I have owned both, and the Reference stayed in my system for about 10 years. The two cart's you ask about sound very much alike, although the Reference has better detail and dynamic response. From the wording in your letter I'm assuming you don't own either of these cart's. Be aware that both are "warm" sounding, and are not "analytical" at all. However, if you want to just kick back and let beautiful music take you away, Grados are very seductive. If you want to really want to get inside the music, you probably need to choose another brand. Also, Grados (to my ear) are best suited to classical, jazz, etc., but not to hard rock. Just my 2 cents...
