LETSHUOER x GizAudio Galileo - Measurements & Impressions
Introduction
The first reviewer-collaboration IEM was the Crinacle x Fearless Dawn, released just two years ago in March of 2020. Since then, the market has seen an explosion of these IEMs, with popular reviewers like HBB, Zeos, and (of course) Crinacle teaming up with manufacturers to release IEMs that capture renditions of their ideal sound. The latest reviewer to enter the scene with an IEM of his own is Timmy Vangtan of Gizaudio. The Galileo, manufactured in collaboration with LETSHUOER, is a 1DD/1BA configuration, launched February 10, 2023.
This unit was sent for review by GizAudio and HiFiGo. The Galileo can be purchased here. As always, what follows are my honest thoughts and opinions to the best of my ability.
In-the-Box
The Galileo’s accessories are included in a hard-plastic case with a rubber lining. Something to note is that I found it very difficult to open this case; I had to insert a tweezer between the latch, and push, to get it to open. Outside of this issue - which might just be isolated to my unit - I really like this case. It feels robust and premium. Inside, there are pegs at the top for the included silicone tips. The included cable is sufficiently pliable and feels durable. The 2-pin connectors on this cable do not protrude, complementing the Galileo’s flush insertion point.
The Galileo has a transparent blue, acrylic shell complimented by a white-blue swirl faceplate. I found build quality to be good with a seamless transition from shell to faceplate. The Galileo is also fairly small and I had no issues with fit or comfort. As always, this is subjective.
Sound Impressions
This measurements below were taken off of a clone IEC-711 coupler. Measurements should not be considered accurate after ~8kHz. If you would like to compare the Galileo to the hundreds of other IEMs that I have measured, then please see here.
I was instantly reminded of a particular IEM when I started listening: the SeeAudio Yume. The Yume has already long since been deprecated, forgotten in typical Chi-Fi fashion. But as a refresh, some will recall my fondness for this IEM because of its inoffensive, neutral-with-sub-bass boost tuning. The Galileo shares a lot of similarities. The main difference would be that the Galileo leans even further into this tuning ethos: it’s a little less clean in the mid-bass and, most noticeably, it dampens the 8kHz resonance peak that most IEMs exhibit. The effect is a very smoothed-over presentation wherein I suspect some listeners will find themselves wanting more excitement.
As an interesting aside, I was not told the price of the Galileo prior to release. In the absence of this knowledge, I would place the Galileo at around $50 for its sense of technical performance. As readers would know, my main gripe with the SeeAudio Yume was its lackluster sense of resolution and dynamics. This concern is likewise applicable to the Galileo - perhaps exacerbated due to its even smoother tuning. This type of tuning, at least in my eyes, usually requires excellent treble extension to pull off (akin to an IEM like the 7th Acoustics Supernova).
My Takeaway
As we still don’t know the price of the Galileo at the time of these impressions, so it’s difficult to assess its value. That said, I’m expecting it to fall around the ~$100 price point for which it would be another solid IEM entering the market, although not a ground-breaking one. In isolation, the Galileo provides an interesting snapshot into what we can expect from Gizaudio’s collaboration IEMs, and I’m hoping that we might get a model with more treble extension in the future.
