Geekfly GF8S

Introduction
Geekfly is the American based company that specializes in wireless audio products. They are focusing on developed thri-bird configuration TWS earbuds, which has a piezoelectric driver beside of the typical DD and BA drivers. The Geekfly GF8s is the successor of the original GF8, which used the 1DD+1BA+10 layers piezoelectric, the price of it is $219USD.




Disclaimer
I would like to thanks Penon audio for given this opportunity, and the review will be based on my honest opinion through the music I listen to.


Package & Accessories
The GF8s come with the small and compact box, there are the GF8s’s illustration at the front cover with the brand name, model name and other information, whereas the specifications at the rear side of it. After remove the cover and open the box, there are the earbuds themself along with the charging case sited in the foam orderly. The ear tips and the charging cable are store in the black box which is located at the bottom of the box.





Accessories list:
1 pair x GF8s TWS Earbuds
1 pcs x Charging Case
3 pairs x Silicone Ear Tips (S, M, L)
1 pcs x USB A To USB Type C Charging Cable




Design & Build & Comfort
The GF8s has a simple and well ergonomic design, it is finished in black color with the polished grey faceplate in mirror finished. There are the LED indicator located at the upper corner of the front faceplate, while at the rear side there is the L&R indicator to show left and right. There are microphones on the upper corner of the faceplate on each of earbuds, which share same place of the LED indicator.





The design on the charging case is simple and compact. The case are finished in polished mirror black color, at the top of the case there is the Geekfly logo sported. The USB C charging port is located at the back of the case, along with the LED indicator. There is the specifications of the earbuds located at the bottom of the charging case.





The build on both of earbuds and charging case are pretty good but feel somehow plasticity when asked the price, especially the charging case. The earbuds are made with three type of materials, the plastic faceplate and shell with the metal nozzle. The earbuds and charging case are well rounded and their is no sharp edges or gap between the joints at all. The charging case has average open and closing experience. The female USB charging port are well constructed. It has no water and dust resistant.





The comfort on GF8s is pretty good, beside form the large shell, it has really well ergonomic design. It has moderate length nozzle, so it can fit in the ear canal pretty well. It provide the average isolation, and there will be pressure build up after few hours of listening.






Control & Paring
The controls of GF8s are touch controls and it is averagely responded.

Left earbuds:
Long press 5sec: Power on/off
Tap once: Pause/Play/Answer the call
Tap two times: Pause/Play/Reject the call
Tap three times: Next track
Long press 3sec: Voice assistant

Right earbuds:
Long press 5sec : Power on/off
Tap once: Pause/Play/Answer the call
Tap two times: Pause/Play/Reject the call
Tap three times: Previous track
Long press 3sec: Voice assistant

The first time paring require the users to pair it manually. By putting the earbuds back in the charging case the take it out, once the blue&red indicator is flashing, you can connect the earbuds through your devices. After this, the earbuds will automatically pair to the devices once the charging case is open, the paring speed is really fast, it will be connected before you put it on your ears. The GF8s can be used in single earbuds, but the functionality is not as good as the both earbuds on.


Microphone quality
The microphone on GF8s catch the human voice averagely with some noise from surround. There some robotic sound and sometimes it can be loose.


Connectivity & Latency
The connectivity are really stable, they are no significant single lost in most of cases. There are slightly single lost or not stable situations on the public transports or shopping center as well.

The latency on GF8s are quite significant while gaming, but not at all when watching movie or listen to music, probably just about a millions seconds.

Operational distance & Battery life

The operating distance on the GF8s is around 10-12 meters. It has stable connection until 10 meters, after that the single will not be as stable as before 10 meters.

The battery life are above average for its size and price. The earbuds themself have 5hrs of playback times, plus the 20hrs on charging case, so you get totally 25hrs of playback times, which is pretty solid. After I test it out, the earbuds themself can play around 4.5hrs for single charge by using 35% of volume, while the charging case can a least fully charged for 3 times. The earbuds charging process is average, you can get 1hrs of play back times by charging it for 30 minutes. The earbuds can be fuller charge by less than a hours, whereas the charging case can be fully charge by around a hours.


