RikudouGoku
Member of the Trade: RikuBuds
(GD3A > Bravery)
GS Audio Impressions Thread
raymanh
100+ Head-Fier
Are the GD3A's easy to drive? Looking for an IEM to use straight from my phone's or macbook's 3.5mm.
Very easy to drive. Runs very well straight off my Samsung Galaxy Note 9, which doesn't have a particularly high-end DAC/amp combo inside. I think Apple still uses Cirrus Logic brand DAC/amp modules, so you might get slightly better SQ off that than anticipated. They also seem to scale pretty well on better sources, so upgrading your source in the future will give you even better performance.
Edit: Much like the TRI Starsea, the DD in the GD3A likes current, so if you can adjust the output volume of the DAC/Amp independently of the source volume (I've dropped the volume from my PC's USB audio output to 40% and raised the high-gain single-ended output of my HiBy R3 Pro Saber to 65%) I'd go that route with future upgrades. I've found it helps to balance treble and bass performance as the DD seems to scale more readily with current compared to the BA drivers.
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Can someone share their impressions on both the GD3A and GD3B?
raymanh
100+ Head-Fier
Thanks for the detailed reply. Could I ask what other IEMs are easy to drive that are $100-ish? I've heard the Moondrop Aria's are, but I'm quite interested in the Etymotic ER2XR for the passive noise isolation (although I assume the GD3A is also good for isolation since it's ventless).
Unfortunately, I don't have either of those sets. From the IEMs I have tried, though, the GS Audio ones are the most isolating. The GD3A are a bit less isolating than the GD5 or the GD7B, probably because they just have fewer components in the way. Regardless, once you start playing music on them at any volume over a whisper, the background world just disappears.
zest
100+ Head-Fier
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They're easier to drive than the Starfield, they should be easier to drive than the Aria.
Do you have an idea around which frequency is the treble spike on the GD5 bothering you?As promised @RumbleWeed
TL;DR: In reality, the GD3A is all you need. They've got bass, controlled mids, and very resolving treble that doesn't send an ice pick into my treble-sensitive ears. If you want your mids to be way more forward, get the GD5. Like their naming scheme might suggest, the GD5 is literally the tuning middle-ground between the GD3A and the GD7B.
Pictures first:
GD3A:
GD5:
And for comparison, my existing GD7B which are dressed like the SD3:
The full lineup:
Okay, so aesthetics before sound, because pictures are hard:
- The GD3A are a significantly richer shade of blue than I was expecting, and I tried my best to make sure that showed in the photographs, but my phone camera is being incredibly contrary about these things.
- The GD5 are practically impossible to photograph because of how much sparkle they have and how much color shift the polychromatic foil in their resin can undertake at even slight shifts in the angle of the lighting. I tried to capture that effect in the photos as well, since it can shift dramatically from green through yellow, orange, red-violet, violet, and then to a cobalt blue hue. It's a lot of color shift to take in and I can definitely say that the green-yellow tone is definitely not my preference, so glancing angles of light aren't my friend in regards to that.
- I opted to throw in my existing SD3-shelled GD7B to show how comparatively muted its purple color scheme is compared to these other sets. Still pretty, though, in my opinion.
First listening impressions, no burn-in, no tip rolling:
I showed the new bluetooth neckband I picked up off AliExpress in that final photograph because, well, it works surprisingly well. I can confirm that it is, in fact, capable of LDAC codec use, but my phone won't let it because it isn't broadcasting compatibility with it. I don't know why this is the case, but I'm just going to let it slide because APT-X is sufficient for the majority of my listening needs at the moment anyway. If you have a way to force it to use LDAC, the extra resolution is nice, and the range and battery life are actually pretty impressive, even when using LDAC. I'll have to check back in with the seller at some point to see if they can put me in touch with someone that can get me a firmware update or something to get it to more generally support LDAC.
- The GD3A sound wildly different to what I've grown accustomed to from my GD7B, mostly due to the fact that the bass and treble have been elevated and the mids recessed. It's not necessarily a bad thing, as songs sound quite nice. The mids are well balanced in their treble transition so that female and male vocals get about the same amount of gain. In my very brief listening I didn't notice that one sounded more forward or recessed than the other. Surprisingly enough, despite their considerable treble gain even over the GD5, I didn't find their treble to be all that problematic and I'm usually quite treble sensitive. I'll make sure to update on whether that continues to hold true while I burn them in, but they're very pleasant to listen to. Bass has significantly more gain than I was anticipating and the treble is very smooth yet resolving.
