BGVP DN3

Hello , I'm Ah Hui aka Mr Wong. I'm a K-pop fan and audiophile from Malaysia.

First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to BGVP for lending me this review unit and giving me the opportunity to review the BGVP DN3 .

This is my first time reviewing a BGVP product .I am very excited as I have always wanted to try out different brands that I have yet to try. BGVP DN3 comes with a Custom HEVK Balanced Armature Driver + 10mm Dynamic driver with Beryllium-coated diaphragm configuration. It retails for $74.99usd .
Specifications (from Hifigo):
>Impedance: 19 ohm.
>Sensitivity: 109dB/mW.
>Frequency response range: 10Hz-40kHz.
>THD+N: <0.5%.
>Channel difference: <1dB.
>Rated power: 8mW.
>Weight: 5.0grams(each unit excluding cable).

PACKAGING :
Premium box . Inside consists of the IEM , accessories include a several silicone eartips (3 different size BASS ear tips and 3 different size vocal ear tips) ,earphone punch , operating manual and warranty card.

Comfort: fit and isolation are great for me

Design : the IEM face plate design is quite similar with Hifiman arya .

PRO:
great detailed vocal presentation , solid bass , decent detail retrieval

CONS:
vocals can be a bit too forward which causes fatigue , narrower soundstage


BASS: solid , deep sub-bass. When I listened to ITZY - Wannabe, I really enjoyed the solid bass rumble , punchy mid bass .You can feel the bass is deep , well-layered and tight.

MIDS : Forward mids with good details on vocal. When i listen TWICE - What is love ?. I really enjoyed the detailed vocals here. You can feel the vocal is sweeter on the songs. However, I think vocals can be a bit more laid back as it is a bit fatiguing after long listening sessions.

HIGH : treble feels a little bit harsh but it has good clarity. When I listened to Weeekly - Holiday Party , you can hear the well-extended treble. However, it is a bit harsh at times thanks to its brightness. Overall, I truly enjoyed the treble performance here but your mileage may vary.

SOUNDSTAGE : it is tall and deep but narrow. When I listened to Weeekly - After School , I can feel the background is deeper and taller soundstage. However, I think the soundstage here can be wider.

IMAGING : it's about average ,I can't pinpoint the instrument as everything is just forward.

Details : detail retrieval here is decent. When I listen to some tracks, I could pick up on the micro-details. However, it isn't the greatest in this price range.

overall i satisfied the sounds performance of BGVP DN3 .

BGVP DN3 Review - Not bad at all

Intro

BGVP is no stranger to the audiophile community. They released several earphones that caught the attention of fellow audiophiles. The model that I'm reviewing today is BGVP’s DN3. It is configured as 1 dynamic driver and 1 BA.

Unboxing Experience

• Solid set of bundled accessories, namely the tips
• Vocal and bass tips included
• Personally preferred the vocal tips over bass
• The unboxing experience does give off some vibe of more expensive IEM
• Not sure if it’s the same for every other retail packages, it does have some sort of floral scent
• 7/10 overall

Build/Comfort

• Very comfortable
• It has got the Hifiman’s Ananda kind of faceplate, make no mistake that this is not open backed in ear monitor
• Feels very light and comfortable to wear for long session
• Beware of the smooth surface as it might slip from your hand when you’re cable rolling or attempt to remove the cable
• Good built and comfort overall 8/10

Source

Cayin N3 Pro Solid State -> BGVP DN3 (Stock W01 Tips)
Foobar2k -> VE’s Unreleased Dongle -> BGVP DN3 (Stock W01 Tips)


Sound

Fairly neutral to my ears and definitely some emphasis on the upper mids. Some might find it shouty/sibilant but not for me, because I kinda like the way it sounds and also it depends on your source pairing as well. Avoid bright sources for sure. Natural timbre

Bass

• Fast and tight
• Good amount of punch and slam
• Nowhere near basshead level kind of bass
• Controlled and refined bass as long as the source is good
• Doesn’t bleed into the mids

Mids

• Very detailed mid range
• Vocal for both female and male is very rich and well textured, doesn’t feel/sound tinny at all
• Depending on your source, some tracks can be a little shouty if the volume is being cranked, most of the time it is alright to me
• Very clear instruments as well
• Vocal feels in your head rather than in your face

Treble

• Very good energy from this frequency band
• Not sibilant nor harsh, again don’t pair it with a bright source
• Detail retrieval is good, of course don’t expect it to be class leading nor flagship kind of experience, it is good enough for the price it’s asking for
• Even during busy track, it is still holding its ground without feeling congested

Soundstage/Imaging

• In track like Sinne Eeg’s We’ve Just Begun, the soundstage feels average to my ears, it doesn’t feel very wide nor it gives the spacious kind of feeling
• Good enough to get a good sense of HRTF
• Imaging is pretty good as well, instruments placement can be pinpointed

Driveability

• Easy to drive even off dongles
• Scale well with good source
• Mid range DAP works just well

Conclusion

If you are like me, you prefer your music to feel and have tons of energy, this is the one for you, but if you’re looking for something laidback and just chill, this is not the IEM for you. You may want to look elsewhere. Overall, for the asking price of 74.99 USD, i personally think that it will offer you a good deal of fun if that’s what you are looking for, sure, it is not class leading in terms of detail retrieval, technicalities, but it is good enough for the price it’s asking for. I would rate this as a 4/5 IEM based on its sonic performance.

*A big thanks to BGVP for including me in this review tour. I am not compensated in any way for writing this review nor do I gain any monetary benefit from BGVP.

If you are interested in grabbing a unit of BGVP DN3, do head over to their official AliExpress store to purchase them.

Introduction:
BGVP is a well-known Chinese company mainly involved with customizing and producing high end Hifi earbuds, earphones and other electronic products. DN3 is the latest addition in their DN series. It has a classic dual driver(1BA +1 DD) configuration.
If I have to describe the looks of DN3 in one word I would say Futuristic. It has an aluminum shell which is a breath of fresh air after seeing so many resin made ear pieces. The precision of CNC-machine cut is simply mind blowing. The faceplate has a

The stock cable is pretty decent and is a 5N silver-plated copper cable with MMCX connectors. It also comes with a carry case that has semi hard shell covered with fabric. There is wide selection of eartips provided (Bass eartips, Vocal eartips and Memory Foam eartips) in the box along with three sets of different sound filters.



Disclaimer:
I have received as part of review circle sent from the brand itself in exchange of honest reviews. All impressions of sound are subjective to my own listening and my sources and is based on my experience with IEMs of similar hardware configurations and price range. This review is based on the bass eartips as provided with the package.

Sources:
For this review the unit has been paired to A&K SE100 (ES9038 Pro) and Shanling M6 (AK4495EQ).



Highs:
The highs are close to neutral with a roll-off at high treble region. The higher notes and all the horn and whistles are slightly under emphasized, clear yet not as sharp giving an average clarity and resolution. This is perfect for a relaxed listening and loved it as per my personal preference of treble taste. The variations in instruments are well done and do not felt any issues in the tonality.

Mids:
Mids are slightly forwards and bit sibilant. All mid centric instruments seems to get very much coherent without getting muddy. Upper mids specially the female vocals come out more forward and shouty. Lower mids sound very clean although at times I have noticed a little bit bleed of bass into it. The bass response is heavy making instruments like drums more elevated yet the vocals manage to be a step or two more forward to them without any distortions. The tonality of all instruments sounded neutral.

Lows:
DN3 has a nice elevated bass response, it does manage to get the sub bass rumble ongoing using the bass tips, but sub bass roll off seems bit early. The transitions in mid and sub bass feel quite average. Mid bass slam is hard but not sharp. The best part is that even at higher volumes there are no major distortions observed. Summarizing the same I would say both mid and sub bass has quite emphasis with mid bass having bit more punch to it.

Technicalities:
It provides a fine stereo presentation with the nice transitions. The stage I would say is quite average, its neither too wide not too intimate. Separation on other hand is quite decent with adequate Imaging capabilities. It has an average resolution and micro dynamics.



Final Verdict:
Well to be honest I find DN3 is a value for money, having lavish accessories and good build quality. DN3 does not has an aggressive V-shape sound like most of its competitors and has average technical capabilities but provides a nice elevated bass response, close to neutral mids and a relaxed treble response giving a warm sound signature. Female vocals sound does bit sibilant but male vocals on the other hand are smooth and intimate, close to the ear. DN3 has average details and soundstage along with comfort level.



Comparison:
I have got a chance to audition Arya earlier sometime and DN3 has performed quite similar. The major difference will be in terms of packaging and accessories, DN3 comes with various eartips whereas Arya has quite nice cable and carry case. If you are looking for a warm and intimate IEM then DN3 is a good option but if you want something similar with a bit more vocal push then I would say go for Arya.

Audio enthusiasts out there, Are you waiting for the next IEM review that I will feature here in Head-fi?



Last time, I reviewed an entry-level, hybrid set-up IEM from BGVP, The BGVP DN2. And now I have its succesor unit at my hand, The BGVP DN3. This is actually my 3rd product review from BGVP. Its pricing will be around US$71.00/£51.00.



DN3 has similar drivers set-up with its predecessor, a single 10mm "Beryllium"-coated Dynamic Driver and a HEVK balanced armature which claims to be an improvement over the previous "Phoenix" Balanced Armature of the DN2 model for better resolution and clarity.




The packaging box is identical to its predecessor from paper sleeve (albeit the front illustration now is from that of DN3 and the back was the redesigned cues on specs list of this set), the box and even the arrangement of its contents from eartips to small box that contains the stock cable. The contents inside is consist of the IEMs itself, Three (3) pairs of eartips for vocals of different sizes, Another of Three (3) pairs of eartips of different sizes, a pair of memory foams, a light grey velvet pouch, a black Silver-plated OCC cable (this one is with-mic variant) and some paperworks and documentation like warranty card and instruction manuals.



The BGVP DN3's shell is made of high quality CNC-milled finished aluminum alloy in both faceplate and base part of the IEM itself thats was precisely design for better fitting on ear contour, It's aethetics design reminds me of a popular headphones from Hifiman, The Arya and The Ananda. There are two (2) vent holes on this set, one is at the top area of faceplate and the other one was near at the nozzle. The connector of DN3 is a MMCX which is usual typical connector of most BGVP IEMs. It has two (2) available colour scheme to choose from, black and grey. The choice design of shape is commendable at it really fit snugly into my lug holes without any uncomfortable and irritating wearing experience in a long listening session.(I'm using the vocals ear tips when I reviewed this set.)



