[RumbleWeed]

This is true. The DD in my GD7B doesn't slam quite as hard as I would like, but maybe venting the shell will have some affect on this attribute. Still, I'd rather have more bass than not even if it doesn't have quite the visceral impact as some of the high-excursion drivers can provide. I would be very interested to see if they could source such a driver for a bass-focused set.

I'm a massive bass lover also but absaloutly love my Sonion EST Driver's to cut through that bass and put some space round the instruments! The first time i come across GS Audio on AliExpress i noticed how cheap their SE5 EST Monitor was! So the very first thing i done was contact GS Audio to see if it was bass heavy and they said the SD9,ST10 & SE12 were their heavy hitter's but maybe not quite basshead level! What i did not know at the time was they had changed the tunings for their entire EST monitor range! This was done after many people on here & elsewhere had commented that they were far to V shaped and extremely unbalanced. If you check the first page on this thread and scroll to the bottom they still have the old graphs. Its a shame really because I'm pretty sure the SE5 could have been a great mid-tier basshead mobitor? They could have changed the SE8,SE11 & SE12 for a more Audiophile Balanced Monitor and kept the SE5 for a more bass oriented monitor! Variaties the spice of life hey lol
Anyway, i still wanted a basshead Tribrid with exellent technicalities but after some research and some great advice from people here it became obvious that it will be hard to get this without spending 1 or 2k which i don't have! So i decided to buy the Empire Ears Bravado mk2 for my Basshead needs and pick up a seperate monitor with much better Technicalities for vocals,ballads,Live,Pop ect..and that's what I'm gonna get from GS Audio, once iv made up my bloody mind which one lol
I would REALLY love to hear your comparison between the GD3A & GD5? Iv narrowed it down to those 2 and the ST4 so your opinion would be a great help? There are a couple of reasons I'm leaning towards the ST4 though?
1st i have not got a full BA Monitor and 2nd due to loving my bass the ST4 has the Sonion 38 seies AquPass Vented Woofer BA and the Kbowels 22955 BA, these are some of the best BA's for Bass available which are in some of the best monitors on the market! The 22955 is in the Audiosense DT200 and lots of reviewers say it acts like a Dynamic! Add to this two 23 Series Sonion BA's for Mid & High Frequencies and the GS ST4 looks amazing? on paper at least anyway!

 

[mndless]

I'm a massive bass lover also but absaloutly love my Sonion EST Driver's to cut through that bass and put some space round the instruments! The first time i come across GS Audio on AliExpress i noticed how cheap their SE5 EST Monitor was! So the very first thing i done was contact GS Audio to see if it was bass heavy and they said the SD9,ST10 & SE12 were their heavy hitter's but maybe not quite basshead level! What i did not know at the time was they had changed the tunings for their entire EST monitor range! This was done after many people on here & elsewhere had commented that they were far to V shaped and extremely unbalanced. If you check the first page on this thread and scroll to the bottom they still have the old graphs. Its a shame really because I'm pretty sure the SE5 could have been a great mid-tier basshead mobitor? They could have changed the SE8,SE11 & SE12 for a more Audiophile Balanced Monitor and kept the SE5 for a more bass oriented monitor! Variaties the spice of life hey lol
Anyway, i still wanted a basshead Tribrid with exellent technicalities but after some research and some great advice from people here it became obvious that it will be hard to get this without spending 1 or 2k which i don't have! So i decided to buy the Empire Ears Bravado mk2 for my Basshead needs and pick up a seperate monitor with much better Technicalities for vocals,ballads,Live,Pop ect..and that's what I'm gonna get from GS Audio, once iv made up my bloody mind which one lol
I would REALLY love to hear your comparison between the GD3A & GD5? Iv narrowed it down to those 2 and the ST4 so your opinion would be a great help? There are a couple of reasons I'm leaning towards the ST4 though?
1st i have not got a full BA Monitor and 2nd due to loving my bass the ST4 has the Sonion 38 seies AquPass Vented Woofer BA and the Kbowels 22955 BA, these are some of the best BA's for Bass available which are in some of the best monitors on the market! The 22955 is in the Audiosense DT200 and lots of reviewers say it acts like a Dynamic! Add to this two 23 Series Sonion BA's for Mid & High Frequencies and the GS ST4 looks amazing? on paper at least anyway!

My order is still in the quagmire of the customs handling procedures. Once they come in, I'll give out-of-box first impressions with pics, then let them burn for a bit before I give my final opinion on them. I found that the GD7B did improve in bass response with several hours of burn-in, but they definitely don't need that much. Nothing like the people who say that certain driver types need a hundred or more hours to burn-in. I'll let you know if I notice any changes post burn-in.

