INTRODUCTION
My introduction to DUNU Topsound (over a year ago) was with their triple hybrid DN-1000, which rapidly became a hit with Head-Fi buyers, and was one of the first triple hybrid IEMs to show that top quality could be achieved at an affordable price. This lead to having the opportunity to review the Titan hybrid IEM/earbud (one of my picks for top earphone releases in 2014), and more recently the DN-2000. Each time I’ve reviewed a DUNU product I’ve been struck by the innovation they’ve consistently brought to the table – and this is continued with their new hybrid earbud – the Alpha 1.
Once again I’d like to thank both Vivian from DUNU, and also my friend from “over the ditch” djvkool – for giving me the chance to hear and review these.
For those who aren’t aware, DUNU Topsound was established in 1994 originally as an OEM supplier to other companies. Since then they have developed their own branded line of high quality earphones, and gone from strength to strength with each release. They currently have their manufacturing plant in China and head office in Taiwan. They now have more than 100 employees, and market their product range all over the world.
The name DUNU is simply an acronym of the principle design points that the company strives to implement in their product range
Once again I thought I’d quote this from their website, as it really does give an insight into what drives the company:
DUNU’s full product catalogue can be found at http://www.dunu-topsound.com/product.html - and their products are supplied through their own storefront (globally) on Amazon.
The Alpha 1’s arrived to me a few weeks ago, and I must confess that I haven’t used these as much as I normally would when reviewing equipment – simply because I’ve struggled with the fit. Read on to find out my personal thoughts on the DUNU Alpha 1.
DISCLAIMER
The DUNU Alpha 1 I’m reviewing today is a loaner unit from DUNU, and at the completion of my review will be returned to Australia – hopefully so others get the chance of sampling it. I am in no way affiliated with DUNU - and this review is my subjective opinion of the Alpha 1.
PREAMBLE - 'ABOUT ME'. (or a base-line for interpreting my thoughts and bias)
I'm a 47 year old music lover. I don't say audiophile – I just love my music. Over the last couple of years, I have slowly changed from cheaper listening set-ups to my current set-up. I vary my listening from portable (Fiio X5, X1, X3 gen 2, and iPhone 5S) to my desk-top's set-up (PC > coax > NFB-12 > LD MKIV > HP). I also use a portable set-up at work – either X5/X1/X3 > HP, or PC > Beyer A200p > HP. My main full sized headphones at the time of writing are the Beyer T1 and Sennheiser HD600. Most of my portable listening is done with IEMs - and up till now it has mainly been with the Fidue A83, Dunu Titan and Altone200. A full list of the gear I have owned (past and present is listed in my Head-Fi profile).
I have very eclectic music tastes listening to a variety from classical/opera and jazz, to grunge and general rock. I listen to a lot of blues, jazz, folk music, classic rock, indie and alternative rock. I am particularly fond of female vocals. I generally tend toward cans that are relatively neutral/balanced, but I do have a fondness for clarity, and suspect I might have slight ‘treble-head’ preferences. I am not treble sensitive (at all), and in the past have really enjoyed headphones like the K701, SR325i, and of course the T1 and DT880.
I have extensively tested myself (abx) and I find aac256 or higher completely transparent. I do use exclusively redbook 16/44.1 if space is not an issue. All of my music is legally purchased (mostly CD – the rest FLAC purchased on-line).
I tend to be sceptical about audiophile ‘claims’, don’t generally believe in burn-in, have never heard a difference with different cables, and would rather test myself blind on perceived differences. I am not a ‘golden eared listener’. I suffer from mild tinnitus, and at 47, my hearing is less than perfect.
For the purposes of this review - I used the DUNU Alpha straight from the headphone-out socket of my Fiio X3 gen 2. I did not generally further amp them (I did test them with my X1 and E11K), as IMO they do not benefit greatly from additional amplification (YMMV and it may depend on your source). In the time I have spent with the Titan 1, I have noticed no change to the overall sonic presentation (break-in), however to be fair, I haven’t personally had a lot of hours with them. I did notice that the more I used them, the better they did sound to me – but this I already know is a sign of brain burn-in. Fit also has a huge effect on the sonic signature of these earphones.
This is a purely subjective review - my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience.
The DUNU Alpha 1s arrived in an approximately 205mm x 160mm x 50mm retail box. The box “screams” high-quality product to me with s simple picture of the Alphas on the front, product description on the rear, and specification information on the side.
The box opens “book style” to show the IEMs, and on the inside cover gives some great information about the accessories included, and also the options for customising the fit through the use of the various fins and rings, and the effects they should have on the overall sound.
Opening a second inner cover exposes the carry case (new!), some of the fins and rings, and also the Alphas themselves. The actual retail box is extremely well made, very solid, and just looks like a high quality overall package to me.