Scalability of this set is somehow decent as my sources (two(2) LG phones with hifi QUAD DACs) can drive them easily. These are actually easy to powered as it has an impedance rating of 19 ohms and a sensitivity of 109 dB/mW that most gadgets like smartphones, DAPs, tablets and laptops has proper output to power up this IEM.



The sound signature of BGVP DN3 is more on a mildly U-shape tonality leaning towards neutrality. It has some boosted bass, linear mids and has an emphasis on upper mids and elevated treble part.




LOWS/BASS

The bass quality of this set is more on tight, controlled and mellow, the sub bass is decent as it has faint reverberation while the mid bass is on an ample texture as it has sufficient slam on bass kicks and average deep and resonant growl of a bass guitar. This is not absolutely a basshead's bass choice.

MIDS

The mids has that transparent, smooth and leaning towards coziness attributes as the male vocals more in a leaner tone weight while the high octave vocals of both male and female vocals benefited more due to its tuning on elevated mids and uppermids as they sound more forward, detailed, crisp and uncompromising clarity. Plucking of acoutic guitars and harp sounds more crunchy and rich. Pianos sounds more a bright and vivid. Drum snares hit are on light to average penetrating sound, a little bit rounded and warm. This kind of mids quality will be readily accept by midcentric and vocal focus audio enthusiasts alike.

HIGHS/TREBLE

I sorted this treble is on a bright side, Upper-mids is somewhat a highlight on this set as it has that energy and crisp resolution but for overly treble-sensitive individuals, they might find it unpleasant due to its gratiness aspect, It has very minuscule presence of sibilance but it doesnt affect the quality overall to be sound hissy annoying. It has ample amount of airiness just to sound of cymbals strikes as organic but better extension and slower treble decay will be better if you want to hear the swishing and shimmer end of crashing hats.

SOUNDSTAGE AND IMAGING

The soundstage is in above average width with average height and good depth reach as how my ear perceive its size and dimension. Separation is fine as I feel sense of spaces and rows of instruments but there's are some concern to be noted, the vocal placement is somehow more affront and centered. Location of instruments are well-indicated and pinpointed accurately on spatial perception of sound room dimension.

To be fair, this set is decently balance sounding as it has this smoother and neutralish attribute to make it sound more detailed and high resolution response. I can't keep it comparing it to its predecessor, The BGVP DN2, as BGVP DN3 has a lesser texture, more lean on dynamics, less coherent yet smoother feedback across it frequency range in exchange for the better resolution and lucidity. This IEM will cater among the audio enthusiast who wants to listen an analytical and clinical sounding on their Hi-res lossless format from their sources.This is also a good set too for recommendation to typical casual listeners and newbies on the audio hobby who want to deep dive more on the realm on high fidelity state at decent price.I hope that you would enjoy my review. Cheers, mates!






SPECIFICATIONS:
MODEL: BGVP DN3
SENSITIVITY：109 dB SPL/MW
CABLE LENGTH：1.2 m
IMPEDANCE：19Ω
PLUG TYPE：3.5mm
FREQUENCY RANGE RESPONSE: 10Hz - 40 kHz
TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION：0.5% <1dB
DRIVER CONFIGURATON: 1 BERYLLIUM-COATED DYNAMIC DRIVER AND 1 BALANCE ARMATURE
PIN TYPE: MMCX CONNECTOR

Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Marianna Leporace- If ( Bread cover) *
Debbie Gibson- Foolish Beat *'*
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks *'*
Santana - Europa *
Europe - Final Countdown *
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Barry White - Never, Never Ever Give You Up
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Agent Steel - Bleed for the Godz*
Metallica- Fade to Black **
Camouflage - The Great Commandment *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Michael Jackson - Billie Jean *
Bad Manners - Just a Feeling *
Riot- Warrior *
Mariah Carey- Love Takes Time *
Layla Kaylif - Shakespeare in Love *
Stone Temple Pilots - Plush *
David Bowie - Heroes **
Prince - When the Doves Cry *
Exodus - Metal Command *
Nelly - Luven Me *


P.S.

I am not affliated to BGVP nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Introduction:
BGVP is a company from China that produces portable audio gears including in-ear monitors and earbuds. They have released quite a lot of IEMs already with different driver configurations. The DN3, which currently retails for 75 USD, is the third iteration in their DN series of IEMs. The Philippine circle of reviewers received one unit of the DN3 provided by BGVP as a part of their international tour.

International purchase link

Specifications:
Driver unit: 1 10 mm dynamic, beryllium coated diaphragm + 1 HEVK balanced armature
Impedance: 19 ohms
Sensitivity: 109 dB
Frequency response range: 10 Hz - 40 kHz

Source:
Poco X3 paired with iBasso DC03 and Shanling UA1

Test tracks:
Africano - Earth Wind and Fire
Dark Necessities - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Gurenge - Lisa
The Chain - Fleetwood Mac
Monsters - All Time Low
Ours - Taylor Swift
Stay - Mayday Parade
Snuff - Slipknot
Yesterday Once More - Carpenters
So Slow - Freestyle
Aurora Sunrise - Franco
Attention - Pentatonix
Blue Bird - Ikimono-gakari
You're Still The One - Shania Twain
Anyone Who Knows What Love Is(Will Understand) - Irma Thomas
Salamin - Slapshock
AOV - Slipknot
Hey Jude - The Beatles
The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson
...and a lot more.

Unboxing and Accessories:
The DN3 comes in a medium sized flat box that is sleeved. Upon removing the sleeve and the lid, you will see the DN3 earphones, 3 pairs of "bass" eartips that has a normal bore size, 3 pairs of "vocal" eartips that has a wider bore, and a single pair of foam tips. Also inside is a smaller box that contains the cable with a velcro strap, a drawstring pouch, and underneath it are the instruction manual, QC pass certificate, and warranty card.

Build:
The shells are made of metal and feels solid and slightly heavier than average. The faceplates have this parallel lines design that is similar to the Hifiman Ananda. On the upper part of the faceplates there is a single vent, and the faceplate on the right side sports the BGVP logo. At the rear side there is another vent near the nozzle. The nozzle of the DN3 is fairly long, it has a lip to hold eartips in place, and equipped with a metal filter.

The cable is a very basic 2 core 5N OCC silver plated. It is lightweight although it is quite stiff, and the rubber insulation feels sticky and it seems that it won't take long before it breaks. The male MMCX connectors are made of metal with color coded side indicators. The splitter, chin slider, and the L-type 3.5mm gold plated plug are all made of hard rubber.

Now let's get to the sound.

Lows:
The lows are placed at just the right spot. Subbass has good depth, but the slam and rumble are not that powerful, with a decay that is tight and quick. Midbass punch is a bit soft and slightly on the thin side. That being said, the lows have enough substance and doesn't feel insufficient at all.

Overall, the lows of the DN3 have a decent impact. It doesn't reach basshead territories but still it provides a pleasing element in each track.

Mids:
The mids sit at the center of the mix. It is forward, but doesn't make you feel that the voices are obtrusive unlike other IEMs with the same presentation. Both male and female vocals have good clarity and have the same moderate amount of thickness, but there is a very slight boost in the upper section.

Overall, the mids are the most dominant section in the sound of the DN3. It has that nice forwardness, and while there is a peak in the upper mids region, it does not become aggressive or shouty.

Highs:
The highs take a small step back here and sound smooth. It is positioned slightly farther than the lows, and has an adequate presence in each track. The reach is slightly below average which results in some tiny details being lost in the mix in some tracks. The decay, on the other hand, has moderate length.

Overall, the DN3's highs are tailored for those who wants to listen for extended periods of time without feeling fatigued, but it could use a tiny bit more push so that every detail in each track can still be appreciated.

Soundstage and Imaging:
The stage of the DN3 has a slightly below average expansion, with the height expanding more than the width. Imaging can sometimes get a bit blurry especially when a number of instruments start playing simultaneously. Layering and instrument separation is slightly below average as well and occasionally feels congested.

Conclusion:
In this price range, there are not much IEMs that excels in the midrange department. Most sound warm, V-shaped, or just balanced, but it's nice to see that BGVP decided to go the other way. All things considered, including some shortcomings in the sound, BGVP ticked a lot of checkboxes for the DN3. The shells are sturdy and well designed and it has a sound signature that is quite rare in this price range. Although I should say that the cable they used is a bit underwhelming and could use some improvements should they do another iteration in their DN series of IEMs.

Disclaimer : The unit was provided by BGVP as a part of a review tour but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Build & Fit
The design on the faceplate is eerily similar to the Hifiman Arya/Ananda cup design. I am not complaining though, it is a refreshing change in a world of resin shells with swirling paint designs. The overall build of the cups are solid and oh so smooth. However the same cannot be said for the stock cable. It is good to see that the mic enclosure is made of metal (What!) but the sheathing of the wire is rubbery and kind of stiff, but this results in a cable that doesn't tangle much, so pick your poison. Also, a point to note : the mmcx sockets are way too tight. You have to use brute force to slot the male mmcx plugs in to get the required fit. I see this as a potential problem as users might break it due to too much applied force. If not attached properly, the signal will naturally cut out intermittently based on movement. The solid and smooth machining on the cups redeem the overall build quality of the DN3, and for its price its more than one can ask for. Fit is easy and the DN3 is quite comfortable to my ears. Inside the box you get the plethora of BGVP tips which are some of the best available in a retail IEM box.





Amp Needs
At 19 ohm, 109 dB/mW this needs no dedicated amplifier to run. This was designed for mobile usage and it performs just fine off a phone as intended.






