[Narayan23]

I was trying not to be seduced by the dark side of the hype but today the right driver on my Smabat NCO has died (second time this happens in four months which annoys me since I really liked them) so the hype and I embraced each other and I´m excited for the GK10 to arrive! I´ll be following the thread and reading your opinions with interest in the meantime.

 

[F700]

Stood up this morning, read a few pages of this thread, took a shower, left the house, grabbed a coffee, went to the station and bought a ticket for…

 

[ian91]

Stood up this morning, read a few pages of this thread, took a shower, left the house, grabbed a coffee, went to the station and bought a ticket for…

Yes, my man! Following your bandcamp I just know they will sit nicely in your collection.

 

[F700]

Yes, my man! Following your bandcamp I just know they will sit nicely in your collection.

You are not helping calming down my impatience of getting a new toy hehehe, but thanks for that amigo

 

[ian91]

You are not helping calming down my impatience of getting a new toy hehehe, but thanks for that amigo

Drop me a PM to catch up when you get them!

 

[F700]

Drop me a PM to catch up when you get them!

Will do. Ordered via Penon Audio, so the transaction is safe, never experienced any issue with them since years. The wait begins.

Regarding cables, I have the PAC480 at hand, but I also will try the Satin Audio Hyperion (silver), which is an all-time favorite in my book. Sources will be L&P W2 and Calyx M, two different sounding devices. Finally, the choice of tips will be very crucial as I read, but tips are always important.

It is nice getting hyped, especially in this price segment.

 

[ian91]

Will do. Ordered via Penon Audio, so the transaction is safe, never experienced any issue with them since years. The wait begins.

Regarding cables, I have the PAC480 at hand, but I also will try the Satin Audio Hyperion (silver), which is an all-time favorite in my book. Sources will be L&P W2 and Calyx M, two different sounding devices. Finally, the choice of tips will be very crucial as I read, but tips are always important.

It nice getting hyped, especially in this price segment.

You'll have plenty to experiment with then and tailor what's already a well tuned set of drivers OOTB.

I've landed on CP360 for tips for now. Fit nicely and allow for a deeper insertion which seems to compliment the sound signature in this case. Most sets I typically fit shallow but these sound better sitting deeper for some reason - obviously all very personal to ear anatomy and natural ear resonance etc.

 

[F700]

You'll have plenty to experiment with then and tailor what's already a well tuned set of drivers OOTB.

I've landed on CP360 for tips for now. Fit nicely and allow for a deeper insertion which seems to compliment the sound signature in this case. Most sets I typically fit shallow but these sound better sitting deeper for some reason - obviously all very personal to ear anatomy and natural resonance etc.

The stem seem to be long enough to allow a decent insertion in most ear canals. It's a good start. One of my favorite IEMs are the Ety ER2XR and the deep insertion does not bother me, on the contrary. Thanks to you and @Dsnuts for bringing the GK10 to my knowledge. It's late where I live, good night.

 

[ian91]

Tonights eclectic listen on the GK10....

Ry Cooder & V.M Bhatt - A Meeting by the River. A lovely lively bit of classical Indian with a touch of slide guitar.

​

Timbre of all instruments involved captured perfectly with staging and instrument separation keeping things multidimensional and spacious. I've told myself two days in a row now that I would give the GK10 a break, but I cannot put this thing down. It's an easy, non-fatiguing listen with plenty of detail and musicality. Bravo Geek Wold, bravo!

 

[activatorfly]

Timbre of all instruments involved captured perfectly with staging and instrument separation keeping things multidimensional and spacious. I've told myself two days in a row now that I would give the GK10 a break, but I cannot put this thing down. It's an easy, non-fatiguing listen with plenty of detail and musicality. Bravo Geek Wold, bravo!

I hear you bro....the most addictive iems ever!...literally can't stop listening to them...Musicality is the key imho & they seem to continually put a new spin on tracks - leaving you in a state of constant wonderment. Tbh, if I'd auditioned these in 2017 - they would've been my endgame.

 

[activatorfly]

For those of you using the reverse KZ Starline silicone tip mod with the GK10's...try snipping > 3mm off the length of the inner column - it improves the seal bigtime & expands the tip opening bore much wider = win win !!

 

[laleeee]

the sub bass is really rolled off, It's true ?

