(photo taken from the internet)

 

 

Specs:

 
Driver: 1 Dynamic + 2 BA Hybrid | Imp: 10Ω | Sens: 98 dB | Freq: 16-22k Hz | Cable: 3.9′ L-plug
 
 
About me: I'm a Musician, Producer and Audiophile stuff lover for over 25 years. I've developed ear training since I was a kid learning piano and later with singing lessons. Producing music is also a good exercise. So yes, I can say I'm a music aficionado and love portable audio. When I hear something special I have a need to share my experience with others, so here I am trying to be as objective and straight to the point as possible. Hope you enjoy my reviews. 
 
 
As usual, directly into what matters the most: the sound.
 
Burn-in: 150 hours. No noticeable change in the BA's; dynamic driver (bass) has slightly improved.
 
Prefered spacer/tips: red ring + stock bi-flange with wide bore
 
Source: FiiO X3 + iFi iCan Nano
 
 
First thing I've noticed when I first listened to DN-1000's was like having a Stereo system in miniature. Few IEMs (if any) at this price point will give you such fidelity, detail and finesse. It's truly impressive, but let's go into more detail.
 
Bass is so impactful and so tight, it gives me a musical experience I have never had with a IEM. It's like I'm hearing a full size can and it's no cliché. Sound is rich and full, bass has great extension, there's body, there's rumble, there's completely realistic drums and bass guitars with impact and attack. Bass kicks you in the gut when necessary. Sub-bass goes very deep, under 10Hz the dynamic driver still vibrates in my ears. These IEMs deliver serious sub-bass, bassheads could kill for this in an apocaliptic scenario. This is with a stock bi-flange tip with wide bore + red ring. Red spacer ring will give you more treble extension and amplify soundstage depth and this is the best combo I've found for this IEM. Absolutely the best, makes a world of a difference to any other tips/rings. Bass is pretty fast on Hard Rock like Three Days Grace, Daughtry, Shinedown, Nickleback, Seether, etc. Definition is pretty good from low to mid bass and did I mention its tight? With the forementioned tips I consider it's near basshead levels.
 
Mids are clean, transparent and organic, with minimal bleed from the mid bass. Liquid. Mariza and Mariah Carey voices sound as real and pure as they are live. It's like if they are singing for you, private, you hear every word, every breath, the vibrato, it's breathtaking. You can pick up details you just can't with for example, the Titan 1/FiiO EX1 and those are fantastic with vocals. But DN-1000 mids are more refined and detailed. Titan 1 gives you a good idea (a pretty good one indeed), DN-1000 shows you the full picture. Mids are more forward than the more V shaped Titan 1, DN-1000s are more balanced.
 
The top end is superbly refined, detailed and extended, bright and crisp, with a realism in cymbals and percussion instruments that I haven't heard since along time ago with IEMs and a very beautiful sparkle. Even Westone W40 and Earsonics SM3 do not compete. Especially because they don't have this transparency and air/brightness. Titan 1 is also not at the same level of refinement, delicacy and finesse. Treble on the DN-1000 is so polite and detailed, I think it touches perfection. True high resolution. Put the wrong tips and you won't hear half of it. So try them all, including 3rd partys.
 
All of this leads to an unbeatable PRaT (Pace, Rythm and Timing), dynamic expression and pinpoint accuracy for the price. In my opinion dynamics and fun factor are way above Titan 1 and even Westone W40. Instrument separation is a bit better, the sufficient to let you listen to sounds with a precision you can't with the Titans and more so with the W40's. Micro-detail is better perceived too. Soundstage depth is also superior, in fact took me some time to adapt to these levels of depth. Width is excelent for a closed IEM. Very open sounding, especially with the dual flanges with wide bore. Another thing that impressed me compared to the Titans is timbre. It's *almost* as good as the JVC woodies, something Titans are not as good at. DN-1000 gives you a superior degree of fidelity that justifies the price difference.
 
