INTRODUCTION

   There are more portable wireless speaker manufacturers out in the market currently than i can even begin to count but the thing that really matters is that most of them have one thing in common, they don't seem to focus enough in producing high quality and high performance products mainly because the majority of their target audience places low-cost and design above everything else. There are certainly some exceptions to that rule so aside low-cost portable wireless speakers these companies do occasionally release good quality products but still not on par to what some other more "audiophile" oriented companies do. Grain Audio may not have been around for long but they've got a large following around the world simply because they cater to the needs of people who place quality and performance above cost and so it's no surprise that we just had to check out their latest products and the PWS.01 packable wireless speaker is the first to reach our doorstep.

    Headquartered in the USA, Grain Audio is the brainchild of three friends with backgrounds in acoustics, design, architecture and marketing. United by their love of music and their desire to hear it the way the artist intended, the Grain Audio team channeled their collective experience in consumer electronics and design to fuel their passion to create premiere audio devices. Realizing their desire to give back via social and environmental initiatives, Grain Audio employs eco-friendly practices and materials (including FSC-certified wood) that minimize the company's carbon footprint.

    For the PWS.01 packable wireless speaker Grain Audio followed an entirely different path compared to most other manufacturers since they decided to use solid walnut wood coated with oil for most of the exterior housing. This was not only to improve the quality, looks and feeling of the speaker but also to help produce warmer and more natural sound since solid wood due to its higher density compared to other materials (like for example plastic) doesn't resonate much. As far as specifications go the PWS.01 features Bluetooth v3.0 together with A2DP, aptX and AAC but that's not all since it also makes use of MaxxAudio DSP audio processing tool from Waves, a GRAMMY award winner company. Two 2” proprietary loudspeakers (frequency response of 65Hz-20KHz) and a proprietary passive radiator (with Grain Audios patented bass isolation system) are responsible for delivering audio while a rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery pack gives the PWS.01 up to 8 full hours of playtime (at normal volume levels). Unfortunately the PWS.01 doesn't have a speakerphone function but I never expected one from an audiophile targeted product to begin with (besides i can't really say that any of us here uses that function with other portable wireless speakers).

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Grain Audio uses a long box made out of clear plastic and recycled paper to ship the PWS.01 so you can take a really good look at the three sides of the speaker.

The package contents are printed on the far right.

Company information along with several trademarks is placed at the base of the box (on the recycled paper side).

The features of the PWS.01 are listed at the rear in 5 languages.

Aside the PWS.01 packable wireless system inside the box you will also find a carrying pouch, 3.5mm cable, USB charging cable, wall charger with 4 tips (worldwide compatibility), registration paper, warranty paper, product catalog and a quick start guide.

THE PWS.01

The PWS.01 weighs just 636g and is really not very large measuring 180mm in length, 60mm in width and 80mm in height. As you can see the front and rear of the enclosure are made out of rubber and not wood.

Grain Audio has engraved their logo on the left side of the enclosure.

We were somewhat surprised to see that aside the on/off/pairing LED button with the G letter on it (also behaves as a battery level meter by changing colors) there are just volume control buttons available and not the usual next/previous track ones (not that we really mind since we hardly ever use those buttons anyway).

The 3.5mm and microUSB ports are both placed on the right side of the enclosure.

As clearly shown in this image the PWS.01 sits on two long rubber feet which are basically extensions of the front and rear rubber sections.

You can find several certification icons, the country of manufacture and the electrical requirements of the PWS.01 on the sticker placed at the bottom.

Thanks to the above marketing picture by Grain Audio you can see the location of the speakers and the passive radiator.

CONCLUSION

   I have to admit that since I’ve been using and testing speakers for years now (desktop, portable and floor ones) I’m somewhat skeptical when i see wood being used as the primary material for housings since not every type of wood offers the desired density and characteristics so although some may produce warm and natural sound with no issues others tend to make noises and produce distortion during playback. Fortunately Grain Audio has used solid Walnut wood which at least for the size of the packable wireless speaker works very well and along with the two 2 inch drivers delivers very crisp, detailed and accurate mids and highs so if you happen to enjoy crystal clear sound this is the portable speaker for you. Bass is also very good and although we've used portable speakers that produce higher levels still we all agree that the PWS.01 does a great job for its size. Unfortunately much like all things the PWS.01 is not perfect and so although you can use it to cover a medium size room that's just about it since we can't include it in the list of the most powerful portable speakers we've ever used and/or tested. Now at first i couldn't think of a reason for which Grain Audio would decide to cut down on that feature (it's a safe bet that they could easily increase the volume of the device) but after using the PWS.01 for over a week i think that it has to do with the wood since it could start distorting sound at higher volume levels (it did so slightly as is with certain tunes at maximum volume). As for the rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery pack well Grain Audio claims you can use the PWS.01 for up to 8 hours at normal volume levels and although that might as well be accurate still at around maximum volume it will last for just over 6 hours (not bad at all actually). The lack of a speakerphone function may not be important to us as mentioned earlier since the PWS.01 is manufactured by an audiophile company but some people may not like that so we have to include it in the list of drawbacks.

    As we speak the PWS.01 packable wireless speaker by Grain Audio retails for USD249 inside the USA (Amazon.com / Grain Audio - ships worldwide) and although this is certainly a price tag that will most likely not sit well with regular consumers we need to keep in mind that this is a high quality and performance wireless portable speaker with audiophiles as its target group. Of course that doesn't change the fact that because of its quality components Grain Audio asks quite a bit for the PWS.01 but unlike several other portable wireless speakers in the market we know why that is. Overall Grain Audio has designed and manufactured a great quality portable speaker that delivers crystal clear audio in such a degree that only a few other similar devices in the market can even come close and even though it's not perfect it's certainly worthy of our Golden Award.

PROS

- Superior Build Quality (Solid Walnut Wood)
- Audio Quality (Excellent Mids & Highs)
- MaxxAudio DSP
- Warm & Deep Bass
- Bluetooth v3.0 & 3.5mm AUX Inputs
- Battery Life (Up To 8 Hours)

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Volume Levels (We Expected More)
- Lacks Speakerphone Function