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.

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.

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.

First I will say I had the GW100 V1 for years. Reviewing these headphones is a little bit difficult, so I will divide it in a couple areas: Built quality 1/5: I knew what to expect, but I can’t stress enough how cheap these feel, they are closer to $10 headphones than $275, they rattle and squeak everywhere, but at least not when in use. I had to return the first pair because the lower volume button didn’t click. Sad to see that Grado learnt nothing from previous versions. Just a note, as of March 2026, Amazon is shipping January/February 2025 built headphones, so they have been stored for a while. Wireless functions 3/5: Bluetooth works much better than previous versions, connection is very stable. Buttons are flimsy and commands are weird but they work, you can pause, play, skip and rewind songs. A simple application with EQ and connection management would be a massive improvement. Sound 5/5: Now the good news, the sound is impressive, it is much closer to my Hifiman Edition XS (wired + DAC) than to my Bose Ultra Headphones. The detail and soundstage is better than any other wireless headphones I have tried, they are worth the price just for how good they sound. As many others have said, these have the Grado sound, which is not for everyone, in two words, they sound like a razor edge, can be very sharp and hurt at medium volumes. Regardless, you get used to it and stops hurting. Things you can do to improve these headphones: Buy the extra large pads, even the ones from Geekria are really good, this will improve comfort a lot, increase soundstage and raise low frequencies a little bit, like a physical EQ for bass. Also a padded headband is a good idea as the leatherette will peel off after some time. EDIT: I have received my second pair after returning the first one. All was ok until I wanted to charge them, the port is very recessed (the pair I returned was fine), so it is very difficult to get them to charge, some of my cables just don’t fit, even the port cap is loose because of this. I am also worried that instead of the blue light indicating full charge they just turn off, not sure if this is a risk in the long run. At least the battery last so long (or so they claim) that I will only have to charge them like once a month or less. Reducing my review from 4 to 3 stars, Grado should sell these awesome drivers to a company that actually knows how to make wireless headphones, I would gladly pay $400 for top sound and top build quality.

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.

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!