This is an agressive IEM in a good way. Treble is smooth, not a hint of sibilance (yet north of neutral), but in a whole, sound is very dynamic and energetic. Crunchy guitars with attack, agressiveness and power in the drums with great body and impact, very realistic experience. For vocals and jazz, they're phenomenal, so delicate and gentle with an analytical level of detail retrieval. They are somewhat similar to the Sennheiser IE800 that I have auditioned recently. Would be hard to choose a winner without a direct A/B. DN-1000 makes most of the IEMs I've had lately (with the exception of the H300) sound boring, dull and lifeless..
 
If you're after something really high fidelity that gives you a true audiophile experience and you love bass, at 199€, there's no competition in my opinion. You're getting a triple driver IEM for half of what you would have paid in the past for an SM3 or UM3X and more recently, W40 (400€). And it's an hybrid with a dynamic driver, that delivers super tight bass, ideal for EDM lovers, without sacrificing any detail. The 3 driver configuration does a great job separating frequencies, DN-1000 never congests, even with the darkest of the Metals. Westone W40, for eg, a 4 driver setup, does congest in the more complex passages, maybe because it's darker and veiled than DN-1000. Instrument separation is top notch, at the same level of the legendary UM3X, but the instruments are cleaner and clearer, you can pinpoint them effortlessly. DN-1000 performs above Westone W40 in my opinion and by quite a significant margin. Just to give you an idea of how well the Dunu competes with the top-tiers. Tips/rings are the key, once again try them all. I found the bi-flanges with wide bore + red rings to be the secret ingredient for the DN-1000s. With these rings, since they're long, the tips can stay inside your ear, but you can fatten the nozzle of the IEM with some medical tape and they will fit firmly. Just a side note.
 
Listen to a cello with these and you won't forget it... Add the whole orchestra and you'll be delighted with the realism. I just close my eyes and there's an immediate smile in my face.
 
Rings. What are they for? There are 3 sizes: silver is the smaller one, blue in the middle and red is the bigger one. What they do exactly is to add more treble extension and amplify soundstage depth. With the red ring you can listen to sounds you just can't with the silver or blue rings.For me, this extra treble extension means micro-detail and fidelity, so personally, for my taste, the reds are the way to go. Soundstage depth is also incredible with the red rings, makes my listening experience more engaging and satisfying. Naturally, your mileage may vary, so try them all.
 
As always DUNU is making the difference, they made it more recently with Titan 1 and the older DN-1000 is no exception. They offer you sound quality of IEMs that cost alot more. Whats interesting here is that you have a basshead (or close to it) IEM with the properties of much more analytical IEMs and at least for me, this is lots of fun and enjoyement that for the price you pay, its something...
 
Have a look at golden-ear.net for more reviews, news and ratings.

 
 

 

Specifications

Driver: 13mm Titanium Diaphragm Dynamic Driver
Impedance:16Ω
Sensitivity: 90+- 2dB
Reproduction Frequency: 20Hz-30kHz
Cable Length: 1.2m
Plug: 3.5mm Stere Mini
Weight: 18g
 
 
A word: detail.
 
First of all I've had so many well known 3 driver IEMs, as well as a 4 driver IEM (along with other "top-tier" dynamic drivers like the Sony EX1000 for eg.) that I don't usually get easily impressed by low/mid-end IEMs. Well, these have totally changed my view of things.

Bass is tight and articulated (but not basshead levels), excelent definition and texture, very clean, sub-bass goes deep, I can hear it as low as 15Hz and even feel it vibrating at 10Hz, just the right quantity without bleeding into the upper regions, highs are very detailed and sparkly with great extension, this is the best part of this IEM for me, sparkle is really something I missed with the W40's and FX700 for a while, mids are so clean and clear, exceptional transparency, they provide one of the most clear vocals I've heard, both male and female.  What else can I say? At this point and after proper A/B I can say for sure that they outclass my 500€ Westone W40 in so many aspects. Detail-retrieval/micro-detail is excelent, we're talking spades of details here, they have amazing clarity, way above W40, transparency/brightness (W40's darker), treble sparkle, impressive instrument separation, air between instruments and "ultra-wide" soundstage, airiness/delicacy, astonishing treble. When I A/B to W40 in most tracks I've tested, W40's sound muddy in comparison, which was quite a surprise. There's micro-details I can detect on Titans, that are masked with the W40s. Not they're not there, but not with that transparency. Music sounds more alive and cleaner with the Titan 1. Watching movies is a totally new experience with IEMs due to the transparency that W40 do not have due to its warm and dark signature (too much after listening to Titan 1). Vocals come up super clean and clear and all the sounds in the background are crisp and clear, oh-so-natural, unlike the W40s that sound dark and somewhat veiled. Dynamic expression and PRaT are very good as a result. I'm enjoying songs I didn't care about with the W40's.
 
