Response to a few of the comments I've read on here:
Xb4iris: "How close does the ES model come to the sound of the standard Titan1? Just curious"
I have the ES model, but unfortunately have not listened to any other Titan models to compare. Anyone else here had a chance to listen to both?
If you can bring yourself to wade through the whole thread (as I eventually did lol), there's enough info there already to give you a decent idea.
I'll leave it to people who are better at describing this kind of thing technically, but the summary seems to be that there were lots of vents in the body of the Titan 1, which are now almost all closed off in the Titan 1ES. So soundstage is decreased somewhat, but isolation is of course much better now.
Personally, I'd be more interested to hear how the Titan 1es compares with the Titan 3 and 5, as then I have a better frame of reference when considering which to buy later!
SodaBoy
"I'm finding the Titan 3 to be bright and sibilant"
Now, I'm only using the Titan 1es rather than the 3, but I found the Titan 1es to be unpleasantly sibilant when I first listened to it.
I've given them some burn-in time (not sure how much exactly; 30 -60 hours I would guess), and the sibilance has either disappeared or my brain has gotten used to it!
Either way, I'm enjoying them much more.
Francisk: "I have never enjoyed the Titan 1 as much as I do now till I pair it with the Comply T200 tips"
This = gold! I usually used Comply tips on my previous earphones and really don't much like the silicon ones that came as standard on the Titan 1es.
They're not bad, just not what I am used to and prefer. And I was also wondering if the sound would be improved by fitting Comply tips, and also whether there were even any Comply tips that would fit! So, thanks very much!
Would you mind explaining in a bit more detail how you feel the sound changes with the Comply tips? I'm aware we're using different models, but just to give me some idea!
My own impressions of the Titan 1es so far (first time I've tried to review a product on here, so please be tolerant if you think it's substandard lol):
Initially, quite disappointed. Shocked by the sibilance and lack of body.
However, following much burn in..
Sound has filled out much more. Sibilance decreased a lot. I think using the suggestion above of adding Comply tips would offer a significant improvement in sound.
Bizarrely, I read this review:
http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/reviews/dunu-titan-1es-in-ear-headphone-review-estimating-suitability/
(see this review for photos and product details etc, plus a different review of course!)
It listed hard rock as it's first recommended genre for these IEM's.
I tried many tracks, including:
Chevelle "Point number 1" (the song has enough depth and bass - and lack of cymbals - to sound great on these IEM's. Interestingly, I noticed a tiny hiss begin at 5 seconds into the song, which is the switching on of the microphone just prior to the vocals beginning; never noticed this before!)
P.O.D. "Boom" (cymbals sound pretty bad here, but I can't remember if they sound like that on my Audeo Phonak 112. Probably not though!)
Anberlin "The Art of War" (a staggeringly good song I discovered by chance a year ago, the dynamic range and complexity of the song is handled pretty well by the IEM's, but again, cymbals not so well).
Others, including Dire Straits, Live, My Chemical Romance, Pearl Jam, Led Zeppelin, Black Stone Cherry, Iron Maiden, Blackberry Smoke, Dropkick Murphys all showed the same issues.
The bass and low end are a touch light and the handling of cymbals and high end complexity is a bit grating.
Eminem (and guests') "Detroit vs Everybody" was a mixed bag. I felt the IEM's just didn't have enough low end to do justice to the power of the drums, bass, synth and samples on this track.
However, the rapping was highlighted with clarity and detail (and I'd say Eminem's rapping on this song and the "Shady XV" song are a level above everything he's done before and at the pinnacle of what's currently being done in terms of technical proficiency in rap; hence the IEM's at least do justice to this).
So personally, I found rock and hard rock, plus some pop and hip-hop, to be not so great on these. Again, use of Comply tips might turn out to solve these problems.
However, when I listened to acoustic and less heavy tracks, that's when I really felt these IEM's started to shine.
James: "Out to Get You", "Lullaby", "Bubbles" and "Waterfall" (if you haven't heard these incredible tracks, please check them out!):
These tracks really show off the separation and detail of these IEM's. Even on quite complex parts of the songs, I felt I could clearly hear all the individual instruments and notice subtle detail.
Jamine Thompson's stunning cover of "Let her go", downloaded in 24 bit FLAC from her page on the Bandcamp.com website sounds terrific on the Titan 1es, very immersive and pure.
Tanita Tikaram "Little Sister Leaving Town" is a strange and wonderful song. It's an acoustic, melodic and beautiful song, with gently picked and muted guitar and soaring strings, but with a quite pronounced bass and drums. Also the female singer has a surprisingly deep voice. The IEM's handle this song overall quite well, except that, again, a bit more presence on the low end would make things even better.
Fountains of Wayne, famous for a throwaway joke single "Stacy's Mom" actually produce sublimely crafted pop music and lyrics, as well as some excellent acoustic and relaxing songs.
The latter again really shine on these IEM's; "Cemetery Guns" (highly recommended!), "Hackensack" and "Valley Winter Song" shine on here with detail, clarity and separation, every nuance captured well.
Hobotalk "Walks With Me" (another must-have acoustic track!), Paul Simon's "The Coast" and "Born at the Right Time", 蓝色意识 (from the OST to Taiwanese film 'Blue Gate Crossing'), U2's atypical gem "Promenade", Jewel's "Near You Always", Shawn Mullins "Evolution Man", Grant Lee Buffalo "The Hook", Grant Lee Philips "Blind Tom", Kathryn Williams "We Dug a Hole" Counting Crows "Angels of the Silences" acoustic version, Club 8 "Love in December", Norah Jones "Shoot the Moon", Neil Young "Stringman" (unplugged) PB's "From" (from the OST to Korean film "My Tutor Friend", Sam Brown "Stop" and The Fureys "I will love you ev'ry time" - if any of these tracks are 'your kind of thing', I think these earphones will serve you very well.
For this type of music, I could certainly recommend the Titan 1es. Whilst not in the same league as my Audeo Phonak 112's (R.I.P, blub blub
), I can say they do at least offer something reasonably close to their level of detail, clarity and separation, especially on mids and the lower part of the highs.
Which, for an IEM costing about a quarter of the price, is no mean feat!