Sound Quality
The DN3 has remarkable speed and snap to it. Is it due to the berry? I do not know, but the speed and snap is distinctive. Crisp and fast transients throughout without flinching. This is a great achievement at the price it sells for. I would categorize the overall tuning to be smooth apart from a slight glare in the upper midrange. To me, the upper midrange is a bit shouty and it affects the overall tonality of the sound, making it slightly shouty and higher pitched than natural. Some people might like this though. Apart from this, I only have positives to speak of. The treble is smooth and slightly rolled off even, but the presentation of the sound of DN3 is frontal and powerful, so you are always presented with a surge of energy even if the treble is smooth and natural. The bass has good amount of slam, although most of it is due to the impactful midbass. The midbass does not bleed into the midrange and it acts like a separate "entity", the impact is clean and confident. Based by ear, the subbass also slightly rolled off, it is evident when the track calls for bass so low that you need to go to the basement.
The midrange presentation takes a step back, it is slightly laid back but there is no apparent loss of resolution (of course considering its price class). In fact I would say that the overall resolution is pretty good and better than almost all of the IEMs in the <100 USD price category. I strongly believe that technicalities and specially resolution are a directly tied to the driver quality. Even during complex passages the DN3 held its own, not stumbling for once. All this points to good quality drivers inside. BGVP advertises a custom tuned BA driver and a berry covered DD. Is it because of this? Who knows. The positives continue to the technicality department as well. The soundstage is actually pretty fricking wide and the instrument separation and layering is very good and praise worthy. Imaging is sharp and pinpoint. You might even forget this costs 75 USD. Unfortunately the stage has no discernible depth reproduction but hey it's 75 USD!




Conclusion
Calling the DN3 some of the best, if not the best under 100 USD wouldn't be unreasonable. I would take the DN3 over the loving Moondrop Aria as well, which I personally considered the best under 100 USD. I do wish the tuning didn't have the upper midrange emphasis to it as erasing that out would take DN3 to another level in terms of tonality.

Introduction:
BGVP has come out again with a budget under $100 offering. This time it is a revamped version of their previous rather controversial offering DN2. DN3 sports a fresh new look that has a close similarity with Hifiman Ananda. The look is fine, what is important is how it sounds.

Disclaimer: I got this unit as a part of a review tour. All my impressions recorded here are not influenced by any external factors.



Specifications:

• Drivers- 10mm Beryllium DD and HEVK BA driver.
• Impedance: 19 ohm.
• Sensitivity: 109 dB/mW.
• Frequency response range: 10Hz-40kHz.
• THD+N: <0.5%.
• Channel difference: <1dB.
• Rated power: 8mW

Accessories:
DN3 comes with 3 types of eartips - 3 pairs of Vocal, 3 pairs of Bass, and 1 pair of memory foam. The Vocal is essentially the W01 eartip of BGVP which I simply love. The testing was done with L sized vocal tips.
The cable supplied with DN3 is a mic cable - that shows that it was primarily meant to be used with smartphones. The cable is fine, nothing extraordinary.
A drawstring soft carrying pouch also comes with it. Nice accessory.



Build and Fit:
The solid aluminium body has a fair amount of weight, however, with the L sized Vocal tipsproved to have a comfortable fit. Because of the shallow length of nozzle I had to use L sized tips to get the correct isolation.

Source:
Shanling M3X
Shanling UP4



Sound:
DN3 has a classic w shaped sound profile, with boosted bass, slightly forward mids, and energetic highs. A standard formula for capturing the market I’d say - you cannot really go wrong with it. The tonality is rather neutral in the midrange, while upper mid tends to lean towards brightness, and treble is noticeably bright with a slightly cooler tonality.

Low:
Full bodied, meaty, moderately textured. Bass goes deep and hits hard, but stays within limits. Midbass has slightly more emphasis than subbass - hence the slams are harder than the rumbles. However, rumbles are not too shabby either.
Midbass notes have a nice thickness that provides the full bodied presentation of it. Pertaining to the sound profile, bass is nearer to the ear. Despite the thickness, owing to the fast decay, bass never invades into the midrange. However, because of the fast decay, some depth can be missing occasionally with tracks showing deep subbass.

In Metallica - The Four Horsemen the double-pedal kickdrum hits with satisfactory punches.

The big drums in Battlestar Galactica Season 2 OST: Prelude to War slams hard and rumbles well, but due to the fast decay feels rather cut short

In Massive Attack - Teardrop the soft subbass rumbles are reproduced well and with ample body

However, the subbass rumble in The Dark Knight OST - Why So Serious? Does not exhibit enough pressure it normally does, and hence does not become atmospheric.



Mid:
Midrange is slightly behind the bass, but still quite forward. Lower mids have ample weight and hence male vocals benefit much from this. Instrument tonality is mostly nice. Despite the weight, midrange notes are crisp and sharply defined - which sometimes may lean towards sibilance.
Upper mids have a clear hint of brightness and can get sizzling in times - which sometimes feel at odds with the thicker lower mid presentation. Almost feels as if the lower mid is played by one driver and the upper mid is played by a different driver (which may even be true.) Female vocals sound ostensibly nice and energetic, however, some sibilance can be occasionally detected.

In Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah, his voice starts with very nice and resonating notes, and ends at a higher pitch where slight sibilance can be detected. His voice sounds very full initially, but slightly edgy at the end.

In Battlestar Galactica Season 2 OST: Prelude to War the snare rolls sound distinct, but miss some of the crispness. While the cello notes have the required weight, due to the fast decay the reverbs tend to be missing a bit - which robs it off of a bit of physicality and presence.

In Yao Si Ting - Scarborough Fair, her voice is musical and brilliant, with plenty of energy and extension. Slight sibilance can be detected, however, but not too fatiguing.



High:
Highs are energetic. And the energy is uniformly distributed in both lower treble and upper treble. Treble extends well and does not feel cut off, again. However, the higher frequency has noticeable brightness and slightly cooler tonality - which sometimes feels a bit odd. Treble notes sound noticeably sizzling and spicy - which may perform well with tracks with less treble presence as it will bring out whatever little treble it has very well. However, for treble heavy tracks, this attribute rather acts negatively to listening pleasure. Moreover, due to the abundance of energy in the high frequencies, the treble sounds quite forward - which may get fatiguing.
However, due to the energy and extension, there is no apparent lack of air in high frequencies.

In Metallica - The Four Horsemen the abundant cymbals are presented in a forward and spicy manner. The crashes are forward and spicy, whereas the background rolls are easily detectable in the mix.



Technicalities:
Here is where DN3 takes a hit. Due to the apparently sharper notes the details seem well produced, however, in some cases the finer details sound a bit smudged.
DN3 does have a somewhat cleaner background, however, the presentation overall feels a bit cramped. The forward treble does not help wither. Notes do not have ample air among them.
Soundstage width is average, height is good, depth is average. Separation is average also.

Comparison:
Vs. Akoustyx R110 - Nothing cannot be a bigger contrast than this little guy. Originally $149, now retailing for $99.99, the R-110 sports a single Balanced Armature driver to play the whole spectrum, and I must say it does the job brilliantly. Compared to R110, the DN3 has a more voluminous midbass thump and stronger subbass rumble, however, the extension feels pretty similar, and R-110 does not sound lanky or hollow in the bass department. DN3 midrange is a bit more recessed and compressed than R-110, and sounds sharper. However, R-110 mids sound much more airy and open despite having smoother notes, and sports better separation. DN3 highs have significantly more energy and treble often becomes shoved in the face of the listener, while R-110 takes a laid back approach here - the highs are still pretty noticeable, and extension is quite good, but in a very busy passage the faintest cymbal rolls may get a bit subdued by the other sounds. Most importantly, though, the highs of R-110 does not sound lacking of air despite being smooth. Regarding stage and separation, R-110 trumps DN3 with a more wide and open stage with similar height and better depth than DN3. Separation is significantly improved on R-110 as well. Granted, R-110 does not hold a candle to DN3 when it comes to bass, but for the rest of the spectrum I definitely prefer R-110 over DN3.



Conclusion:
DN3 is not a bad iem. I cannot find any glaring faults in it considering the price bracket. However, it's not something exceptional as well. BGVP has gone for the regular crowd pleasing tuning here - boosted low end, boosted highs, sharper notes to enhance clarity. However, it's not something that sounds matured, rather like a flashy teenager. It looks like BGVP created DN3 following a regular formula that has proved to be able to capture attention, and has not really took time to refine the finer aspects. While it definitely pleased me at the first listen, I did not find myself going for it afterwards.

BGVP Acoustics, commonly known as BGVP is among the regular leading players in the HiFi audio market. They are the manufacturers of high-resolution in-ear monitors with multiple successful products under their name such as the multi-BA DM8, the EST tribrid NE5, and more. The latest addition to their collection is the DN3, an affordable dual-driver hybrid earphone featuring a 10mm dynamic driver and a customized balanced armature driver. The dynamic driver here is said to have a beryllium-coated diaphragm. Today I am going to share my review and impressions of this latest pair of IEMs by BGVP. So before wasting any more time, let’s begin.

A Bit Of Introduction:-

DN3 is the third installment in the DN series of hybrid IEMs by BGVP equipped with a classic dual-driver configuration of a Dynamic with Balanced Armature driver. The pair is launched with an option to choose our preferred termination plug option with an in-line mic variant for the 3.5mm plug too. It is an affordable set of high-res IEMs by BGVP priced at just 75$, but is it worth the asking price? We are gonna find out today!!

Disclaimer:-

This unit of DN3 is sent to me by BGVP as a part of a review tour being organized here in my country. The impressions in this review are completely my own based on my own experience with the pair. If you are interested to buy BGVP DN3, It is available to purchase for 75$ with Hifigo and other online stores.

Unboxing BGVP DN3:-

BGVP DN3 comes in a traditional BGVP packaging design, a cardboard box with a white slip-on cover. The slip-on cover has a colorful image of the pair along with the BGVP DN3 branding logo and Hi-Res audio logo on the front. On the back here we have the technical features of the pair in both English and Chinese languages. There’s also Brand’s address printed at the back of the slip-on cover. The strange thing here is that the internal packaging box smells like candy. Yes, it smells like candy. IDK who perfumed the packages though lol.

Coming to the main inner cardboard box where the pair sits firmly into a hard foam cutout segment along with different sets of ear tips. There’s an envelope here that has some documents like a user guide, warranty card, and more. The included cable and a carry pouch are packed inside a small box located at the bottom side of the package. The package of BGVP DN3 is simple and elegant. It is very similar to other products by BGVP such as the DM7 and Zero.

Package Contents:-

>One set of BGVP DN3 earphones.

>One 3.5mm cable with in-line mic.

>Carry pouch.

>Three pairs of vocal ear tips.

>Three pairs of bass ear tips.

>One pair of memory foam ear tips.

>Documentation.

