Geek Wold GK80

Hi all! Friends, do you remember such interesting hybrid headphones as Geek Wold GK10? In the summer and autumn of last year, heart-shaped headphones received simply unreal hype and huge popularity in the vastness of the CIS countries, while an even greater peak in the popularity of the device fell on Asian and Western countries. Headphones, at a low price, carried in their compact cases as many as 5 emitters (2 dynamic, 2 piezoelectric and one driver with a balanced armature), while the model also attracted attention simply with an incredibly low resistance of 6Ω, and for some measurements and even 5Ω, which, as it were, is not an easy load even for some players and portable DACs. Nevertheless, I managed to feel the headphones and even write a very emotional review on them. Of course, not everyone agreed with my opinion, but nevertheless, the device in the Russian-speaking community received well-deserved popularity, and did not go unnoticed. After more than six months of excellent sales of headphones, the popularity of the device began to gradually decline, as a result of which the manufacturer decided to refresh its last year's bestseller. One dynamic emitter was thrown out of the new headphones, the resistance of the model was brought up to sane 18Ω, and the face plates now, instead of multi-colored stabilized wood, flaunt a more strict carbon insert. The price of the new model was left approximately at the level of last year's headphones, and was called the Geek Wold GK80.

Specifications:

• Driver configuration: 1 balanced armature + 2 piezo drivers + 1 dynamic driver 8 mm diameter with graphene coating diaphragm
• Sensitivity: 106 dB
• Impedance: 18Ω
• Frequency response: 20Hz - 35kHz
• Cable material: 4-strand OFC
• Connector: 2pin 0.78mm
• Cable length: 1.2m

Packing and scope of delivery:

The headphones come in a small white cardboard box. The front of the package is covered with a transparent plastic blister through which you can see the headphones and two pairs of silicone ear pads on a special substrate.



On the back of the package, we will find a sticker with brief technical specifications of the headphones.



Inside the box we are greeted by:

• Headphones with ear pads attached
• Complete cable (which for some reason was not with my device)
• 5 pairs of additional two types of silicone ear tips
• Eco-leather pouch with drawstrings

Headphone appearance:

And again we have recognizable heart-shaped cases. The headphones are still compact, and apparently they use the same cases as the previous model, the difference in which is reduced only in the materials of the design of the face plates.




A pair of compensation holes, a 2Pin socket, all this is also located in the same places.



At the same time, the terrible quality of the glossy plastic and the burrs along the edges of the sound guides have not disappeared anywhere.



What exactly was changed in the set of new headphones is the cable, but unfortunately I won’t tell you how bad or good it is, because the headphones came to me without a conductor, but what I can show you is how the device sits in my ears.




Sound:

We tested headphones with a QLS QA361 player and Abigail portable DACs from Venture Electronics, as well as an ES9318 DAC.



Despite the rather unflattering frequency response graph, the headphones do not sound as terrible as it might seem at first glance, and, moreover, you can even enjoy listening to music in this model. Yes, this is definitely an extreme V-shaped characteristic with strongly pushed-in mids, while the sound of the heroes of the review is very assertive, uterine-evil and emotional. Headphones, of course, do not shine with details, the resolution here is rather average, but at the same time, an inexpensive device does not give in to fast and heavy music, does not dump the sound of complex compositions into an incomprehensible mess of instruments, musicians' voices and bright upper mids. Moreover, the areas of low-frequency emphasis, and the peaks at the upper middle and high frequencies practically coincide in amplitude, which actually eliminates the unpleasant metallic ringing and sibilants. Of course, below we will analyze the sound of the Geek Wold GK80 hybrid headphones in more detail:

Low frequencies

They act as a certain foundation for the sound of the novelty. The bass here is massive, angry, slightly softened, and surprisingly very fast. In most cases, its speed is enough even for very complex and fast music. At the same time, low frequencies do not have any high resolution, and sometimes I get the impression that they lack impact and definition, that is, there is no clear, tasty and biting slap, but only an imitation and some kind of vague daub.

Mid frequencies

Noticeably sunken. It is audible that the vocalist and musicians are at some distance from the listener, while the lower middle is clearly distinguished by the headphones, thanks to which the bass guitar game acquires the necessary physicality, volume and energy. Male vocal parts are full-bodied, there is no such feeling that something was not reported strongly, except that sometimes a little better resolution is not enough. The upper middle is a little highlighted by ear, but this range in most cases does not cause irritation, which is why the headphones can be listened to quite comfortably for a long time. The headphones build an imaginary scene of average depth and width, but the separation of the instruments in the device is very decent, especially considering their low price.

High frequencies

I would say that they are just comfortable. The peak at 8 kHz, which, according to the manufacturer's idea, should increase the detail, does not greatly affect anything here. In my opinion, the high frequencies are somewhat simplified in comparison with the previous bestseller. This range of the Geek Wold GK10 was smoother, more natural and more extended.


