GRADO GW100x Wireless Open-Back Headphones – Bluetooth 5.2, 40-Hour Battery, 44mm Drivers – Audiophile Over-Ear Headphones with Mic – Lightweight, Retro Design – for Home, Studio & Travel

Over the years I have built up a collection of headphones from the likes of Sennheiser, Bose, Koss, Parrot, Philips, Apple, and Sony. I've been aware of Grado headphones for a while, but this is the first pair I've owned. These have quickly become one of my favorites, but they are best for specific use cases. If you are going to use headphones in a noisy environment, in close proximity (i.e. within 6 ft) of another person who would be disturbed by sound leakage, or while exercising, these are not the headphones you want. They do not have noise cancellation and are open back, meaning sound leaks both in and out. They are a larger on-ear, rather than over-ear, design. The clamping force is not too strong, but can get a bit uncomfortable after a few hours, especially for glasses wearers. They support Bluetooth 5.2 and the latest AAC/AptX codecs so the sound quality is the best available over Bluetooth. The open-back design and the efficient 44mm drivers provide a truly wonderful soundstage for a wide variety of music. Compared to most closed-back noise canceling headphones these sound like someone turned on spatial audio -- voices and instruments are clearly distinguishable, almost directional. The mids are clearly defined, revealing details that are muddy in other headphones. The highs sparkle, but are never harsh or sibilant. The bass is quite good for an open-back design, but it's a controlled rumble rather than a rattling thump. They play loud without need to crank the volume up and the sound is less processed and fatiguing than many of my other headphones. I'm not aware of any other open-back, wireless headphones on the market. The batteries last forever, USB-C charging is fast, and the physical buttons work exactly as you'd expect. The plastic-y construction and light weight mean these definitely don't have the high quality feel you'd like at this price point. They don't even come with a case. But if you are willing to pay up for sound quality and can handle all the other limitations, these are great headphones with nothing else quite like them out there. However, I would not recommend them as your only pair.

If you like airy Grado sound signature, go for these. These are the best open-back wireless headphones in the market. Period. Of course, they are not perfect. The build is plastic and feels a bit fragile, so need to be careful. But these are not meant for travel or outdoor use, therefore not a big deal there. Though, they sound just perfect, as expected from Grado.

When it's good it's great. 5 stars for sure. The sound is very specific so I am writing this assuming people have not heard the Grado house sound. To me I love it but it is basically the polar opposite of most bluetooth headphones. VERY detailed and immediate. I understand that is not for everyone but it is for me, but NOT always. This to me is a great headphone to have along with a good bland ANC headphone. This would not be my one and only bit I am super SUPER happy I got them. One thing I very much want to recommend. I read that these were very good in bluetooth and even better plugged in with the 3.5mm cable. The included 3.5mm cable is garbage and cheap. Yes it works but it's probably cost $.03 to make and it sure looks like it. I ordered the WBC-PRO-Quad-MINI 3.5mm aux cable and it actually made a difference. I want to be VERY CLEAR, I almost never ever hear a difference in cables and I think most people that do are insane yet here I am. Getting that cable is my HIGHEST recommendation for this headphone if and only if you want to use it plugged in. That said, most people would buy one of Grado's other headphones to plug is so this doesn't really really matter. I never write reviews and I was so shocked by how much better this headphone sounds with the new cable I felt like I had to.

It's been a decade or more since my last pair of Grados when I had the SR-80 and I absolutely loved those headphones (they've since been stolen). Between then and now I mostly used earbuds for the convenience but decided to get back into more intentional listening and so I went down a gear rabbit hole again and saw Grado is now on gen 2 of their wireless headphones and got these headphones. I listen to this headphone in two ways: 1) Wired Setup- Apple Lossless files ran through a Fiio KA1 DAC AMP and wired into these headphones (as pictured). This is the best way for me to listen and appreciate the sound of these headphones and the sound of the music. I can't get into the audiophile jargons to describe it, but It sounds spacious and I hear instruments and vocals distinctly with good separation. For me, this is the ideal setup in cost, weight, and sound quality. 2) Wireless Setup- I have a Fluance RT80 turntable connected to a Fiio BTA30 Pro Bluetooth transmitter, which takes advantage of the AptX HD codecs. I know the sound quality isn't as good as if it were wired, but it still punches well above what Spotify can output in their highest setting. Still, I enjoy the wireless sound quality and the immersion of vinyl paired with it. What I'd love to see in the future in the third generation of these headphones is support for the new AptX Lossless and for Fiio to release a BTA30 Bluetooth transmitter that also supports AptX Lossless as well. But today, I can't complain, I absolutely love re-listening to albums in their entirety on these. I still use my Sony WF-1000XM4 headphones for travel and workouts, but for intentional listening at home or walking around outside, these Grados fit those use cases well.

