capturing the tension between strings and horns. Z Reviews similarly describes the Hemp as punchy, supporting its lively and energetic character.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Comfort Fit
76/100
Comfort is a meaningful compromise. DMS can sometimes wear the Hemp for hours but on other days reaches a limit around 40 minutes, while Z Reviews removed the stock pads after a single one-hour session; both point to the foam-pad fit as the main issue.
Build Quality
76/100
Feedback on construction is mixed. Z Reviews likes the padded leather headband and stitching, despite a few loose threads, but DMS considers the overall headphone poorly built and not especially premium-feeling.
Features Usability
78/100
The Hemp is easy to drive from a wide range of sources, which DMS considers a practical advantage. Its permanently attached cable is a recurring drawback, however, and Z Reviews explicitly wishes it had a detachable lead.
Value for Money
88/100
At roughly $495-$599, the Hemp is a premium on-ear open-back headphone, but reviewer enthusiasm is strong. Z Reviews was surprised Grado had not charged more than its original roughly $420 asking price, though the supplied reviews offer little direct comparison with current rivals at today's pricing.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
Online Reviews & Mentions
YouTube Reviews
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Specifications
- Housing
- Hemp and Maple housing
- Headband
- Padded leather headband with white stitching
- Specification
- 8 Conductor cable
- Transducer Type
- Dynamic
- Operating Principle
- Open Air
- Frequency Response
- 13Hz – 28kHz
- Nominal Impedance
- 38 ohms
- Driver Matched
- .05 dB
- Specification
- 3.5mm (mini) termination with 1/4" adapter
- Specification
- F cushions
Manufacturer's Description — Grado Labs
Into The Unknown
In our never-ending pursuit to experiment with all types of woods and materials, we had the opportunity to build with hemp. We weren't sure how these hemphones would turn out, but to everyone’s surprise it quickly became a favorite passed around Grado. To be blunt, this is one of the best sounding Limited Editions we've assembled.
Introducing Hemp Headphone Limited Editions. Regardless of your initial skepticism about the term ‘hemphones,’ these unique open-back headphones have quickly become a favorite among the Grado community in Brooklyn. Crafted with hemp housings, a novel material for us, these headphones boast a distinctive and appealing design. The Hemp Headphones are among the best-sounding limited-edition models we've ever produced.
The compressed hemp not only enhances the visual allure but also creates a damping effect between fibers, resulting in a fuller sound with a prominent low-end and smooth treble. To achieve a balanced sound, Grado incorporated maple into the housing. Leveraging prior experience with maple, the team tuned the drivers to complement the unique qualities of the Hemp. Through a process of trial-and-error, Grado successfully aligned the presentation with their signature sound, a culmination of seven decades of audio excellence. The collaboration of Hemp and Maple in these Limited Editions brings a new level of vibrancy to our headphone lineup. Experience the synergy of these materials firsthand and immerse yourself in the rich audio legacy that Grado Labs has meticulously cultivated over the years.
Built from Hemp
The highly compressed hemp creates a damping effect between their fibers. This produces a fuller sound, comprised of a noticeable low end and a top end that extends smoothly to its limits. The hemp may be doing the heavy lifting, but the hemphone is a joint effort. We placed maple into the housing to help balance out the sound, and bring out the sonic properties that we’ve heard maple produce.
Features
- F-Cushions
- Leather headband
- De-stressed driver
- Drivers matched .05db
- Hemp wood housing
- Durable 8-conductor cable
- Hand assembled in Brooklyn
Driver Focused
The Grado drivers in the hemp housings had to be specifically tuned for a material we’ve never worked with before. Being paired with maple gave us some foresight, but only through trial-and-error could we get the speakers to sound how we wanted, and bring out the potential of the hemp.
High Expectations
The last seven decades has given us time to perfect our sound, letting the headphones reveal new notes and details in songs heard hundreds of times. The Hemp Headphone is a slow burn, constantly getting better with every listen. As we make sure with every headphone we build our Grado signature sound is ever-present, working in tandem with the hemp and maple.
Hand Assembled in Brooklyn
Each Hemp Headphone is hand assembled by our team in Brooklyn. Fine rolled for every genre of music, hemp and maple work together for the first time to bring a new level of vibrancy to our Limited Editions. We started building on a kitchen table in 1953, and every experience since then has led to the creation of The Hemp Headphone.
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Authorized dealers for Grado Labs Hemp
- 2C Stereo — in-store — Washington, District of Columbia, United States (website)
- A Tube High Fidelity — online and in-store — Almere, Flevoland, Netherlands (website)
- Absolute Audio - Canada — in-store — Calgary, Alberta, Canada (website)
- Accent On Music — in-store — Mount Kisco, New York, United States (website)
- Acoustic Sounds — online and in-store — Salina, Kansas, United States (website)
- Acoustic Technologies — online and in-store — Montréal, Québec, Canada (website)
- AES — in-store — Mitte, Hessen, Germany (website)
- Ahead Stereo — in-store — Los Angeles, California, United States (website)
- ALAIN CHOUKROUN — online and in-store — Paris, Île-de-France, France (website)
- Alen Audio — in-store — Extramurs, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain (website)
and 247 more verified dealers