Dunu Kima's Review
General Info/Build//Comfort
Dunu is a company that prioritises quality over quantity, which can be seen in their products. They take quality seriously and often can be seen in their products. The Kima is no exception, the build quality, the bundled accessories, and also the packaging.
*The set that i have received is without the retail packaging due to it being a sample set, hence i can’t really comment much on the box packaging.
Kima’s build quality is solid, the housing is made out of stainless steel and in matte grey colour, which I personally quite like due to its simplicity and non fingerprint magnet. There is also the Kima wording which is printed on the right side and Criz Faction on the left side (i have no idea what Criz Faction means to be honest).
Gears used for this review
Topping DX1 + iFi Zen Air Can
Hidizs XO Dongle
Aune M2, Cayin N5
Macbook Air M2’s 3.5mm port
Foreword
My review is solely based on what I hear via my equipment and I never consider my reviews to be objective in any way rather a subjective approach. Do take into consideration that everyone’s ear anatomy is not the same, so the psychoacoustics perception might be different as well, but i believe it will not stray too far
Sound Impression
To my ears, Kima sounds quite neutral with a slight mid bass boost. Do take into consideration that my perception of neutrality might be different from how others perceive neutral, hence my review is subjective and I describe what i hear with my gears.
Kima is slightly warm and quite balanced across the spectrum. Listening is done using stock eartips (Dunu’s new SS eartips) and also stock cable.
Let’s take a look at the break down across the frequency range:
Bass
Kima’s presentation on the lower spectrum is definitely not basshead’s preference, however, it does exhibit a quality presentation in terms of control, speed, and also note weight. Quantity is also just right to my ears
Speed is good and it is able to handle Slipknot’s track very well, doesn’t sound muddy nor bloated in People = Shit and also Duality
The sub bass does rumble when the track calls for it, lacking a little extension, but to me it is sufficient to enjoy EDM (of course your mileage might differ due to your preference and perception on bass)
The bass has good note weight to it and also good texture, it doesn’t sound loose or veil, good quality bass in my opinion
Mids
I find that Kima’s midrange is the star of the show, it is clean and lush sounding, forward sounding, vocal and the instruments are well separated and doesn’t overlap each other
Vocal positioning is forward but not the kind where it’s in your face
Both male and female has got good texture and warmth to it, never once they sounded thin, i really like how it is done
The bass doesn’t bleed into the mids and they’re very well separated
The pinna gain starts at around 2k and peaked at around 2.5/3k, it gives female vocal a little bit of extra boost, but it never sounded harsh and remained in the safe “zone”
Treble
Kima’s treble is smooth and pleasant to listen to, never harsh nor sibilant
It is detailed enough but not being overly analytical
Good amount of air and also presence, but overall it is more on the safer side
Nothing much to complain about the treble as it is not overly energetic nor dark
Soundstage/Imaging
Soundstage is rather average, not intimate nor too out of your head, more like 2D-ish to my ears (eartips can also affect the soundstage in a way)
Imaging is rather good for the price point, but not spectacular, instruments can be pinpointed easily even on busy tracks
Driveability
Kima is very easy to drive, even straight out of my Macbook Air M2’s 3.5mm jack, i am able to get decent volume out of it, and good dynamics from it
Kima however does scale with better source of course, plugging it into Aune M2 DAP with Class A amplification, the sound just kinda open up and i get slightly bigger soundstage out of it, and also better control on the bass as well as a slight energy boost on the treble
Amplification is not necessary as i don’t hear much difference amped vs un-amped, a good source will be sufficient for Kima
Final Thoughts
Overall Kima is a very solid product in my opinion, however it doesn’t really stand out among the competition, that doesn’t mean Kima is not good, in fact there isn’t much fault that i can find with it, it’s just that it has to do more in order to pull itself ahead from the competition. With that being said, I will still recommend this set to anyone who is on the lookout for a musical sounding IEM, and costing around 100$ at the time of writing, as for anyone who is looking for a very technical set, Kima is not for you, you may consider the SA6 if you have the budget for it 🙂
*This set is sent over by Dunu F.O.C in exchange for this review, I thank them for the opportunity. All thoughts are of my own and I am not under any influence nor do I receive any monetary compensation for this review.
If you are interested in getting a pair, head over to Dunu’s official store to get one, it is currently on a discounted price at 100$ instead of 110$
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