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