Dunu Talos’s Review

General info/Build/Packaging/Comfort

Dunu entered the planar space with their debut Planar Hybrid (Planar + 2BA), also adding a switch for the IEM with the ability to switch the hybrid mode on or off.  The shell is made out of aluminium with a matte black colorway, very premium looking and also no weird protruding edges that will compromise comfort. I have used the Talos for long listening sessions and found them to be comfortable with the stock SS eartips (also a new eartips from Dunu which will go on sale sometime soon). 

As for packaging, you should expect nothing less from Dunu as they are always on top of the game when it comes to their product’s packaging. Very positive unboxing experience for me, a hard case with denim like material, three types of eartips including the new SS eartips, a solid OCC silver plated Litz cable (flexible and not stiff, a little microphonics).

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 

Talos sounds very neutral and balanced to my ears. In terms of tonality, Talos is U shaped sounding, hence quite balanced across the spectrum and suitable for quite a number of genres out there. There is also a switch on the Talos that will activate the hybrid mode if you flick the switch on both the L and R’d earpiece to ON. We will go into that in detail later on. Timbre on Talos is quite natural and realistic, another plus point for a planar based IEM. 

Bass

• Bass control is very good in both planar and hybrid mode, adequate texture and clean

• Sub bass does rumble when the track calls for it, but nowhere near bass head kind of bass presentation, I would put it as a more realistic bass presence, not too boosted or lacking in terms of quantity

• Mid bass is slightly lacking in terms of punch but adequate to enjoy the music

• Bass presentation is nicely done overall, not overly boosted nor sounded roll off, just nice in my opinion, or in other words, realistic bass (may varies depending on how one perceive bass quantity and quality)

Mids

• Vocal positioning is not recessed nor too forward to the point where it feels literally in your face, just several step back before the point where it sounded recessed

• Female vocal sounded very sweet and it has got good texture, doesn’t sound nasally and thin, Faye Wang’s voice in Tian Kong sounded very mesmerising and very enjoyable listening to it via Talos

• Male vocal with low baritone such as Zhao Peng, sounded a little thin, somehow lacking a little weight to my ears, a little added warmth will somehow thickens the vocal at that range in my opinion, but the rest of the male artist such as The Beatles, Joji, Queens, they are generally sounding good with sufficient texture 

• The mid range is lush generally and very pleasant to listen to, upper mids are okay with the usual pinna gain, not harsh nor fatiguing

Treble

• Talos’s treble is nicely done, even on pure planar mode, the treble has good extension and plenty of details, never once it sounded harsh nor sibilant, smooth to my ears

• When the hybrid mode has been switched on, the treble is further elevated, especially on the brilliance, air, and also the presence region, this in turn also enhance the soundstage making it sound bigger, but at the expense of being a lot more brighter, it is either a love it or hate it kind in my opinion

• The enhanced soundstage on hybrid mode is enjoyable, at the same time, it also brought out a lot of details, and personally i can only tolerate it for a track or two, because it gets fatiguing after a little while

• Detail retrieval on planar mode is decent, as mentioned above, it is further enhanced when you switch on the hybrid mode allowing you to pick up even more micro details

Soundstage/Imaging

• Talos’s soundstage is wide and also have good height presentation, a little lacking on the depth but it does sounds wide and very enjoyable to listen to especially on tracks like Toto’s Africa Live, that is on planar only mode

• Switching the hybrid mode on, the soundstage is even bigger, but at this point of time I do feel it is a little too wide and perhaps too artificial? 

• Imaging on both planar and hybrid mode is decent, good layering and also instruments can be pinpointed easily

Driveability

Talos is easy to drive and you will be able to get decent volume/loudness from your usual 3.5mm port out from your smartphone, however it does scale with better source as well as amplification, amplification is not necessary but it does help to better certain aspect in terms of tighter bass as well as slightly better dynamics. I personally enjoyed listening via Aune M2’s DAP as it is using a Class A  amplification within the DAP, very good synergy to my ears.

Final Thoughts

I have heard and reviewed several planar IEMs prior to Talos, namely Letshuoer’s S12, Tangzu’s Ze Tian Wu, TinHifi’s P1 Max, Moondrop’s Stellaris and 7Hz’s Dioko. Each of them have their pros and cons without a doubt, even Talos, but what makes Talos stand out among the pack is the inclusion of a switch to activate/deactivate the hybrid mode, also the tuning of Talos is nicely done in a way where it is balanced and pleasant to listen to. At times where you feel like you want to hear more details in the track, just switch on the hybrid mode and you’re good to go, kinda like two tuning in one IEM, the flexibility offered is definitely a plus point. Without a doubt, Talos is leading the pack for the current “Planar War”.

A solid 4.5/5 from me and I have no problem recommending it to anyone who is currently on the lookout for a planar IEM.

*This unit is sent over by Dunu F.O.C in exchange of this review, all thoughts are of my own and i am not under any influence to produce this review nor do i receive any monetary compensation for this review.

Head over to Dunu’s official store to grab a pair if you are interested in getting one (It is currently on a 20$ discount from 199 to 179)
Dunu Talos Product Page
Dunu Talos Store Link - Non affiliated