Grado GW100 (2018) vs beyerdynamic T90 (2012)

The Grado GW100 (2018) makes for a good, if unremarkable, Open-Back Headphone for people with a $280 budget.

The beyerdynamic T90 (2012), however, is merely mediocre at its $2021 asking price, when compared to similarly priced products, and won't satisfy the needs of most people.

In either case, we suggest that you first take a look at some other options at the $280 and $1,400 price points before committing to one of these - it's likely that you'll be able to find some better alternatives.

If you're still interested in learning more about the Grado GW100 (2018) and beyerdynamic T90 (2012), however, we wrote a summary of what we could find about them:

Android Authority, a source known for its hands-on testing and objective methodology, had good things to say about the Grado GW100 (2018). It performed great in its "Best Samsung Galaxy S10 wired and wireless headphones" roundup and earned the "Best sound quality" title.

Taking a look at the beyerdynamic T90 (2012), it got featured in roundups from two reliable sources that conduct their own testing - Head-fi and CNET - but it fell short of earning a top spot in either.

We conducted an analysis of all of the review data that we could find on these two products. First, we focused on sources that tested and rated both of them, like Head-fi, and learned that they all showed a preference for the beyerdynamic T90 (2012).

Then we took a look at the highest review scores that these two Open-Back Headphones received. We found that the Grado GW100 (2018) managed to earn a rating of 10 from What Hi-Fi?, whereas the beyerdynamic T90 (2012) got its highest, 9.2, score from reviewers at Head-fi.

Lastly, we averaged out all of the reviews scores that we could find on these two products and compared them to other Open-Back Headphones on the market. We learned that both of them performed far better than most of their competitors - the overall review average earned by Open-Back Headphones being 7.8 out of 10, whereas the Grado GW100 (2018) and beyerdynamic T90 (2012) managed averages of 8.1 and 8.7 points, respectively.

Due to the difference in their prices, however, it's important to keep in mind that a direct Grado GW100 (2018) vs. beyerdynamic T90 (2012) comparison might not be entirely fair - some sources don't take value for money into account when assigning their scores and therefore have a tendency to rate more premium products better.