I bought this as a gift to my sister on her birthday. She lent it to me for a while so that I can test it to see how it is like.
Delivery:
I really have to applaud Lendmeurears for their wonderful service. Having bought from them before I am pretty impressed. Furthermore delivery was really quick, for my order arrived within two days (for I live in Singapore), to be honest I was expecting 3 to 4 days for handling and sorting in the delivery centre.
Packaging:
Reallyy beautiful and good looking packaging. Dunu is the best one I have seen so far for a China based company, but this comes close. From the package you can see the GR99 in its full glory along with a generous selection of tips.
Contents:
I have to say at this price range, the accessories provided are pretty substantial. 8 pairs of tips (including one on the unit itself), shirt clip and soft cloth bag. Do wish there are bi-flanges though.
Design:
I think this is a great looking in ear. Though looking like a typical straight barrel, the blue and red rings allow it to look great. At the same time, the design is well thought out. There are coloured rings for easy identification of left and right. Also, the raised part on the right allows one to identify left and right in the dark.
Microphonics:
Not very much to be honest. Shirt clip migh reduce it, and wearing it over the ear would eliminate it completely.
Build quality:
While fit and finish is good, there are lack of strain reliefs. Also the y-cord does seem to be a weak point.
Isolation:
Being a vented in ear (with a really large grille at the rear), do not expect it to isolate really well. Sure it would work pretty well on the bus, but probably not in much noisier places.
Sound:
Now on to the most important part. Reviewing from a general consumer's point of view, I used devices normally used by the general consumer, source being my phone, HTC Desire Z (aka T-mobile G2). Music used are typically Asian pop songs, in 320kbps MP3.
Starting with the bass, from inital impressions we can tell that the GR99 has a bass driven sound. Bass has good body and is impactful. It has good texture and a good amount of quantity and quality. Being a listener biased towards the middle to upper end, it might seem too bassy or even boomy, but to be honest, it is not enough to call it a truly basshead earphone.
Mids are slightly recessed, but are not clouded by the bass. It has good detail, and I think a general consumer will be pleased. Guitar riffs sounded brilliant on the GR99.
There is a bit of sparkle but treble is rolled off towards the upper end. There is no sibilance detected so it is hardly fatiguing at all.
Soundstage is slightly above average. Positioning and separation is good for its class.
Conclusion:
At 35SGD, this is good value for money, for good sound with looks to match. I believe this is the ideal for a consumer oriented earphone with consumer oriented sound and looks to match. This should be the earphone that comes into the minds of everyone instead of the counterfeit beats being seen so commonly in streets today.
This earphone is suited for the general consumer who is looking for the "wow" factor at a budget price. There are other options too like the Dunu Trident, but this will be my choice when it comes to the perfect combination of design and sound quality. It also makes a great and affordable gift for friends and family.
Delivery:
I really have to applaud Lendmeurears for their wonderful service. Having bought from them before I am pretty impressed. Furthermore delivery was really quick, for my order arrived within two days (for I live in Singapore), to be honest I was expecting 3 to 4 days for handling and sorting in the delivery centre.
Packaging:
Reallyy beautiful and good looking packaging. Dunu is the best one I have seen so far for a China based company, but this comes close. From the package you can see the GR99 in its full glory along with a generous selection of tips.
Contents:
I have to say at this price range, the accessories provided are pretty substantial. 8 pairs of tips (including one on the unit itself), shirt clip and soft cloth bag. Do wish there are bi-flanges though.
Design:
I think this is a great looking in ear. Though looking like a typical straight barrel, the blue and red rings allow it to look great. At the same time, the design is well thought out. There are coloured rings for easy identification of left and right. Also, the raised part on the right allows one to identify left and right in the dark.
Microphonics:
Not very much to be honest. Shirt clip migh reduce it, and wearing it over the ear would eliminate it completely.
Build quality:
While fit and finish is good, there are lack of strain reliefs. Also the y-cord does seem to be a weak point.
Isolation:
Being a vented in ear (with a really large grille at the rear), do not expect it to isolate really well. Sure it would work pretty well on the bus, but probably not in much noisier places.
Sound:
Now on to the most important part. Reviewing from a general consumer's point of view, I used devices normally used by the general consumer, source being my phone, HTC Desire Z (aka T-mobile G2). Music used are typically Asian pop songs, in 320kbps MP3.
Starting with the bass, from inital impressions we can tell that the GR99 has a bass driven sound. Bass has good body and is impactful. It has good texture and a good amount of quantity and quality. Being a listener biased towards the middle to upper end, it might seem too bassy or even boomy, but to be honest, it is not enough to call it a truly basshead earphone.
Mids are slightly recessed, but are not clouded by the bass. It has good detail, and I think a general consumer will be pleased. Guitar riffs sounded brilliant on the GR99.
There is a bit of sparkle but treble is rolled off towards the upper end. There is no sibilance detected so it is hardly fatiguing at all.
Soundstage is slightly above average. Positioning and separation is good for its class.
Conclusion:
At 35SGD, this is good value for money, for good sound with looks to match. I believe this is the ideal for a consumer oriented earphone with consumer oriented sound and looks to match. This should be the earphone that comes into the minds of everyone instead of the counterfeit beats being seen so commonly in streets today.
This earphone is suited for the general consumer who is looking for the "wow" factor at a budget price. There are other options too like the Dunu Trident, but this will be my choice when it comes to the perfect combination of design and sound quality. It also makes a great and affordable gift for friends and family.