Design, Build Quality, & Fit:-

In terms of design and feel, the DN3 earpieces are a great looker with a premium finish. The earpiece has a solid metallic build, designer aluminum face covers making it eye-catchy and attractive. They use standard MMCX connectors with a red ring around the connector on the right side. The pair is quite small and ergonomic. An air vent is located at the face cover area to manage the air pressure inside. No complaints here in the design and feel of the earphones, they have a rich and premium feel to them with their sturdy metallic build.

While the earpieces look perfect, the cable here could’ve been improved. I have a 3.5mm terminated cable with an in-line microphone. The cable has a rubbery outer shield that just doesn’t match with the premium metallic build of the earpieces. I am not sure whether the without in-line mic variants have a different cable or not. This cable has memory hooks near the connectors. The connectors have red and blue markings on the right and left sides respectively.

With small, lightweight, and ergonomic shells the pair provides an extremely comfortable listening experience. The only issue with me is that the earpieces are smaller for my medium-sized ears and I get only average isolation from environmental noises. Though using one size larger ear tips has helped in this situation, I use normally M-sized ear tips, but with the DN3 I used L size stock vocal series ear tips.

Driving the BGVP DN3:-

DN3 isn’t a demanding set. It can be driven easily straight off your smartphones without any trouble. I used it with my Samsung Galaxy S6 lite Tablet straight off its 3.5mm headphone socket with a volume level of just 55-60%. Using it with other powerful sources such as a hi-res player or a dedicated DAC/AMP surely brings more improvements in dynamics such as staging, layering, and extensions to the output. For the purpose of this review, critical listening is done using Shanling M3X music player and XD05 Bal DAC/AMP. M3X powers it adequately at just 25-30/100 volume on low-gain mode, while never had to go above 1/9 volume on the XD05 Bal(low gain).

Sound Quality:-

BGVP has tuned the DN3 for a fairly neutral signature with a slight emphasis on the upper mids portion. The pair has a quick, punchy bass, natural mids, slight forward vocals, and a smooth treble response. IDK whether it is the Beryllium-coated driver or what, but I loved the smooth punches in the lower end with the DN3. They are not overpowering or boomy by any means, rather have a refined presentation. Vocals can easily be the main attraction or main con with the pair. DN3 has a forward presentation for vocals, that makes them on the verge of shoutiness if listened at loud volumes. At safe volumes, they are pretty well-detailed, rich, and have a nice natural tonality to them. The Treble portion here shows good detailing but has a bright tone. If you ask about the overall resolution and detail with the DN3, the pair produces excellent resolution with great overall clarity considering its price.

Lower-End/Bass:-

Love some punchy bass? DN3 will satisfy you with its quick, fast-hitting slams and decent enough sub-bass rumble. It complements the other frequencies well enough to have a fun factor with the pair. Don’t come expecting bass head level quantity, expect a refined, well-textured bass, Quality over Quantity I can say.

Mids/Vocals:-

BGVP has tuned the pair with a slight emphasis on the upper mids portion. Mid-frequencies show rich detailing with a natural tone throughout the range. Both the acoustic instruments, vocals have a brilliant presentation. Both male and female vocals are brilliantly detailed and rich in tone, with emphasis on the upper mids they are presented forward too. This can be good as well as bad, good because the texture, the details of vocals are damn perfect, bad because they get shouty at louder listening levels or sometimes are too into the face. Personally, I who am a damn craver for decent vocals loved the presentation(I don’t listen at loud volume level, so the presentation no shouty issue for me). Different instruments such as guitars, pianos, show good details.

Treble/High Frequencies:-

DN3 manages to provide you good detail retrieval with a good sense of energy with your music. I love this energy tbh, the presentation even though is bright shows no signs of hiss or sibilance, at least for me(I personally feel as sensitive to harsh treble). But yeah, it punishes bad recordings with an upfront presentation for them. Detailing, instrument separation is quite good, the pair doesn’t sound congested at all.

Soundstage & Imaging:-

DN3 has an average soundstage width with a good sense of height and depth. The pair provides ample space with good separation characteristics for different genres of music. No, I don’t find it congested even for complex tracks such as In The End by Linkin Park, Californication by RHCP, and more.

Some Comparisons:-

BGVP DN3 vs Moondrop Aria 2:-

Two IEMs around a similar price segment. Aria 2 features a single dynamic configuration while the DN3 has a two-driver hybrid config. Here’s my take between these two:-

>Aria 2 has a smoother treble with a more open sound.

>DN3 has a better bass response both in terms of quality and quantity here.

>Aria 2 has a more neutral signature among the two, DN3 has a slight bit of emphasis on the upper mid-portion.

>In terms of build both are quite good for the earpieces, but I like the cable with Aria to be better. The looks and design of DN3 are better(personal opinion).

>Vocals have a better tonality here with the DN3.

Overall I can say, Both are good at their own respective places. If I have to choose one among them, I would choose DN3 as I like its punchier presentation for myself.

Conclusion:-

BGVP DN3 is available at an affordable price tag of 75$. It is quite good for the asking price with its decently neutral and slightly forward signature. I love its refined bass texture, its energetic response, and rich vocals. Yes, treble has a bright tone to them, but it doesn’t sound harsh or fatiguing for me, for treble-sensitive people the case might be different. Apart from that, a decent product available at a decent price.

BGVP DN3
BGVP with their previous iems like BGVP DM8 had me in their claws for a while. I was wondering about their recent offerings and then suddenly one day, a friend of mine contacted me if I would review their DN3. How could I say NO to such a chance haha !!! and so here it is BGVP DN3 for me to try and you all to enjoy a read!!!

DISCLAIMER- THIS IS A REVIEW UNIT SENT BY BGVP AS A PART OF REVIEW TOUR IN INDIA, IN EXCHANGE FOR MY HONEST OPINIONS. ALL POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE OPINIONS ARE MINE ENTIRELY AND NOT INFLUENCED AT ALL BY ANYONE NOT EVEN BY BRAIN HAHA!!!

UNBOXING EXPERIENCE-
It came in a well-hardened cardboard box with that lovely BGVP logo. Opening the box, you are greeted with 7 pairs of tips and two beautiful gray iems and another box LOL. The inside box contains a velvety cloth carrying pouch and inside it is the cable with mic, terminated with 3.5mm jack.

BUILD AND FIT-
This is a stainless-steel build iem with a big thick stem to nozzle. The nozzle is big too. Now the logo does seem like superman’s logo sometimes but yeah it looks great. The fit was a bit odd for me, since the big nozzle and small body made it such, that the nozzle tried to enter the ear canal even though it didn’t fit and hence caused a lot of problems for fit. But I did manage it Hehe!!!

CABLE-
The cable is 5N silver plated OCC cable with a PVC coating and also a 3.5mm cable. The termination can be changed to anything you prefer Hehe, except XLR I guess . The cable is good but not so comfy. It doesn’t cause any sounds while using it.
The mic is decent , it does pick up a bit of noise per se so dont expect too much haha !!!

ACCESSORIES-

• A velvety cloth pouch
• 3 pairs of bass tips hehe (narrow bore)
• 3 pairs of wide bore tips (vocal tips ) which I used hehe
• 1 pair of M foam tips

SPECIFICATIONS-
1) Drivers- 10mm Beryllium DD and HEVK BA driver.
2) Impedance: 19 ohm.
3) Sensitivity: 109 dB/mW.
4) Frequency response range: 10Hz-40kHz.
5) THD+N: <0.5%.
6) Channel difference: <1dB.
7) Rated power: 8mW.
8) Weight: 5.0g (each unit excluding cable).
9) PRICE- 74.99$

NOTE- MY SOURCE IS-

1. PORTABLE -N6II WITH T01 MODULE, BTR5 AND LG G8X
2. DESKTOP- DAC- N6II WITH T01 LINEOUT
3. AMP- TOPPING A30 MODDED WITH BURSON V5I D OR TOPPING L30 OR XDUOO MT602(NOT USED HERE FOR REVIEW BUT HEY IT DOES HELP TO ADD A BIT OF TUBE TOUCH)
4. Would like to add that my DAP N6ii ran it on high gain at 30-45 on volume.
5. The tips used are BGVP W01 tips (the included wide bore vocals tips)

SOUND SIGNATURE (P.S-This is subjective and may not match with yours)

BASS AND SUBBASS-
Sub bass is great. It has the texture and the rumble feel to it too. It won’t satisfy bass heads but its good enough for me. The sub bass goes to good depth of about 25hz when doing a tone sweep and it’s felt in songs which have them too. Its much more of a foreword presentation with midbass having a slightly higher boost than sub-bass is what I think. Mid bass has more of a thump, punchy feel to it. It has a lot of energy. The bass is not wooly kind, but has a good thick beginning in the notes and with a sufficiently fast decay, resulting in some amount of cleanliness in notes and also a good atmospheric feel. Timbre on the other hand is missing maybe as a result of fast decay. The tonality is great overall slightly coming over the thicker side.

MIDS-
Now the mids are a different story. The instruments in the mids have good thicker tonality overall. The is great number of details and lots of resolution and transparency. The notes are good with thicker body but the endings are way too much jittering and opens up like an umbrella rather than diffusing into the room. They also don’t reach too much into the ceiling of the soundstage from the bottom. There is good dynamics, with little air which comes up in some tracks. It is mids forwards iem with the instruments in the mids are much in your face. The lower mids have a little bit less energy than upper mids which makes them less energetic and also slightly less emphasized. Separation is okay for the price but really needs a lot more separation.

Vocals on the other hand have a thicker feel to them. Male vocals are really nicely thick and extends well enough. Female vocals on the other hand are more balanced but any high pitch extensions that the female vocalists do, makes it slightly sibilant, causing really easy fatigue. Vocal texture is missing too. Plus, the really forwards nature also adds to the fatigue, any fast-paced vocals like RAP etc., goes way too much into face sadly. This makes it unlistenable for me for a longer duration. If you can handle the very forward vocals, it ain’t bad but still even though the vocals are good, the limitation of being not able to use this on every track makes it no go for me.

TREBLE-
The treble is decent. It has a lot of extension with slightly good tonality and less air. There is lot of good details here but its similarly forwards. There is slight timbre here but sometimes it does become sharp once in a while. There is good dynamics here but notes are way too close to each other overall. The notes have a lot of energy and sparkle, it might be too much on death metal haha!!! Notes are similar to the mids with having much more body and then that jittery ending. The treble is decent overall with more emphasis on the metal instruments.

