[twister6]

I love earbuds for listening in bed, since the house is quiet and I need to be able to hear my little ones in case they need me for something. The trade off so far has been they either sound nice and airy without good bass response or have ok bass quantity but it's muddy. I haven't found an earbud yet that covers the whole frequency range well. Hopefully the Dunu will be it!

I'm also curious how big they really are, so some comparative pics with well-known IEM or Apple earbuds would be appreciated.

 
Alpha 1 definitely has one ingenious design with a large dynamic driver and center positioned angle firing BA driver.  Plus, the level of fitment customization is beyond anything I have seen, though kind of familiar by looking at pictures of DN2k accessories   The build quality is top notch as well.  The only problem, my inner ear opening is not really well suited for a good fitment without me pushing on these from outside.  That's how I'm going to do my sound evaluation.  This is only an issue relative to my ear anatomy where A1 goes into your inner ear angled due to the nature of BA driver positioning.  As a result I hear crystal clear upper mids/treble, but bass is lost until I push on these earbuds from outside to create a seal.  Once I do that, I hear a very nice warm rounded sub-bass/mid-bass texture, very well balanced with mids/treble.  Addition of bass makes sound very smooth and laid back, just a pleasure - but the key here is to have large enough inner ear opening in order to fit earbud angled in.
 
Will post my review in a day or so with lots of pics

 

[nmatheis]

Alpha 1 definitely has one ingenious design with a large dynamic driver and center positioned angle firing BA driver.  Plus, the level of fitment customization is beyond anything I have seen, though kind of familiar by looking at pictures of DN2k accessories   The build quality is top notch as well.  The only problem, my inner ear opening is not really well suited for a good fitment without me pushing on these from outside.  That's how I'm going to do my sound evaluation.  This is only an issue relative to my ear anatomy where A1 goes into your inner ear angled due to the nature of BA driver positioning.  As a result I hear crystal clear upper mids/treble, but bass is lost until I push on these earbuds from outside to create a seal.  Once I do that, I hear a very nice warm rounded sub-bass/mid-bass texture, very well balanced with mids/treble.  Addition of bass makes sound very smooth and laid back, just a pleasure - but the key here is to have large enough inner ear opening in order to fit earbud angled in.

Will post my review in a day or so with lots of pics

Sounds like you're encountering the dreaded "small ear" problem Penon warned me about. Comparative pics with well known earbuds / IEMs are a must!

 

[twister6]

Sounds like you're encountering the dreaded "small ear" problem Penon warned me about. Comparative pics with well known earbuds / IEMs are a must!

 
Not as much of small ear fitment problem, but more of an issue with an angled design where you need a deeper inner ear to adjust the angle of insertion.  Center firing BA driver is crystal clear and detailed, but in order for me to hear the bass I need to push these in so the flat part of earbud comes closer in contact to deliver the bass.  And when I do that - it sounds awesome!!!
 

 
In comparison to ipod earbuds, everything will be bigger, but it's really on par with Lyra 6 and PAA-1
 

 

[nmatheis]

Spoiler

Not as much of small ear fitment problem, but more of an issue with an angled design where you need a deeper inner ear to adjust the angle of insertion.  Center firing BA driver is crystal clear and detailed, but in order for me to hear the bass I need to push these in so the flat part of earbud comes closer in contact to deliver the bass.  And when I do that - it sounds awesome!!!




In comparison to ipod earbuds, everything will be bigger, but it's really on par with Lyra 6 and PAA-1

Thanks for the pics. Seems like I might just have to give them a shot and see if they work out for me.

 

[twister6]

 

Spoiler

 

Thanks for the pics. Seems like I might just have to give them a shot and see if they work out for me.

 
Yeah, it will be 50/50 chance.  But if they fit you right - you will love it!!!
 
Just wish more people would chime in with their impressions.  Seems there are no reviews available anywhere yet...

 

[nmatheis]

Just wish more people would chime in with their impressions.  Seems there are no reviews available anywhere yet...

Do you know if anyone else has them? If so, I don't mind harassing them .

Do you have to send yours back? Maybe you could arrange a U.S. tour. I'd love to give them a try and get the word out if they're good.

 

[Reylaw]

Why don't they make the nozzle for the BA driver adjustable, just like in the GR07? I'm a fan of earbud, but this is a bit pricey. And I don't know yet if it will beat my ANV3 Se in terms of clarity, soundstage and imaging. Or even my Tingo tg 38s, but I'm happy that there are manufacturers trying to innovate the earbuds scene. I wish they make an earbud that can adjust to different ear fittings since my two ears are different.

 

[nmatheis]

Why don't they make the nozzle for the BA driver adjustable, just like in the GR07? I'm a fan of earbud, but this is a bit pricey. And I don't know yet if it will beat my ANV3 Se in terms of clarity, soundstage and imaging. Or even my Tingo tg 38s, but I'm happy that there are manufacturers trying to innovate the earbuds scene. I wish they make an earbud that can adjust to different ear fittings since my two ears are different.

Do the ANV3 (Blox, correct?) and Tingo tg 38s have good bass response? I see as one of the main drivers (pun intended ) for Alpha 1.

 

[Reylaw]

Provided you have a good seal, I'd say yes. With ANV3Se (yes they're Blox) the bass goes deep but stays behind the mids and highs but you have to have a good seal to achieve that ( I used to put cotton or blu  tack to achieve a good seal with them, although just foam or donut foams will sound good but might not be for bassheads). The tg-38s has a more impactful and louder bass (even my non-audiophile friends were amazed when they heard it,  bassy but very clear). Both are very good for your money. That is why I'm curious if the alpha 1 will give a better value than the two I've mentioned.

 

[nmatheis]

Thanks for the response Reylaw. I've got some Blox from several years ago (not sure of model, though). They've got good bass for an earbud but give up a lot on the upper end. Any comparison of the two you mentioned against Yuin PK2?

I'm in the US. Would I need to look on AliExpress or use a TaoBao buyer to get the two you mentioned?

 

[twister6]

OK, I finished and just posted my full review over at http://forum.xda-developers.com/general/accessories/review-dunu-alpha-1-hybrid-dual-driver-t2967039
 
The only problem, due to my small inner ear anatomy I wasn't able to get a good enough seal to hear an expected balance between bass and mids/treble.  Mids and treble come out clear and detailed, but bass only comes alive when I push A1 into my ears with index fingers  I was contemplating about it since any headphone review needs to have a sound analysis, and finally decided that it still worth publishing it with a detailed physical description of the product, both in writing and in pictures.  Hopefully we can get some more people to chime in with their impressions.
 
So, I will post my pictures below (click to enlarge) and you can enjoy the rest from the review link above.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[fattycheesebeef]

US$169?
 
http://www.shenzhenaudio.com/dunu-alpha-1-hifi-utmost-earphones-hybrid-earbuds.html
 
http://penonaudio.com/DUNU-Alpha-1

 

[Reylaw]

Unfortunately for Blox earbuds, if it's not in their website, you can't buy it anymore unless you buy it second hand. for the tingo, http://www.dasetn.com/croons-tingo-tg38s-earbud-earphones-pk-mx985-a8-hifi-balanced_p3313.html.

You moght also wan to check this thread: http://www.head-fi.org/t/727309/high-end-earbuds-dasetn-tingo-blox-yuin-etc-and-earbud-gear-discussion-impressions-thread

 

[cleg]

I've made an unboxing video of Alpha 1

[VIDEO]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcYM_ESmSns[/VIDEO]

 

[AnAnalogSpirit]

Been listening to these for a week. Impressions here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/748141/brief-impression-of-dunu-topsound-alpha-1-hybrid-earbud