Technical specifications:
Bluetooth version: 5.0
Charging interface: type-c
Power input: DC5V/600mAh
Headphone battery capacity: 3.7V/70mAh
Charging compartment battery capacity: 3.7V/700mAh
Supporting agreement: HSP1.2/HFP1.7/A2DP1.3/AVRCP1.6/SPP1.2/PBAP1.0
Sensitivity: 106dB
Frequency range: 20-50khz
Impedance: 10Ω


Sound

Paring
I pair the Air Pro to the iPhone 12 and Fiio M11 and play through my music library.




Overall tonality
The GF8s has a mildly U shape tonality, with a clear and smooth presentation.

Bass
The bass is rich with good amount of texture. The sub bass has above average extension with moderate decay speed, there are good amount of mid bass, which carry through a touch of warmth midrange without being muddy. It has average amount rumble, impact and punch. The bass has good levels of control, Whereas the detail retrieval and clarity are above average.

Mids
The midrange is slightly recessed but remaining the good balanced, it has a smooth and clear presentation. The lower midrange has moderate amount of bodies presented in clean manner. The upper midrange is well emphasized with good transparency levels, it is presented in lively and smooth manner. The midrange has really good levels of detail retrieval and clarity, especially for the TWS earbuds.

Treble
The treble are extended well with slightly bright tonality. The lower treble is clear yet well controlled, and it is slightly pronounced than the upper treble. The upper treble has good amount of sparkle and airiness. It also has good levels of crispness on the top end. The detail retrieval and clarity are above the average.

Soundstage and imaging
The soundstage width is above average, depth is average.
The imaging is pretty well done for TWS earbuds.



Comparison
Lyperteck Tevi ($90USD)

Bass
The bass has more mid bass quantity on the GF8s with better sub bass extension. The bass has warmer and lusher tonality on the GF8s, where the Tevi sound cleaner with less bodies. There are fuller rumble with more impact on the GF8s, where the Tevi is generally tighter and faster. The detail retrieval and clarity are both really good.

Mids
The midrange has more neutral tone on the Tevi with less V shape tone. The lower midrange has more bodies and sound warmer and lusher on the GF8s, where the Tevi is leaner. The upper midrange on both are forwarded, but the GF8s has more vividly presentation with higher transparency levels. The detail retrieval and clarity is better on GF8s.

Treble
The treble has better extension and more intimate presentation on GF8s. The lower treble has more energy and sound brighter on the Tevi, where the GF8s is smoother here. The upper treble has more airiness and sparkle on the GF8s, while the Tevi tend to roll off here. The detail retrieval and clarity is better on GF8s.

Soundstage and imaging
The soundstage is wider and deeper on GF8s.
The imaging is better on GF8s.


Samsung galaxy buds pro ($199USD)

Bass
The sub bass on both have same amount of quality and quantity. The mid bass has more bodies and sound fuller on the GF8s, where the Pro sound leaner and clearer. There are fuller impact on the GF8s with better slam, on the other hand, the Pro sound cleaner with better sense of tightness. The detail retrieval and clarity are both pretty good.

Mids
The midrange has leaner and more neutral tonality on the Pro, where the GF8s is fuller and also warmer. The lower midrange has better texture and sound fuller and deeper on the GF8s. The upper midrange sound more vividly and lively on GF8s, where as the Pro sound smoother. The detail retrieval and clarity is slightly better on Pro.

Treble
The treble has better extension on the GF8s and it sound crisper. The lower treble on both are fairly similar, but the GF8s has more ultimate presentation. The upper treble has more air and sparkle on hr top end of GF8s, where the Pro is less here. The detail retrieval and clarity is better on GF8s.

Soundstage and imaging
The soundstage is wider on GF8s, with same levels of depth.
The imaging are both well done.


Airpods pro ($249USD)

Bass
The sub bass on both extended well. The mid bass has more quantity and sound fuller on the GF8s, where the Pro sound cleaner. There are fuller rumble with better impact on the GF8s, where the Pro has quicker decay speed. The detail retrieval and clarity is better on Pro.

Mids
The midrange on both has warmer than neutral and owning the mildly U shape tonality. The lower midrange has slightly more bodies with more texture on the Pro, where the GF8s sound slightly cleaner. The upper midrange sound fuller and smoother on the Pro, on the other hand, the GF8s sound more vividly and relatively sharper. The detail retrieval and clarity is better on GF8s.

