GS Audio GD11

Disclaimer: I bought this with a review discount around the time it was listed and the MSRP was a bit cheaper than it is at the time of this review. (Burn

Price: 241 usd (I paid 158 usd)

Specifications:

Driver: 1 DD + 10 BA

Sensitivity: 118DB SPL/MW

Impedance: 14 OHMS @1KHZ

Frequency Range: 20Hz-40kHz


Accessories:

Carry case

S/M/L wide bore silicone tips

Cleaning tool


Cable: An 8-core SPC cable measuring at 0.26 ohms. Plastic 2-pin connectors but metal divider and 3.5mm connector and has a working chin-slider. It works and don’t need a different cable.






Build: Entirely made out of resin and is huge, including the nozzle that has 4 sound bores. The nozzle doesn’t have a lip but it is a bit wider at the top so tips don’t fall off. It is unvented.

Fit: shape is good so it does fit me despite being huge, but still risky for people with smaller ears.

Comfort: Due to the unvented shell, there is pressure-build up similar to BA-only iems. So, if you are sensitive to that, you might find this uncomfortable and also if you got smaller ears due to the sheer size.

Isolation: Top tier due to the unvented shell.

Setup: Schiit Asgard 3 (low-gain, volume around 8 o´clock), AZLA Sedna short-light tips ML, stock cable 3.5mm

Lows: It is very tight and fast so it is clean but lacks texture and quantity (for me). Very flat but it is a little bit more sub-bass focused than mid-bass. Sounds more like a BA driver than a DD due to the speed/tightness but also the poor extension and rumble (This is the “best” aspect of the GD11, so brace yourself for the rest…).

Mid-bass: Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), bass speed and tightness are good although very low quantity, but it is still unclean because of the lack of treble. The (02:55-03:01) section with the chopper is very muddy and unclean.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), speed, texture and texture is decent but lacking quantity as well as overall unclean.

Sub-bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), extension is pretty poor as well as very little rumble. Punch quantity is also lacking but it is tight and fast with decent texture.

Will Sparks – Sick like that (03:08-03:22), lacking a lot of quantity and texture, but it is tight and fast.

Mids: male and female vocals are well balanced and neutral. But tonality is lacking warmth for the male vocals as well as brightness for the female vocals. BA timbre is present as well as it being overall unclean.

Female-vocals: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), vocal tonality lacks brightness as well as having BA timbre. Instrument tonality lacks clarity and warmth at the same while BA timbre is present. Vocals and instruments have poor separation and sounds like they are mixed together…

Yuki Hayashi – MightU (01:58-02:55), vocal lacks brightness and is unclean as well as having BA timbre. Instruments also lack brightness.

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), not shouty but unclean and lacking detail.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Crescent (02:07-02:26), not shouty but quite chaotic due to poor imaging and separation.

Male-vocals: Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (00:57-01:17), vocal tonality is decent, but lacks clarity and detail.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), muddy due to lack of treble and vocal tonality and timbre are quite poor.

Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), electric guitars aren’t sharp but they are quite dull and tonally off.

Deuce – America (03:03-03:16), not shouty but very chaotic due to poor imaging, separation and also lacking clarity/detail.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality and timbre is decent but lacking clarity and detail. Violin tonality lacks a lot of brightness, timbre is full of BA timbre, lacks detail and clarity as well as poor treble-extension.

Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), tonality and timbre are poor as well as unclean.

Soundstage: Width is average but depth is nothing special.

Tonality: Treble-rolled-neutral, with poor timbre (BA timbre present) and incoherent because of that.

Details: poor detail (micro and macro) due to how bad the treble is tuned.

Instrument Separation: Disaster, both separation and imaging are so bad it makes the vocal sound like it is combined with the instruments….

Songs that highlight the IEM: None…nothing to highlight here…

Good genres: None

Bad genres: My entire library…



Comparisons:

IEM: Blon BL-03 (mesh-mod), Radius deep mount tips L, cable B3 4.4mm

Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), extends a lot more and a ton more rumble. Punch quantity is a lot higher as well as more textured, but it is tighter and faster on the GD11. Tonally more correct on the 03.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), a lot more quantity and more textured on the 03 but tighter and faster on the GD11. It is however quite unnatural sounding on the GD11 due to poor timbre.

Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), bass is cleaner on the GD11 due to it being faster and tighter, but overall, it is actually cleaner and more tonally correct on the 03 due to the lack of treble on the GD11.

Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), vocals are a bit more forward on the GD11 but the tonality is very unnatural and timbre is poor on it (same with the instruments).

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), more relaxing and fatigue free on the 03.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), a lot more natural on the 03 due to the tonality and timbre being leagues ahead of the GD11.

Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), electric guitars aren’t sharp on either of them but tonality and timbre are very unnatural on the GD11.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello and Violins on the 03 is better than the GD11 in every aspect.

Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), tonality and timbre are a lot better on the 03 as well as cleaner.

Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), soundstage is wider on the GD11 but deeper on the 03. Detail, imaging and instrument separation are better on the 03 while timbre on it is leagues ahead of the GD11.

Overall: Forget about the GD11 and just get the 03…



IEM: GS Audio GD3A, Elecom EHP-CAP20 tips L, cable A6 4.4mm

Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), a lot lower extension as well as more rumble on the GD3A. Punch quantity is also higher and more textured while speed and tightness are similar. Tonality is a lot better on the GD3A as well as more natural timbre.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), lower bass quantity on the GD11 but still a lot more unclean due to the lack of treble. Tonality is a lot better on the GD3A.

Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), a lot cleaner and detailed on the GD3A as well as more tonally correct.

Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), vocals are more forward on the GD11 but timbre, tonality, detail and clarity are all leagues ahead on the GD3A (both vocal and instruments).

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), a bit more fatiguing on the GD3A due to brighter vocals.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), Vocal and instrument tonality, timbre, detail and clarity are a lot better on the GD3A.

Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), electric guitars are sharper on the GD3A but a lot more tonally correct as well as more natural timbre.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello and Violins on the GD3A is better than the GD11 in every aspect.

Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), tonality and timbre are a lot better on the GD3A as well as cleaner.

Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), soundstage is both wider and a lot deeper on the GD3A as well being holographic. Detail, imaging and instrument separation are leagues ahead on the GD3A. Timbre and overall coherency on the GD3A is leagues ahead of the GD11.

Overall: Forget about the GD11 and just get the GD3A…


Possible Fix? There is, and it is using PEQ.

Here is the preset:

Preamp: -10db

High-shelf: 2000hz, Q: 0.7, gain: 7.5db

High-shelf: 7000hz, Q: 1, gain: 2.5db

High-shelf: 10 000hz, Q: 0.6, gain: -5db

Peak: 4300hz, Q: 3, gain: -3db

Peak: 5500hz, Q: 3, gain: -1.5db

Peak: 6700hz, Q: 3, gain: -1.5db

Pick one of these 2:

Low-shelf: 150hz, Q:0.6, gain: 2.5db (neutral tuning)

Low-shelf: 80hz, Q:0.6, gain: 7db (bass-boosted neutral tuning)

Conclusion: NOT RECOMMENDED, even with PEQ it just isn’t worth it with the competition in the market right now…Thanks for reading.

Graph:

Cable source:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...zTm4ei7HEfP8AI1zxswrMw2ho/edit#gid=1801072063

Reference/test songs: