Based on the original GW100 design, these headphones have speaker housings and internals wholly redesigned from the ground up. They work in tandem to reduce escaping sound by up to 60%. Although they don’t look very different from previous generations, the GW100x are a significant upgrade and milestone in Grado’s seven-decade history.
The GW100x use low energy and low latency Bluetooth 5.2 technology for extended battery life and a more robust connection. Also included is Qualcomm’s dynamically adjustable aptX Adaptive audio codec and standard AAC and SBC compatibility are included, which is good news for anyone using iOS devices like iPhones and iPads that don’t support aptX. There’s also support for Bluetooth Multipoint connections so that two devices can be paired with the headphones simultaneously.
The new design offers a battery life of up to 46 hours after a two-hour charge via a USB-C cable instead of the old Micro USB standard used on the previous generation. In addition to the wireless function, it’s possible to use the GW100x without a battery charge by using the supplied 3.5mm headphone cable for connecting to a device with an analog headphone jack.