[laleeee]

Let's climb down from both extremes, hype and dismissal.

TL; dr : Exceptional for the price, especially if you tame the bass with EQ. But not by any means a rival for much more expensive IEMs.

I've given my Geek Wold GK10 30-40 hours of pink noise burn-in, though who knows if that has made any difference. I'm using the supplied cable (though I note that one of the 8 cores is broken, QC alert, though I don't hear any channel difference).

We're talking about a $46 IEM so I don't see the point of slapping on a cable that costs more than the IEM or playing back through a four-figure DAP.

I've run the GK10 from a MacBook Air through the Schiit Magni 3, also toying with EQmac, and I have run them from the A&K AK 70. I'm using some no-name large soft silicones, which give me the only good fit for my large ears, but they are supremely comfortable with those.

tgx78 had a major point here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/geek-wold-discussion-gk10.958787/page-62#post-16503799

"Anything large orchestral, I am defaulted to hear Cello section doing their own solos." That range IS boosted, no doubt about it, especially in the Mozart recording that tgx78 cited. Without EQ the GK10 are going to skew orchestral music.

But I have to disagree with the rest of tgx78's post. To me, the bass is boosted pretty cleanly, and there's pitch, not just thud, in bass and bass drum. The mid-bass doesn't slop into the lower mids much, if at all, and it's certainly not interfering with female voices or higher transients, which sound good to me. Metallic treble? No, not for me, at all.

In the Band's "Up on Cripple Creek," you can hear the boost in the bass and bass drums, but the clavinet quacking away up above is nice and clear:


Still, no question, the GK10 does shift the mix downward. I have the feeling a bass player would love it. It can be flattering in bass-defined music like Joy Orbison's "Better," without occluding that detailed, breathy female vocal or that little clinking sound up above.


And with a little EQ on the GK10, pushing down around 64Hz, the bass bump lessens without ill effects elsewhere. Up and down the spectrum, things sound realistic, pretty special for sub-$50 IEMs.

But I've also compared the GK10 to two other sets I have. Let's not get carried away with the giant-killer aspirations.

One is the Sennheiser IE300, which is more than 6x the price of the GK10. It's another basshead set, even more pumped up in the lows; when I EQ them, I roll off more bass. But un-EQed, alongside the un-EQed GK100, the Senn IE300 are undeniably more spacious and give each sound more depth. The lows are definitely boosted unrealistically, but they are a little more defined. Six times better? Hmmm.

Since the GK10 has all those drivers, I also A-B'ed it with my TRI I3, a tribrid with a planar treble. (Whoa, they seem to have vanished at Ali, replaced by a TRI I3 Pro for $189! No idea what those sound like.)

I use the TRI I3 with fat foamies, again the only things that fit me, and even with those the TRI I3 has less (but present) bass, which is likely more accurate to the original mix. And once again, there's considerably more instrument separation.

I'd say the GK10 more than lives up to realistic expectations. But over-praising them doesn't help anyone.

Can you give me a link for the 'no-name large soft silicones' ?

 

[Barndoor]

Let's climb down from both extremes, hype and dismissal.

TL; dr : Exceptional for the price, especially if you tame the bass with EQ. But not by any means a rival for much more expensive IEMs.

I've given my Geek Wold GK10 30-40 hours of pink noise burn-in, though who knows if that has made any difference. I'm using the supplied cable (though I note that one of the 8 cores is broken, QC alert, though I don't hear any channel difference).

We're talking about a $46 IEM so I don't see the point of slapping on a cable that costs more than the IEM or playing back through a four-figure DAP.

I've run the GK10 from a MacBook Air through the Schiit Magni 3, also toying with EQmac, and I have run them from the A&K AK 70. I'm using some no-name large soft silicones, which give me the only good fit for my large ears, but they are supremely comfortable with those.

tgx78 had a major point here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/geek-wold-discussion-gk10.958787/page-62#post-16503799

"Anything large orchestral, I am defaulted to hear Cello section doing their own solos." That range IS boosted, no doubt about it, especially in the Mozart recording that tgx78 cited. Without EQ the GK10 are going to skew orchestral music.