 

[FSTOP]

My set has arrived! and i've only had a bit of listening so far, but I can say the resolution on these is striking. Details are very good. What's funny is that i was certainly expecting a lot more mid-bass (not just from that obviously incorrect graph, but somehow expected them to be a lot more colored than they are) to the point that they seemed a bit thin-sounding, but I immediately assumed it was just the dynamic drivers needing some movement to break in (currently burning in now).

The imaging is quite good: not too wide or narrow, but just right and in my mind more accurate than some that seem too artificially spatial. The dynamics are great: The highs, especially above 8k, are presented really well. I'd dare say the the implementation of the piezo drivers are better here than on the LZ A7! I've always felt they had just a touch of grit or harshness in A7 (still a great set, but think it's presented even smoother in the GK10).

What others say about "tuning" is certainly true with this set. Many others have much more experience than I with listening/comparing higher-end IEMS, but as i design and build speaker systems, i do understand the mechanics of the whole design in the tuning process. Choosing multiple drivers that work well together, in the space along with air/porting, and particularly the crossover network to divide the Fq spectrum so well without glaring spikes, is an art.

These truly are tuned very well to achieve this level of balance--maintaining smoothness and at the same time keeping the level of resolution. There is no congestion and every instrument is presented very naturally to my ears (I also have training as a recording engineer). They are remarkably able to keep the balance and detail of a studio monitor along with a musical, dynamic, and fun presentation at the same time.

AND they do it for dirt cheap. Quite a feat.

One observation in comparison to a few other IEMS (including A7 and ThieAudio L3) is that the GK10 to me do NOT seem to be of the impedance stated, in fact they seem a bit less sensitive and require about 10% volume on all of my pots to get the same SPL as others, even ones spec-d to be higher impedance. So far I've used LG V60 (with quad dac on) and Note9, and Fiio BTR-5 (in high gain), and all need a bit more volume. That's not to say the GK10 needs a lot of power and doesn't sound well out of these devices, but i don't think they are as sensitive as stated, and can sound even better with some juice. (I'll try my DX160 with my 4.4mm Bal cable later). The noise floor is non-existent with NO hiss whatsoever for me.

Unfortunately, i ordered and wanted the blue color and my set is kind of a grayish brown, but frankly it looks just fine. The housing is even smaller than i thought it would be and they fit very well in my small-ish ears. Really think the shape, however odd, will still be a pretty universally good fit for most. As inexpensive as they are, I may just gamble and try to get another color!

And in a few more hours and days, I expect them to sound even better.

For under $50 (and I ordered them with a discount from Penon) this is just an astronomically great-sounding earphone.

 

[laleeee]

My set has arrived! and i've only had a bit of listening so far, but I can say the resolution on these is striking. Details are very good. What's funny is that i was certainly expecting a lot more mid-bass (not just from that obviously incorrect graph, but somehow expected them to be a lot more colored than they are) to the point that they seemed a bit thin-sounding, but I immediately assumed it was just the dynamic drivers needing some movement to break in (currently burning in now).

The imaging is quite good: not too wide or narrow, but just right and in my mind more accurate than some that seem too artificially spatial. The dynamics are great: The highs, especially above 8k, are presented really well. I'd dare say the the implementation of the piezo drivers are better here than on the LZ A7! I've always felt they had just a touch of grit or harshness in A7 (still a great set, but think it's presented even smoother in the GK10).

What others say about "tuning" is certainly true with this set. Many others have much more experience than I with listening/comparing higher-end IEMS, but as i design and build speaker systems, i do understand the mechanics of the whole design in the tuning process. Choosing multiple drivers that work well together, in the space along with air/porting, and particularly the crossover network to divide the Fq spectrum so well without glaring spikes, is an art.

These truly are tuned very well to achieve this level of balance--maintaining smoothness and at the same time keeping the level of resolution. There is no congestion and every instrument is presented very naturally to my ears (I also have training as a recording engineer). They are remarkably able to keep the balance and detail of a studio monitor along with a musical, dynamic, and fun presentation at the same time.

AND they do it for dirt cheap. Quite a feat.