IMAGING, SEPARATION AND HEADSTAGE-
Imaging is okayish, with not much layering. There is good deal of instruments being shown up easily overall but it’s more of a diffused imaging. The separation is decent and does not go into other segments but the notes are very close to each other. Head stage is decent with more width, height but really lacks depth or stage depth. This is entirely missing with the very intimate soundstage makes it really fatiguing after a while.


COMPARISONS-

PROS FIIO FD3
Better coherency
Better vocals
Better stage depth
Treble is much more extended with slight air
Better dynamics in notes

PROS BGVP DN3
Better microdetails
Better taller stage


SUMMARY-
BGVP had a good iem this time which did things correctly but the very intimate nature, no proper stage depth and that slight sibilance didn’t work for me at all. I can only recommend it only if you can handle some sibilance and very intimate nature of the iem. Overall, BGVP has a great iem, just fixing a few things and it will become epic.

Specification:

Driver: Hybrid configuration – 1 Beryllium covered DD and HEVK balance armature
Impedance: 19 ohms
Sensitivity: 109db
FR range: 10hz-20khz

Source Used:
Acoustic Research AR-M200
XDuoo X3 (CS4398)
Realme 6 paired with externa DAC ( Avani, Abigail, JCally JA21)
Foobar2000
Tidal, Spotify,Qobuz, & Apple Music
(MP3 320kbps, FLAC 16bit,FLAC 24bit,WAV,DSD256)


Build and Packaging: The BGVP DN3 provides a 7 pairs of eartips, including 3 pairs of vocal tips, 3 pairs of bass tips and a pair of memory foam. The included cable has a built in mic which is essential for those who needs one. The cables feels like a regular TPE Oxygen-free copper MMCX cable, I suggest getting an upgrade cable for this. Shells has a unique design that looks like a grill which make it attractive and different to other standard iem designs.



Sound Quality:

Lows: Bass has a decent amount of impact and quantity here, I think its because of the drivers used in here, the beryllium drivers which I know that provides a good sound in terms of lows. Subbass rumble has enough depth and extension and midbass has a good impact and sometimes has a bleeding depending on the tracks.

Mids: Mids is not aggressive but more on laidback/relaxed but not that too laid back. I found it lush and smooth similar to the harman curve or U-shaped mids. Overall mids is still acceptable and can still deliver a nice presentation on the female vocals.

Treble: Treble has a good average extension which I don’t find a problem listening to. It has some airiness and shimmer which may sound sibilant sometimes depending on the tracks specially those high pitched vocals.


Soundstage & Imaging:

Soundstage offers a good height and depth extension. The placement of the vocals, instruments and audio panning has a good placement. I don’t find any trouble on the soundstage of this IEM.

Conclusion:

Its been a pleasure trying these BGVP DN3. I am a fan of beryllium drivers and im glad they make an iem with these drivers. The drivers are well implemented and I think they make it sound just like how it should sound, nice quantity and impact of bass, relaxed mids and well-presented highs with a average soundstage.

Test Tracks
Getting Older - Billie Eilish
Foxey Lady- Jimi Hendrix
First of the Year - Skrillex
The Husk - Rings of Saturn
Airplane Mode - Cory Wong
The Crying Machine - Steve Vai
Take the "A" Train - Nikki Yanofsky
A Little Piece of Heaven - Avenged Sevenfold
PLUR POLICE (Jauz Remix) - Knife Party
It's Oh So Quiet – Björk
My playlist:

INTRODUCTION:

The BGVP is a well known and established audio manufacturing brand in the ChiFi Market. They have manufactured a lot of highly praised audio gears like the DM series. The DN2 is their previous iteration of the DN3 and it got a lot of controversies due to the driver material even though they sounded very nice. Hence they discontinued it and introduced the DN3 as the successor to claim its place in the market. In this review let’s see can the DN3 take the place of the DN2 and still retain the DN series in the market.



SPECIFICATIONS:

>10mm Dynamic driver with Beryllium-coated diaphragm.

>Custom HEVK Balanced Armature Driver

>Impedance: 19 ohm.

>Sensitivity: 109dB/mW.

>Frequency response range: 10Hz-40kHz.

>THD+N: <0.5%.

>Channel difference: <1dB.

>Rated power: 8mW.

>Weight: 5.0grams(each unit excluding cable).

Creedits: HiFiGo

DISCLAIMER:

The DN3 is lended by my friend who received it from the BGVP for review purposes and thanks to the man! This review is completely based on my experience and listening sessions with this unit and this may vary from person to person. This also depends upon the type of source you use to playback. I have not been influenced by anyone to manipulate this review and by no means have I been paid by BGVP.

PACKAGE:

The box in which the DN3 came is very nice and compact. The outer sleeve had the DN3 image and the specifications on the back. Upon removing the sleeve there is the golden yellow coloured box with the BGVP logo and upon opening the lid you are welcomed with all the accessories, documentation and the pouch. The earpieces are placed in the center foam tray and the eartips are arranged up. The cable is separately included in the box. The pouch is of average quality which is like a normal velvet cloth.

The interesting thing is that BGVP used some kind of perfume to give that premium feel which I liked a lot. Even after keeping the box open for a long time the smell persisted for a long time too. A nice touch by BGVP!



BUILD AND DESIGN:

The DN3 is built very well where it is fully made out of CNC machined Aluminium and magnesium alloy. The matt finish texture in a grey coloured shell is very minimalistic and subtle to look at. The feel of the earpieces are extremely nice and fits very well in the ears. The cold touch due to that alloy finish is really good and the MMCX connectors are colour coded to avoid the confusion. The nozzle area has a nice lip area hence the eatips placements now feels even more secure and has a nice width of the nozzle. The nozzle has a metal mesh and looks neat.

The Faceplate looks neat and clean. The fake vent plate design gives a look of open back design and the BGVP logo on the right earpiece is very subtle. They feel very lightweight and one of the most comfortable iem around. The eartips selection is really great and one can easily find a good fit along with this.

The cable is the horrendous part here where it's an unbraided single rubbery cable! This cable looks cheap and feels cheap in my hands. The sticky nature of the cable made the cable to tangel very easily. The good thing about this cable is the Mic availability! Now you can take calls via this mic but if you need a premium feel then an upgrade cable is necessary.



SOUND:

The whole sound signature of the DN3 is more of a neutral sound. The bass, mids and the highs are pretty neutral with more of a mid focused sound. The treble roll off is seen but overall the sound signature is quite energetic in the upper midrange. It reminds of the Harman Tuned sound since the Upper midrange is boosted but let's see in depth of how this performs in each frequency.

TIPS USED: Bass tips inside the Box

Source: iPhone + Zorloo Ztella MQA + FiiO Q3



LOW END:

The low end of the DN3 is fine and average in my testing. The team quotes that they have used the Beryllium coated Dynamic Driver but for me the bass is just average. After a lot of controversies in the DN2 the company claims that they have used a legit Beryllium coated driver but still the bass feels average to me.

The bass is faster and cleaner and in that regard I should appreciate the BGVP since beryllium is known for that. The bass is very fast and very clean hence the detail and the resolution is above average. The separation is done well too with nice space in between the bass guitar strings. The spaciousness is very nice and feels nice and wide.

The sub bass has very subtle reverb and the sub bass rumble only strikes when the track calls upon. The mid bass body is lacking hence the bass sounds very much weightless and bodiless. The fullness to the track is missing hence they sound very lean and also clean.

The weight and the body is what lacking mostly during my listening. The rumble in the low end is also very subtle. Since the driver is very fast and clean they sound well separated and resolved in the low end. The texture in the low is just average. The graininess in the low end can be felt in most of the tracks thus it's one of the negatives to mention in this review.

Overall the low end is fast, clean, resolved but lacks in the Body, weight and in the texture.

Tracks Used:

1. Why Do We Fall – Hans Zimmer
2. Let’s Go – Jaxson Gamble
3. Royals – Lorde

MID RANGE:

The midrange is the star performer here. It’s very neat and clean. The compromising factor is that they sound very lean and dry. The midrange is not at all fuller and sounds very lean. The leanness thus provides that clean and detailed sound.

The acoustic guitar strings and the piano notes are very much audible and very detailed. The timbre is overall organic and natural. The drum hits are quite natural but sometimes they also appear slightly brighter.

The upper midrange emphasis might affect some sensitive listeners but for me this is not a big issue. This is kind of the usual tuning of the Harman which most of the people are not a big fan of but that upper mid emphasis made the details shine here. Due to this emphasis they sound very clear and brought out a lot of details and never reached the state of sibilance during my listening.

The male vocals are slightly distant while the female vocals sound very nice with a nice forward presentation. The female vocal also sounds slightly sharper in the upper end but that's not at all an issue for me since that helped in bringing out the details in the midrange. The instruments in the background are well separated and have a nice layering effect. The separation is done well and thus provides a nice sense of wide staging.

The coherency between the BA and the Dynamic Driver is average hence its not the smoothest transition i have ever seen. The tonality is quite natural and slightly brighter in some tracks.

Overall the midrange is quite spacious with nice separation and layering having a nice forward female vocal presentation also having a neutral to bright tonality.

Tracks Used:

1. Shape Of You – Ed Sheeran
2. Blank Space – Taylor Swift
3. Into the Deep Blue – Yanni

TREBLE:

The high end of the DN3 is quite good which is nothing bad in my opinion. The treble of course is not as extended as an all BA iem but this is really good for a hybrid pair. The upper midrange emphasis do meakes trouble in the lower treble region causing some slight harshness but even then this is not very uncomfortable. The hiss sounds are not that troublesome and sounds mostly pleasant to me. The airiness is good and the spaciousness is very much appreciable.

The texture and the separation in the upper treble region is where the DN3 lacks where the instruments are not that separated well in that area and the texture is slightly grainier. The overall tonality appears brighter to me but the listening experience was not harsh.

The cymbal strikes are quite natural and splashy. That slight splashiness in the cymbals might make you think slightly metallic but overall it's very good in this aspect too.

The electric guitar strings sound fine too but sometimes they appear too bright and not natural. As per the other instrument goes they sound fine and quite natural and this issue only pertains to the high hat instruments.

Tracks Used:

1. Move Your Body – Sia
2. You Belong With Me – Taylor Swift

TECHNICALITIES:

SOUNDSTAGE: The soundstage is pretty good here, having nice wideness. The depth and the height are pretty much average since the bass is not the deepest. The spatial positioning of the DN3 is represented very well with a nice sense of spaciousness.