Treble
The treble extended further on the GF8s and sound brighter. The lower treble sound crisper with more energy on GF8s, where the Pro sound smoother without any harshness. The upper treble is early roll off on he Pro p, where the GF8s has more open presentation with more airiness. The detail retrieval and clarity is better on GF8s.

The soundstage is wider on GF8s and slightly better sense of depth also.
The imaging is tad better on GF8s.




Conclusion
The Geekfly GF8s is a outstanding IEMs, it has a sound quality and technical performance that is on par with most of great wired IEMs out there for its price range. The tonality on the GF8s are extremely well tuned, with full bodies bass, clear yet smooth midrange, and fast yet extended treble. The GF8s is definitely the best TWS earbuds for audiophile in term of the sound, and even bring shame on a lot of wired IEMs out there. Thanks for reading, Happy Listening!!

Geekfly official website: https://geekflyaudio.com/
Geekfly GF8s products page:
https://penonaudio.com/geekfly-gf8s.html

Geekfly GF8S Bluetooth 5.0 TWS earphones.

So I am an admitted noob when it comes to TWS earphones. I have some wireless dongles I have used in the past but my experience with such devices is very limited as I always assumed bluetooth phones would never sound as good as their wired counterparts. But as all things in our hobby, there are advancements in sound design regardless of being wireless or not. The Geekfly GF8S is not only my first real TWS unit I have reviewed but also one that I can honestly say sounds fantastic even if it is wireless.

I would like to thank Penon audio for the review sample. I consider all review samples the rightful owners are the folks that provide them. This is my take on the Geekfly GF8S. You can read up on them more on their website here and or purchase a set for you here.

GF8S comes in a smaller box with an included cradle for the ear pieces which houses the GF8s for instant charging when not in use. A USB-C charging cord, 3 sets of silicones. Standard connection to bluetooth devices is easy. In my case I have been using them on my Fiio M15 and my LG cell phone and it was easy enough to connect without too much fuss. Once you have the ear pieces paired, your player or phone will recognize the GF8S. As per instructions you have some controls of your music by tapping on the ear pieces for next track, previous track, volume control, pause and included mic turns on or off automatically when on a call. I had some struggles with the controls initially as it did not seem to work perfectly at first, however after some practice it was fairly responsive. After getting used to the controls it becomes 2nd nature and intuitive to use.

Passive isolation is what is used on the GF8s which is above average due to housing 3 sets of drivers and the electronics involved in a fairly compact medium sized shell. So not bad isolation considering it does not have ANC. The housing cradle has two slots for the ear pieces and will charge them both when closed. The cradle itself uses a USB C to charge it with a light that indicates the level of charge. Cradle holds a larger 800mA battery and the ear pieces are supporting a much smaller yet efficient 70mA battery. I did get some solid battery time using the ear pieces and never once did I use it long enough for them to run out of battery. It is stated that the ear pieces will last a good 5 hours on a single charge; this seems to be roughly what I am getting in real world usage. The other stand out feature of the GF8S is that it has some stout signal. I can leave my Fiio M15 playing on my desk in my office and I can move about my larger 4,000sq ft home and never have it cut out on me even when I go down to the basement or into the corner room upstairs. I am guessing the signal indoors to be solid 50-60ft of signal without the phones cutting out and this is through rooms and walls. Outdoors is another matter easily doubling that of indoor spaces to 100ft or roughly 33 yards. These are perfect for cutting the grass with basically which I actually used them for.

Wireless sonics.
GF8S is intriguing as it is using 3 types of drivers in the mix: a titanium-plated 7mm dynamic doing bass, one full range composite BA handling the mids to the lower high frequencies and a dual 14 layer piezoelectric ceramic tweeter reaching upper treble to 40khz. According to the sales page, it utilizes an internal class A amplification for maximum sonics on the go. I don't know how many tribrid formulas are out there in TWS land but this driver mix is certainly more intriguing.

Sound has excellent balancing with a slightly warmer tilt in tone to the sonics due to the outstanding punchy bass of the GF8S with a slight forward mid range. An ambient fuller smooth mid range and some clean crispy precise extended treble. These don't sound anything like how I thought wireless earphones should sound. In fact I was very surprised just how dynamic and full range the sound was. The bold sound of the GF8S is a perfect companion for media lovers on your phones as sound that they emit is immediate, clear, full bodied and immersive. Not a huge movie watcher on my phone but the GF8S was perfect for movie streaming and the occasional gaming on the go. Vocals for the mic was tested with my family and my voice comes in loud and clear according to my wife. GF8s sound superb for vocal clarity and general ease of use on a phone.

