BranMuffin
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2011
- Posts
- 34
- Likes
- 13
I would like to start out by thanking DUNU for sending me the DN-17 to review.
The retail price for the DN-17 is currently 80$ from DUNUs E-bay page
Packaging:
Dunu has exceptional packaging and presentation the product is placed in a sturdy sleeved box, the outside of the box has pertinent information on the porting system, specs and what is included in the box. Once opened you are greeted with your shiny new IEMs and a very nice sturdy carrying case. Dunu also packages a very nice brown leather carrying case along with the silver metal one. Other than that you will find a cleaning cloth so you can polish your brand new IEMs also in the box are 2 adapters one ¼ inch adapter and an airplane adapter you also have a shirt clip and 8 different tips to choose from including one set of bi-flange.
Comfort and isolation:
Personally I could never get a comfortable seal with any of the tips either they would always fall out or they seemed to not fit the IEM well and would move or fall off. However after asking somebody with more “conventional” ears they claimed to have no comfort issues and that they felt like pretty much all other IEMs that they had tried so in all honesty nothing special in terms of comfort. The isolation seemed pretty good and blocked out most of the sounds in the bus and other public places. As for microphonics you can hear some rustling while wearing them down but the included shirt clip helps with that.
Build quality:
Dunu once again excels in this category the metal body of the IEM is sturdy and looks great. The strain relief is large and doesn’t seem like it will ever fail the jack is also just as sturdy but interfered with the case on my ipod as it is a little large. The cable is the only thing I have a gripe with as it is not possible to place these in my pocket or the included case without having them completely tangled once I take them back out, even if the rubberized strap is used they tend to become tangled in between use. That being said I don’t see these physically breaking any time soon.
Sound quality:
DUNU might offer great build quality and loads of accessories but does the sound deliver? Somewhat! I was a little disappointed at first when I started listening to them as I thought they were missing something after longer listening periods I’ve found the lows to sound sometimes hollow and that they seem to lack a bit of detail overall with an underemphasized treble. The lows still have a good amount of impact but these are not bass head IEMs which is nice as I never enjoyed a bassy IEM in the first place the lows are still accurate and not sloppy just somewhat lacking. The DN-17 can easily be called a mid-centric IEM the mids and bass punch are very in your face and are always up front. The highs is dull and lacks emphasis there is no real crispness or “sparkle” in the DN-17 that being said they have no sibilance or harshness. The sound these produce is great for vocals but I’m always disappointed when heavily instrumental sections arrive. The soundstage is larger than average with hazy instrument positioning.
Conclusion:
The DN-17 has a particular sound that excels on vocal tracks but leaves me unsatisfied with heavily instrumental tracks. That being said it comes packaged with loads of accessories and has great build quality. These are great for the average user or somebody looking for a mid-centric IEM on the cheap I would not recommend these as an all-round IEM. Those with small ears may have comfort issues or issues with keeping a seal for a very long period of time.
The retail price for the DN-17 is currently 80$ from DUNUs E-bay page
Packaging:
Dunu has exceptional packaging and presentation the product is placed in a sturdy sleeved box, the outside of the box has pertinent information on the porting system, specs and what is included in the box. Once opened you are greeted with your shiny new IEMs and a very nice sturdy carrying case. Dunu also packages a very nice brown leather carrying case along with the silver metal one. Other than that you will find a cleaning cloth so you can polish your brand new IEMs also in the box are 2 adapters one ¼ inch adapter and an airplane adapter you also have a shirt clip and 8 different tips to choose from including one set of bi-flange.
Comfort and isolation:
Personally I could never get a comfortable seal with any of the tips either they would always fall out or they seemed to not fit the IEM well and would move or fall off. However after asking somebody with more “conventional” ears they claimed to have no comfort issues and that they felt like pretty much all other IEMs that they had tried so in all honesty nothing special in terms of comfort. The isolation seemed pretty good and blocked out most of the sounds in the bus and other public places. As for microphonics you can hear some rustling while wearing them down but the included shirt clip helps with that.
Build quality:
Dunu once again excels in this category the metal body of the IEM is sturdy and looks great. The strain relief is large and doesn’t seem like it will ever fail the jack is also just as sturdy but interfered with the case on my ipod as it is a little large. The cable is the only thing I have a gripe with as it is not possible to place these in my pocket or the included case without having them completely tangled once I take them back out, even if the rubberized strap is used they tend to become tangled in between use. That being said I don’t see these physically breaking any time soon.
Sound quality:
DUNU might offer great build quality and loads of accessories but does the sound deliver? Somewhat! I was a little disappointed at first when I started listening to them as I thought they were missing something after longer listening periods I’ve found the lows to sound sometimes hollow and that they seem to lack a bit of detail overall with an underemphasized treble. The lows still have a good amount of impact but these are not bass head IEMs which is nice as I never enjoyed a bassy IEM in the first place the lows are still accurate and not sloppy just somewhat lacking. The DN-17 can easily be called a mid-centric IEM the mids and bass punch are very in your face and are always up front. The highs is dull and lacks emphasis there is no real crispness or “sparkle” in the DN-17 that being said they have no sibilance or harshness. The sound these produce is great for vocals but I’m always disappointed when heavily instrumental sections arrive. The soundstage is larger than average with hazy instrument positioning.
Conclusion:
The DN-17 has a particular sound that excels on vocal tracks but leaves me unsatisfied with heavily instrumental tracks. That being said it comes packaged with loads of accessories and has great build quality. These are great for the average user or somebody looking for a mid-centric IEM on the cheap I would not recommend these as an all-round IEM. Those with small ears may have comfort issues or issues with keeping a seal for a very long period of time.
