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[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]I’ll be honest. When I was offered a review unit of the Turbines, I was not really looking forward to reviewing them. The CGI render of the Turbines that Ghostek commonly uses for promotion makes it look plastic-y. However, getting to know the Turbines has been a pleasure. The build quality is much better than the pictures make it look, and even the sound quality managed to throw a left-hook here and there. Bass-heads on a budget should pay very close attention, and consider the Turbines, especially at their very low price of $35.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]You can find the official store page here.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Disclaimer: This review is based upon a sample unit provided to me by a manufacturer in exchange for my honest opinion and un-edited words. I do not profit in any way from the writing of the review. I would like to thank Vadim at Ghostek for providing me with a review unit of the Turbine.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Preference and Bias: Before reading a review, it is worth mentioning that there is no way for a reviewer to objectively pass judgment on the enjoy-ability of a product: such a thing is inherently subjective. Therefore, I find it necessary for you to read and understand what I take a natural liking to and how that might affect my rating of a product.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]My ideal sound signature would be an extended sub-bass with a leveled, but textured, bass. The mids should be slightly less pronounced than the treble, but still ahead of the bass. I prefer a more smoothed upper treble.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Source: The Turbine was powered off of a Nexus 6P -> Creative Sound Blaster E3. All music was served as FLAC or as 320Kbps Mp3. I found the standard DAC/Amp inside my phone and PC to be inadequate to drive the Turbine at its peak levels of performance.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The highs are spiked above the mids and bass. This means that they tend to resolve well, even in more busy songs. However, the spike in volume does not mean there is a spike in detail, as the finer parts of the treble tend to be smoothed away, along with much of the texture.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Arise performs well, with guitars’ higher-toned strumming remaining audible for the majority of the song. The high-hats cut through the song, but become cluttered together, and loose their detail. One begins on top of another, causing them to loose their individual identities.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Fade Into Darkness was an interesting listen. The high-pitched synth managed to stay in the main focus of the song, but failed to remain separate. The pianos suffered from a similar problem.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Mids: Songs used: The Drift, Jars, In Bloom[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]In Bloom sounded flat. Plain old flat — which was a disappointment. Jars fared similarly in terms of mids performance. The guitars became far too smoothed, making it difficult to distinguish individual chords.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The Drift had a instrument identity issue similar to the pianos and synths of Fade Into Darkness. While all the sounds were there, they mushed together, and had no depth or separation.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Bass: Songs used: Lights, Bangarang, 99 Problems (Hugo Cover)[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Bass is good. Better than that of many earphones twice the price of the Turbines. Sub-bass extension is above average, with bass response being strong. It’s definitely the center of attention in Bangarang. With lots of punch, I found the Turbine’s bass performance to be commendable.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]In Hugo’s cover of 99 Problems, I found the bass to still be slightly too loose. While it retained some form of shape, there was more boomyness than I would have liked.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Lights had just the right amount of punch to it. The bass impact was not too hard, and not too loose. It accentuated a mellow song by making it more sonorous, something many “flat” sound signature IEMs don’t really do.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Clarity/Instrumental Separation: Songs used: Throne, Map of The Problimatique, I’m Not Alright[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Throne was essentially comprised of two layers, each of which were close together. The closest layer was the vocals/guitars/drums layer, the farthest layer was the synth, which was often overpowered by the other parts of the song.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Map of the Problimatique was tri-layered, and performed slightly better overall. There was the low-pitch synth and drum layer, the vocals and guitar layer, and the high-pitch synth layer.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Unfortunately, I’m Not Alright regressed back into a dual-layer presentation for the majority of the song, and became completely mono-layered during the chorus.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Male Vocals: Song used: Hotel California, Ashes of Eden, Sunday Bloody Sunday[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Male vocals were slightly veiled in Hotel California and Sunday Bloody Sunday. It was as if they were behind a very shallow layer of white-noise. However, Ashes of Eden performed admirably: the vocals were uncolored, and full. I suspect this is due to Breaking Benjamin’s vocalist typically using a deeper tone than the singers of The Eagles and U2.