Grado Labs 6k AEON cartridge review by Bob Levi for Positive-Feedback.com. We agree on this!

In reviewing the notes that I jotted down during my time listening to the wonderful AEON cartridge from Grado Labs, I wondered at the ability for the thing to reproduce music to almost the same level as their state of the art EPOCH cartridge. In speaking with Bob Levi, President of the LAOCAS on Saturday, he mentioned that he wrote a review of the cartridge recently and that I should take a look.

Well, I did, and, wow, we agree. So much so that I'm going to show you his review from Positive Feedback. It's like we did a Vulcan Mind Meld on the thing. Pointless for me to write anything now, it will be too close to his review. The only difference is that he says 85% of the Epoch and I think around 75%. Still, we are very, very close in our thinking.

Here is his complete review at Positive Feedback:

Grado Lineage Series Aeon Phono Cartridge

Let me just quote you the highlights of his review:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grado Lineage Series - Aeon Phono Cartridge World Premiere Review by Robert H. Levi.

For the first time ever, I present my reviewer's high-end balance sheet.

ROI (Return on Investment in High-end Audio)

• Grado Epoch Cartridge: $12,000 "State of the Art"
• Grado Aeon Cartridge: $6000 "85% Overall Performance of Epoch"
• Savings selecting Aeon over Epoch: "$6000"
• Aeon Gains: acquire up to 200 re-issue LPs from your favorite vendor
• Aeon Losses: a small reduction of overall clarity; some dynamic bass impact and loss of definition.
• Epoch/Aeon setup and ancillaries required: Identical

Having fun yet? I sure am. The Grado Aeon (pronounced AA ahn) is extremely similar in construction to the Epoch. The Aeon has the same groundbreaking stylus shape, reducing surface noise to RTR tape-like levels. The diamond is directly coupled to the sapphire cantilever. Gold wire and unique powerful magnets drive the coils wound in 24-carat gold wire. Both require 100 hours run-in time, and both are wood-bodied works of art and science.

They differ primarily with the Aeon utilizing a beautiful, though less rare cocobolo wood selection, of lower density and hugely less cost. Unlike the Grado Epoch, the Aeon does not have some of the top secret elements within that bring it to a level of sonic perfection. Fascinatingly, the Aeon was developed first, as the breakthrough design from John Grado. Though a musical tour de force and sonic leap over past creations of his and about everyone else's, he imagined an even more fantastic phono transducer design that became the Epoch. Is there a logical end to this quest? I hope not!

The Aeon moved comfortably into the settings of my phono front end adjusted for the Epoch. The final Aeon setup consisted of gear as follows:

Specifications

• Output: 1mV @ 5 CMV
• Controlled frequency response: 6Hz - 72kHz
• Channel separation: avg. 47dB, 6Hz - 72kHz
• Loading: 47,000 ohms
• Inductance: 30 mH
• Resistance: 91 ohms
• Non-sensitive to capacitive load
• Chasis mass: 12 grams
• Tracking force: 1.5 - 1.9 grams

• 
  -----------------------------------------------------

I do know a bunch of folks with $10-12,000 cartridges. They are not as rare as you would imagine. That said, at $6000, when 80-90% of your dreams come true, why worry? The Aeon produces a smooth, realistic impression of RTR tape, with that truly silent background and jump-from-nowhere imaging. Even-Steven, from highest highs to lowest lows, you will not spend over one minute worrying about the Aeon's tracking or tonality and focus once the music arrives. Record after record seems freed of all artifacts, surface tics, and distortion. Imaging is so precise that one may walk up and say hello to the musician.

The soundstage is huge, huge, huge! Instruments appear outside of your speaker's edges with ease and elegance. The fun factor of the Aeon is out of this world. With none of the stress and squeeze of moving coil spin to forcefulness, one luxuriates in a bath of musical bliss from this ultra-sophisticated moving iron design.

I am fascinated by how naturally lovely and easy the highs are produced by the Aeon. After 50 years of music loving and writing, I am convinced that live means a bit dull. When setting up a cartridge, I listen for maximum definition and then make sure any etch that may have crept in is eliminated in final adjustments. Right now, the Aeon is bringing me a most convincing picture with a cognac like richness on top, and much delicacy as well. What a genius we have in John Grado! I look forward to welcoming him December 2 in Los Angeles at the Society Anniversary Gala Celebration.

I must state now, for the record (no pun intended), my belief that LP reproduction has caught up with Reel To Reel reproduction in the home. LP playback gear is not less expensive than RTR, dollar-for-dollar, but the software is vastly cheaper and much more available! And the Grado Aeon seals the deal.

Quibbles:

Give the Aeon plenty of time to run-in. 100-150 hours will do the job. The cartridge is sensitive to anti-skate, and tracks from 1.8-1.9 grams, so experiment. And remember to raise the rear just a tad from level for maximum evenness of tone. If tracking is not perfect, adjust until it is, and give it another 24 hours of run-in, too.

TO RECAP:

The Grado Labs Aeon Phono Cartridge, with its near-magical stylus quieting LPs to tape-like levels, is shipping now…at half the price of its very big brother. Mostly identical from stem to stern, the differences are in cost for the last 15% or so that the no-holds-barred Epoch will give you. Though the Aeon costs half as much, John Grado has poured his musical soul and personal reputation into this, a work of musical art in itself. I call the Aeon "the 85% solution," as it performs almost as fantastically as the Epoch for half the money! How can one not get giddy and flummoxed just thinking of the possibilities of a transducer coming within whispering distance of the state-of-the-art. Other top-end manufacturers should be scared Grado may get even closer. But right now, for an expensive but not extravagant $6000, the Aeon parts the clouds and lets you look on the face of musical reproduction in your home.

Grado Lineage Series Aeon Phono Cartridge

Retail: $6000

Contact: John Chen, [email protected]

Grado Labs

4614 7th Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11220

718.435.5340

www.gradolabs.com

 

Yes, it's a great cartridge if you have the bread.