Dual Piezoelectric ceramic tweeters I have heard before from several wired earphones, LZ-A7, NiceHCK NX7 MK3, BQEYZ Springs to name a few, so I knew what to expect. The implementation on the GF8S is seamless and does not tend to stand out. I believe the mids and treble was done with the single composite BA and then the upper treble portion done with the layers of piezoelectric tweeters. This configuration is interesting as it helps bring about a crisp detailed treble note which enhances the sonic ability to pick off minute details on the go. Treble overall is well executed and while not the most natural of tonalities for treble. It does a fine job to mimic a higher end detailed treble tuning using this configuration. No complaints really about the treble of these in fact it compliments this full bodied sound signature extremely well with very good extension and clarity for the treble. No weird spikes or roll off was detected on my end and treble sounds crisp airy and while not the most detailed treble I have heard it is surprising how capable the treble end is on these. It has to be one of the better Piezoelectric infused trebles I have heard surprisingly complete airy sounding treble notes besting a lot of the wired versions I have reviewed.

Mids implementation using a single composite BA shows ample clarity, body and definition for a wireless set with excellent well balanced slightly mid forward mid range. Vocals and instruments sound fantastic since the BAs full strength lies in the mid bands and I can tell the GF8S takes full advantage of each drivers strengths here.Music comes full on with a thicker/bolder than average note weight, possibly due to the amplification and I feel this musical tuning is perfectly suited for wireless applications as the last thing you want is a thin boring sound on the go. The tuning does vocals justice for both male and female vocals with its full bodied, rich mids section and therefore perfect for watching movies and listening to podcasts on the go. I think the internal amplification here helps project this sound as it does sound like the sound is being amped at all times. Very cool for a bluetooth earphone to have its own amplification in my book.

Bass is where these earphones are stout. These are not bass shy by any means in fact going along with the musical presentation of the GF8S. You gotta have some stout bass. The Titanium plated dynamic these are using is showing every bit what a Titanium plated dynamic can do. I recently reviewed another earphone using a larger 10mm version of this type of dynamic and those had some crazy stout bass in the Reecho SG-03.
The GF8S has some outstanding punchy and deep rumbling potent bass. I was genuinely surprised these had the bass response of wired sets and again that internal amplification seems to really excell the sonics forward for the GF8s. What you are getting is an amplified bass note. But don't mistake this bass with an overbearing fatiguing mid bass hump of lesser sounding IEMS these are well controlled, speedy tight and while it has an enthusiastic amount of bass emphasis it is nowhere near bloat city or headache inducing. Musical bass is what I like to call it and it shows very good ability and has to be the best bass presentation and ideal for on the go. It is true that ambient noise will drown out a bit of bass end for any earphone you're listening to so these have the ideal emphasis for out in public. In real world usage the bass sounds more balanced to the mids and treble end more so than being overly forward. So the sound designers of the GF8S definitely field tested these to maximize sonics on the go.

One negative of the sonic quality is that since it is being amped at all times there is little if any headroom for the sonics meaning you can’t really tweak the sound to your liking more than what it is portraying. I suppose you can add a bit of EQ to shape the sound but it does sound like the sonics are being pushed to their limits in the sound presentation. However what is there is a good one and very immersive for what it is and that is what is amazing to me. These don't sound anything like what I thought a wireless earphone could sound like. They sound more like a fully realized wired set to my ears and with amplification on top of it. This was probably the reason why I stayed away from wireless earphones as I had this bias of them thinking there is no way the sound quality of such devices can be as good as my wired sets.

The Geekfly GF8S has proven to me that I was completely wrong. I know this is a company you may not have heard but for me, its strong signal, ease of use, ample battery life, and most of all it’s outstanding dynamic full bored sound makes them a good deal at their asking price. These are literally the perfect companion to cell phones especially if you enjoy a punchy full sound when listening or watching media on your phones. If these had ANC it would have been even better but I do believe they made up for it by implementing an amplified sound for on the go. Geekfly may not be a household name and these seem to be their first wireless offering. These are worth considering as they sound stupendously musical and full bodied for on the go and I couldn't ask for a better sounding unit for when I am out and about. Thanks for reading and as always happy listening.