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Female Vocals: Songs used: Stupid Girl, Sweet Escape, Need Your Heart[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Female vocals were good enough. While not exceptional, such as on the Macaw GT100s, I found the vocals of Stupid Girl to be clear, unveiled. While a tad bit too soft, I can’t really complain here. Gwen Stefani performed similarly, but was too shrill during parts of Sweet Escape. Kai’s singing in Need Your Heart was alluring as ever, if not a little too far back. I found her voice to be too thin.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Sound Stage[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Sound staging could definitely use some work. There is only a mediocre amount of width, with instruments rarely ever using the farthest parts of the stage, instead clumping together in the center. Depth is essentially non-existent, with there really only being two layers available in most songs. If the sound stage was more robust, I would be much more satisfied with the Turbines overall.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]This is where the Turbines really shine. They are built from a special type of ceramic that makes the cool and smooth to the touch. They are also weighted very well. Not too heavy to make them uncomfortable, but not too light to make them feel cheap. The cable is good, but not great. It appears to be covered in a type of reinforced plastic, and is not flimsy to the touch. The cable is also reinforced along several of the high-risk points of damage, including the driver housing, y-splitter, and 3.5mm jack.[/color]
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[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The inline controls are built from a metal/matte plastic combo. I like it, and it feels sturdy.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Comfort[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The Turbines are reasonably comfortable. They aren’t too heavy, and sit well in the ear. I would have preferred Ghostek to include some memory-foam eartips, but can forgive them for the exclusion due to the low cost of the Turbines overall.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Sound Isolation[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]As with many bass-heavy earphones, the sound isolation of the Turbine is good. While it had some trouble keeping out some louder sounds, such as music playing from my speakers, it had no trouble blocking out conversations, the sound of my noisy keyboard, or my loud PC.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Inline Controls[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The inline controls are a mono button universal pause/play button, and a mic. The mic is par for the course, as is the button. No complaints here.[/color]
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[/color][color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]I’ll be honest. When I was offered a review unit of the Turbines, I was not really looking forward to reviewing them. The CGI render of the Turbines that Ghostek commonly uses for promotion makes it look plastic-y. However, getting to know the Turbines has been a pleasure. The build quality is much better than the pictures make it look, and even the sound quality managed to throw a left-hook here and there. Bass-heads on a budget should pay very close attention, and consider the Turbines, especially at their very low price of $35.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]You can find the official store page here.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Disclaimer: This review is based upon a sample unit provided to me by a manufacturer in exchange for my honest opinion and un-edited words. I do not profit in any way from the writing of the review. I would like to thank Vadim at Ghostek for providing me with a review unit of the Turbine.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Preference and Bias: Before reading a review, it is worth mentioning that there is no way for a reviewer to objectively pass judgment on the enjoy-ability of a product: such a thing is inherently subjective. Therefore, I find it necessary for you to read and understand what I take a natural liking to and how that might affect my rating of a product.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]My ideal sound signature would be an extended sub-bass with a leveled, but textured, bass. The mids should be slightly less pronounced than the treble, but still ahead of the bass. I prefer a more smoothed upper treble.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Source: The Turbine was powered off of a Nexus 6P -> Creative Sound Blaster E3. All music was served as FLAC or as 320Kbps Mp3. I found the standard DAC/Amp inside my phone and PC to be inadequate to drive the Turbine at its peak levels of performance.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.439216)]Sound Signature[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Highs: Songs used: Supermassive Black Hole, Arise, Fade Into Darkness[/color][color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The highs are spiked above the mids and bass. This means that they tend to resolve well, even in more busy songs. However, the spike in volume does not mean there is a spike in detail, as the finer parts of the treble tend to be smoothed away, along with much of the texture.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Arise performs well, with guitars’ higher-toned strumming remaining audible for the majority of the song. The high-hats cut through the song, but become cluttered together, and loose their detail. One begins on top of another, causing them to loose their individual identities.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Fade Into Darkness was an interesting listen. The high-pitched synth managed to stay in the main focus of the song, but failed to remain separate. The pianos suffered from a similar problem.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Mids: Songs used: The Drift, Jars, In Bloom[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]In Bloom sounded flat. Plain old flat — which was a disappointment. Jars fared similarly in terms of mids performance. The guitars became far too smoothed, making it difficult to distinguish individual chords.