In 2020, Grado made waves in the headphone world when it launched its limited edition Hemp earphones. As the name suggests, the earphones are made from hemp and maple, combining the warmth of a wooden audio cabinet with premium materials. In 2024, Grado is making the Hemps a permanent addition to its product range, and they’re priced reasonably – $469 in the US (up from $420 previously) and £439 in the UK. That’s by no means cheap, of course, and is significantly more expensive than previous Grado models I’ve reviewed, such as the lovely SR325x. I’ve been using the Hemps for the past few weeks to see if they’re worth the high price tag.
The design of the Hemps is classic Grado – their headphones have a signature design language that carries over from their affordable options to their premium, pricey alternatives. They look more like a piece from the post-war period than from 2024, and embody all of the brand’s aesthetic choices. This is true of everything from the thinner ear pads to the stitched leather (or vinyl in Grado UK’s case) headband that doesn’t have much padding. With these options, the Hemps sit more comfortably on your head than they do clamping against your skull. This makes them comfortable to wear for long periods of time, especially as they weigh a super-light 218g, although you have to wear them just right to get the best results.
If you haven’t used Grados before, it’ll take some time to get used to the thinner components around the headband and earcups. They’re uncomfortable to wear without the right fit, and I wish Grado had opted for slightly thicker ear pads, especially at this price point. Additionally, the coiled cable is disproportionately thick, dwarfing the small jack on the end. This can be a bit of a hindrance when you’re immersed in your favorite tracks, but at least it’s braided.
While the rest of Hemps’ design feels very bare-bones and basic, that’s not the case with the maple and hemp they use on the ear cups. The woods used combine to create this intricate, almost marbled pattern that looks really sophisticated. Run your fingers over it and you can actually Feel The grain is nice too – something you don’t see every day. The mix of maple and hemp, which is harder than the more common oak, helps the hemp provide a lot of detail and width in the audio. It feels different than other cans that use metal, and the presentation is more natural.
Additionally, the Hemps are easy to drive, too, with an impedance of just 38 ohms – meaning you could theoretically pair them with a vacant headphone jack on your phone or PC. While this works well enough, you’d be better off plugging them into a dedicated DAC, which can help make the sound wider and capture more detail. It might just be the top end of the high end and the really low-level bass, but having a good DAC and a quality recording will definitely bring out the best in the Hemps.
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The Hemps, like other Grado headphones, feature an open-back design. This means they let in as much noise as they take in, but it also results in excellent imaging and unmatched width. This means you’ll only be able to use these headphones in a quiet room at home, though — great for serious listening to your favorite tracks, but not for commuting.
But now it’s the sound that matters. The Hemps are unlike any other headphone I’ve tested. They’re natural, expansive, and simply beautiful, whether they’re busy recordings with Earth, Wind and Fire’s Let’s Groove or more intimate selections like John Martyn’s May You Never. The Hemps deliver some of the richest, most detailed audio around, especially when paired with high-quality recordings and a great DAC or DAP like the Chord Mojo 2 and mid-range FiiO M11S, where they can really come into their own.
The bass is just as strong as the SR325x, and arguably more prominent than the other Grados. It’s deep and has enough extension that it makes tracks like Rush’s YYZ and the aforementioned Let’s Groove feel full where they need to be. With that in mind, the Hemps’ bass isn’t prominent enough to feel overpowering. It’s reassuringly full, but not overpowering, with the high energy and detail provided across the frequency range.
From that perspective, their midrange presentation and vocal handling was impressive. More intimate tracks such as John Martyn (May You Never), Jack Johnson (Washing Dishes), James Taylor (I Was A Fool To Care) and Jimmy Buffett (Son Of A Son Of A Sailor) revealed a warmth and roundness to Hemps’ voice that was different and arguably better than other Grado options I’ve used in the past. It captured the small guitar tones on all of these tracks perfectly, and the Buffett track also allowed Hemps to show off their fantastic width at the beginning of the song via the boat bells off to the far side. It was presented with extreme clarity. The percussion on Gloria Estefan’s Get On Your Feet was also crisp and detailed – sometimes this can feel a little lost in such a busy track, but this was definitely not the case with Hemps.
The same is true of the high-end presentation, with tracks like Steely Dan’s Do It Again giving the Hemps a chance to show off so much detail. I don’t think I’ve ever heard the competing percussive intros on this particular Dan track handled so well. For some headphones, this can be a nightmare due to the fast tempo, but the Hemps pulled it off without a hitch. The same can be said of the cymbals on the instrumental section of Rush’s Working Man – they can sound harsh at times, but the Hemps present them with clarity and fluidity.
No matter what area of the frequency range you focus on, the Hemps deliver some of the best and widest audio I’ve ever heard. Steven Wilson’s “Impossible Tightrope” is a wicked track for headphones, with its hypnotic organ playing, thunderous drums, and sometimes unsteady strings. The song has a very busy tempo, and with some headphones I’ve tested, the tone of the song is too narrow to allow the song to breathe where it needs to. True to the theme of the Hemps, it’s well-versed on “Impossible Tightrope,” giving the various elements of the track (including SW’s vocals) plenty of room to breathe. It also helps to portray how excellent the Hemps’ imaging is, with sounds coming from all angles rather than simply from left to right.
All of these factors combine to make the Hemps a great pair of gaming headphones, too. Hooking them up to my desktop Chord Mojo 2, then plugging it into my PC and firing up a few rounds of CS2, it quickly became clear just how powerful the Hemps are. Their level of detail is high, and the wide soundstage provides excellent width, with footsteps being heard very accurately, while heavy artillery fire and grenade explosions provide excellent immersion through the headset’s powerful bass.
Switching over to Forza Motorsport, the wide soundstage and excellent graphics made racing against other AI or online players a joy, as it helped to position my car alongside others for overtaking, and worked in conjunction with the game’s proximity arrows to give me a good idea of where my opponents were on the track. This also appeared in some races in Assetto Corsa, though this time in conjunction with the top-down radar module I installed a while ago.
So where does all this leave us? It’s simple, really – the Hemps are a very good set of open-back headphones. They sound rich, detailed and wide, and the combination of maple and hemp really elevates their sound quality. It’s also very nice to look at, while making the Hemps unique in its class. They do come with the usual Grado flaws though, namely a Marmite design that you may either love, or find extremely uncomfortable. After all, £439/$469 is a lot of money for a pair of headphones, so you want the best you can get. From my perspective, the Hemps come pretty close, but won’t necessarily suit every listener in terms of style and comfort.