Dunu DK3001BD Review
General/Packaging/Build/Comfort
Dunu is no stranger to the community, the DK3001BD is a refreshed model from the past featuring a rather unconventional driver configuration, 1DD+4BA+4Pla. The shell is white in colour and the overall design theme is leaning towards the cyberpunk-ish theme.
The packaging is very premium overall which is expected from Dunu, I had a very good unboxing experience. The IEM came with a white storage case, and came with various types of eartips (Dunu S&S, Candy and a few more). A high quality modular cable, possibly the Mini Lyre is bundled with the package as well. It screams premium overall. The whole iem is very smooth and there aren't any sharp edges, the face plate is as i mentioned, Dunu is going for the cyberpunk look and it is cool and pretty, but this is subjective. In terms of comfort,the DK3001BD’s shell is neither too big nor small(for me), but it fits very well and also the seal is very good. I have no discomfort even wearing them for long listening sessions,do take into consideration that everyone’s ear is different and if it fits well for me doesn’t mean it will fit well for you,but fortunately, as mentioned earlier, Dunu does throw in plenty of ear tips choices,so i’m sure there will be one that fits eventually.
Gears used for this review
Aune S9c DAC - Aune S17 Pro EVO Amp
Earmen L-Amp
Dunu DK3001BD Stock Eartips and Cable (4.4)
Dunu DTC 800
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
The DK3001BD's sound signature is leaning towards slight sub bass boost with clean mids and very detailed top end , although sporting 4 BAs and 4 Pla, BA and Pla timbre is very minimal, i wouldn’t say the timbre is very natural but it doesn't detract me from enjoying the music
Bass
The sub bass is rumbly and has good extension, but i wouldn’t say it is anywhere near basshead kind of rumble, it does rumble when the track calls for it, also, it is also quite sensitive in terms of the positioning/types of eartips, so do experiment with it and see how does it affect the sound
Mid bass does slightly lack a little bit of body but fortunately, not to the extent of thin sounding, double bass pedal doesn’t sound bloated or lacking in terms of texture, Slipknot’s People = Shit, during the fast drumming, every hit can be heard clearly
DK3001BD’s bass is tight and clean, it exhibits no muddyness nor distortion
Transition between the sub and mid bass is quite balanced without sounding incoherent, overall the bass performance is very satisfactory for me
I personally find the tuning of bass is done right to my preference,somewhere between fun and audiophile but not venturing into the basshead category, this is definitely not a set for bass head
Mids
The mid range is rather clean and exhibits plenty of details and they don’t sound recessed at all
Vocal doesn’t sound recessed nor too forward, just right to my ears, but then the eartips does play a role as well in my opinion, again, experiment with different tips/positioning and see which suits you best
Male vocal in my opinion sounds a little bit lacking in terms of texture and the fullness due to the nature of the tuning, but female vocal on the other hand has very good energy level to it, even when you crank the volume higher, it doesn’t sound “shouty”
The upper mids are generally quite safe sounding, but again, it depends on your tolerance and sensitivity, and most importantly, the fit
Treble
Now, the treble, is also another strong point of the DK3001BD, it has plenty of energy and air, yet it is not harsh sounding
Detail retrieval both micro and macro are very very good and actually for the asking price, i personally think that it is punching above its price point
The detail retrieval is impressive and it is not overly done to the point where it feels too analytical and fatiguing to listen to
Soundstage/Imaging
The DK3001BD’s soundstage is not that “big” sounding, but it does have a good width and height perception, separation is also top class
Imaging is very good,the instruments can be pinpointed easily in busy track like Slipknot’s Duality
The technicalities of DK3001BD overall is very good
Driveability
The DK3001BD is not hard to drive and it does sound decently loud even from weaker source like Apple’s Type C Dongle, what i want to stress is that, sounding loud is not equivalent to driving power
Switching over to my desktop setup , the DK3001BD behaves slightly different, very controlled bass and slightly better extension and the highs are very well extended and it is somehow “bigger” sounding now in terms of soundstage
Amplification is good to have but not necessarily needed
Comparison (Letshuoer’s EJ09)
Switching over to the EJ09 for the purpose of comparison,i would say the tonality between the EJ09 and DK3001BD is vastly different
Priced at 899$ for the EJ09 vs DK30001BD at 499$, in terms of value, DK3001BD is definitely running circles around the EJ09
The tonality of the EJ09 is leaning towards neutral bright-ish, not everyone is into this kind of sound signature, and it can get quite fatiguing after a long listening session
In terms of bass, the sub bass does have a bit more quantity compared to DK3001BD, but the mid bass is slightly thinner than Volare
Mids are very clean sounding, the male vocal especially, can be a little thin at times(which is quite similar to DK3001BD), female vocal however is very sweet and full of energy
Treble is very energetic, at times it can be a little fatiguing for those who are sensitive to treble, on the positive side, it is very airy and contributed to a very big soundstage
In terms of technicalities, to be frank, DK3001BD is not too far off from EJ09, detail retrieval and imaging
Final Thoughts
Having tested the DK3001BD for almost a month, it is safe to say that it offers a very good and high price performance ratio. For a refreshed model, it definitely does almost everything right, of course there are some cons if I were to nitpick. The DK3001BD has been my daily driver since i received them, i have even put it up for comparison with the TOTL model from Letshuoer, and DK3001BD definitely isn’t too far off and costs way less. This is definitely an outstanding release from Dunu and I am definitely looking forward to their upcoming releases. It deserves a 4.5 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended!
*The DK3001BD is sent over by Dunu for the purpose of this review. I thank them for the support and opportunity as always
Head over to the official store if you are interested in getting one, it is currently being priced at 499$
Dunu DK3001BD's Store Link - Non Affiliated
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