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The Drift had a instrument identity issue similar to the pianos and synths of Fade Into Darkness. While all the sounds were there, they mushed together, and had no depth or separation.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Bass: Songs used: Lights, Bangarang, 99 Problems (Hugo Cover)[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Bass is good. Better than that of many earphones twice the price of the Turbines. Sub-bass extension is above average, with bass response being strong. It’s definitely the center of attention in Bangarang. With lots of punch, I found the Turbine’s bass performance to be commendable.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]In Hugo’s cover of 99 Problems, I found the bass to still be slightly too loose. While it retained some form of shape, there was more boomyness than I would have liked.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Lights had just the right amount of punch to it. The bass impact was not too hard, and not too loose. It accentuated a mellow song by making it more sonorous, something many “flat” sound signature IEMs don’t really do.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Clarity/Instrumental Separation: Songs used: Throne, Map of The Problimatique, I’m Not Alright[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Throne was essentially comprised of two layers, each of which were close together. The closest layer was the vocals/guitars/drums layer, the farthest layer was the synth, which was often overpowered by the other parts of the song.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Map of the Problimatique was tri-layered, and performed slightly better overall. There was the low-pitch synth and drum layer, the vocals and guitar layer, and the high-pitch synth layer.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Unfortunately, I’m Not Alright regressed back into a dual-layer presentation for the majority of the song, and became completely mono-layered during the chorus.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Male Vocals: Song used: Hotel California, Ashes of Eden, Sunday Bloody Sunday[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Male vocals were slightly veiled in Hotel California and Sunday Bloody Sunday. It was as if they were behind a very shallow layer of white-noise. However, Ashes of Eden performed admirably: the vocals were uncolored, and full. I suspect this is due to Breaking Benjamin’s vocalist typically using a deeper tone than the singers of The Eagles and U2.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Female Vocals: Songs used: Stupid Girl, Sweet Escape, Need Your Heart[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Female vocals were good enough. While not exceptional, such as on the Macaw GT100s, I found the vocals of Stupid Girl to be clear, unveiled. While a tad bit too soft, I can’t really complain here. Gwen Stefani performed similarly, but was too shrill during parts of Sweet Escape. Kai’s singing in Need Your Heart was alluring as ever, if not a little too far back. I found her voice to be too thin.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Sound Stage[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Sound staging could definitely use some work. There is only a mediocre amount of width, with instruments rarely ever using the farthest parts of the stage, instead clumping together in the center. Depth is essentially non-existent, with there really only being two layers available in most songs. If the sound stage was more robust, I would be much more satisfied with the Turbines overall.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.439216)]Packaging / Unboxing[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.439216)]Build[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Construction Quality[/color][color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]This is where the Turbines really shine. They are built from a special type of ceramic that makes the cool and smooth to the touch. They are also weighted very well. Not too heavy to make them uncomfortable, but not too light to make them feel cheap. The cable is good, but not great. It appears to be covered in a type of reinforced plastic, and is not flimsy to the touch. The cable is also reinforced along several of the high-risk points of damage, including the driver housing, y-splitter, and 3.5mm jack.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]
[/color][color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The inline controls are built from a metal/matte plastic combo. I like it, and it feels sturdy.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Comfort[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The Turbines are reasonably comfortable. They aren’t too heavy, and sit well in the ear. I would have preferred Ghostek to include some memory-foam eartips, but can forgive them for the exclusion due to the low cost of the Turbines overall.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Sound Isolation[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]As with many bass-heavy earphones, the sound isolation of the Turbine is good. While it had some trouble keeping out some louder sounds, such as music playing from my speakers, it had no trouble blocking out conversations, the sound of my noisy keyboard, or my loud PC.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Inline Controls[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The inline controls are a mono button universal pause/play button, and a mic. The mic is par for the course, as is the button. No complaints here.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.439216)]Accessories[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The Turbine came with a hard carrying case and a 7 types of eartips. The case is made well, and fits the Turbines without leaving too much or too little space.[/color][color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]
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