[trellus]

It's really weird. It's like I WANT to call it bassy in terms of how much it's there... but then you don't exactly feel it like you feel bassy headphone bass. So it's REALLY hard to say what type of bass you can expect from it. I wouldn't be surprised if people call it bass light, and others calling it bassy. It's confusing. But at the very least, I have to think we would all agree that it's not lacking in presence. It's no AD700 or well known bass deficient headphones. At least not in Bluetooth mode. Lol.

LOL, yes, I've actually heard both -- I think the ones calling it bassy are people not familiar with the Grado Prestige Series sound, or else their ears are just attuned to bass-lean sound, and perhaps the ones calling it bass-light would tend to be people more attuned to a V-shaped, consumer-tuned sound. But for you it seems to really kind of flummox you into not being sure whether to call it bassy or not?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Yeah. I mean, I have heard a lot of headphones in the past so many years... but I've never been so confused in how to describe bass. To my ears, I would never call it bass light, because it's so enveloping. But then the impact is really reigned in a lot of the time (not always), and for some, impact has a lot to do with how strong bass is. So I have to tread carefully on how to describe it whenever I do write a review.

 

[Blazer39]

So I just received the GW100 Grados wireless headphones that have SR225 drivers (apparently/unconfirmed). This was 100% impulse purchase. (The headphone hobby to me has all but moved to ease of use, and that means wireless is almost essential to me now.

My very first pair of Grados, and of course I plan on writing about them. What I will say is:

1. FINALLY a headphone that plays nice with my bluetooth transmitter. I FINALLY get Apt-X Low Latency to work! That means I finally can just use the Creative G6 to send spdif to the transmitter to a wireless headphone without it defaulting to the really bad proprietary Fast Stream codec which garbles and distorts with most of anything. Apt-X LL sounds fine for my needs, and I can do SBX with the G6.

2. Holy cow, for $250, the headphone feels and looks INCREDIBLY cheap. I mean, Grado, I dunno what you're thinking but aesthetically, this looks and feels like a sub $40 headphone. For $250, you'd think it'd look the part. It doesn't. Disappointment here, questionable design choice here.

3. I always heard Grados were uncomfortable, but even someone like me who takes comfort as #1 priority, I find the GW100 actually quite good on comfort. It's very light, the headband is basically like there is none, and the foam on ear pads are not much different from Portapros, just much bigger in size. I'm used to this style. Clamp is fine too. They're not Ultrasone HFI-15G levels of on ear perfection in comfort, but they're solid here.

4. Really, REEEEEALLY impressive bass presence, but not much actual impact. It's more like it's there, but you don't feel TOO much of it. Not to say it's not present. Like I said, it's actually pretty damn audible, just it ain't a basshead headphone. If this is typical Grado bass, I am a FAN.

5. The midrange is REAAALLY excellent. I think Grado mids are something that are worth investigating.

6. It's a sharp detail clarity. Not warm, not fluid. Sharp and tactile. Fast. I initially thought the GW100 sounded actually not very good. After messing with it, and changing from my phone to my PC, I dunno what prompted a change or if I adapted, but I'm loving the sound. It's different. But man, it's good. I'm actually upset that I missed so many years of Grado goodness. If this is any indication on the Grado sound, I'm absolutely interested in hearing what their other stuff sounds like.

7. Spacious dimensionality. Can't say actual soundstage, but in stereo, it is reallly nice.

8. Controls are incredibly simple if a bit too simple, and the headphone only connects to ONE device at a time.

9. The wired connection has REALLY clean, clear sound with absolutely stellar midrange. One problem: the bass is sucked out. So I don't know how effective wired mode will be without a bass eq to bring the bass back. It effectively makes the GW100 sound like another headphone practically all because of the bass. I'll have to test this more.

10. Initial impressions are mainly positive, aside from the obvious build quality and price. I think it would've been a must have at $150. $250... I dunno. But then, I dunno how it compares to Grados wired lineup. Sound-wise, I'm fine with the sound quality for $250. I mean, damn, it's infectious, clear as a bell and detailed. It really doesn't even sound like a wireless headphone to me. On sound alone, Grado, you have a new fan. ABSOLUTELY.

wow..thanks for the informative impression..very helpful
would LOVE to know how does it perform for gaming!!
Planing to use it with vmoda boommic pro, however the bass been sucked out in wired is a concern tho , is it possible to connect Bluetooth headphone with PS4?!

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Ok so listening it today wired, it's not that the bass is gone, but that the depth is reduced. It's more like the region of lower bass is taken out, but the mid bass section is kept the same compared to bluetooth mode. I'll do some frequency tests to see where it changes from bluetooth to wired. It's still enjoyable in wired mode. Other than that, it still sounds the same in all other regards. Midrange, clarity is all just as good.

 

[ignatiusreilly]

Ok so listening it today wired, it's not that the bass is gone, but that the depth is reduced. It's more like the region of lower bass is taken out, but the mid bass section is kept the same compared to bluetooth mode. I'll do some frequency tests to see where it changes from bluetooth to wired. It's still enjoyable in wired mode. Other than that, it still sounds the same in all other regards. Midrange, clarity is all just as good.

To my ears, bass is more boomy and indistinct over Bluetooth. It seems a bit overly-emphasized to me, and I listen with a cord when I can.