But I have to disagree with the rest of tgx78's post. To me, the bass is boosted pretty cleanly, and there's pitch, not just thud, in bass and bass drum. The mid-bass doesn't slop into the lower mids much, if at all, and it's certainly not interfering with female voices or higher transients, which sound good to me. Metallic treble? No, not for me, at all.

In the Band's "Up on Cripple Creek," you can hear the boost in the bass and bass drums, but the clavinet quacking away up above is nice and clear:


Still, no question, the GK10 does shift the mix downward. I have the feeling a bass player would love it. It can be flattering in bass-defined music like Joy Orbison's "Better," without occluding that detailed, breathy female vocal or that little clinking sound up above.


And with a little EQ on the GK10, pushing down around 64Hz, the bass bump lessens without ill effects elsewhere. Up and down the spectrum, things sound realistic, pretty special for sub-$50 IEMs.

But I've also compared the GK10 to two other sets I have. Let's not get carried away with the giant-killer aspirations.

One is the Sennheiser IE300, which is more than 6x the price of the GK10. It's another basshead set, even more pumped up in the lows; when I EQ them, I roll off more bass. But un-EQed, alongside the un-EQed GK100, the Senn IE300 are undeniably more spacious and give each sound more depth. The lows are definitely boosted unrealistically, but they are a little more defined. Six times better? Hmmm.

Since the GK10 has all those drivers, I also A-B'ed it with my TRI I3, a tribrid with a planar treble. (Whoa, they seem to have vanished at Ali, replaced by a TRI I3 Pro for $189! No idea what those sound like.)

I use the TRI I3 with fat foamies, again the only things that fit me, and even with those the TRI I3 has less (but present) bass, which is likely more accurate to the original mix. And once again, there's considerably more instrument separation.

I'd say the GK10 more than lives up to realistic expectations. But over-praising them doesn't help anyone.

In my opinion these things are so source dependant that there is always going to be extreme views.

Get the right synergy and these do out perform their price.

Get the wrong match and the mid bass is over blown, mids sounds unnatural and generally it sounds underwhelming.

Luckily an impedance adaptor solved the synergy issues for me.

I had one from my Etymotic ER4. Penon sell them for $8 (I'm sure they can be bought elsewhere as well). I've not tried this one but maybe worth trying?

 

[F700]

Following my initial post #920, I spent the day with the GK10, the L&P W2 and an iPhone. Tidal and Bandcamp as partners.

The GK10 definitely appreciates the L&P W2 when it comes to modern music styles and classic pop/rock. My Calyx M most likely is a bit too warm for the GK10, or the other way around. Through the W2, I get a wider stage and a slightly better separation, bass is tighter and a bit faster, but nothing we could define as a real improvement. We can debate about synergy, but I tend to think that a neutral dongle or DAP will give the GK10 better justice than a warmer source.

My impressions about the GK10 remain more or less the same as the ones from last Thursday, but I am enjoying this set. Satisfied listener here, eventhough the whole bass presentation could have been better tuned imo.

Non-sound related, I am surprised about the wearing comfort. Sure, one has to find the cable and tips that allow this comfort, but the shells should be compatible with most of ears morphology.

Maybe a paradox based on my previous statement about the bass tuning, but tonight I am on Electronic modus and those tracks sound good through the GK10:

 

[bhazard]

Or you could have destroyed one of the two DDs? The graphs are quite consistent on the bass ramp to +10dB at 100hz.

Until we know the layout of the drivers, I'd not risk poking the vent

No. There would be gaps in the sound, distortion, mismatch. It's all there.. any EDM bassline has all the impact and detail still, but doesn't need a cut anymore.
I don't think they were supposed to sound like they needed a ~10dB cut. There's a noticeable difference for the better post poke.
I won't know for sure unless I get a second pair without issues to compare.

 

[earmonger]

Can you give me a link for the 'no-name large soft silicones' ?

Sorry, I have no idea what they are. I think they came with the bogus black Sony MH755 I got from Ali, but I'm not sure.