Comparisons:

Despite the relatively low price of the Geek Wold GK80, the model in its price category has quite a few very strong competitors, which sometimes leave absolutely no chance for the heroes of today's review.

Geek Wold GK80 vs Tanchjim Ola:

The Tanchjim Ola are very high-quality and incredibly interesting headphones that, at a similar price of $40, can offer simply outrageous sound for their money. The headphones are light, airy, and there are noticeably fewer low frequencies, but in terms of elaboration and bass definition, the model will outdo much more expensive in-ear headphones, not to mention the Geek Wold GK80. The mids here are also more airy and detailed, the vocal parts sound cleaner, richer in various overtones, but at the same time they are more lightweight and more dependent on the quality of the recording of the composition you are listening to. The high frequencies are cleaner, longer, the attacks are more pronounced, and the various attenuations from hitting the cymbals generally put the Geek Wold hybrid headphones on the shoulder blades, and all this is possible using just one high-quality dynamic radiator and competent headphone sound tuning by talented engineers.



Geek Wold GK80 vs Blon BL07:

The Blon BL07 is another dynamic headphone that falls into the price range of the hybrid model from Geek Wold. If in the first comparison example the choice was obvious, then this time everything is a little more complicated. Like the heroes of today's review, we have another model with a V-shaped sound characteristic, of which there are hundreds and even thousands in this price range. Dynamic headphones play much more massive and slower, the low frequencies are deeper and more percussive, but the bass is more imposing and slower. Low frequencies also have an unpleasant property to climb to the lower middle. The middle frequencies of the Blon BL07 are more clamped, while the dynamic headphones play more pronounced in depth, and the imaginary scene is somewhat inferior in width to the multi-driver model from Geek Wold. The separation of instruments in competitive headphones is quite average, so you better forget about any complex and fast multi-instrumental music. The high frequencies of the Blon BL07 are rather strange, they are simple, but due to a noticeable peak around 8 kHz, which is much higher than the low-frequency range, the device makes unpleasant accents on the hissing and whistling sounds that often accompany vocal parts, as well as hitting cymbals and the sound of other high-frequency instruments, often seasoned with a fair amount of sibilants, poking, and various unpleasant and harsh sounds.



Conclusion:

What is the result? In general, I liked the updated hearts, like the previous model of the manufacturer. Headphones are naturally not perfect, and judging by various reviews and some reviews, the quality of the device can vary from batch to batch. But, for relatively little money, you can get genre-universal headphones that do not succumb to complex and fast music, and can please not only with their appearance, but also with very good sound quality relative to their low price.

You can buy Geek Wold GK80 hybrid headphones from our friends in the Penon Audio online store or in the Penon Audio Store on AliExpress.

GK80

So there seems to be some controversy about the budget IEM manufacturer Geek Wold. Makers of budget tribrids and much higher end TWS earphones which they go by Geekfly.. Geek folks seem to read the thoughts and remarks from reviews and our thread dedicated for the prior controversial hit the GK10. What made the GK10 fall into the controversial category is that the QC was a bit suspect as impressions started to fly in how some units would sound great for some and not so much for others. Fast forward to today and the Geek team is at it again with a new offering that should remedy a lot of pitfalls of their prior GK10 earphones.

A bit of a secret. I know the Geek team has had numerous prior models they have been working on but settled on what is now the GK80. Minus the familiar all plastic heart shaped shell. The new GK80 is an entirely new product. New driver make up being an 8mm graphene dynamic+ treble BA+dual piezo ceramic drivers. This is a very similar driver set up for one of their best sounding TWS models the Geekfly GF8S you can read my take on these here.

As much as the steam built up with the prior GK10, it has fallen by the wayside but you know they were close to capturing something different in the budget sector that others have not really tried. The tribrid formula for a sub $50 category of earphones are not really common. So it seems the Geek team has gone back to what they have designed previously that worked for them. As obscure as their Geekfly name is. If you ever heard their GF8S TWS earphones, it is undeniable the sound quality that comes from that unit. The GK80 captures a lot of design cues from the GF8S and we have a successor to the GK10 that is every bit what it should have been and more.

Standardly disclaimers. I would like to thank Geek Wold and Penon audio for the pre-production unit I received for review purposes. You will be able to purchase a GK80 on Penon web site here. GK80 has been burned in for over a week and been listened to using a variety of my sources. DX300Max, M15, Shanling M6 pro, Acmee MF02S, IFI Black label. Fiio K3, Fiio UTWS5.

The GK10 for the bucks, or at least the early production units had some serious potential. But in this industry, potential gets you a bunch of mixed impressions and negative reviews. The product has to be consistent and I have my fingers crossed the new GK80 will be the turning point for the crew that gave us the GK10. The new GK80 comes in the same no frills packaging of the prior GK10, uses the same set of tips but now is using a standard thin OFC cable that is not as good as the one that came with the GK10. Packaging is finished off by your standard pouch and a very underwhelming budget cable.

