Grado GT220
Grado’s first true wireless in-ears have some areas of sonic expertise, but aren’t the no-brainer we’d hoped for
We’re surprised Grado hasn’t made its first pair of true wireless in-ear headphones open-backed. After all, the company configured its first pair of wireless on-ear headphones in this manner. But even Grado has had to sacrifice a principle or two in order to join the ongoing true-wireless land-grab.
So with the GT220, Grado has delivered a visually unremarkable and predictably configured pair of earbuds that go without some of the spec niceties and has slapped a premium price tag on them. Can such a small, unassuming product really be worth big money?
The GT220 are small and light (just 5g per earbud), but their polycarbonate housing is unyielding to the touch and doesn’t make the Grados feel like the premium product they’re priced as.
Despite following the established (and effective) ‘twist and lock’ fit template, the GT220 are less than straightforward to get into position. There’s a choice of three sizes of eartips in the packaging, which really isn’t enough. Even if one of these fits properly, getting these in-ears sited comfortably and securely proves trickier than it should be.
Stable fit
Once the GT220 are positioned to your satisfaction, they turn out to be nice and stable. The mechanics of the fit provides a little passive noise-cancelling too, which is doubly welcome given there’s no active noise-cancelling on board.
Each earbud has a capacitive touchsurface on its outer plane (beneath the ‘G’ logo that lights up depending on what the GT220 are doing). It’s responsive and reliable, difficult to confuse and covering every major function. The Grados are compatible with both Siri and Google Assistant, and, though there’s only one mic in each earbud, there’s nothing wrong with either call quality or voice assistant comprehension.
On the inside, the GT220 are fitted with a single 8mm polyethylene terephthalate full-range driver in each earbud. Bluetooth connectivity is via aptx, which is fine for getting highresolution audio files on board, but the Grados’ premium price doesn’t stretch to aptx Adaptive compatibility – is no Grado owner likely to watch video content while wearing their GT220S?
The earbuds can hold up to six hours of power – and the equally compact charging case (which weighs just 42g) holds another five full charges. So, as long as you don’t thrash the volume, a reasonable figure of 36 hours between charges is achievable. From ‘flat’ to ‘full’ takes a couple of hours, and the case can be charged using either USB-C or any Qi-certified wireless charging pad.
Clear and direct sound
It doesn’t take long for the GT220 to reveal what it’s all about. Like many Grado headphones, the GT220S are unequivocal. We play Fleetwood Mac’s You Make Loving Fun (as an Mqapowered Tidal Masters stream) and the GT220'S overall sound is clear, detailed and direct. There’s an immediacy to the way the Grados serve up the tune that sets them apart from many of their rivals.
The bottom of the frequency range doesn't have quite the impact of the best of them, but it’s filled with information about texture and timbre. There’s a positivity to the way the GT220 handles the attack and decay of bass sounds that contributes no end to their overall speed.
The midrange is treated with similar attention. Detail levels remain high, clarity is impressive and as the GT220 establishes a reasonably broad and deep presentation, a vocalist has the whole of the midrange in which to stretch out.
But the GT220S overplay their hand a little when it comes to the top of the frequency range. We’re fans of speed and substance where treble sounds are concerned, but the Grados need more refinement to the way they handle the highest stuff. At some point ‘assertive’ becomes ‘overconfident’ – and the GT220 could do with backing off their attack. An already trebly recording such as Saint Etienne’s Only Love Can Break Your Heart can eventually become a little tiring in the Grados’ hands, especially if you’re listening at volume.
Slightly disjointed timing
This high-end exuberance contributes to the Grados’ slightly disjointed way with timing. The overall sound of the GT220 hangs together pretty well – but they don’t render the momentum and drive of music with the finesse of the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2.
Elsewhere, though, they remain an accomplished listen. Both the broad and low-level harmonic dynamics of Telemachus’ Caroline What Is Wrong With You are described in full, with a kind of casual authority. The same tune allows the GT220 to showcase their out-and-out scale and insight, too.
The Grado GT220 don’t look or feel particularly premium, and they lack features such as active noise-cancelling or a control app that you might expect at this sort of money. They’re not the most accomplished listen where timing or topend refinement is concerned, either. But if you like your music to sound up-front and fast, detailed and immediate, then you’ll find an awful lot to like here.