BYEYZ https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33006740230.html and Tennmak https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32808506339.html both have 14mm silicones on Ali (and Tennmak is on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0823Q8HK8 ) that work on a lot of my IEMs, but didn't seal for the GK10. YMMV

 

[Nimweth]

I have posted this message in the discovery thread as well but reproduce it here:
Some may have seen my thoughts on the GK10. I was ambivalent about them. I have just stuck a pin into the vent beside the connector and at first it would not go in. I forced it in and now the vents are clear. The transformation in the sound was very noticeable. There is far more life in the sound now and the high frequencies are clear. If you are disappointed with the GK10 I urge you to try this, it certainly worked for me and now I am beginning to appreciate the potential of this IEM.

 

[dharmasteve]

I have posted this message in the discovery thread as well but reproduce it here:
Some may have seen my thoughts on equencies the GK10. I was ambivalent about them. I have just stuck a pin into the vent beside the connector and at first it would not go in. I forced it in and now the vents are clear. The transformation in the sound was very noticeable. There is far more life in the sound now and the high frequencies are clear. If you are disappointed with the GK10 I urge you to try this, it certainly worked for me and now I am beginning to appreciate the potential of this IEM.

I hope Geek take notice of what you have said. It is plain wrong for an IEM manufacturer to have such a negligent problem. As quickly as Geek build a reputation they will lose it. It's clear to me that lots of head-fiers have got poorly made sets. Reviews are already showing that many find the sound poor when in fact a properly made and QC'd set sounds exceptionally good.

 

[ian91]

I have posted this message in the discovery thread as well but reproduce it here:
Some may have seen my thoughts on equencies the GK10. I was ambivalent about them. I have just stuck a pin into the vent beside the connector and at first it would not go in. I forced it in and now the vents are clear. The transformation in the sound was very noticeable. There is far more life in the sound now and the high frequencies are clear. If you are disappointed with the GK10 I urge you to try this, it certainly worked for me and now I am beginning to appreciate the potential of this IEM.

So, in response to this and feeling like living life on the edge today (despite being happy with my GK10) I thought I would explore these vent holes a bit further...

The vent holes on the concha facing side were partially open on closer inspection, half covered within by a dark plastic. The vents near the connectors were almost fully blocked but I couldn't ascertain by what.

I carefully pierced both concha-facing vents so that a needle could pass without resistance (ensuring not to go too deep), where before there would be some slight resistance and maneuvering required to pass through.

I could hear a loss of bass impact and quantity, the sound was very thin. I then went to vents near the connectors and pierced both and the sound became more shrill, with the uppermids / lower treble now even more emphasised. I had to switch to a deeper and narrower bore (CP155) from the shallow TWS tip (CP360) I was using previously. Despite this the sound was still thin and not as balanced as before.

There was no channel imbalance with these changes or perceived loss of range. I just wasn't happy with this sound at all. Most of the magic had gone, the bass wasn't as expressive and everything had lost body. It was anaemic and shrill at the same time.

I've now covered both the concha-facing vents and those near the connectors with Clinipore (a porous/breathable medical tape) which has returned a tasteful amount of the bass impact and quantity.

It's subtle but I think I've arrived at a middle ground of sorts. The midrange and treble sounds more open and the bass better defined.

I'm still not confident whatever is obstructing the vents (partially or fully) is there by chance. It certainly alters the tuning when these are removed, and to my ear not for the better.

P.S. I probably wouldn't recommend playing with the vents if you're happy with the GK10. Its hard to tell what you're poking and the changes will either be destructive or plain unpredictable.

 

[SomeEntityThing]

I have posted this message in the discovery thread as well but reproduce it here:
Some may have seen my thoughts on equencies the GK10. I was ambivalent about them. I have just stuck a pin into the vent beside the connector and at first it would not go in. I forced it in and now the vents are clear. The transformation in the sound was very noticeable. There is far more life in the sound now and the high frequencies are clear. If you are disappointed with the GK10 I urge you to try this, it certainly worked for me and now I am beginning to appreciate the potential of this IEM.

Thank you for sharing! I see two holes - just to be sure, are you referring to this one:

Or this one?

 

[illumidata]

Looks like there's a lot of solder being used right next to the top bass vents that could easily be randomly blocking or partially blocking them. This one looks partially blocked.