Due to this transparency and precision, instrument separation is more palpable than W40 as you have a better perception of the instruments that surround you in the almost "holographic" soundstage. A result of them being semi-open as well. W40 being darker, doesn't show all the micro-details Titan's do, or at least not with such transparency. This gives Titan 1 a great advantage right here over a 400€ more expensive IEM. I'm insisting on Westone W40 as we are talking about a 4 driver 500€ IEM from a 50 year old company vs a new single dynamic driver 120€ IEM that sounds like a "top-tier". The secret seems to rely under the "Aerospace Nanotech Titanium Diaphragm" and obviously, the engineering. The size of the driver (13mm) also helps with dynamic range.

THE MOD: To satisfy my basshead needs, I had to cover 2 venting holes (of 12) with tape and this turned them into a bass heavy IEM. So try as many combinations of tips as you can (large lite blue bore ones seems to be the best), try them over the ear, etc. This IEM can be pleasantly bassy with a proper seal. 2 ports covered with tape is the sweet spot too after much experimentation with venting holes, if you want more bass. Mids come up a bit more forward too. Some that have tried this say they sound more balanced, much better than before. For me, personally, there's no comparison. Even sub-bass benefits from this mod and the mids alone justify the mod as they can sound a bit recessed sometimes. So, more bass (still not basshead levels, nor intrusive into the mids), more intimate vocals.

A word about isolation: Wearing them over the ear (swapping channels) and with the right tips, I can't hear much noise outdoors when listening to music. And talking about semi-open, they sound like an open full size can. Leakage can be a problem, people hear what you're listening to at 1 meter or so. And they even recognize the band (like happened to me today. "You are listening to Evanescence. Love that band". I was perplexed. lol).
 
Just a note about the treble: I'm a treble-head, this does not affect me, but Titans have alot of treble quantity (above average), so the ones sensitive to treble might need to EQ it down a bit. I don't notice any sign of sibilance but a few others do ocasionaly, especially with bad mastered or too compressed tracks, its probably because 95% of my music is FLAC. But I much welcome this treble since it's the first time treble in a IEM sounds like a speaker.
 
So is this IEM for me? It depends of your sound sig preference. Titan 1 is a detail monster with great bass (but not basshead levels), they sound spacious, "3-dimensional" and alive, with a great sense of fidelity across the whole spectrum. Treble is its strongest point. If this is your coup of tea, so yes, these are for you. If you prefer a warm, mid-centric and dark IEM like the SM3 or the W40, these are the opposite. But in terms of micro-detail, clarity and transparency, Titan 1 trumps both. They sound crystal clear and resolving, with sparkly, airy and exciting treble, clear mids and thick, tight bass.

Conclusion: Coming from W3, UM3X, SM3, Sony EX1000, JVC FX700, W40 and so many others, I dare to say the Dunu Titan 1 is absolutely one of the best sounding IEMs I have ever tried, being the transparency and delicacy the main reasons, besides all that I've mentioned above. All in all, a true gem in my vast collection and the one I'll be using many times for sure. Titan 1 competes with and trumps many of the so called "top-tiers" and this means alot to me. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
 
 
My congratulations to Dunu for making something so special and unique at a price most can afford.
 
 
Have a look at golden-ear.net for more reviews, news and ratings