[ian91]

Are you using any particular tips? The highs are very pronounced and piercing with stock tips and a graphene cable for me. One of the few sets I need to EQ down treble.

I've been using Symbio W and Whizzer soundstage tips but I can imagine they would be too wide bore if you're finding the treble piercing. I would definitely recommend giving Final E black silicone tips a try or Moondrop Spring tips, both should slightly curtail highs (E's more so than Spring tips). CP145 is another option to soften the highs.

What tips have you been using so far?

 

[ian91]

Totem x GK80...overkill? Probably. Pairs nicely though!

 

[1clearhead]

Totem x GK80...overkill? Probably. Pairs nicely though!

It looks like the GK80 in a nice Tux. Looks good!

-Clear

 

[gmdb]

Due to a busy schedule I haven't had as much time to listen to the GK80 as I would have liked. I'd still like to get even more hours on it to be sure it's fully burnt in.

That said it's proving to be a very revealing IEM with good balance and excellent transparency. There does seem to be a pick-up in the mid-range compared to the GK10 and overall a greater sense of clarity. The bass end is also very clean and hits deep, and there is a good sense of space. But I'm finding so far that the GK80 doesn't quite have the rich timbre in the lower mid-range to bass end that the GK10 has and so doesn't quite have the big openness down low.

Some initial comments on the GK10 were about bass bleed into the mid-range. This was notable during the burn-in period but really settled after around 20 hours. I haven't heard any bass bleed into the mid-range with the GK80. It seems that the Geek Wold guys may have re-tuned this aspect to reduce bleed and possibly went just a bit too far in the tuning and maybe lost some richness. A consequence of changing the drivers from 2 x DD to a single DD perhaps? .

The worse bass bleed I've ever encountered was the QoA Vesper. For the first 5-10 hours I found it very difficult to listen to. It was simply dull with no sense of space or musicality. Now it is a very nice sounding IEM indeed with a wonderful tonal quality. The GK10 out of the box was nowhere near as bad as the Vesper.

None of this is meant to be conclusive on my part; just thoughts so far in comparing GK10 to GK80.

 

[ian91]

Due to a busy schedule I haven't had as much time to listen to the GK80 as I would have liked. I'd still like to get even more hours on it to be sure it's fully burnt in.

That said it's proving to be a very revealing IEM with good balance and excellent transparency. There does seem to be a pick-up in the mid-range compared to the GK10 and overall a greater sense of clarity. The bass end is also very clean and hits deep, and there is a good sense of space. But I'm finding so far that the GK80 doesn't quite have the rich timbre in the lower mid-range to bass end that the GK10 has and so doesn't quite have the big openness down low.

Some initial comments on the GK10 were about bass bleed into the mid-range. This was notable during the burn-in period but really settled after around 20 hours. I haven't heard any bass bleed into the mid-range with the GK80. It seems that the Geek Wold guys may have re-tuned this aspect to reduce bleed and possibly went just a bit too far in the tuning and maybe lost some richness. A consequence of changing the drivers from 2 x DD to a single DD perhaps? .

The worse bass bleed I've ever encountered was the QoA Vesper. For the first 5-10 hours I found it very difficult to listen to. It was simply dull with no sense of space or musicality. Now it is a very nice sounding IEM indeed with a wonderful tonal quality. The GK10 out of the box was nowhere near as bad as the Vesper.

None of this is meant to be conclusive on my part; just thoughts so far in comparing GK10 to GK80.

Interesting to hear your thoughts. I would echo your observations on all counts. I think we may find that rather than vast tuning differences in the low-mid section it is just the inherent characteristics of the DD they have chosen and how it performs compared to the two DDs. My impression is that the bass has tightened in its attack and decay creating a better dynamism than the GK10 and less overt bleed. The greater subbass presence helps to provide more body but it has lost some of the texture and natural timbre of the previous iteration. I still think, comparatively, the GK80 is an improvement over its predecessor, mostly for the tuning of the mids.

 

[bhazard]

Replacing the stock tips does wonders. Spiral Dots have removed some of the harsh treble I was getting. GK80 is definitely improved over the GK10, but some EQ adjustments are still needed.

 

[superfou]

Just got my gk80s tonight and imaging is pulling to the left and overly bassy. I replaced it with the left side from my gk10s and it sounds pretty normal so I'm assuming it's something like what was happening with the first batch QC.

 

[Nimweth]

I have just been listening to this, on the GK10. Amazing detail, separation and imaging. Uplifting music which really cheered me up this morning!

 

[SpaceOperaVillain]

My GK80 have been held up at customs due to VAT payment. I assumed Penon had charged extra for it, similar to AliExpress but no .... *sigh* Inattentiveness on my part. Probably another week of waiting! From the reviews coming in these look to be a worthy upgrade but I'm also still quite enjoying the GK10 which are aging well like a pair of favorite Sunday loafers. Looking forward to getting these in.

 

[ZAXon 7]

My GK80 have been held up at customs due to VAT payment. I assumed Penon had charged extra for it, similar to AliExpress but no .... *sigh* Inattentiveness on my part. Probably another week of waiting! From the reviews coming in these look to be a worthy upgrade but I'm also still quite enjoying the GK10 which are aging well like a pair of favorite Sunday loafers. Looking forward to getting these in.

same story for VAT in italy, even for the gk10 sadly.

GK10 and GK80 are a quite different listening experience, GK80 is less 'impactful' but more clear and definite, i'm not yet as comfortable as with the GK10 but the process is still going on.

 

[activatorfly]

same story for VAT in italy, even for the gk10 sadly.

GK10 and GK80 are a quite different listening experience, GK80 is less 'impactful' but more clear and definite, i'm not yet as comfortable as with the GK10 but the process is still going on.

Still enjoying both sets of GK10 tbh....

 

[Penon]

Geek Wold GK80 with Mic version is available now , it is18ohm and suits for mobile phone.​

https://penonaudio.com/geek-wold-gk80.html

 

[Mr.HiAudio]

Oreded new GK80 18 Ohms version

 

[Dsnuts]

Ya I will get a set soon as well. Will see how these perform vs the standard GK80. Folks should finally hear the GK80 in its full form.

 

[Mr.HiAudio]

that's for sure, especially after I wrote to them, I hope they did some tuning that I wanted, it will probably be some collab me+GW