Grado cartridge preamp gain

The phono preamp that I use with my Grado Reference (4.0 mV output) has a 35 db gain, which works very well. Anything in the range of 35-40 db is fine with the higher output Grados. For the low output Grados (0.5 mV), at least 60 db of gain is required, and a head amp is often required.

According to the Grado web site, both the Green and Black cartridges have 5.0 mV output. Hence, any decent phono preamp with 35-40 db of gain will be more than sufficient. There are several inexpensive to moderately-priced (up to $1500) phono preamps you might consider:
1. Gram Amp 2 ($219)
2. Monolithic Sound PS-1 / HC-1 ($660 for both pieces)
3. Grado PH-1 ($500)
4. Lehmann Audio Black Cube SE ($700)
5. Plinius Jarrah ($850)
6. Phonomenon with BPS power supply ($1200)
7. Benz Likaschek PP-1 ($1350)
8. AcousTech PH1 ($1500)

You might also check with some Audio Research dealers to see if they still have the Audio Research PH-3 phono preamp in stock. It was recently discontinued (replaced by the PH-5), but as a close-out or demo item it is a very good buy.

Last, sorry for using obscure terminology ("head amp"). Rushton was right that the term is probably outdated. Low output cartridges (typically less than 05. mV) often require a "phono pre-preamp" to increase the voltage before the signal is sent on to the phono preamp. This was often done using a step-up transformer, which was commonly referred to as a "head amp".