IMAGING: The imaging is pretty good too since the bass is not that overpowering or impactful. The imaging is pretty clear and not hazy where the precise pointing of the instruments is possible and the transient response is above average. The transition of the instruments from one channel to the other is quite smooth and has no stutter or anything.

The layering is exceptionally done here combined with that spatial positioning is very pleasant to hear. The detail retrieval is above average but not the best. The separation and texture of the instruments are average too.

VERDICT:

DN3, the latest offering from the BGVP and a successor to the highly controversial product DN2 is worth it in my opinion. The overall sound signature is pretty neutral with brighter tonality. The bass is good with nice clean and well separated bass with that upper mid emphasized vocals and the airy and brighter treble. The soundstage is good, the imaging and the layering is done exceptionally well. The lacking aspects are the texture, resolution and a very bright tonality but as an overall package this sounds very good. The lean mids are not my taste too hence for my taste this would never suit me. The fullness in the midrange is lacking and the bass and the treble are not textured. The spatial positioning is really done well here and it's my most liked aspect here.

Overall if you like a brighter sound with very clean bass and the upper midrange, straight up vocal placement sound then the DN3 is the pair you need cause it's the one that can give you the CLEAN AND LEAN SOUND!

PROS AND CONS:

Pros:

1. Spatial Positioning and Layering
2. Neutral Sound Profile
3. Fast and Clean Bass
4. Build and Design

Cons:

1. Upper Midrange Emphasis
2. Brighter in Tonality
3. Not the Be Low End
4. Lacks the texture in Sound
5. Sticky Cable

The BGVP DN3 was sent to me by BGVP as part of a review tour in my country, in exchange for my honest opinion. I am neither paid by nor affiliated with BGVP in any way and have no incentive whatsoever, for writing anything positive or negative about the product. The views shared in this article are my personal views based on the week or so I spent with the product. I had ordered the BGVP Q2s a couple of weeks back, as it seemed like an interesting product for the asking price. The DN3 is available for 75 USD on HiFiGo.com, whereas the BGVP Q2s is available for 80 USD. Any references related to the "Star Wars" series are my personal opinion and needn't be discussed here.

BGVP is quite popular in the Chi-Fi scene and has released some impressive IEMs in the past including the DM6 and the DM7, both of which I liked quite a lot. Let’s have a look at the BGVP DN3, their latest offering in the sub 100 USD category. Coincidentally, I had also received the BGVP Q2s (MMCX IEM / TWS hybrid) which is in the same price range as the DN3. Hence, I will include a section where I compare both the DN3 and the Q2s as wired MMCX IEMs.

The BGVP DN3 is a hybrid IEM with a Beryllium coated dynamic driver and a HEVK Balanced Armature driver packed into an acoustic cavity made of magnalium (Please note that I don’t know much about HEVK BA or Magnalium). The IEM has a sensitivity of >= 109dB / MW and an impedance of 19 Ω (ohms).



The packaging is minimal and well laid out. It is pretty much standard in terms of what we’ve come to expect of a BGVP IEM. The package includes 3 pairs of Vocal silicon tips in S / M / L sizes, 3 pairs of Bass silicon tips in S / M / L sizes along with a pair of memory foam tips. For the purpose of this review, I chose to use a pair of Dekoni Mercury memory foam tips as they sounded quite similar to the bass tips included in the package. Not exactly the same, but as a thumb rule, I’ve usually found this pattern for most of the IEMs I’ve tried these tips on:

• Sony Triple Comfort (EP-TC50) – Enhances the boominess of the bass, tends to de-emphasize the treble.
• JVC Spiral Dots SF (EPFX11) aka mushroom tips – De-emphasizes the bass, elevates treble.
• Flare Universal – Lays good emphasis on the bass, making it sound natural for the most part. Doesn’t de-emphasize the treble either. Pretty much transparent in terms of passing the sound from the IEM to the ears.
• JVC Spiral Dots ++ (EPFX10) – Almost as good as Flare Universal, but the bass quantity was less
• Dekoni Mercury – Same as Spiral Dots ++
• Flare Audiophile – Similar to the mushroom tips, but with better bass presence

(I prefer using memory foam tips over silicon tips, so I usually tip-roll from a variety of memory foam tips and pick the ones that sound closest to the stock silicon tips.)

In terms of looks, the DN3 is subtle thanks to the grey-colored shell with a zebra-like pattern with the BGVP logo embedded on one side. Perhaps BGVP attempted to give it a faux open-back look, which works quite well (This looks interesting, makes you want to explore it further. just like Kylo Ren.) The pack-in cable doesn’t seem too durable and I wouldn’t expect it to last more than a few months of usage (should this be your daily beater).



Sound – BGVP DN3:

In terms of tonality, the DN3 leans towards the dark side but not dark enough like Lord Vader, more of an edgy Kylo Ren type. The IEM for the most part retains its darkness by killing it in the lows (just like Kylo Ren killed Han Solo, what a beautiful scene, but I digress). There is a fair amount of sub-bass, but the region is dominated by the mid-bass (Just like Kylo Ren, dark but not much depth). Moving on to the mids, the BGVP DN3 has some weird hiccups in the mid-range especially the upper mids (just like how Kylo Ren reacts when he talks to Rey Skywalker / Palpatine.) The treble is quite decent in terms of quality and quantity considering the price segment. Given the price tag, the soundstage and imaging are acceptable (come on this is Kylo Ren we’re talking about). All in all, a good-sounding IEM for 75 USD.



Sound - BGVP Q2s:

I coincidentally happened to receive the BGVP Q2s I had ordered a few weeks back, while I had the BGVP DN3 in my possession. I thought it would be a nice idea to compare these offerings from BGVP, considering how similar they are in terms of driver configuration (1DD+1BA) and price point. The BGVP Q2s interested me because it is a very niche product. A pair of TWS with an MMCX port on it, thereby providing the convenience of using it as both, a wired IEM and a TWS when need be.

The Q2S tends to be slightly bright in terms of sound signature. At least from memory, the tonality of the Q2s seemed similar to that of the DM6. The BGVP DM6 was an IEM I really enjoyed and was the first BGVP IEM I tried and got interested in exploring their IEMs further.



It has a good presence in the bass and sub-bass regions. Quite well done in the mid-range and a tad bit excessive in the treble region. These impressions are based on a 2.5mm balanced KBear Warmth (copper) cable, as the BGVP Q2s doesn’t have an MMCX cable bundled in. Which is a shame considering how good it sounds in wired mode. The drivers feel underpowered in TWS mode, especially when you’ve tried these as wired IEMs or as MMCX IEMs with a TWS adapter. I used the Q2s as a wired IEM, TWS, and MMCX IEM with a TWS adapter (FiiO UTWS-3 in this case) connected to my DAP, just to keep the chain as consistent as possible). Given the price tag of 80 USD. One may have the spend some money on an MMCX cable or repurpose an existing MMCX cable to use the Q2s as a wired IEM. Given how good the Q2S sounds when wired, I’m fine with it not sounding that great as a TWS since it offers me the flexibility of using it as an IEM or TWS based on context. Which is quite a lot to expect from a TWS or IEM for the asking price.

BGVP DN3 is BGVP's latest budget hybrid release (if you consider <$100usd as being "budget"). It is a hybrid IEM with a 1 BE-coated DD + 1 HEVK BA configuration (1DD/1BA). It retails for $75usd and it comes with 3 different types of tips (1 set of Memory foam / 3 sets of w01 / 3 sets of a07), a pouch, a 3.5mm SPC cable, and last but not least, the IEM itself.

I find the presentation and unboxing experience here not bad, especially for $75usd. The IEM is well designed too, with a handsome looking "Arya-like" faceplate that's looks and feels premium.

However, the box smells like fake perfume. I don't know why, but BGVP decided to spray a very heavy load of terrible-smelling floral scent that smells nothing like floral. It smells just like chemicals and I can't stand it.

Anyways, we are here for the IEM itself, not how the box smells. So with that out of the way, let's start the review.

*Disclaimer: This review is done using the included stock foam tips. Why? Read on further to find out…

PROS :​

• The tuning here is U-shaped with a slight mid-bass bump and upper mids emphasis. Vocal focused tuning. Without foam tips, it is shouty and bright so do keep that in mind. Even with foam tips, upper mids are still emphasized, albeit the brightness is tamed. So do expect it to have a bit of shout/upper mids energy.
• In terms of bass, it is warm, fast, and punchy. Sub-bass is slightly rolled-off but nothing too bad. Even with foam tips, which normally tend to loosen out the bass a bit, bass is still pretty punchy and tight. Amping makes the BE-coated DD bass punchier and tighter. Without amping, bass is slightly looser and slightly slower. Bleeds a tiny bit too.
• In terms of midrange, it is slightly warm, intimate, detailed, and vocal-focused. Vocals here sound full-bodied, with vocals presented forward in the mix while the rest of the instruments are placed behind. Detail retrieval is good for the price too. Good balance of macro and micro details. However, if not powered well, male vocals can sound smeared and muffled at times. Mostly because the BE-coated DD driver is a bit on the slower side if un-amped.
• In terms of upper mids, I find the upper midrange here to be slightly elevated and a speck bright. Foam tips managed to tame down the brightness (I find them too bright with the provided W01 / a07 tips). But even with foam tips, do keep in mind that there's still an upper mid emphasis here. If you are sensitive to upper mids shout, this is not for you.
• In terms of treble, it is smooth sounding and slightly dark (again, thanks to foam tips). It is non-sibilant too. Great for long listening sessions so no complaints here.. Without foam tips, treble is a speck bright but not really well extended or detailed.
• Soundstage here I find to be both tall and deep but lacks width. Because of this, soundstage might appear small and intimate. (Do not mistake this as claustrophobic though, as it is far from that)
• Pretty good layering and instrument separation for the price, thanks to its great soundstage depth.
• Coherency is average/good for a hybrid at this price. It is good when amped. Without amping, the BE-coated DD driver is a bit slower while the BA driver is faster, so coherency is off.
• Good dynamics too when amped. Without amping, dynamics are a bit flat.
• Timbre is not bad. Decently natural sounding for a BA/Hybrid.
• Pairs well with warmer / wider sounding sources.
• Decent unboxing experience, good accessories. Love the number of tips provided. However, a case would be better than a pouch.

