Everyday Care Tips for Grado Headphones and Cartridges

Quick answer

Wipe your Grado headphones after every session, brush your stylus before each record, and check cushions and cables weekly. The biggest wins come from small, consistent habits: keep dust off the driver, keep the stylus clean, and replace worn cushions before they change the sound.

Grado gear is built to last, but it does not clean itself. A five-minute routine once a week prevents most of the problems that send headphones and cartridges in for service: dust in the driver, hardened ear cushions, and a stylus that drags instead of tracks.

This guide walks through an ordered care process you can actually keep. Each step includes the mistake that causes damage and a checkpoint so you know when to replace a part instead of cleaning it again.

Step 1: Set up a clean, safe workspace

Before you touch anything, clear a flat surface and wash your hands. Oils and grit from your fingers are the fastest way to transfer grime to a headband, cable, or stylus. Keep a soft microfiber cloth, a dry stylus brush, and a small container for removed parts within reach.

Work away from speakers, vents, and pets. A dropped cartridge or a headphone yanked off a stand causes more damage than months of normal use. If you use a turntable, lower the cueing lever and secure the tonearm before you start cleaning around it.

• Never clean over an open turntable platter or a hard floor.
• Keep liquids off the table; a dry process is safer for drivers and cartridges.

Step 2: Wipe down headphones after every session

Grado headphones sit against your head, so sweat, skin oils, and hair products build up on the pads and headband. A quick wipe of the headband and outer cups with a dry microfiber cloth keeps that residue from working into the cushion foam.

Do not spray cleaner directly on the headphones. If a cloth is not enough, dampen it lightly and wring it out first, then wipe the headband and cup housings only. Avoid the driver grille and any open-back mesh, where moisture can reach the diaphragm.

• Common mistake: using paper towels, which leave lint and can scratch plastic.
• Checkpoint: if the cloth comes away tacky, clean more often, not harder.

Step 3: Brush the stylus before every record

Phono cartridge maintenance starts with one habit: brush the stylus from back to front before each side. Use a dry stylus brush and light strokes. Dust that stays on the tip gets pressed into the groove and adds noise on every play.

If you use a liquid stylus cleaner, apply it to the brush, never the cantilever, and let the tip dry completely before playing. Grado's DJ200i uses a specially engineered transmission line cantilever for safe and effective stylus back-cueing, but that design is for performance, not for cleaning. Treat the cantilever as fragile on every cartridge.

• Common mistake: brushing side to side, which can bend the cantilever.
• Checkpoint: if you see a dust ball on the tip, stop and brush again before playing.

Step 4: Inspect cushions weekly and replace when they change shape

Cushions are the part of a headphone that wears out first. Flattened foam changes the distance between the driver and your ear, which shifts bass and treble balance. Once a cushion stays compressed after you take the headphones off, cleaning will not bring it back.

Grado sells genuine replacement cushions, and the model matters. The S-Cushions are standard on SR60, SR80, and SR125, while the L-Cushions are standard on RS1, RS2, and PS500. Both also fit all Prestige, Reference, Statement, Professional, and Limited Edition headphones, so you can match the pad to the sound you want.

• Common mistake: mixing pad types without checking the model list first.
• Checkpoint: replace both cushions at the same time so the fit stays even.

Step 5: Check cables, connectors, and strain relief monthly

Run your fingers along the cable from the cup to the plug and feel for kinks, stiff spots, or exposed wire. Grado headphones often use replaceable connector options, so a damaged cable is usually a swap, not a repair. Unplug and reseat the connector to clear intermittent channel dropouts.

Coil cables loosely rather than wrapping them tight around the cups. A figure-eight loop with a Velcro tie prevents the internal conductors from taking a set. If a channel cuts out when you move the cable, stop using it until you identify the fault.

• Common mistake: wrapping the cable around the headphone cups for storage.
• Checkpoint: a crackle that follows cable movement is a cable problem, not a driver problem.

Step 6: Store everything so tomorrow's session starts clean

Hang headphones on a wide hook or rest them flat in a case, and put the stylus guard back on any cartridge you remove from the tonearm. Dust settles overnight, and a stylus left exposed on a turntable is one bumped elbow away from a bent cantilever.

Keep the original packaging for cartridges and spare cushions. It keeps foam shapes intact and makes it obvious which pad type is which when you swap them. A labeled small box for spare styli and cushions saves you from guessing later.

• Common mistake: storing headphones in a hot car or sunny windowsill.
• Checkpoint: if foam or plastic feels warm and soft, move the storage spot.

Your weekly Grado care checklist

1. Wipe and inspect headphones: Use a dry microfiber cloth on the headband, cups, and cable. Look for flattened cushions, kinked cable, or loose connectors. If a cushion stays compressed after removal, order a replacement pair.
2. Brush the stylus and check tracking: Brush back to front with a dry stylus brush before each record. Confirm the stylus tip is clean and the cantilever is straight. A dust ball or a bent cantilever means stop and address it before playing another side.
3. Clean the record and the platter area: Dust on a record ends up on the stylus. Wipe the platter mat and use a carbon fiber brush on each side before play. Less record dust means less stylus cleaning and longer tip life.
4. Store and reset for next time: Hang or case the headphones, replace the stylus guard, and coil cables loosely with a tie. A clean storage spot is the easiest way to make next week's session damage-free.

Grado parts that make this routine easier

• Grado Headphone Replacement S-Cushions: Genuine Grado ear cushions, standard on SR60, SR80, and SR125, and fitting all Prestige, Reference, Statement, Professional, and Limited Edition headphones. If you own an SR80 or similar Prestige model, this is the exact pad to keep on hand so a flattened cushion never changes your sound.
• Grado Headphone Replacement L-Cushions: Genuine Grado ear cushions, standard on RS1, RS2, and PS500, and fitting all Prestige, Reference, Statement, Professional, and Limited Edition headphones. Owners of those models can restore the original fit and open sound without guessing which pad belongs on the headphone.
• DJ200i: Grado's DJ series phono cartridge uses a specially engineered transmission line cantilever that allows ideal music signal transfer and safe, effective stylus back-cueing. That cantilever is built for back-cueing, so treat it as a performance part and clean it gently; the design does not make the stylus tip immune to dust or mishandling.
• SR80: The SR80 is a Grado headphone model that uses the S-Cushions as standard equipment. Knowing your model's stock pad makes replacement simple and keeps the tuning Grado intended.

None of these steps takes more than a few minutes, and together they prevent the most common Grado wear problems. Clean the pads, brush the stylus, and replace cushions when they flatten, and your headphones and cartridges will keep sounding the way they did on day one.