 

[RumbleWeed]

My order is still in the quagmire of the customs handling procedures. Once they come in, I'll give out-of-box first impressions with pics, then let them burn for a bit before I give my final opinion on them. I found that the GD7B did improve in bass response with several hours of burn-in, but they definitely don't need that much. Nothing like the people who say that certain driver types need a hundred or more hours to burn-in. I'll let you know if I notice any changes post burn-in.

That would be fantastic thank you I'm positive I'm gonna get either the GD3A/C, GD5 or ST4 so your first impression and photos will be a great hekp. They Australian guy on YouTube says the GD5 are a grown up GD3A! He goes on to say they are just 2-3 steps up in every aspect with the same sound Sig but a touch warmer. Actually no he said the GD3A could be a touch colder in the midrange compared to the GD5! But as good as this is its only one review and i would be much happier getting some more impressions before i pull the trigger on a certain model only to learn a week later another model is better and also cheaper! Again the guy on YouTube has the SD5,GD7B,SD3 and he says the GD3A is the best and its the cheapest of the bunch!
Really looking forward to you impressions & photos? Take it ez dude chat soon

 

[mndless]

That would be fantastic thank you I'm positive I'm gonna get either the GD3A/C, GD5 or ST4 so your first impression and photos will be a great hekp. They Australian guy on YouTube says the GD5 are a grown up GD3A! He goes on to say they are just 2-3 steps up in every aspect with the same sound Sig but a touch warmer. Actually no he said the GD3A could be a touch colder in the midrange compared to the GD5! But as good as this is its only one review and i would be much happier getting some more impressions before i pull the trigger on a certain model only to learn a week later another model is better and also cheaper! Again the guy on YouTube has the SD5,GD7B,SD3 and he says the GD3A is the best and its the cheapest of the bunch!
Really looking forward to you impressions & photos? Take it ez dude chat soon

Yep. I got the GD3A to give to my sister for her birthday along with a bluetooth adapter that supports LDAC and AptX HD. Since she has some hearing damage from playing piccolo in band throughout school, paying a lot extra for extreme treble fidelity doesn't benefit her much, so I figured the GD3A would suit her K-Pop habit quite nicely while the extra isolation would make it good to sleep in when she wants to tune out the outside world. I'm just going to be confirming that everything works and burning it in before I give it to her, so it also serves as a decent opportunity to take note of their sound signature. The GD5 is for my personal use, since I wanted something with a bit more of a standard tuning scheme compared to my beloved GD7B.

 

[zest]

That would be fantastic thank you I'm positive I'm gonna get either the GD3A/C, GD5 or ST4 so your first impression and photos will be a great hekp. They Australian guy on YouTube says the GD5 are a grown up GD3A! He goes on to say they are just 2-3 steps up in every aspect with the same sound Sig but a touch warmer. Actually no he said the GD3A could be a touch colder in the midrange compared to the GD5! But as good as this is its only one review and i would be much happier getting some more impressions before i pull the trigger on a certain model only to learn a week later another model is better and also cheaper! Again the guy on YouTube has the SD5,GD7B,SD3 and he says the GD3A is the best and its the cheapest of the bunch!

Problem with the GD3A is some harshness in the highs, I guess it's why on the video you can see the (wide bore) stock tips are used on the GD5, not on the GD3A. To tame the highs a bit, you have to use some tips with narrower bore, that's what I did with with mine, they sound pretty good now, although I lost some airiness. I don't own the GD5, I wish I could compare, if GD5 are an improved version of GD3A.

 

[mndless]

Problem with the GD3A is some harshness in the highs, I guess it's why on the video you can see the (wide bore) stock tips are used on the GD5, not on the GD3A. To tame the highs a bit, you have to use some tips with narrower bore, that's what I did with with mine, they sound pretty good now, although I lost some airiness. I don't own the GD5, I wish I could compare, if GD5 are an improved version of GD3A.

I figured that my sister having partial hearing loss near the second peak of the GD3A would work out just fine. Luckily she doesn't have tinnitus, so it having a bit of a peak there shouldn't cause her any real problems.

 

[tgx78]

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/roc...s-on-first-page.957426/page-196#post-16570023

@Rockwell75 ’s SE12 impressions

 

[Rush87]

Quick update on my SD9 after a week listening to them, about 20 hours (?), enough to get used to them and to burn-in my brain hehehe.

