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  1. Home
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Bose SoundLink On-Ear vs Grado GW100 Wireless

Which Headphones Are Better?

    Top
    Main Differences
    Design
      StyleComfortControlsBreathabilityPortabilityCaseBuild QualityStabilityHeadshots 1Headshots 2TopIn The Box
    Sound
      Sound ProfileFrequency Response ConsistencyRaw Frequency ResponseBass AccuracyMid AccuracyTreble AccuracyPeaks/DipsImagingSoundstageWeighted Harmonic Distortion
    Isolation
      Noise IsolationLeakage
    Microphone
      Microphone StyleRecording QualityNoise Handling
    Active Features
      BatteryApp Support
    Connectivity
      BluetoothNon-Bluetooth WirelessWiredPC / PS4 CompatibilityXbox One CompatibilityBase/Dock
    Comments

Products

Bose SoundLink On-Ear Wireless
Grado GW100 Wireless

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Aug 07, 2021 12:24 AM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Apr 08, 2022 08:18 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Bose SoundLink On-Ear Wireless Picture
Grado GW100 Wireless Picture
TypeOn-ear
EnclosureClosed-Back
Noise CancellingNo
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeOn-ear
EnclosureOpen-Back
Noise CancellingNo
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes

Our Verdict

Bose SoundLink On-Ear Wireless

Grado GW100 Wireless

The Bose SoundLink On-Ear are better headphones than the Grado GW100 Wireless. They are more neutral sounding and don’t feel as flimsy as the Grado. The Bose closed-back design isolates more noise and leaks less, but you won’t get the openness of the Grado. Also, the Bose have bass delivery inconsistencies, especially if you wear glasses, which you shouldn’t get with the Grado. The Grado have better wireless range and also support aptX-LL for low latency.

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Variants

  • SoundLink On-Ear (Black)
  • SoundLink On-Ear (White)
  • GW100

Review

See Bose SoundLink On-Ear Wireless Review
See Grado GW100 Wireless Review
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Check Price

Black
SoundLink On-Ear
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Standard
GW100
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
SoundLink On-Ear
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Standard
GW100
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
 
Standard
GW100
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B&H
 
Standard
GW100
SEARCH
BestBuy.com

Main Differences for
Mixed Usage

Threshold 

0.10

Mixed Usage 

7.1
6.2

Noise Isolation 
 

5.2
1.0

Leakage 
 

7.1
3.1

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Bose SoundLink On-Ear Wireless Design Picture 2
Grado GW100 Wireless Design Picture 2

Type  

On-ear
On-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Open-Back

Wireless  

Yes
Yes

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic
Show Text 

Comfort 
 

7.5
7.0

Comfort Picture  

Bose SoundLink On-Ear Wireless Comfort Picture
Grado GW100 Wireless Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.35 lbs
0.4 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

0.61 lbs
0.7 lbs
Show Text 

Controls 
 

7.2
7.4

Controls Picture  

Bose SoundLink On-Ear Wireless Controls Picture
Grado GW100 Wireless Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

iOS
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

Great
Good

Feedback  

Good
Decent

Call/Music Control  

Yes
Yes

Volume Control  

Yes
Yes

Microphone Control  

No
No

Channel Mixing 
 

No
N/A

Noise Cancelling Control  

N/A
N/A

Talk-Through 
 

N/A
N/A

Additional Buttons  

No
No
Show Text 

Breathability 
 

7.3
7.3

Breathability After Picture  

Bose SoundLink On-Ear Wireless Breathability After Picture
Grado GW100 Wireless Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

3.4 °C
3.5 °C
Show Text 

Portability 
 

6.6
6.2

Portability Picture  

Bose SoundLink On-Ear Wireless Portability Picture
Grado GW100 Wireless Portability Picture

L  

4.72"
7.4"

W  

4.92"
7.5"

H  

2.36"
1.5"

Volume  

54.87 in³
83 in³

Transmitter Required  

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Case 
 

7.0
0.0

Case Picture  

Bose SoundLink On-Ear Wireless Case Picture
Grado GW100 Wireless Case Picture

Type  

Soft case
No case

L  

5.91"
N/A

W  

5.12"
N/A

H  

2.56"
N/A

Volume  

77.34 in³
N/A
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

7.5
6.0

Build Quality Picture  

Bose SoundLink On-Ear Wireless Build Quality Picture
Grado GW100 Wireless Build Quality Picture
Show Text 

Stability 
 

7.0
6.5

Stability Picture  

Bose SoundLink On-Ear Wireless Stability Picture
Grado GW100 Wireless Stability Picture
Show Text 

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Bose SoundLink On-Ear Wireless Angled Picture
Grado GW100 Wireless Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Bose SoundLink On-Ear Wireless Side Picture
Grado GW100 Wireless Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Bose SoundLink On-Ear Wireless Front Picture
Grado GW100 Wireless Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Bose SoundLink On-Ear Wireless Rear Picture
Grado GW100 Wireless Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Bose SoundLink On-Ear Wireless Top Picture
Grado GW100 Wireless Top Picture

In The Box  

In the box Picture  

Bose SoundLink On-Ear Wireless In the box Picture
Grado GW100 Wireless In the box Picture
Show Text 
Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Frequency Response  

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See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

Bass Amount 
 

2.44 dB
-0.52 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-0.09 dB
-3.05 dB

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

7.0
8.2

Consistency L  

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Consistency R  

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Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

0.62 dB
0.35 dB
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

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 Compare in Graph Tool

Raw FR R  

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Bass Accuracy 
 

8.6
7.7

Bass  

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 Compare in Graph Tool

Std. Err. 
 