I've been on the fence about returning this for a while, but decided to commit and make the most of it. It's not a great headphone, certainly not worth the asking price. But's it's very good, in my opinion, and one of the precious few in this category (open-backed wireless). I've been a loyal Grado owner for over a decade. I own the SR60, SR80, SR125X, SR325X, and for a brief time, the SR225X and original GW100. Equally important, I own about a dozen pairs of aftermarket earpads of various styles. For me, the ability to swap out earpads is one of the main reasons to go Grado—each one can have a dramatic effect on comfort and sound. I returned the original GW100 because of its lackluster build quality and high background noise from the bluetooth amp. My favorite is the SR325X for sound and build quality; I give that one an easy 5 stars. Overall, this GW100X gets three stars for the following reasons: *The volume at its lowest setting is not quiet. It's a fine listenable volume, but even an a somewhat noisy environment, I'd prefer to have about 4 or 5 volume steps below this. Basically it goes from zero (silent) to what I would call medium volume at step 1. At 50%, it's unlistenable to me—way too loud, and bordering on distortion. To me, this was nearly a dealbreaker. If you like your music at ear-bleeding levels, these are for you. *The earpad rims (over which you slide the foam pads) aren't the standard Grado diameter. They're bigger. All of the pads I own do fit, but they're a tight stretch and I suspect that over time they will no longer fit the rest of my Grado collection due to long-term stretching. *It's not a completely black background, meaning there's still an audible hiss coming from the built-in wireless amp between tracks. That said, there are a number of positives here: *They fit my huge head great. In fact, after bending and reshaping the headband to fit my curve better, I have these on their smallest/shortest extension settings. One of my favorite aspects of Grado headphones is that you can easily mold them to your head's shape and size, improving comfort and sound (marginally). *With the built-in 3.5mm jack, these are essentially the first Grados with a removable/swappable cable. That's worth something alone. *They sound good. Not as good as most of the other Grados in the lineup (I'd even take the sound of the SR80 over this), but good enough for a wireless option. *They have a decent implementation of multipoint connection—mine are connected to my laptop and phone simultaneously and I haven't had any connection issues. *The battery. This thing has insane battery life. I left it on all weekend by accident, and by Monday the battery was still only down to 80%. At a price reduction of about 30% or 40%, this would be a more reasonable deal. At the full asking price, I'd suggest thinking long and hard about it. For me, it's just barely good enough to keep at this price.

My set of Grado GW100xs saw very light use over about 2 months. I'd wear them at work for 1-2 hour periods a few times a week. Otherwise, the headphones would rest on my desk untouched. I never dropped them, I didn't hang them in a strange way, my head isn't incredibly large. The cheap plastic parts that hold the left and right drivers on your head snapped off on the right side, making them very difficult to wear without damaging them further. At this price point that's completely unacceptable, and I'd definitely be willing to pay an extra $25 or something if they'd just go for all-aluminum construction with the frame of the headphones.

"The new super fast 5.2 will astonish you!" Just don't get scammed my friends, they have a huge delay even on a stupid youtube video. An official GRADO reseller said to me that these headphones are also great for gaming (which was also one of my many purposes to buy them), but other than that cringe delay there is also a continuous and constant background static noise that will not even let you ear the enemies footsteps (and btw they are also on-ear so they are just not suiteable for gaming anyway...) The sounds btw seems great but they are really too small (then so poory confortable) and have so many issues to really enjoy them....

Volume level is fine with my iPhone on the latest iOS. Nice sound, comparable to 7506 and way smoother in the highs. Hope the earpads are still breaking in, it sits a bit loose at the moment. Pairing worked without a hitch. The plastic components are actually well designed (way more intricate and reinforced than it looks from the pictures). Looking forward to spending some more time with this headset!