To be honest the GK10 and the GK80 both needed a much better cable anyhow. Goes without saying, there are limitations in what one gets for their sub $50. You can’t expect a nice cable from this package. With the included cable, you will certainly hear how the GK80 sounds but is nowhere close to optimizing all them drivers in the GK80. Try out your 2 pin cables you have on hand, just about anything will be an upgrade cable wise on the new GK80. I do recommend a solid burn in cycle for them as they utilize way too many drivers for the sound to be 100% correct out of the box more importantly it is using a graphene dynamic for the very important bass to mids sound projection for the GK80 which needs burn in. As they say, let the music play and leave it playing

Sound.
This is the part you have been waiting for. So how do they sound? They sound very good. Quite head scratching as I have yet to hear anything that comes close to how they sound for the bucks. But that was the potential in the GK10 that got dumped on due to the various issues of that unit. It does retrain a mild v shaped sound signature but this time around I am certain they took some of the criticism to heart. When I got news Geek was going to send me a pre production unit I had my fingers crossed that the GK80 would have a brand new housing. I mean heart shaped earphones are unique and all. Well that hope was shattered when I opened the package and it was using the same housing. However now using an all back carbon fiber plate. Actually looked about as masculine as it will get for using a heart shaped housing. Arguably the best looking out of the heart shaped colors of the prior GK10. Looks aside, what mattered really was the sound. The shell size itself is smaller medium in size and most will have good comfort using them. Passive isolation being slightly below average.

When I popped the GK80 onto my DX300Max. I knew right away it was an upgrade. To me if you're going to bring out something new. Bring out something new!. Sure they are reusing some parts to make the GK80 but you're not going to care once you hear how they improved on the GK80. How did they improve on the design? For one they took out one of the dynamics in the housing that was taking up much valuable space from the GK10 design. Space for the sonics to breathe. The 8mm graphene dynamic now is doing both the bass and mids. This design keeps the dynamic timbre intact while giving more space and better cohesion for the main dynamic to do its thing. Its treble is handled by a treble BA and then capped off by 2 piezoceramic tweeters to handle the ultra highs. A cheap man's tribrid? Yes indeed but just because it is cheap doesn't mean these can’t perform. Piezoceramics are somewhat of a hit or miss. It all depends on how they are tuned to handle the important upper notes. Sure they aren’t higher end BAs or better yet EST drivers but they can do comparable work again depending on how well they are implemented.

Treble
Is handled via two sets of drivers. The treble BA and dual piezoceramic drivers handle the ultra highs. This is what sets these Geek earphones apart from other budget fi offerings. Budget stuff usually sound budget as treble tunings are artificially emphasized to mimic higher end sound as that is one way manufacturers mask treble detail and ability or the lack thereof. The answer is MOAR treble! Also on the other end adding MOAR bass gives the illusion of a dynamic sound. The budget fi stuff that runs rampant nowadays are not only artificially hyped but also lack proper treble extension and air. No such issue with the GK80. Sure its treble tonality is not the most natural or the most refined sounding treble as here is where the cohesion of the GK80 is separated a bit and that is just due to using different drivers with different abilities and timbre. The speed and transients from a treble BA is not going to be the same as the dynamic handling the bass and mids. But if there is a slight disjointing of the sounds I would rather be the treble as it ends up sounding like dedicated tweeters. So that is in essence how the treble presentation is on the GK80. The good news there is that since it is using 3 drivers for the treble notes. You're gonna get a precision, extension and treble definition that is seldom addressed with most budget fi stuff let alone earphones that cost 4X as much. Instead of treble that is using spikes to enhance detail the GK80 just has a good extended treble. You will hear every note in the treble area and with some proper shimmer to boot.

The upper piezo drivers mimics what Sonion EST drivers do. You can even say they are a cheapmans ESTs. Upper treble detail with that added spark, shimmer a shine with some air if you will properly extend that treble. Treble tonality is surprisingly smooth, even leaning toward a silky type presentation. I have yet to describe a budget fi offering with anything close to silky is my point and here you get that with the GK80. I would say this treble tuning mimics a higher end EST to the point where you will be surprised with how good the treble end can be from the GK80. It does emit some thinness in the upper trebles which is the nature of piezoceramics but otherwise you will hear every treble note with a proper detail retrieval.