- The GD5 is basically the tuning middle-ground between the GD3A and the GD7B. Mids are more forward, but the added treble gain and extension provides a bit more air while the extra bass gain gives you more oomph when the songs call for it. I had been watching Youtube videos on my computer through my KEF iQ90 tower speakers when these sets arrived and when I put in the GD5 and switched audio outputs over my first thought was "Oh, these are basically my towers in IEM form." With additional listening, I do think the mid-treble needs a bit more time to break in, as some of the notes aren't quite as delicately handled as my KEFs can manage it, but, well, my KEFs cost something like $1400 new and are running off a receiver that was $900 when new, so yeah. For a $130 IEM to give me strong KEF vibes is quite impressive. My only complaint is that the little spike in the treble that shows in their graphs is audible to me, so it's most likely hitting on one of my natural harmonic peaks. I'll need to do some tip-rolling to try and help resolve this, but I'm quite impressed overall.
Edit: The tip-rolling odyssey has begun. The bass-boost tips from the Geek Wold GK10 were a failure at reducing the slightly hot treble. Swapped to foams, but the sound became too... ...enclosed sounding? Swapped for Sony Triple Comfort tips and they seem to be helping. I don't think they're the ideal solution, but they cut enough of the treble to be more than serviceable.
My guess is it's the 6kHz spike that the GD3A doesn't really have.
Probably why the GD3A didn't need alternate tips to be pleasant, but the GD5 really improved with some tip rolling. I put on some Sony Triple Comfort eartips and they seem to be doing the job at the moment. I do wish I had the GD5 customized with the metal nozzle, as it would have allowed me to use the DioFit eartips. Unfortunately, the flange on the resin nozzle is slightly too far down the stem and not prominent enough to work with their extremely shallow design. A shame, because they did actually work exceptionally well on them. Maybe at some point I'll try to find a way to modify the resin nozzle stem myself to make it more versatile, but I'm a bit concerned about snapping it during the process, so I'll just stick with what works for now. Just, yeah. It's worth the extra expense to get the metal nozzle if you want to be able to use the widest range of eartips during your tip rolling odyssey.
RikudouGoku
Member of the Trade: RikuBuds
Just ordered the ST1. 
and EU people FIY: they can do the PP method.
and EU people FIY: they can do the PP method.
RumbleWeed
500+ Head-Fier
Fantastic
can't wait to hear your impressions? Have you heard the Sony?, iv just put a deposit on UM MEST MK2 so i now want something to compliment it as a daily driver? Iv still got high hopes on the ST4? But I'm still thinking of staying safe and getting the GD3A with the SE12 Faceplate & Smoked Black Shell? You made me chuckle with the 100th question haha hopefully there answer you before the years out lol No jokes aside GS are very very good customer service which goes a loooooong way in my book, makes you feel better handing over your money when you know a company values it customer!
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RikudouGoku
Member of the Trade: RikuBuds
Will probably take a month for it (or more since it is a holiday now)....Fantastic
And no lol. I havent heard that just ear iem. I certainly do have a few other sony´s though.
RumbleWeed
500+ Head-Fier
Cool
did you get it customized or kept it stock? After your review & impressions and Mndless impressions of the GD3A I'm 99.9% gonna pick them? I'm just waiting for Tonytex impressions of the ST4? But from everything you two guys have said regarding the GD3A it seems perfect for a fun daily driver which also doesn't lack in technicalities. But as i keep saying i don't have a BA only iem so keeping my fingers crossed the ST4 is as good as i think it will be? But it will all come down to bass? If its bass light i will go with the GD3A but if it has a great low-end i will probably go with it?With all that said I'm still very curious about the GD3B? If it sounds like the 3A but with more bass & detail it could very well be the best of the bunch!?
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What would that PP method be?Just ordered the ST1.
and EU people FIY: they can do the PP method.
Just make sure to get the metal nozzle upgrade if you like tip rolling. It greatly improved tip compatibility. Ordering instructions have been updated on the first post in this thread.Cool
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