Even if I never used Bluetooth with these, I'm very happy with the removable cord -- the previous pair of Grados I owned had a very long, heavy and cumbersome cord that made them unwieldy to use. With these, I get to pick the exact length and weight of the cord. I have a shorter one for use with my iPhone and a longer one I can plug into my stereo. I do worry about the longevity of the onboard headphone jack, but I assume that would be repairable if it broke down the road...

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

i don't mind some wooliness in bass. I prefer boom, over too much impact. Impact gives me headaches.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

So I got the Geekria cushions for my GW100 last night. Through their Amazon listing HERE.

A day's thoughts:

They are smaller than the stock GW100 comfies. It seems the GW100 has a new set of pads that aren't the standard comfies found on the SR60/80 etc (I may be wrong). Anyways, the GW100 pads are very soft and a little more plush than these Geekria pads.

The Geekria pads add a noticeable amount of bass (these pads do put the driver closer to the ears and aren't covering the driver), compared to the stock GW100 pads. It warms up the sound, and may be a bit bloomy. If you're someone with a Grado that you feel lacks bass, these pads will DEFINITELY tilt upwards in bass.

As for the GW100 itself, I don't think these pads are ideal outside of when using the GW100 wired (which has reduced bass compared to bluetooth). In bluetooth I think it takes the magic away from the sound in favor of more bottom end. Too much for me. In wired m0ode, the Geekira pads may actuallybe better than the stock pads for me.

I know these pads were made before the GW100 was released, so I took a gamble. The pads work surprisingly well for my Creative JAM (cheap bluetooth headphone), so they'll get their use at home in another setup.

 

[ignatiusreilly]

So I got the Geekria cushions for my GW100 last night. Through their Amazon listing HERE.

A day's thoughts:

They are smaller than the stock GW100 comfies. It seems the GW100 has a new set of pads that aren't the standard comfies found on the SR60/80 etc (I may be wrong). Anyways, the GW100 pads are very soft and a little more plush than these Geekria pads.

The Geekria pads add a noticeable amount of bass (these pads do put the driver closer to the ears and aren't covering the driver), compared to the stock GW100 pads. It warms up the sound, and may be a bit bloomy. If you're someone with a Grado that you feel lacks bass, these pads will DEFINITELY tilt upwards in bass.

As for the GW100 itself, I don't think these pads are ideal outside of when using the GW100 wired (which has reduced bass compared to bluetooth). In bluetooth I think it takes the magic away from the sound in favor of more bottom end. Too much for me. In wired m0ode, the Geekira pads may actuallybe better than the stock pads for me.

I know these pads were made before the GW100 was released, so I took a gamble. The pads work surprisingly well for my Creative JAM (cheap bluetooth headphone), so they'll get their use at home in another setup.

Weirdly, that Amazon link somehow redirects to a seller on Walmart where they're selling for $34.

Here's a fixed link to Amazon where they're $8: https://www.amazon.com/Geekria-Replacement-Headphones-Cushion-Earpads/dp/B00TGCDHL2/)

 

[starcraft2]

Would you go for these or the 225 based on sq?

I was going for the 335 but they are too heavy.

 

[turbomustang84]

I have wanted either the Grado 325 or something from their higher end lines but since they don't have detatcheable cables and I would have to do that myself I've held off hoping they would offer some with that option .

But who needs Bluetooth open back Headphones ?

I use Bluetooth strictly for privacy on the go .

So Grado with all the youtube cable mods for your products out there take the hint and make some Headphones with removeable cables.

Instead of making a product that atleasat on Amazon has only 5 reviews when if you offered a detatcheable cables varient you would sell 1000s and one to me imediately

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Who needs Bluetooth open back headphones? Literally anyone that doesn't want to be tethered by a cable. Even at home or in an office.

 

[god-bluff]

I

But who needs Bluetooth open back Headphones ?

if you offered a detatcheable cables varient you would sell 1000s and one to me imediately

Surely the quastion for the average person would be

Who NEEDS detachable cables ?.

One decent one is usually enough

 

[TooFrank]

Who needs Bluetooth open back headphones? Literally anyone that doesn't want to be tethered by a cable. Even at home or in an office.

These headphones are very good indeed, however as regards “tethering”, they are not as good in the sense that I have to be rather close to the source (e.g Iphone in pocket) to avoid breaking the sound. just an iPad on the table and walking around is not stable. Much worse that other BT phones i’ve tried. Anybody else who has experienced this?

 

[aut0maticdan]

These are kind of interesting. I sometimes use AirPods when walking outside because I feel a little too disconnected with my p7ws (which I totally love). Same thing goes with the Apple TV at home when I don’t want to be cut off from my family.

I do tend to use my wireless headphones plugged into a mojo when stationary which is like 80% of their use. I’m curious what you guys are using to drive these when you say the bass drops off in wired operation. I wonder if it is the dac or maybe an impedance mismatch with the amp. If it is going right into a phone could just be noise/distortion throwing off the sound. I have a mojo, Hugo tt2 (on order) and a v280 which all match well with Grado.

I’ve had a pair of RS1is for almost a decade now, which I’m a fan of and had 225s OG before that.

 

[aut0maticdan]

Another thought... iirc Grado headphone amps are 32 ohms which is really high (matches Grado headphone impedance). That could make things way more bassy (less accurate). That’s what I found when running the rs1i off of my 16 ohm Belarri compared to a mojo or lake people that are close to 0 ohm.

They may have done the same internally. I’ve never used a Grado amp before.