Grado GT220

These earbuds will be music to your ears

Grado has been making headphones since 1993, but the GT220 are its first venture into the world of wireless earbuds. At £250, they’re on the expensive side, and surprisingly they don’t have the long list of features we’d normally expect for this price. There’s no active noise cancellation, ambient sound mode or companion app with which to customise the sound. They’re only IPX2 rated, so although able to withstand a few drops of water, they fall short of the sweat- and water-resistance offered by the majority of their rivals. This leaves you with earbuds that may be unprepared for the rigours of modern life.

The earbuds do have touch controls, however. Both Siri and Google Assistant are supported and the case (pictured below) can be charged wirelessly. They deliver up to six hours of audio playback per charge, which is unremarkable in and of itself, but the case provides a further five charges, taking the total battery life to a highly impressive 36 hours.

There’s a USB-C cable for charging if you’re not making use of the case’s wireless charging capabilities, along with small and large silicone eartips in case you struggle to achieve a comfortable fit with the pre-installed medium tips.

Where the Grado GT220 truly excels is in the sound quality. Earbuds often struggle to reproduce the natural, spacious sound you get from regular headphones but these are impressive, bringing out details of performances that rivals often miss. We tested them with a range of musical styles, from acapella sea shanties to punchy, bassy dance music, all of which were handled with aplomb.

The sound quality benefits enormously from the passive noise cancellation provided by the GT220’S twist-to-lock fit. Once you’ve wedged the tips into your ears and twisted them into position, they form a highly effective seal against external sound. It doesn’t entirely make up for the lack of active noise cancellation – louder sounds will still get through when you’re listening at low volumes – but it goes a long way to making up for its absence.

SPECIFICATIONS

Bluetooth 5 • Supports aptx, AAC, SBC codecs • USB-C cable • 3 sizes of ear tips • Wireless charging case • 5g • One-year warranty www.snipca.com/37290

VERDICT

The Grado GT220 earbuds offer supreme sound quality, but they’re expensive and don’t come with weather-proofing or active noise cancellation ★★★★ ☆

ALTERNATIVE

Bose Quietcomfort Earbuds £250 Bose’s earbuds almost sound as good for a similar price, but come with active noise cancellation

They lack features, but sound quality is second to none