If you're going to poke I'd suggest that's the place to start.
The vent on the inner face of the shell is most likely deliberately blocked by a one way pressure relief valve like this one (KBear Robin, but I've seen them on other sets) - given @ian91 's experience I'd leave it alone, I suspect it's only meant to open when there's significant air pressure from insertion - all conjecture of course, though I did check both my bass vents next to the connector, didn't feel any resistance before the pin hit the edges of the vent and stopped going deeper

 

[Nimweth]

Thank you for sharing! I see two holes - just to be sure, are you referring to this one:



Or this one?

The first one.

 

[Nimweth]

So, in response to this and feeling like living life on the edge today (despite being happy with my GK10) I thought I would explore these vent holes a bit further...

The vent holes on the concha facing side were partially open on closer inspection, half covered within by a dark plastic. The vents near the connectors were almost fully blocked but I couldn't ascertain by what.

I carefully pierced both concha-facing vents so that a needle could pass without resistance (ensuring not to go too deep), where before there would be some slight resistance and maneuvering required to pass through.

I could hear a loss of bass impact and quantity, the sound was very thin. I then went to vents near the connectors and pierced both and the sound became more shrill, with the uppermids / lower treble now even more emphasised. I had to switch to a deeper and narrower bore (CP155) from the shallow TWS tip (CP360) I was using previously. Despite this the sound was still thin and not as balanced as before.

There was no channel imbalance with these changes or perceived loss of range. I just wasn't happy with this sound at all. Most of the magic had gone, the bass wasn't as expressive and everything had lost body. It was anaemic and shrill at the same time.

I've now covered both the concha-facing vents and those near the connectors with Clinipore (a porous/breathable medical tape) which has returned a tasteful amount of the bass impact and quantity.

It's subtle but I think I've arrived at a middle ground of sorts. The midrange and treble sounds more open and the bass better defined.



I'm still not confident whatever is obstructing the vents (partially or fully) is there by chance. It certainly alters the tuning when these are removed, and to my ear not for the better.

P.S. I probably wouldn't recommend playing with the vents if you're happy with the GK10. Its hard to tell what you're poking and the changes will either be destructive or plain unpredictable.

I also noticed a reduction in the bass (mid bass especially) after clearing the vents but this to me was a good thing as before the bass was somewhat ponderous and ill defined. Now with a change of tips the sub bass is there and the mid bass is flatter, transitioning into the mids more evenly. The biggest change, strangely, is in the treble. The piezo drivers are now singing! Soundstage and imaging are much better and clearer.

 

[ian91]

I also noticed a reduction in the bass (mid bass especially) after clearing the vents but this to me was a good thing as before the bass was somewhat ponderous and ill defined. Now with a change of tips the sub bass is there and the mid bass is flatter, transitioning into the mids more evenly. The biggest change, strangely, is in the treble. The piezo drivers are now singing! Soundstage and imaging are much better and clearer.

As long as you've got something more in line with what you prefer, happy days!

 

[FSTOP]

Looks like there's a lot of solder being used right next to the top bass vents that could easily be randomly blocking or partially blocking them. This one looks partially blocked.

If you're going to poke I'd suggest that's the place to start.
The vent on the inner face of the shell is most likely deliberately blocked by a one way pressure relief valve like this one (KBear Robin, but I've seen them on other sets) - given @ian91 's experience I'd leave it alone, I suspect it's only meant to open when there's significant air pressure from insertion - all conjecture of course, though I did check both my bass vents next to the connector, didn't feel any resistance before the pin hit the edges of the vent and stopped going deeper

Illumidata,
Is this the original sealant (the glue around the perimeter) for the seam halves? Is it solder or this sealant obstructing the hole? Looking at mine now and that hole on the outer portion of shell (beside the 2pin connector) is basically right in the seam. That sealant, especially if it's a foaming-type, could have such varied effects (in production) on the tuning vent if it's in that port area.

 

[illumidata]

Illumidata,
Is this the original sealant (the glue around the perimeter) for the seam halves? Is it solder or this sealant obstructing the hole? Looking at mine now and that hole on the outer portion of shell (beside the 2pin connector) is basically right in the seam. That sealant, especially if it's a foaming-type, could have such varied effects (in production) on the tuning vent if it's in that port area.

My guess is it’s solder based on the colour, and the sealant is the yellow stuff with air bubbles round the rest of the shell seam, though it could all be sealant I suppose. Either way there’s no telling how it’s actually meant to be assembled!