CONS :​

• Treble is lacking detail. Sounds rolled-off. Without foam tips, it is a speck too bright.
• Soundstage could be wider.
• Imaging here reminds me of the HD600/HD650's "3-blob effect". Because of how vocals are placed forward in the mix, I find the BGVP DN3 to also image as such… where vocals are placed in front, and everything else lives at the back left and back right.
• Terrible cheap perfume scent sprayed inside the box. Smells like chemicals and I can't stand it.
• Upper mids emphasis and shout might not be for everyone.
• Bass, lower mids, and dynamics are a bit skewed without amping. So amping is needed to bring the best out of the DN3.

WHY YOU SHOULD USE FOAM TIPS (W01 VS A07 VS FOAM TIPS):​

• W01 sounds more open, airier, brighter. A bit too bright and shouty for my liking. Good airy vocal presentation though.
• A07 sounds a bit V-shaped. Adds sparkle to highs, tightens the bass. Overall more aggressive sounding. A bit too aggressive for me. Bass sounds tight and punchy here though.
• Foam adds a bit of warmth to the midrange, tames the brightness, tames a bit of the shoutiness, and ultimately makes the DN3 more enjoyable for me. Definitely my stock eartips of choice for the DN3. However, bass loses a bit of tightness and treble is rolled off (even more).

BGVP DN3 ($75USD) VS TRN TA1 ($29USD):​

• Note: This is NOT AT ALL a fair comparison, with DN3 being nearly 2.5x more expensive than TRN TA1. I decided to do this comparison as the way vocals are presented with the DN3 reminded me of the TA1… so here you go.
• Both DN3 and TA1 have the same intimate vocal presentation. TA1 bass is less controlled, less clean, bleeds a bit, boomier, not as clean sounding. Mids aren't as clean-sounding. Slight fuzziness. Vocals are slightly brighter with a bit more sibilance. Harsher sounding. Treble is sparkler, slightly better air but upper treble sounds off.
• DN3 has clearer tighter punchier better-controlled bass, mids sound cleaner with better layering, vocals are less bright more refined but still intimate, treble is more smooth and rolled off. DN3 has better depth and height. Width is roughly the same.

IN CONCLUSION:​

BGVP DN3 is not bad! But... Using foam tips is a must (at least IMO).

I think it is decent for the price… albeit a bit shouty and bright. If you are looking for a U-shaped sounding hybrid under $100usd, BGVP DN3 is not too bad of a choice, provided that you do not mind using foam tips.

I am glad that foam tips are provided as to be honest, without the included foam tips, I can't recommend the DN3. Both w01 and a07 tips make the Dn3 sound too bright and shouty for my liking.

However, foam tips ARE included and with foam tips on, I think BGVP DN3 is not bad. It has a U-shaped sound signature, fast punchy bass, detailed mids, intimate vocal presentation, smooth treble, and a soundstage that is both deep and tall.

This review unit is provided by BGVP as part of their BGVP DN3 tour. I am not at all compensated by them and all thoughts and opinions are my own.


Interested in picking up the BGVP DN3? Here is the purchase link (non-affiliated):
• https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002996893737.html

DISCLAIMER:

I did not buy this product. It was provided as a review unit for the Philippines reviewer circle tour. Much thanks to BGVP for providing us one. We are not compensated in any way. My thoughts and opinion here are not influenced by any form of incentive.



Manage your expectations as what works for me, might not work for you. We all have different perception when it comes to sound. My setup and gears may not be the same as yours, and that plays a big role in what I hear. I have learned lately that source plays a big role in this as I have been exploring different music streaming platforms. So, as we reviewers always say, take this as a grain of salt.



INTRODUCTION

I am a professional gigging musician, mainly keys, sax and drums player. Worked in 5 star hotels, played for local artists here in Philippines, and studio work for indie artist too. I listen mostly to almost any genre, but minimal rock and almost to none metal. My personal preference is mostly jazz and fusion and contemporary pop.



SPECIFICATIONS:



Driver: Hybrid configuration – 1 Beryllium covered DD and HEVK balance armature

Impedance: 19 ohms

Sensitivity: 109db

FR range: 10hz-20khz





INCLUSIONS and PACKAGING:

We did receive the official packaging on DN3 and it is designed neatly but nothing out of the ordinary. A very basic and medium sized box here.



THE TIPS:



I don’t know the exact model of the tips included here but my personal tips are from BGVP. I have the A08, E01, and W01 and I love their tips. And the ones included here are very nice. 3 pairs for vocal ear tips in S,M,L sizes. The same goes to bass ear tips. And a pair of foam tips. I used the M sized bass tips for this review.



THE CABLE:



The cable here is very generic. We received the one with the mic inclusion. It could have been better and you might want to cable roll here if you are into that. Configuration is a MMCX pin.





THE SHELL:

Shell is well made and built. Some say it looks a lot like products from HIFIMAN. I haven’t touch those personally so I can’t relate on this one. Shell has weight but when worn, it doesn’t feel heavy.





Now on to how it sounds…



TREBLE – 3.5/5



Though I can say the trebles have good extension here, I felt some sibilance on some occasions. Very rarely though. Details and shimmer are very desirable. Treble sensitives might want to stay away from this one. I found some hint on sibilance when I was testing some JPOP tracks particularly on that song from Jujutsu Kaisen anime. You can tip roll that tames the trebles to tame its sibilant nature.





BASS - 4/5



Bass is very desirable here. Round, rich and has a nice thump. I encountered occasional bleed on to the mids very rarely. Mid bass has a nice weight. Contrast of drum kicks and bass guitar is very balance and has nice presentation. Decay of bass here is somewhat slow compare to other IEMS I’ve tried, for example as to Tforce Yuan li. Therefore the result, the occasional bleed on the mids.



MIDS – 3.8/5



As a mid centric guy, I find it significantly pushed back here. Though details are not at all compromised. It is just my personal preference that I always look for that forward mids. Still mids are lush and rich. I’ve tested Eva Cassidy – Ain’t no Sunshine and the piano and acoustic guitar are very well presented.



VOCALS – 4.2/5



At this price point, the DN3 is a steal for its vocal presentation. Vocals on both gender is commendable and desirable. On some tracks, the pushed back mids, sometimes brings the vocals at the back. Vocals sounded intimate still with acceptable texture.



SOUNDSTAGE AND IMAGING – 3.5/4



I felt the width more than the height on this one. Panning of instruments (imaging) is acceptable. Depth is quite desirable too. Conclusively, the sound stage is not that big, and not narrow too. Sits somewhere in the middle. Nothing undesirable here. Yet nothing out of ordinary.



FITTING/ISOLATION – 3.5/5



Fitting is okay here. No discomfort, never fell of my ears even while on-stage performing. Although it feels like it will fall anytime, but it did not.



Isolation though is on the light side. I always test isolation when I am on stage playing with my band. I observe how much the sound is muffed from the loudness of my band. I can conclude isolation is somewhat below average here. Isolation only provided a medium muffling to noises around me. You might want to use this preferably on quiet environments.

Here are some TRACKS that I used for reference. Allow me to share you some notes I’ve taken.

• Line by Line by PREP (16bit/44khz, Tidal Master via UAPP)
• Bass guitar has nice weight and satisfying.
• Drum kicks has a nice punchiness.
• Guitars are well textured. A bit puched back.
• Vocals is sweet sounding. Well placed.
• Keys and synths are nicely detailed.

• Eye in the Sky by Alan Parsons Project (24bit/44khz, Tidal Masters via UAPP)
• Drum kick and bass guitar is well balanced. On the lighter side for this track is not bass oriented.
• Guitars are well textured.
• Imaging is well presented.
• Vocals are pushed back. Well presented and airy.
• Pads and keys sits at the back as supporting instruments as it should be.

And many more... Below are some of my favorite test tracks.

Lingus by Snarky Puppy
Thriller by Dirty Loops
Redefine by Incubus
Never too Much by Luther Vandross
P.Y.T by Michael Jackson
I'm not in Love by 10cc
Alice in Wonderland by Bill Evans
Pressure by Paramore
The Chain by Fleetwood Mac
Adia by Sarah McLachlan
Love Bites by Def Leppard





SOURCES AND GEARS

• LG v30 Quad Dac as my main player (high impedance mode on)
• Tidal Master subscription
• Offline Flacs and DSD
• UAPP app
• Hiby Music Player app

VERDICT



The DN3 is a safe tuned IEM that did not fail to be enjoyed. For me, it is for casual listening and not so much for analytical listening. Might not be for hard core audiophiles but for the consumer market. It sits well in the middle of the vast world of Chi-fi IEMS out there. Nothing undesirable, but nothing out of the ordinary. At our time now, where blind buy is increasingly becoming a normal thing, this will be a safe buy. Not bass head level bass, and treble sensitives might want to stay away. No compromise on details here, but placement of elements sometimes throw me off yet this is very subjective. Again, DN3 is enjoyable to listen to despite BGVP played it a bit too safe on this one.

For your information, this is my first review to be posted here in Head-Fi. I will only cover my personal sound impressions of this IEM. I will NOT talk much on the packaging or the accessories that comes with the unit. Moreover, I will also include my personal EQ for it to hit my specific sound preference. Let me know how it sounds on your end on the comments below.

All of the audio gears that will be used have been burned in for at least 150 hours or more.

Here are the list of audio gears used for this review:

• Topping A90 Discrete
• SMSL SU-9N
• Centrance DACport HD
• Abigail Dongle
• Apple Dongle USB C to Headphone Jack

Here are the list of tracks used for this review: (All tracks have been streamed at Qobuz and while other tracks have been bought for the FLAC file)

• Shoot to Thrill - AC/DC
• You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC
• Back in Black - AC/DC
• Highway to Hell - AC/DC
• For Whom the Bell Tolls - Metallica
• Killing Strangers - Marilyn Manson
• Sunflower - Post Malone
• Save Your Tears - The Weeknd
• Always Remember Us This Way - Lady Gaga
• Time - Pink Floyd
• 雪落下的声音 - 陆虎
• Seishun Kyousoukyoku - Sambomaster
• Lay Me Down - Sam Smith
• Let's Groove - Earth, Wind & Fire
• September - Earth, Wind & Fire
• Porco Rosso - Joe Hisaishi
• Innocent - Joe Hisaishi
• Nostalgia - Joe Hisaishi
• Don't Stop Me Now - Queen
• Radio Ga Ga - Queen
• Come Together - The Beatles
• Early Summer Rain - Yasuharu Takanashi
• AND MORE...