-My first impressions stand, this is a neutral IEM with some treble (mostly upper treble) spiciness. Not a warm IEM.
-The peakiness doesn't bother me anymore as I've gotten used to it.
-Cymbals and harmonics are elevated above neutral, it's spicy.
-I really like the bass for two reasons: 1. It's only slightly lifted above neutral (B2 Dusk sounds bloated now that I've gotten used to the SD9). 2. It's excellent, very good texture, probably thanks to the combination of a DD with dual Sonion 37 BAs.
-The bass sounds like fast DD bass, it has body.
-This is not an IEM for those who are looking for "slam" and "rumble" because the bass level isn't boosted enough.
-For some albums, I'd want more warmth. I have other IEMs for this (B2 Dusk, Dunu SA6, LZ A7). There are better all rounders (in terms of tuning) than the SD9.
-The mids sound really good as well, but I'm not so sure about timber plastickyness, @tgx78 would have to try them lol.
-My impressions are that this is my best pair so far, as far as details, tuning (for my preferences) and general sound quality go.

Edit: some notes about fit.
-Their size is about average-large, same as Dunu SA6.
-The nozzles are the same length and width as the SA6, despite them having 4 sound holes vs the SA6's 3.
-They are not as comfortable as the SA6, which fits me perfectly, but this is personal. The nozzles are at an angle that doesn't fit me as nicely.
-Pressure build up can be an issue.

Other notes:
-Like the LZ A7, it is very sensitive, hiss, interference and noise picked up by an the amp and / or DAC can be heard.
-Packaging is almost non existent, which is fine by me. It comes in a sturdy plastic case with 4 pairs of tips (identical to BGVP W01 tips as far as I can tell, but different colors).

 

[RumbleWeed]

Quick update on my SD9 after a week listening to them, about 20 hours (?), enough to get used to them and to burn-in my brain hehehe.

-My first impressions stand, this is a neutral IEM with some treble (mostly upper treble) spiciness. Not a warm IEM.
-The peakiness doesn't bother me anymore as I've gotten used to it.
-Cymbals and harmonics are elevated above neutral, it's spicy.
-I really like the bass for two reasons: 1. It's only slightly lifted above neutral (B2 Dusk sounds bloated now that I've gotten used to the SD9). 2. It's excellent, very good texture, probably thanks to the combination of a DD with dual Sonion 37 BAs.
-The bass sounds like fast DD bass, it has body.
-This is not an IEM for those who are looking for "slam" and "rumble" because the bass level isn't boosted enough.
-For some albums, I'd want more warmth. I have other IEMs for this (B2 Dusk, Dunu SA6, LZ A7). There are better all rounders (in terms of tuning) than the SD9.
-The mids sound really good as well, but I'm not so sure about timber plastickyness, @tgx78 would have to try them lol.
-My impressions are that this is my best pair so far, as far as details, tuning (for my preferences) and general sound quality go.

Edit: some notes about fit.
-Their size is about average-large, same as Dunu SA6.
-The nozzles are the same length and width as the SA6, despite them having 4 sound holes vs the SA6's 3.
-They are not as comfortable as the SA6, which fits me perfectly, but this is personal. The nozzles are at an angle that doesn't fit me as nicely.
-Pressure build up can be an issue.

Other notes:
-Like the LZ A7, it is very sensitive, hiss, interference and noise picked up by an the amp and / or DAC can be heard.
-Packaging is almost non existent, which is fine by me. It comes in a sturdy plastic case with 4 pairs of tips (identical to BGVP W01 tips as far as I can tell, but different colors).

Fantastic, thanks for the update and I'm really pleased you love them Also, i think its an exellent testiment to GS Audio that you say you prefer them over your others in you collection, you have some great monitors so it says a lot! Im still pretty surprised those regarding the bass bass being just above neutral, GS said they are very bass heavy and along with the SE12 & ST10 are the bass heavy monitors in their range! American Spirit said the bass on his ST10 was huge! Maybe your a basshead and didn't know it
anyway it doesn't matter how GS or other users describe the sound sound, as long as you enjoy it is all that matters!

 

[RumbleWeed]

My order is still in the quagmire of the customs handling procedures. Once they come in, I'll give out-of-box first impressions with pics, then let them burn for a bit before I give my final opinion on them. I found that the GD7B did improve in bass response with several hours of burn-in, but they definitely don't need that much. Nothing like the people who say that certain driver types need a hundred or more hours to burn-in. I'll let you know if I notice any changes post burn-in.

Hey how's it going? Did you recieve your GD3A & GD5? Really looking forward to your imoressions

 

[mndless]

Hey how's it going? Did you recieve your GD3A & GD5? Really looking forward to your imoressions

Still in shipping, unfortunately. Living in the US has its disadvantages when it comes to handling international shipping from southeast Asia. They should land in the US today, then die in customs and logistics for, like, a week.