2.04 dB
3.21 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

10 Hz
19.71 Hz

Low-Bass 
 

2.95 dB
1.22 dB

Mid-Bass 
 

1.98 dB
1.96 dB

High-Bass 
 

1.9 dB
4.96 dB
Show Text 

Mid Accuracy 
 

8.0
8.1

Mid  

See details
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 Compare in Graph Tool

Std. Err. 
 

2.66 dB
2.56 dB

Low-Mid 
 

0.68 dB
2.31 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-2.56 dB
-1.19 dB

High-Mid 
 

-3.56 dB
-1.37 dB
Show Text 

Treble Accuracy 
 

8.4
6.2

Treble  

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 Compare in Graph Tool

Std. Err. 
 

2.97 dB
4.92 dB

Low-Treble 
 

-1.7 dB
-1.56 dB

Mid-Treble 
 

-1.63 dB
-2.27 dB

High-Treble 
 

0.64 dB
-4.47 dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

8.1
6.2

Peaks/Dips Graph  

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 Compare in Graph Tool

Peaks 
 

1.1 dB
2.65 dB

Dips 
 

1.26 dB
1.73 dB

Imaging 
 

8.3
8.5

Group Delay  

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Phase Response  

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Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.19
0.31

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.49
0.82

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

1.24
1.65

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

16.26
4.68
Show Text 

Soundstage 
 

4.7
6.7

PRTF  

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 Compare in Graph Tool

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

2.88 dB
2.99 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

1.59 dB
1.41 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

8.23 dB
9.9 dB

Openness 
 

4.6
9.7

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

3.7
7.8
Show Text 

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

8.4
7.4

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

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 Compare in Graph Tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.138
0.318

WHD @ 100 
 

0.089
0.216
Isolation

Noise Isolation 
 

5.2
1.0

Noise Isolation  

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 Compare in Graph Tool

Isolation Audio 
 

Overall Attenuation 
 

-13.45 dB
-1.8 dB

Noise Cancelling  

No
No

Bass 
 

-0.19 dB
-0.03 dB

Mid 
 

-9.59 dB
1.37 dB

Treble 
 

-31.3 dB
-6.45 dB
Show Text 

Leakage 
 

7.1
3.1

Leakage  

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Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

39.23 dB
57.81 dB
Show Text 
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Yes
Yes

In-line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

N/A
N/A

Mic  

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Recording Quality 
 

6.2
6.3

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details
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 Compare in Graph Tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

297.71 Hz
265.23 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

2.48 dB
4.53 dB

HFE 
 

2,487.12 Hz
3,417.19 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

7.896
2.214

Gain 
 

40.08 dB
16.79 dB
Show Text 

Noise Handling 
 

6.6
6.0

SpNR  

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Speech + Pink Noise  

Speech + Subway Noise  

SpNR 
 

18.06 dB
11.37 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

8.4
7.6

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

21 hrs
15.5 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

0
0

Total Battery Life 
 

21 hrs
15.5 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.43 hrs
1.75 hrs

Power Saving Feature 
 

Auto-Off Timer
No

Audio While Charging 
 

No
Yes

Passive Playback 
 

Yes
Yes

Charging Port  

micro-USB
micro-USB
Show Text 

App Support 
 

0.0
0.0

App Picture  

Bose SoundLink On-Ear Wireless App Picture
Grado GW100 Wireless App Picture

App Name  

N/A
N/A

iOS  

N/A
N/A

Android  

N/A
N/A

macOS  

N/A
N/A

Windows  

N/A
N/A

Equalizer 
 

N/A
N/A

ANC Control 
 

N/A
N/A

Mic Control  

N/A
N/A

Room effects 
 

N/A
N/A

Playback Control 
 

N/A
N/A

Button Mapping  

N/A
N/A

Surround Sound  

N/A
N/A
Show Text 
Connectivity

Bluetooth 
 

8.2
6.9

Bluetooth Version 
 

4.0
4.2

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

2 Devices
No

NFC Pairing 
 

No
No

Line of Sight Range 
 

94 ft
113 ft

Default Latency 
 

149 ms
224 ms

aptX Latency 
 

N/A
231 ms

aptX(LL) Latency 
 

N/A
34 ms
Show Text 

Non-Bluetooth Wireless 
 

0.0
0.0

Non-BT Line of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Non-BT Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Wired 
 

9.5
9.5

Cable Picture  

Bose SoundLink On-Ear Wireless Cable Picture
Grado GW100 Wireless Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable  

Yes
Yes

Length  

4 ft
4 ft

Connection  

1/8" TRS
1/8" TRS

Wired Latency 
 

0 ms
0 ms
Show Text 

PC / PS4 Compatibility 
 

PC / PS4 Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

PC / PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PC / PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox One Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Wireless 
 

No
No

Base/Dock 
 

0.0
0.0

Type 
 

N/A
N/A

USB Input 
 

N/A
N/A

Line In 
 

N/A
N/A

Line Out 
 

N/A
N/A

Optical Input 
 

N/A
N/A

RCA Input 
 

N/A
N/A

Dock Charging 
 

N/A
N/A

Power Supply 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Check Price

Black
SoundLink On-Ear
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Standard
GW100
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
SoundLink On-Ear
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Standard
GW100
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
 
Standard
GW100
SEARCH
B&H
 
Standard
GW100
SEARCH
BestBuy.com
Back to Top

Bose SoundLink On-Ear Wireless

Grado GW100 Wireless

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 4 years ago

Bose SoundLink On-Ear Wireless vs Grado GW100 Wireless: Main Discussion

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