HiFi Mai Tai

The Geekwold GK12 Ultra were definitely designed for a Geek’s World. The name is a description of the product in a code. The driver configuration and specification definitely aims to satisfy those that delight in playing Top Trumps with the technology they own. Everything about these is about satisfying your inner nerd. But are they just a nerdfest of numbers on paper or can they be more? Can they bring a joy that goes beyond numbers and spec sheets? Lets find out. Lets get into the bartender’s Geekwold GK12 Ultra Review.

Geekwold GK12 Ultra Review – The Cocktail:

The GK12 Ultra is first ‘Manybrid’ reviewed at the HiFi Mai Tai Beach Bar. Specifically, it the first quadbrid. With four different driver types and six drivers in total the GK12 Ultra may sound like a knockoff iPhone but it is actually far more exotic and far rarer. Plus also unlike an iPhone the price is not inflated by second hand fruit. I paid £45 for these and that is a lot of IEM for the money.

The bone conduction drivers are also quite interesting. I don’t know if they are the same type as those used in the QoA Bijou but they are very much intended to serve the same purpose. These drivers are all about adding a little extra detail, a little more space and a little more texture across the mids and treble. These drivers also forced me to stop and think about how I have grouped IEM drivers. Knowing that these BC drivers are PZT drivers troubles me. Without this extra information I would have categorized them as a BC driver and left it at that but now I wonder if it would be more correct to classify them as a PZT driver. The question is really which is more important, the means by which the driver makes sound or the means by which that sound it transmitted to you? After much soul searching I have settled on just describing these drivers as BC drivers.

Other than the driver configuration the rest of the specs on paper look pretty typical. The impedence is relatively low, the sensitivity moderately high. You would be forgiven for thinking then that these would be easy to drive and suitable for use with any device. I can’t really comment on this as I only used them with a single source but I am aware that there is an opinion on the internet (one of the internet’s more sensible and plausible opinions) that you need a decent DAC/AMP to get the best out of these.

Drivers: 2x Dynamic Driver, 2xBone Conduction / Piezoelectric Ceramic drivers (PZT/BC), 1x Balanced Armature, 1x Micro Planar
Frequency: 20 to 40,000 Hz
Impedence: 24 Ω
Sensitivity: 107 dB/mW

Geekwold GK12 Ultra Review – The Taste Test Setup:

As I have already mentioned there is a commonly held perspective that these require a decent DAC/AMP. I certainly consider the SMLS M20 decent though it does use some older components and gets annoyingly hot. Again just to reiterate I only used this DAC/AMP therefore I didn’t test if I was getting the best out these. That said the SMLS M20 should be good enough and there is a strong argument that a £45 IEM that requires a really expensive top of the range DAC/AMP is not sensible. Then again that would pretty much be the Easyjet business model and it works for them. Flights form £29 and luggage for £70. I always travel without the luggage and sticking with this analogy it would mean I am not will to pay loads for a DAC/AMP to pair these with.

The eartip selection that comes with the Geekwold GK12 Ultra is lack luster or perhaps more fairly these eartips reflect the price of the IEM. Therefore I went with Spinfit W1s yet again. If only I could get them to pay me every time I used them. Ahh that would be nice. Might be able to afford luggage on my holidays. Might be able to afford a holiday.

DAC/AMP: SMLS M20
Cable: 4.4 mm Tripowin C-01
Eartips: Spinfit W1

Geekwold GK12 Ultra Review – The Non-Audio:

There is no escaping that there is a bottom like quality to the shape of the GK12 Ultra. Perhaps you can argue its a peach. Maybe you would describe it has a heart but we all know its a bum. The IEMs feature a stable wood faceplate and these can vary in patterning and color. A degree of uniqueness is always cool but I don’t really like the faceplate I got. Its just a golden brown splodge on a blue background. I have seen pictures of cooler looking ones so maybe I was just unlucky.

I guess its no surprise these were pretty comfortable. The natural curvatures of the bum shape are very ergonomic. After all bums are generally designed to provide comfort to their users. For the number of drivers these are very compact. I am guessing they have stacked drivers one on top of the other to save space. Hopefully, this has been done more with the engineering of the pyramids than a Jenga Tower. The small size and light weight make them comfortable.

I have already mentioned that the eartip selection was pretty uninteresting and overall the IEM package is very bare. The cable is not bad but it is just a cable. There is no case or pouch. This is a budget IEM and the whole package does nothing to hide this fact.

And finally build. The resin construction feels as solid as ever. This is not the really cheap, thin, lightweight resin you might find on ultra budget IEMs so they should somewhat be able to resist deaths pull but they certainly aren’t going to last for ever.

Geekwold GK12 Ultra Review – The Audio:

The GK 12 Ultra are all about the bass. Perhaps a little bit too much for me but that certainly isn’t a complaint about the bass its self. The bass hits pretty hard and tries to balance slam with rumble. This balance allows it maintain good speed but it certainly isn’t fast. There is a enough texture that it doesn’t sound hollow and enough detail for it avoid sounding synthetic. The bass has definitely been boosted as part of the tuning and there is plenty of it.

There is significant warmth in the mids. Sometimes this warmth and the boosted bass can blur together and a little clarity is lost in the lower mids. Generally however the mids remain clear with good thickness and weight. The mids are pretty balanced never getting too heavy and so becoming muddy. Despite perhaps not having a mid focused tuning the mids of the GK Ultra were impressive. Perhaps I would have liked a little more clarity and a little less warmth but the balance struck here is great for all kinds of music and will likely appeal to all kinds of listeners.

