A new entrant to the wireless headphones space? Grell Audio has a pretty strong heritage, and that might be a fairly common occurrence these days. The founder of the company, Axel Grell, is well known in the industry for his work at Sennheiser on some of the company's most prestigious products. His first solo product is the TWS/1. We want to see what the $200 wireless buds can do.
The TWS/1 is modern. There is a small Air Pod-like protuberance on each bud. The plan was to have the outer shell entirely metal but physics and radio waves made it necessary to use plastic parts. They maintain a premium feel that is above average at this price point. They look similar to the Jabra Elite 75t, but have a lower profile.
The slightly more streamlined design means you don't feel like something is balancing in your ear, which can happen with more rotund models. They come with a charging case that promises four full charges of the TWS/1. The ANC buds offer 6 hours per charge, which is the same as my experience with the buds. The buds are placed in the same place in the case. I don't know why this would be, but it does take some remembering, as the buds don't fit the other way around.
It is hard to stand out in a world of me-too products. Sound quality and or additional/premium features are the easiest differentiators. Grell Audio has succeeded in tackling all three of these.
The TWS/1 is in an unusual category. The $250+ zone is where many premium brands are landing, while more affordable options, like the second-gen Pixel Buds or the aforementioned Jabra, live in the $150 area. Budget options south of $100 are more common. The TWS/1 is pitched at the overlap between high-mid and low-premium. The bare bones packaging and more accessible price indicate a more mainstream audience as feature set and build quality skew higher end.
This is where things are more clear about sound quality. I was generally pleased with the default sound in my testing. It was a little lighter on the thinner side for my personal preference and a little heavier on the lower end for a commercial sound. SoundID is a third-party app that tunes select brands of headphones to your own preferences.
Nura takes this to a whole new level and we have seen it before. SoundID is more subtle in its approach. Rather than asking if you can hear certain tones, it simply plays you some music and asks which you prefer, A or B. The difference was night and day after I completed this short test. With my own personal profile activated, my usual mix of mid-'10s rave nonsense came alive.
I like dynamic range and beefier frequencies. I think I do because I found them much more enjoyable after completing the test, and that was the biggest change in sound. It really does make a huge difference if you can choose between the default sound and your own profile in the SoundID app. You don't need the app to get good sound, but I think you'll be happy with what it gives you.
SoundID is where you will get software updates for the TWS/1. During my testing, it improved a few things, including the touch controls. They are still not reading my taps at the same rate as other touch-control buds I have used. It was more frustrating before the update.
You are stuck with what Grell gives you because the controls aren't user-configurable. It is pretty much everything you would want and without a lot of complicated tap or gesture combinations. Tracks are 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 The control play/pause on the right and transparency mode on the left are more annoying if not activated immediately, because of the single taps that I was having issues with.
This brings us to smart features. The TWS/1 has two modes of noise cancellation that are becoming standard. There is also a noise reduction mode. Grell told me that ANC is great for lower-frequency noises, but not great for higher-frequency annoyances. Grell tried to reduce these types of sound.
It was hard to know the difference between NAR and other things. It is easy to hear the low rumble of the road outside my apartment. It is not the most powerful ANC, but it does the job. Whatever the ear equivalent of squinting is, it proved to be a little more indeterminate. It seems to improve the listening experience in combination with ANC, but it is not clear how much I was willing to do to do that. It is an interesting concept and I hope Grell can improve over time.
There is a mode where you can listen with just one bud. It adds more flexibility for those who want to maintain spatial awareness without having to wear both buds. It is also how some people prefer to handle their calls.
There is a small bonus for wireless charging. It is not something I was able to test, but the more things that support it the better. It is a nice perk for those already invested in the wireless charging world.
Grell gave price, features and sound quality enough consideration to make a promising first product from an emerging brand. The price point strikes a good balance between signaling premium ambitions without putting it out of reach for casuals. If you are looking for a fresh set of true wireless headphones that are tailored to your taste, these are a great place to start.
