Grado The Hemp Headphone Review

Sound Quality

Grado headphones tend to share many similar traits in terms of sound signatures, and they very much have a ‘house sound’. To describe it succinctly: they’re alive. Think: rolled-off, lean yet articulate bass; forward, occasionally aggressive mid-range with superb instrument reproduction; and energetic, transparent highs. Is The Hemp Headphone just another Grado cut from the same mold with a fancy new wrapper? While it’s still very much a Grado in terms of its audio DNA, out of the box it’s probably the most different-sounding Grado I’ve heard yet. And it’s a very easy Grado to approach, at that. You see, whereas the SR325e (for example) is an electrically-charged, laid-bare listening experience, The Hemp Headphone is a little more restrained, dare I say, chilled? It’s almost as if the driver has been tuned with a mild dose of Sativa, to give a nice little sense of glow to its more gentle highest octave. 

Like Sativa, this is a fun-first headphone. It still has all that Grado ‘rock-out’ ability able to be unleashed with a flick of the volume-dial. Classic Sabbath is a great test to see how a pair of cans will get your feet tapping, and The Hemp Headphone delivers in spades with ‘Sweet Leaf’. The first thing this track tells you with the panning ‘cough’ effect is that despite the flat pads, The Hemp Headphone seems to throw a reasonably believable and spacious head-stage when called for, but ultimately errs more on the side of intimate in terms of its overall presentation. Next, it hits you with a real sense of impact on the kick-drum part. Not just the playback of the kick-drum sound, but actual dynamic heft. But, sandwiched in the middle lies the good stuff – a layer of thick, crunchy guitar that is all-Grado. It’s epic. 

The Hemp Headphone by Grado Labs.

Adding to the fun is a dollop of extra low-end goodness. The Hemp Headphone feels like it has a 2-3dB bass boost shelf below 150hZ that gives a feeling of warmth and coziness that comes out to play in D’Angelo’s ‘Brown Sugar’. It’s slightly unusual but most welcome on a pair of Grados. 

I’ve never called a pair of Grado headphones ‘balanced’ or even-sounding, but if I were to, these would be it. Throw-on The Hemp Headphones, light-up ‘The Pot’ by Tool, and you can just sit back and groove into the tasty riffs, rather than slicing through them with a knife-edge. Don’t get me wrong, they’re no slouch – The White Headphone is still very much a nimble set of cans, and can sort-out complex passages deftly with lightning-quick attack and leading edges. The only quirk they throw-out in terms of tone is the odd occasion where there’s too much energy somewhere near the 2k mark, which can make the soundstage feel a tad congested and stuffy and make vocals sound ‘throaty’. 

The Hemp Headphone by Grado Labs.

Vs Grado GH1

The maple-bodied GH1 was the first model in the ‘Heritage’ Series and also happens to be my favourite-sounding Grado model thus far. The Hemp Headphone has a noticeably different voicing to the GH1, with a more forward, intimate midrange being the first idiosyncrasy that stands-out during the guitar-crunch of Weezer’s ‘Hash Pipe’. The GH1 also reveals just how relatively relaxed (by Grado terms) The Hemp Headphone’s treble is – there’s not a hint of sibilance nor glare in Rick James’ ‘Mary Jane’, just a nice thick sound with a genuine sense body and great texture. 

The GH1 does smoke The Hemp Headphone when it comes to overall refinement and extension at either end. The GH1 has a much more incisive character to it, trading warmth for more air and treble detail. It does render some male vocals a little more realistically than The Hemp Headphone, whose 2kHz peak can tend to bloat them a little. 

Vs The White Headphone

Inspired by The Beatles’ self-titled 1968 record, The White Headphone is even more distinct compared to its hemp stablemate. With its big G-Cush pads, The White Headphone is all about creating air, space and is very-much a treble-oriented listen. Even when moving down to flat pads, The White Headphone sounds brittle and delicate next to the gooey mid-range and mid-bass warmth of The Hemp Headphone, revealing its scooped mid-range and overall bright, lean timbre. Costing $795, you’d want to be either a Beatlemaniac or treble lover to pick this over the much more affordable and easy-to-love Hemp Headphone. 

Vs Sennheiser HD600

I know that the venerable HD600 feels like a very sensible headphone to compare to The Hemp Headphone, but I think it’s interesting to compare two very valid entry-point audiophile headphones which were born out of very different manufacturing philosophies. Now, I have described The Hemp Headphone as balanced, but the HD600 is perhaps the most famously balanced headphone of all time. A little Tom Petty ought to be a good test here, and ‘You Don’t Know How it Feels’ reveals some interesting points of difference between the Teutonic stayer and the brash New Yorker. 

The HD600 has a more linear signature which does expose The Hemp Headphone’s 2k peak, which also tends to make it feel more cramped and congested side-by-side with the Sennheiser. While they’re fairly similar in terms of soundstage, the HD600’s superior imaging and air make it feel like a more spacious presentation. Overall detail levels feel similar, but further listening shows the Grado to have a more brash approach to rendering treble, unable to match the refinement of the HD600 and faltering slightly at times with consonant and ‘S’ sounds. But, having said that, the HD600 ultimately lacks the soul of the Grados. If you prefer to get your feet tapping and remind yourself that you’re alive, The Hemp Headphone makes for a more engaging, visceral listening session. 

Head over to page 4 to read more about The Hemp Headphone.