The treble is pretty relaxed. A little too relaxed. This safe treble does avoid harshness and never becomes clinical but it does feel restrained. Certain instruments such as symbols can sound a little muted perhaps even a little dull. There certainly isn’t loads of sparkle and shimmer in the sound. There is a however decent air. Personally, I think its the lower treble that has been pulled back a little bit too much.

As might be expected given the warm weighted mids and restrained treble its male vocals that really shine. They have a heft and a presence. Female vocals are a bit more mixed with many lower pitched female vocalists still sounding pretty good. High pitched female vocals sometimes sound a little recessed and often sound a little soft. I wouldn’t say the female vocals are bad. Certainly, if you are very adverse to pushed vocals that shout at you there is something to like in the GK12 Ultra. And generally vocally these are not bad but if you predominately listen to female vocalists where the vocals are the key element of the track then you might be better off with other IEMs.

The detail performance was surprisingly good. For me its often detail in the treble that really stands out and therefore IEMs with softened trebles often sound like they are missing detail. In the case of the GK12 Ultra there is still plenty of upper treble and this may explain why I perceive these as a detailed sound despite the more restrained treble. Having a microplanar also helps. These drivers are fast and really add detail into the sound particularly in the treble. The detail here is also not forced and for what is ultimately quite a warm IEM there is really good detail.

The technical performance was also really good. The soundstage is pretty big for the price with excellent stereo separation and pretty good imaging. Instruments can generally be picked out it space and although there a bigger soundstages the height, width and depth are all impressive.

Geekwold GK12 Ultra Review – The AI Opinion:

This a new feature that I am trying out. How well will it work? I don’t know but here goes anyway.

In this section I have asked Google’s AI mode to predict a score for the to be reviewed IEM prior to publishing my review. To get this prediction I have asked that it predict a score based upon the scoring system employed by me here at the HiFi Mai Tai beach bar. That’s it. It is as simple as that. I could be doing myself out of the job here. But got to embrace the modern world etc. And if AI is gonna take my job I am going to go down fighting. Hopefully it proves itself rubbish and there is nothing to worry about.

So the Geekwold GK12 Ultra. What does AI think?

This time around it is I who is the nice guy and AI the villain (just as its supposed to be). With the exception of the bass which AI rates much more highly than me and the treble where really there is nothing in it I have rated these much higher than AI. Perhaps that’s just a complicated way of saying we agree on some things at not others.

I was actually a little surprised by how lowly AI rated the GK12 Ultra. Like everyone else in the world I don’t really know what AI is doing. I had assumed though it would look through other online reviews and opinions. My own brief searches suggest that there is a lot of love for this IEM. I had expected AI to rate it much higher but it is an unpredictable beast at best.

Geekwold GK12 Ultra Review – Comparisons

Lets start with the Kinera Celest Phoenix Call. The Phoenix Call is a similarly exotic IEM featuring a tribrid driver arrangement that makes use of a dynamic driver, two BAs and two microplanars. Though both of these IEMs use dynamic drivers, BA and microplanars, they sound very different. The Phoenix call is much more aggressively V-Shaped. The bass of the Phoenix Call prioritizes the slam over the rumble much more than the GK12 Ultra does and then there is the treble. The treble of the Phoenix Call is pure energy. There is loads of it. Its fast. Its aggressive. It can even be borderline harsh but it is certainly engaging. Of course there is also the wonky tonality of the Phoenix Call to consider. Ignoring this wonkiness and it would really comes down to a choice between a warm bass focused sound (the GK Ultra) and a super fast super detailed bright sound (the Phoenix Call). I would be tempted to chose the Phoenix Call but that strange tonality does push me towards the GK12 Ultra which is also significantly cheaper.

Next up the QoA Bijou. Like the GK12 Ultra and the Phoenix Call this IEM has a complex driver arrangement this time a tribrid featuring a dynamic driver, a balanced armature and a bone conduction driver. The Bijou may have half the number of drivers but it is twice the sound at least in terms of the soundstage and imaging. The technical performance of the QoA Bijou is vastly superior to the GK12 Ultra. The Bijou also has a slightly relaxed treble but not to the same extent. I very much prefer the treble of the Bijou and the contribution of this treble to the vocals is very much appreciated. Overall, the QoA Bijou would be my choice.

And finally, its the BGVP Feather. The current reigning champion of the HiFi Mai Tai Beach Bar. Compared to the other IEMs that have featured in this review thus far the BGVP Feather is on paper perhaps the most mundane. It is only a hybrid. It doesn’t you exotic drivers like planars and bone conductors. It is comparatively old school. And its still all the better for it. The bass is faster and cleaner whilst maintaining an elastic boomy texture. The treble is faster, more energetic. It sparkles and it shimmers. The BGVP Feather is perhaps a more traditionally V-Shapped tuning and in this case it has been done really well and I really like that. It is easy for me to recommend the Feather over the GK12 Ultra but it should be noted that the Feather is quite a bit more expensive and perhaps not even in the same budget.

Geekwold GK12 Ultra Review – Overall:

So the GK12 Ultra? Well it kinda fits nicely in with the IEMs I have reviewed recently. The Artti R1, the QoA Bijou and the BGVP Scale have all been warmer sounds with controlled safe trebles. I am not sure if I want to classify myself as a treble-head but I do certainly like a lot of energy up there and in a way the GK12 Ultra can deliver and for the price it really does deliver not just in the treble but across all aspects of its sound.

So would I recommend it. In short yes. Its impressive for the price. But perhaps I would take the QoA Bijou instead. The Geekwold GK12 Ultra is a very competitive option at its price point but it doesn’t really exceed its budget. If you are look for the ultimate budget bargain then keep looking but if you just want a nice sounding and interesting IEM then this could be for you.