Mids.
Going back and forth from the previous GK10. The GK10 needed some power to really bring out what they can do but the GK80 here has a meatier sound in general. Fuller more forward mids especially for the lower mids. This makes vocals, especially male vocals sound more engaging and brings a more musical tilt to the GK80 sound signature. The GK10 clearly has lesser mids presence vs the GK80. This is where I feel the newer tuning really shapes up how musical the new GK80 sounds. Its mids now incorporate a fuller body of sound. A meatier mids presence is never a bad thing and not to mention instrument timbre also sounds about as good as it will get for the price range on the GK80. Mids no longer take a slight step back in the mix. I wouldn’t say the mids are overly forward here but no longer sound laid back as it does on the GK10 in comparison.The mids are featured this time, graphene/ carbon based dynamics are excellent with detail and the mids performance here benefits from this driver that clearly has no problems flaunting a more forward bolder sound signature. This is a case where you actually are getting an increase in fidelity due to taking a driver out, in essence getting more for using less.

Technicalities
Due to that increase in space inside the housing. You can tell the drivers are better optimized for the GK80. Its technicalities are another aspect that has been upgraded from the GK10. GK80 sounds more spacious in general. It has a more nuanced presentation knocking more on a dimensional sound vs being your standard flat plane sound presentation. Its stage is moderate but now sees better depth and height of sound. Its instrument separation is a touch sharper, more chiseled vs the prior GK10. Timbre was not an issue with the GK10 but this time music has a bolder, more dynamic edge to how you hear it due to the more forward mids presentation. Since the GK80 much like the GK10, uses a dynamic for the important mids. It drives perfectly fine out of just about anything, but I do notice an increase in sound quality with some amplification.

Amping the GK80 yields a sound that just doesn't exist at the price point. Getting the best out of the GK80 doesn't mean you have to strap on your portable amp or powerful dap but it does expand in sound quality accordingly.

Bass
Variable bass? Due to the 8 ohm impedance or the highly sensitive nature of the GK80 this is the one area that can vary with your sources and cables. This is one of the negative aspects of high sensitivity for earphones. Sound can and does change with sources and cable pairings. For example. Using the GK80 out of the 10 ohm out Acmee MF02S yields a more neutral brighter tonality with leaner bass. Not how the GK80 really sounds. Using my players the DX300Max and or Fiio M15 and the GK80 sounds like a different earphone, is how I described the sound here to be. Higher output impedance and you're going to hear a leaner sounding GK80. Lower the output impedance and you get the full monty sound from the GK80. Fuller punchier bigger bass impact, which again changes how you hear the GK80. I use sources that have the lowest output impedance always so this does not affect me so much but just know if your version of the GK80 sounds different than how I describe it. Try using a different source and change up the cable is my best advice on that.

I can tell Geek folks like their bass. Real music is not all about a neutral bass end. When was the last time you heard live music with neutral bass? The GK80 has bass. It has a good dose of upper, mid and sub bass. More mid bass than sub bass but not so much to ruin your precious mids. The bass emphasis is very much identical to how the GK10 bass was presented and I know for some of you. You were looking for something a bit more tame for the bass end. The good news here is you will have to do some trial and error for the bass presentation. Some sources throw out a full bored bass while with some the bass presentation is much more moderate. Cables also have an effect on the bass end. More copper based and your GK80 will bring the slam. More silver based variety less so. My motto with the GK80 is try this and try that. Once you figure out what synergizes with the GK80. You will get to hear what they are all about.

I know this is a strange thing to write in a review but that is how I hear the GK80 bass end. There is a certain level of sound variance using your sources and cables that will bring either a well balanced sound all the way to a more v shaped signature. The GK10 also had this issue as some found the bass end to be a bit much while others found it to be punchy with great presence but nowhere near as bassy as some would describe. One thing for certain, once you do get that low OI source and a good aftermarket cable pairing on the GK80. You will be more than impressed with its sound qualities.

Go into the GK80 with an open mind and they will reward you with something you don’t normally get in the price range. For folks that like to tinker and optimize their earphones, the GK80 by nature can and will change to just how much bass you want in your sound and it isn’t all that difficult to figure out which of your sources sound best with it. The GK80 will let you know. On one hand it is very easy to drive due to the low impedance and is even more sensitive than their GK10. But that is also the issue as you will need a low OI based player to get the very best out of the GK80.

In the end
The GK80 represents progress for the budget fi sector. Not too many tribrids exist for the money and if they do they end up sounding like. Budget fi. The GK80 is more of a revision of the formula of the GK10 now using some drivers that seem to work better with the tuning aspect of the GK80. It does a great job at presenting a technical yet fun sound signature, something that is difficult to do properly at the price range. Usually, earphones in this price range are more about the fun but not so much in the realm of technicalities. Much like the GK10 did when properly driven the GK80 gives you a slice of a much higher end sound. People are quick to judge a budget level phone without giving them their due diligence. Burn in the GK80, get yourself a good aftermarket cable. It doesn't have to be the expensive type. Throw them on a low output impedance source and let them sing. I am looking forward to how you’re hearing them on the Geek Wold thread. Happy listening.