Gradient's first customer was the Sibelius Academy, which ordered a series of loudspeakers before the first commercial model, the Gradient 1.0, was available on the market. Its subsequent versions Gradient 1.1 and 1.2 are made on a similar principle with some mechanical and acoustic modifications

Quite early in the company’s history, the Gradient team recognised the importance of industrial design in products like loudspeakers. Fortunately, Jorma Salmi already knew Jukka Vaajakallio, an accomplished industrial designer, from their time working together at Lohja Corporation. Jukka was a well-regarded figure in his profession in Finland. One of Jukka’s designs for Gradient was the Gradient 1.3 loudspeaker.

The Gradient 1.3 was honoured with numerous design awards and became part of the collections of museums of industrial art in Helsinki and Tokyo. It has also been displayed across Europe in exhibitions showcasing Finnish industrial design. Notably, the Gradient 1.3 is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, underscoring its cultural and design significance. The Gradient 1.3 was Gradient’s first export model.

In the early 1990s, Finland fell into a deep economic recession, significantly impacting the domestic market and especially the demand for high-end audio equipment. For Gradient, collaboration with the British company Quad proved to be crucial. When Quad officially approved the Gradient SW-63 and SW-57 bass speakers designed for them, the products quickly gained international recognition, and sales expanded worldwide. This partnership also opened the door for the export of other Gradient products to several countries.

After years of research on how speakers interact with their surroundings, Gradient introduced an innovative new loudspeaker in 1993: the Gradient Revolution. This unique design featured a rotatable lower section for bass and a carefully controlled midrange and treble, allowing it to adapt to different rooms and listening conditions. The speaker quickly gained recognition and won multiple industry awards, including the prestigious Golden Ear Award from The Absolute Sound. Now in its fifth generation, the Revolution remains in production, continuing its legacy of high-quality sound.

In the mid-1990s, Gradient developed professional surround speakers for movie theaters, earning THX certification from Lucasfilm. These speakers were installed in cinemas across Finland and Sweden, and some are still in use today.

Around the same time, home theater systems were becoming increasingly popular, creating a demand for high-quality surround sound solutions. Gradient responded with dedicated center and rear speakers designed for the Dolby Surround system. These speakers were engineered to deliver clear and immersive sound while being easy to integrate into different spaces. The reputation spread all the way to the United States.

In the late 1990s, the demand for smaller speakers grew with the rise of multichannel audio systems. Gradient's first compact speaker model, the Gradient Prelude, was introduced in 1999 and immediately gained immense popularity. Since then, numerous speakers based on similar technology have been part of Gradient's lineup. What they all have in common is easy installation, even in smaller spaces, without compromising sound quality. In the early 2000s, Gradient began a collaboration with the Japanese company Combak Corp. Over the years, three different speaker models were designed and manufactured for them.

In 2007, the audio world witnessed one of the most extraordinary loudspeakers ever designed: the Gradient Helsinki 1.5. Staying true to the finest acoustic principles that have guided Gradient from the very beginning, it received widespread acclaim, earning numerous rave reviews and the prestigious Golden Ear Award from The Absolute Sound magazine.

In 2011, M.Sc. Atte Salmi, the son of Gradient's founder Jorma Salmi, took over as CEO. Atte's background is in the international electronics industry, having spent over a decade at Vaisala Oyj in various management roles in research and product development before joining Gradient.

In early 2017, Gradient announced the development of a successor to its 1-series. On Finland’s 100th anniversary, the company launched the new Gradient 1.4 as part of a programme on the centenary of Finland's independence. The speaker received worldwide critical acclaim and became one of the best-selling models in Gradient’s lineup. In 2021, it was featured in Asia’s largest design event, the Beijing Design Week, as an invited representative of Finnish design.

In 2018, Gradient launched a global online store and opened the Gradient Store next to its factory in Porvoo. In the fall of 2021, Gradient introduced the sale of pre-owned Gradient products in the global online store, perhaps the first loudspeaker manufacturer in the world to do so. Gradient Certified products, including models dating back to the 1980s, are factory-refurbished and come with the same warranty as new products. This initiative has been a great success, further strengthening Gradient's position as a responsible electronics manufacturer.

In 2021, Gradient launched a completely redesigned version of the globally renowned "Revolution" model. The new Revolution, designated as R-5, features an advanced spherical enclosure for mid and high frequencies, first introduced in the previously released Gradient 1.4 loudspeaker. The bass section is truly unique, allowing for seamless, continuous rotation. This innovative design drastically reduces the room’s impact on sound quality.

The frequency response of all Gradient speakers at the listening position is exceptionally flat. However, for Gradient, flat frequency response alone is not enough. Every speaker radiates sound in multiple directions. If a loudspeaker's energy response exhibits peaks and dips, it can create an uneven reverberant sound field, which colors the music. Therefore, a linear frequency response measured in all directions is essential to ensure a consistent energy response.