Grell TWS-1 are a pair of ANC earbuds from the hands of an ex-Sennheiser genius

There are so many true wireless noise-canceling headphones out there that you might think another brand won’t make a difference. Well, not when it’s a brainchild of Alex Grell - the man behind iconic Sennheiser headphone models such as the HD580 and HD800.

Alex left Sennheiser in 2019 to start its own company called Grell Audio. Now, two years later, low and behold the fruits of this venture - the Grell TWS/1. And there’s a lot to like about this new product.

For starters, it cost just $199. That’s right - Grell Audio is exploring a new business model that aims to give the best listening experience for the money.

“Grell audio seeks with its business model to lower the cost for the end-user, ushering in the future of high-res audio through a sales model tailored towards the spending habits of the digital age looking for opportunities to save money on high-end products without sacrificing quality for the price,” reads a part of the product description on Grell’s official website.

This all sounds just like any other PR talk out there, so let’s see what you’re getting for your $199.

Grell TWS/1 features and specifications

The TWS/1 earbuds feature your typical German minimalistic industrial-style design with an ergonomic inner part and a circular outer shell. There’s a grey metal ring reading “High precision dynamic driver” on each bud.

Speaking of drivers, these are custom 10mm, dynamic drivers, while the transducers used have tolerance of +/- 1 dB. Another interesting feature is the Axel Grell Noise Annoyance Reduction (NAR) technology, which complements the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) carried out by the Qualcomm cVc tech.

According to Alex, each and every user has a different and unique sound profile, much like a fingerprint. That’s why the TWS/1 earbuds feature an enhanced parametric EQ with a special feature called SoundID.

It uses machine learning and smart algorithms to create your own listening profile via the companion app and send it to the earbuds. Grell Audio says that this profile “evolves with you over time.”

These were the exotics bits, so let’s now take a quick look at some more conventional specs. The TWS/1 headphones are splashproof (IPX4 rating), and each bud weighs 7.3 grams. You can get up to 34 hours of listening time with ANC on (6 hours in earbuds and over 4 full charges in the aluminum charging case), and you can stretch that to 45 hours if you turn the ANC off.