 

[mndless]

Fantastic, thanks for the update and I'm really pleased you love them Also, i think its an exellent testiment to GS Audio that you say you prefer them over your others in you collection, you have some great monitors so it says a lot! Im still pretty surprised those regarding the bass bass being just above neutral, GS said they are very bass heavy and along with the SE12 & ST10 are the bass heavy monitors in their range! American Spirit said the bass on his ST10 was huge! Maybe your a basshead and didn't know it
anyway it doesn't matter how GS or other users describe the sound sound, as long as you enjoy it is all that matters!

I don't have any of their other models yet, they're still in shipping, but I was definitely pleasantly surprised by how delightfully warm the bass is on my GD7B. The minimal bass gain in the graphs definitely shouldn't sound as strong and supportive as it does, but their DD is definitely a good one. It doesn't slam, unfortunately, but the speed and texture meshes really well with the BAs to give pretty great coherence despite the number of drivers involved. Hopefully the GD5 will slam a bit harder, since I do love some strong bass. I'm not exactly a basshead, but I definitely love luxuriating in some rich bass response.

 

[Rush87]

Fantastic, thanks for the update and I'm really pleased you love them Also, i think its an exellent testiment to GS Audio that you say you prefer them over your others in you collection, you have some great monitors so it says a lot! Im still pretty surprised those regarding the bass bass being just above neutral, GS said they are very bass heavy and along with the SE12 & ST10 are the bass heavy monitors in their range! American Spirit said the bass on his ST10 was huge! Maybe your a basshead and didn't know it
anyway it doesn't matter how GS or other users describe the sound sound, as long as you enjoy it is all that matters!

Yes, I do prefer them for most of what I listen to, and prefer is the key word here. I think they also are technically better, but I am not the best judge for technicalities, so take this with a grain of salt.

As for GS Audio saying that they are bass heavy, could it be something about language translation or different meanings? A bit like strong could mean good, but not necessarily heavy, so the SD9 has strong bass, technically good but not heavy or elevated.

 

[mndless]

Yes, I do prefer them for most of what I listen to, and prefer is the key word here. I think they also are technically better, but I am not the best judge for technicalities, so take this with a grain of salt.

As for GS Audio saying that they are bass heavy, could it be something about language translation or different meanings? A bit like strong could mean good, but not necessarily heavy, so the SD9 has strong bass, technically good but not heavy or elevated.

That's something that I've never been quite certain of with them. From what I understand, all of their sets use the same DD, just with different filtering in the crossover network, so the bass shouldn't sound wildly different between their sets, just the gain on the bass should be different based on how they cross everything over and the impedance of the other drivers. From what I can tell based on my GD7B and reviews of their other sets, none of them really slam, because they aren't using high excursion drivers. I think they were trying to reach a compromise to maintain a really fast dynamic driver so it would better maintain coherency with their BA drivers. I mean, you do get impact with the bass and you get loads of texture and low-end rumble, but those hard bass drop slams aren't that driver's forte.

I do hope they'll make a set with either a single high-excursion high mechanical spring force dynamic so you can get that slam with a good source, or just decide to throw that excellent coherence out the window on a basshead set and toss in a high-excursion driver in anyway. If they try to make the GD3C match @RikudouGoku reference curve, they'll have a difficult time of it without such a driver in play. I'm very curious to see how they deviate from their more reference sound tuning in the future.

For reference, even the minimal bass gain on the GD7B does result in passably good bass even on songs like this:

 

[Rush87]

That's something that I've never been quite certain of with them. From what I understand, all of their sets use the same DD, just with different filtering in the crossover network, so the bass shouldn't sound wildly different between their sets, just the gain on the bass should be different based on how they cross everything over and the impedance of the other drivers. From what I can tell based on my GD7B and reviews of their other sets, none of them really slam, because they aren't using high excursion drivers. I think they were trying to reach a compromise to maintain a really fast dynamic driver so it would better maintain coherency with their BA drivers. I mean, you do get impact with the bass and you get loads of texture and low-end rumble, but those hard bass drop slams aren't that driver's forte.

I do hope they'll make a set with either a single high-excursion high mechanical spring force dynamic so you can get that slam with a good source, or just decide to throw that excellent coherence out the window on a basshead set and toss in a high-excursion driver in anyway. If they try to make the GD3C match @RikudouGoku reference curve, they'll have a difficult time of it without such a driver in play. I'm very curious to see how they deviate from their more reference sound tuning in the future.

For reference, even the minimal bass gain on the GD7B does result in passably good bass even on songs like this:

I do find it puzzling that they use the same DD for all of their IEM range. I guess that they have found one that does what they want. They must know very well how it reacts to crossovers and sound tubes. The DD driver likely isn't a high cost item anyway.

I like fast textured bass so I'm happy with that. Plus, it pairs well with BA woofers.