What happened to August? I completely missed it. It came and now it has gone. Bit like an ice-cream. Those things really don’t last when I am around. I’m really going to miss lots of things when the summer goes. Only a few more summer ice creams to go. Lucky at the HiFi Mai Tai Beach we have ice cream all year round. Ice cream, Cocktails and IEMs. Sounds pretty perfect to me. So lets look back at the August26 Summary.
August26 Summary – The New IEMs
This might have been a blink and you miss it kinda month but I still managed to squeeze in the benchmark three IEMs. This months cocktails were as follows:
- The Artti R1: 72.76% (The House Special)
- The Moondrop Chu II: 70.70% (The House Special)
- The Geekwold GK12 Ultra: 76.01% (The House Special)
Relaxed treble was the theme of this months IEMs with all three avoiding harshness and pushed treble.
The Artti R1 in particular had a very soft treble and with its warm mids and present bass this created a slightly dark sound. I found the treble a little lacking in energy and power but if this is your preferred tuning then the Artti R1 may just be a great budget option.
It was also good (or maybe bad) timing to release the Moondrop Chu II review as it was this month that the Moondrop Chu III has become available. At some point in the future I would like to test the Chu III and compare it back to the Chu II but this will have to wait. Hopefully, it won’t take we so long that the Chu IV is released. The Moondrop Chu II has a very established fan group and whilst in my opinion there a better options at the price there are also certainly worse options. If you value a polite but present bass, a slight vocal focus and peaceful calm treble then the Chu II is a great budget option.
The Geekwold GK12 Ultra is perhaps the most interesting of these three. Geekwold was a new brand to me and it certainly doesn’t have the presence of Moondrop or Artti. That said the GK12 Ultra will most definitely help with brand awareness and an underground movement of GK12 Ultra worshipers already seems to be taking shape. I don’t think I will be joining this new cult but I did enjoy the Geekwold GK12 Ultra and its ambitions driver configuration always captures my interest even if it doesn’t always extend through to produce a better sound.
As ever check out the Comparison Page to see how these IEMs and more compare. The Comparison Page is updated at the end of each month to include the IEMs reviewed in that month. Updates to the HiFi Mai Tai Beach Bar also now allow for comparison of performance by budgets, by driver types and by brands.
Easy Recommendation
For my easy recommendation I am going to go with the Geekwold GK12 Ultra. I think its tuning is the most universal and likely to have the widest appeal. For the price the Moondrop Chu II is a better vocal focused set but at a pretty low price point of its own the GK12 Ultra I believe to be better value.
My Favorite
Of these three the GK12 Ultra is also my favorite0. I do like the metal builds of the Artti R1 and the Moondrop Chu II but in almost every other way I would rather have the GK12 Ultra. This was a pretty easy choice for me. As I write this it is starting to sound like I am going to join the GK12 Ultra cult.
August26 Summary – The One To Beat
The idea behind this section is that at the end of each month my favorite is compared against the one to beat from the previous month with the winner staying on for another month. This comparison does not consider the price or the specifics of the sound. It is simply a new favorite vs my reigning favorite. And only one can survive to the following month.
The BGVP Feather has been on top for a while now. At the risk of offending a growing group of fanatical I am going to stick with the BGVP Feather as my favorite. The Feather remains the one to beat. The energy and detail of the Feather exceed that of the GK12 Ultra particularly in the treble. Based on the bass alone choosing between these two would be more challenging but I would still go with the Feather. It is a little contradictory to say but I feel the bass of the Feather is both faster and more booming. I guess its that elasticity doing its thing.
August26 Summary – Upcoming IEMs
Okay let me find that box of to be reviewed IEMs. Oh it’s a pretty good size collection. A nice mix of some newer and some older stuff (nothing really old enough to be considered legacy). Lets see what will people probably be looking forward to… Well there is the TRN Whale shark. That should be a good review. There is the Juzear Nimbus. That will be my first adventure with one of the most popular IEMs brands of today. Then there is the review of the Tangzu Waner Red Lion (I should probably do that before people lose interest). Okay well that is quite a few IEMs and that is not all of them.
I also mentioned it last week but as work is still underway I should mention it again. I am in the process of adding graphs all over the HiFi Mai Tai Beach Bar. Its like a very sad Easter egg hunt should hopefully have it finished before Easter. In the coming month even more will be added so make sure to check back in. There is always something new at the HiFi Mai Tai Beach Bar. Always!
And that about does it for the August26 Summary. As ever if you have enjoyed your stay at the HiFi Mai Tai Beach Bar then please subscribe to our mailing list and follow us on Instagram.
Enjoy your cocktails!