One observation in comparison to a few other IEMS (including A7 and ThieAudio L3) is that the GK10 to me do NOT seem to be of the impedance stated, in fact they seem a bit less sensitive and require about 10% volume on all of my pots to get the same SPL as others, even ones spec-d to be higher impedance. So far I've used LG V60 (with quad dac on) and Note9, and Fiio BTR-5 (in high gain), and all need a bit more volume. That's not to say the GK10 needs a lot of power and doesn't sound well out of these devices, but i don't think they are as sensitive as stated, and can sound even better with some juice. (I'll try my DX160 with my 4.4mm Bal cable later). The noise floor is non-existent with NO hiss whatsoever for me.

Unfortunately, i ordered and wanted the blue color and my set is kind of a grayish brown, but frankly it looks just fine. The housing is even smaller than i thought it would be and they fit very well in my small-ish ears. Really think the shape, however odd, will still be a pretty universally good fit for most. As inexpensive as they are, I may just gamble and try to get another color!

And in a few more hours and days, I expect them to sound even better.

For $38 (ordered them with the discount from Penon) this is just an astronomically great-sounding earphone.

the

My set has arrived! and i've only had a bit of listening so far, but I can say the resolution on these is striking. Details are very good. What's funny is that i was certainly expecting a lot more mid-bass (not just from that obviously incorrect graph, but somehow expected them to be a lot more colored than they are) to the point that they seemed a bit thin-sounding, but I immediately assumed it was just the dynamic drivers needing some movement to break in (currently burning in now).

The imaging is quite good: not too wide or narrow, but just right and in my mind more accurate than some that seem too artificially spatial. The dynamics are great: The highs, especially above 8k, are presented really well. I'd dare say the the implementation of the piezo drivers are better here than on the LZ A7! I've always felt they had just a touch of grit or harshness in A7 (still a great set, but think it's presented even smoother in the GK10).

What others say about "tuning" is certainly true with this set. Many others have much more experience than I with listening/comparing higher-end IEMS, but as i design and build speaker systems, i do understand the mechanics of the whole design in the tuning process. Choosing multiple drivers that work well together, in the space along with air/porting, and particularly the crossover network to divide the Fq spectrum so well without glaring spikes, is an art.

These truly are tuned very well to achieve this level of balance--maintaining smoothness and at the same time keeping the level of resolution. There is no congestion and every instrument is presented very naturally to my ears (I also have training as a recording engineer). They are remarkably able to keep the balance and detail of a studio monitor along with a musical, dynamic, and fun presentation at the same time.

AND they do it for dirt cheap. Quite a feat.

One observation in comparison to a few other IEMS (including A7 and ThieAudio L3) is that the GK10 to me do NOT seem to be of the impedance stated, in fact they seem a bit less sensitive and require about 10% volume on all of my pots to get the same SPL as others, even ones spec-d to be higher impedance. So far I've used LG V60 (with quad dac on) and Note9, and Fiio BTR-5 (in high gain), and all need a bit more volume. That's not to say the GK10 needs a lot of power and doesn't sound well out of these devices, but i don't think they are as sensitive as stated, and can sound even better with some juice. (I'll try my DX160 with my 4.4mm Bal cable later). The noise floor is non-existent with NO hiss whatsoever for me.

Unfortunately, i ordered and wanted the blue color and my set is kind of a grayish brown, but frankly it looks just fine. The housing is even smaller than i thought it would be and they fit very well in my small-ish ears. Really think the shape, however odd, will still be a pretty universally good fit for most. As inexpensive as they are, I may just gamble and try to get another color!

And in a few more hours and days, I expect them to sound even better.

For $38 (ordered them with the discount from Penon) this is just an astronomically great-sounding earphone.

"this is just an astronomically great-sounding earphone"
.. with thin-sound and no sub and midbass ?

 

[Dsnuts]

the sub bass is really rolled off
It's true ?

Are you reading all the owner impressions here about the GK10? Are you seeing posts about how gimpy the bass end is? You read anything about a bass hump or a rolled off bass? Your not gonna believe the dozen or so real live testaments to how they sound, yet you want to believe some random graph. Your gonna believe that HBB graph too right? Seems you put way too much stock on random graphs more than actual testimony of real owners. Cus everyone is lying about how they sound right? Because nobody here knows what the heck they are talking about.

If the GK10 was severely gimped in any way. Don't you think out of all these guys that are leaving impressions of how they are hearing them, one person would mention how rolled off the bass is? So what is it. Too much mid bass and not enough sub bass? Sounds too thin? You reading any of that from all these impressions.

Someone point me to that impression, cus I haven't read it yet.