BGVP DN3 - A Review by Zeng

I will be giving a rating for each category of out of 10. (10 being the highest, 1 being the lowest)

Bass (8/10):
The bass of this IEM for me is plenty enough already. However, it doesn't go down as deep as full over ear headphones would be. When listening to Killing Strangers by Marilyn Manson. The start of the track have a very strong bass. It hits hard, but the sub-bass was lacking for me. It easily cuts off at 80hz. But overall, the bass is plenty enough for average consumers to like them. I would also like to mention that this IEM is warm and lush sounding.

Mids (9/10):
Now for the mids, this is where this IEM shines. It is really mid-centric to the point that sometimes I feel like the singer is singing beside my ears. It is very lush sounding and non-fatiguing. If you love vocals, then this IEM for me is perfect for you. However, it is important to note that the middle to lower mid-range of this IEM is a bit elevated to the point that it can sound a bit nasally. But nonetheless, it is forward and personal to my ears.

Treble (5/10):
Since I've mentioned earlier that this IEM is warm sounding, then it means that its treble performance is a bit worse. However, it doesn't mean that it's muddy or not detailed. It still performs pretty okay but lacks that energy up top. So if you're one of those audiophiles that loves to listen to every detail on a track then this is definitely NOT for you. There's not much to say on the treble region as it's just lacking on that energy up top for me. Particularly on the 10khz.

Soundstage (2/10):
Nope. The soundstage on this IEM is just not present at all. It is just mid-centric and forward sounding. No depth and height.

Imaging (6/10):
Well, the imaging of this IEM performs pretty decent. I can easily identify whether the instrument is playing from the direction of a compass. However, it still sounds like a regular stereo type of IEM.

EQ Performance (9/10):
This is the most interesting portion of this review. When applied to my preferred EQ settings in UAPP or Peace. It sounds really good! No distortion and it responds really well to EQ. If I were to give it a ranking after EQ this will easily a 5/5 rating.

My personal EQ for this IEM:

Conclusion:
The BGVP DN3 has been given to me as a gift by my fellow friend @RemedyMusic and at first it sounds like my HD650/6xx. However, with a little tweak in the EQ, for me it is already end game. I don't think I'm going to need to have a more expensive pair of IEMs. The target market of this earphones are for those who wants to have a relaxing, warm sounding earphone, that have a forward presentation and vocal focused sound in their tracks. It is NOT for those who seeks detail in their tracks.



Will I recommend this?
Absolutely, just keep in mind with the pros and cons posted above.

Thank you very much and please leave a comment on your thoughts!

BGVP DN3 Review

Disclaimer

BGVP DN3 was provided to me by BGVP as part of their review tour. Impressions shared by me are subjective to my listening capabilities and gear used. You can buy DN3 for $74.

About



BGVP is a Chinese IEM manufacturer who got to fame with their debut IEMs, DMG and DM6. DN3 is their latest budget offering. DN3 houses one Beryllium alloy dynamic driver and one balanced armature driver. It uses MMCX connector. Provided cable is made of 5N OCC silver plated copper with a black TPE sheath and comes in two options, with and without mic. DN3 shells have good build quality, fit and finish and provide very good isolation. Cable is, in one word, mediocre. Feels rubbery and sticky to hold. Though, not much can be asked for at this price point. DN3 comes with good amount of accessories, ample tips and a cloth carrying case. DN3 is an easy to drive IEM.



Source

I have used HiBy R6 2020 DAP as source and used only its 3.5mm jack.



Sound Impressions

Mids

Mids are slightly recessed. Vocals take the cake here. DN3's vocals are very good. Male vocals sound full and rich. Female vocals sound natural and energetic. Upper mids have very good extensions and are slightly elevated, making it sibilant on few occasions.

Bass

Bass has got decent punch and slam in both sub bass and mid bass regions. It doesn't slam hard or go deeper, but sufficient enough to not make sound boring. I also observed slight bleed into mids.



Treble

Treble is a mixed bag. Where lower treble is elevated, upper treble is rolled off and lack extension, sparkle and air. Elevated upper mids and lower treble may cause sibilance, as mentioned before, but rolled off upper treble makes it a relaxed listen. Treble has decent details.

Technicalities

Technicalities are pretty decent. It has a narrow soundstage. It has slightly more width than depth. Lacks height. Instrument separation is decent, and slight congestion is observed in busy tracks. Imaging and detail retrieval capabilities are average at best. Overall clarity is also decent.



Verdict

BGVP DN3 is a decent effort from BGVP. It neither excites nor gets boring. I found vocals to be its forte, but even then I wish it had more clarity, bass slam and upper treble energy.

Tonality: 4/9
Technicalities: 4.33/9
(this is useless, but to give an idea - star rating is for price to performance)

my preferred signature is neutral with or without bass boost, with an exception for a little warm-tilted, or mild V-shaped but honestly, I'm a "signature agnostic" because anything can work. I listen to mostly everything but currently lusting more on the modern sub-genres of Jazz, Progressive Rock & Metal, Drone, Noise Rock, No Wave, Minimalism, Totalism, modern recording of Chamber, Orchestra, Concerto, or Modern Classical at large. I’m a musician myself and very passionate about music & music reproduction.

Click to expand...

(total 3 mins read)

Intro
BGVP is not a strange name in the ChiFi world today. they got more than a dozen of earphones from budget to high-tier hybrid, tribrid & multi-driver BAs including their top-selling TWS, the Q2S. DN3 is a new dual-driver hybrid IEM with a Beryllium-coated dynamic woofer & a HEVK balanced armature that’s charging at $74 a pair. the whole package is pretty neat & practically good for today’s standard.



frequency response measurement courtesy of BGVP


Signature
the sound signature of BGVP DN3 can be considered as ‘warm’ that’s not quite V, W, or U-shaped. it emphasizes the mid-bass, a little upper-mids & the lower-treble at the same time. people might call it “balanced” or W-shaped depending on one’s sensitiveness towards the whole frequency response but that’s not wholly important. believe me that anything could work, if only they’re tuned right & well-balanced.


FR & Tonality
the overall tonality in here is pretty balanced (again with the word) at a low to medium volume, but it gets honky and fatiguing at a higher volume of loudness. there's hardly any sibilance or harshness but it's definitely fatiguing. it doesn’t scale that much but mobile phones or DAPs are preferable and more suitable than amplifiers.

it has a little boost on the mid-bass for the good old physical kick and punch but it lacks rumble and thumps considering coming from a Beryllium-coated diaphragm. it's not overly bloated or muddy, but leaning towards the warmer side of things that helps the mid-range to sound fuller while being 'forward'. the vocals are considerably good though colored.

the treble is crisp yet lacks presence, sparkle, and air. the recessed upper-mids and the 6-7kHz scoop make the whole presentation is somewhat ‘veiled’ at first listen and when swapping to other IEMs. however, the lower treble energy is a bit aggressive that may cause listening fatigue for a long period of time especially on high volume. consequently, most rock & metal or snare-drum-forward music are going to give exhaustion sooner.

in general, the tonality is decent and it can sound ‘incorrect’ yet likable, especially with those nicely recorded jazz. I find it a bit unforgiving to improper mixes, not by revealing the flaws in the mix but rather its own shortcomings.





Technicalities +
DN3 has good driver’s tactility with fast attack, yet the detail retrieval is just on the light-average side. the resolution is considerably good with textured micro-details but dragged by its subpar clarity. I’d not call it 'true resolution' though but more like ‘perceived detail’ that’s held back by its poor resolving ability.

the imaging is average in ‘size’ and a little dull on the edges because of the smoothed transients plus the short decays. it's 2-dimensional-ish with a narrow, compressed soundstage projection that stays within the headspace. although the depth is almost non-existent, the separation & layering are noticeable.

it has a good range of microdynamics that can be heard, for example, the blues virtuoso Stevie Ray Vaughan’s dynamic guitar licks on "Tin Pan Alley", but the macro dynamic is somewhat lacking. a huge jump in loudness would feel less impactful and rather compressed.

like every IEMs that stumble in the technicalities, DN3 also needs a little bit of tweaking in the crossover design, or perhaps more driver mix-and-match work. the dynamic driver and balanced armature are just not... up to par. at the end of the day, I could say DN3 is overall musical and it can be fun, but the problem is, there are so many other fun IEMs in this sub $100 price range.






of unimportance
the build is notably exceptional with a smooth matte finish body made of CNC-machined aviation-grade aluminum-magnesium alloy. the faceplate design is cool looking with the left piece somewhat resembling the HiFiman Ananda. the stock 5N OCC MMCX cable is not great but the rich selection of ear tips is awesome and commendable.

I find the fit is super comfortable with its small shell and ergonomic shape that I think should give no issue to any size or shape of ears. the good thing about it is, once the music is playing, the earpiece disappears.

Conclusion
honestly, I don’t find any serious issues with the performance of DN3 for the asking price except that I’d still consider it an underperformer in my book. in the fast-paced crowded market especially in the sub $100 range, I think DN3 is going to be struggled just to find its spot and a position for the long run. it's arguably a decent IEM that serves its purposes even if successfully sold throughout the promotion period, I’m afraid it’s going to collect dust for the rest of its existence.

Click to expand...

*this review unit is provided by BGVP as part of their BGVP DN3 tour, all my words are mine and I'm not at all compensated by any party.


purchase BGVP DN3 here
(non-affiliated)


key songs:
Eddie Daniels - Baião Malandro
Será Una Noche – Taquito Militar
Yellowjackets – Summer Song
Charles Mingus – Open Letter to Duke
Scott Walker - Corps De Blah

Thomas Adès & Boston Symphony Orchestra - "Totentaz": Der Prediger / Der Tod / Der Tod zum Papst
Patricia Petibon - Mozart: Der Zauberflöte – Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen
Yannick Nézet-Séguin - Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 - Finale (Alla breve)

Steely Dan – Jack of Speed
Stevie Ray Vaughan – Tin Pan Alley

Shellac - Didn't We Deserve a Look at You The Way You Really Are
Future of the Left – You Need Satan More Than He Needs You
Queens of the Stone Age – My God is the Sun
Mastodon - The Wolf Is Loose
Young Widows – Doom Moon
The Chariot – Teach:

tools: Tidal & FLACs via foobar2000/UAPP
Topping EX5
Aune X7s
LG G7
Ovidius B1