Grado GW100x Wireless Open-Back Headphones

The Grado GW100x is the only wireless headphone Grado builds, and it is open-backed, which almost no wireless headphone is. It runs Grado's fourth-generation 44mm X driver over Bluetooth 5.2 with aptX Adaptive, gives 46 hours from a two-hour USB-C charge, and comes with a 3.5mm cable so it keeps playing when the battery does not.

Key Features of the Grado GW100x

• 44mm Fourth-Generation X Driver: A more powerful magnetic circuit, a voice coil with reduced effective mass and a reconfigured diaphragm, tuned specifically for wireless use.
• Open-Back, Wirelessly: The open architecture that gives Grado its spatial presentation, in a Bluetooth headphone, which is a combination almost nobody else builds.
• Sound Leakage Cut by Up to 60 Percent: Housings and internals redesigned from the ground up to contain escaping sound, measured by Grado against its own wired headphones.
• Bluetooth 5.2 with aptX Adaptive: Plus AAC and SBC. Low energy and low latency, with more stable connections and easier switching between two devices.
• 46 Hours of Battery, Two-Hour Charge: From an 850mAh cell over USB-C, quoted at fifty percent volume.
• Runs Wired Too: A 3.5mm headphone cable is in the box, so a flat battery is an inconvenience rather than the end of the session.
• Built-In Microphone and Cup Controls: Calls and voice assistant handled from the earcup, with the controls where you can find them without looking.
• 38 Ohms, Drivers Matched to 0.1 dB: The same nominal load as the rest of the Grado range.
• Grado Design Language: Circular grilles, a smooth black leather headband and a slider adjustment, so it reads as a Grado at a glance.

The Fourth-Generation X Driver, Tuned for Wireless

The GW100x uses a 44mm driver from Grado's fourth-generation X series, re-engineered rather than carried across from a wired model. It gets a more powerful magnetic circuit, a voice coil with decreased effective mass and a reconfigured diaphragm. Grado's stated result is better efficiency, less distortion, and harmonic integrity held intact.

The reason a wireless Grado needs its own driver is the housing around it. The GW100x speaker housings and internals were designed from the ground up to work with the driver, which is what allows an open-back headphone to contain enough of its own output to be usable indoors around other people.

Open-Back Without a Cable

Almost every wireless headphone is closed-back, because a sealed cup is how you get noise isolation and keep sound in. Grado went the other way. The GW100x keeps the open architecture that gives the brand its spatial presentation, and then works on the leakage problem directly: the housings and internals cut escaping sound by up to sixty percent against Grado's own wired headphones.

That figure comes with an honest footnote from Grado, which is that leakage reduction varies with distance, angle and the music being played. Open-back is still open-back. What the GW100x offers is the Grado presentation without a cable running to a source, which is a trade some listeners want and nobody else was making.

Bluetooth 5.2, aptX Adaptive, and 46 Hours

The GW100x runs Bluetooth 5.2, chosen for low energy consumption and low latency, which buys both battery life and a more stable connection. Codec support covers aptX Adaptive, which adjusts its bitrate to the conditions, plus AAC and SBC, so it negotiates well with both Android and Apple sources.

Battery is 850mAh, quoted at 46 hours of playback from a two-hour charge, measured at fifty percent volume. Charging is over USB-C. Grado also improved the pairing behaviour so moving between two devices is quicker than it was on the model this replaced.

What Happens When the Battery Runs Out

Nothing, is the short answer. A 3.5mm headphone cable is supplied in the box, so the GW100x connects to a source directly and keeps playing with the battery flat. It is not a wireless headphone with a degraded emergency mode; it is a headphone that works both ways.

Also in the box: a USB-C to USB-A charging cable and an instruction booklet. The wired option is worth knowing about for a second reason, which is that a direct connection sidesteps Bluetooth entirely when you are listening at home from a proper source.

Controls, Calls and Fit

The controls sit on the earcup itself, positioned to be found without taking the headphones off, and they cover playback, volume, calls and the voice assistant on your phone. A microphone is built in, so calls and video meetings work without a separate headset.

The fit is Grado's familiar arrangement: a padded leather headband on a slider adjustment, WS cushions on the cups, and low weight. The design language is deliberate. Circular grilles, minimal ornament and an industrial finish are what make the GW100x read as a Grado at a glance rather than as a generic wireless headphone.

Grado Labs, Family-Owned in Brooklyn

Grado Labs is a family-owned American company that started on a kitchen table and still works out of its original Brooklyn building. There is a design language running through every model it has released, and the GW100x carries it: the same circular grille, the same slider, the same refusal to add anything that does not make the music better.

Where the Grado GW100x fits in the Grado range

The Listening Room Difference

We're a third-generation family business with a brick-and-mortar showroom in Chestertown, Maryland, and a reputation built on exceptional service and relentless passion for hifi. Whether you're visiting in person or ordering online, we bring decades of experience, personalized service, and honest guidance to every interaction. We don't just ship boxes. We help build systems, answer your questions like real humans, and make sure every detail of your setup is right, from the cables to the final connection. Our passion is helping you get the most out of your gear, with support that lasts well beyond the sale.

Grado GW100x Specifications