The carry case is a clam shell semi-soft design, and absolutely ideal for carrying in a pocket. I love it – even over the hard case for the Titans, and hope it is included in more of their future releases. It is more than strong enough to withstand day to day “living, is spacious enough for most IEMs, and has a handy inner pocket for spare fins etc.
The accessory pack includes 1 shirt clip, a standard 3.5 – 6.3mm adaptor, 2 sets of foam covers, 3 sets of thick rings, 3 sets of thin rings, and 3 sets (L, M, S) of the “fin” rings. The guide to fitting the various rings (as I mentioned earlier) is on the indie cover of the retail box.
All in all – a very good, quite innovative and well thought out accessory range.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
(From DUNU’s packaging / website)
FREQUENCY GRAPH
At the time of writing, I haven’t been able to locate a frequency graph, but for the record I think that the frequency response is going to be very much influenced by fit. Rather than give a general view on the frequency response now, I’ll save it for the sound section.
BUILD & DESIGN
The Titan 1 appears to be extremely well made with a mostly hard plastic moulded body, coupled with a polished stainless steel metal cap or section between the stem and face of the earbud. The Alpha 1 is a large earbud with a diameter of 18mm, and a depth of approx. 20mm from the rear of the stem to the front of the delivery stem. The face of the Alpha has the usual perforated holes for the dynamic driver, but also has a separate ridge allowing the sound from the BA driver to be directed to your ear canal.
The circular part of the body is designed to sit snugly in your ear between your Tragus and Anti-helix, with the raised nozzle directed toward your ear canal. It is designed to be worn cable down, and like all earbuds, is essentially an open design. The addition of various rings and fins is to promote a more stable fit, with various levels of seal to influence the overall sound.
The cable has a very smooth and soft PVC outer cover, and appears to be reasonably strong and supple. There is no real strain relief from the exit of the buds, but as the cable hangs straight down anyway, it’s not really required. The Y-split is metal with the top piece sliding off to form a cinch. The plug is a right angled gold plated 3.5mm plug, and is designed to be very friendly for portable devices. No issues with my 5S with fitted case. The cable shows good flexibility, with no real signs of kinking, and has excellent strain relief at the other required major points (plug, and Y-split).
There is a very little microphonic noise present – and any remaining noise can be alleviated by using the included shirt clip, or tucking under clothes.
One of the most simple but innovative designs with DUNU’s cables is the inclusion of the rubber cable tie actually on the cable. When not in use it sits unobtrusively close to the plug (I never notice it). When you’ve finished listening to the Alphas, simply carefully coil the cable and use the tie. Simple, elegant, brilliant. I loved this with the DN-1000, DN-2000 and Titan, and it works equally well with the Alpha 1.
I can’t really fault the overall build and design too much at this stage except to say that it is a large earbud, and may be uncomfortable for people with smaller ears. There is a lot of innovation with this design though – as I’ve come to expect with every release DUNU makes.
FIT / COMFORT / ISOLATION
For most earbuds, you don’t have to do a lot about fit – just insert them and you’re good to go – a one size fits all idea. But here is where DUNU have broken the mould with the Alpha – recognising that people have different and unique anatomical ear features, and that a combination of fit and seal can influence the end sound.
So they included a variety of tips to help the user find the most comfortable fit, whilst also being able to change the amount of overall seal achieved. The design of the various rings is quite innovative with the fins designed to stabilise and lock the IEM while increasing overall seal, the straight rings simply varying seal, and the foam rings influencing both comfort and overall sound.
Fitting the various rings and fins takes some getting used to and was quite frustrating for the first hour or so – but became easier the more I persevered.
Initially I settled for the medium fins, as they gave me the best combination of seal and fit – but I definitely found the foams had the best comfort. Towards the end though I found that by far the best combination for me (comfort and sound) was the use of multiple sponge-foam covers. This helped greatly with the seal, and also tamed an overly strident mid-range. More on this will be brought up in the conclusion and recommendations section.
Unfortunately throughout my period with the Alphas I was unable to achieve an ideal fit – and this did adversely affect the sound.
Isolation is average for an earbud – but it is what you expect – they are essentially an open design.
So how does the DUNU Alpha sound? Are the sonics as good as everything else up to this point?
SOUND QUALITY
The following is what I hear from the DUNU Alpha 1. YMMV – and probably will – as my tastes are likely different to yours (read the preamble I gave earlier for a baseline). Most of the testing at this point (unless otherwise stated) was done with my Fiio X3 gen 2 as source, a heavy (by my standards) EQ applied, and double foam rings fitted.
Tracks used were across a variety of genres – and can be viewed in this list http://www.head-fi.org/a/brookos-test-tracks.
The Issue With Fit
SQ with the Alpha is very seal and fit dependent. If you can get a good fit and seal, the Alphas are very energetic and mid-forward, with a fantastic bass response, and enough detail to impress most people. How do I know this – simple – uneq’d, I pressed the Alphas into my ears and held them there simulating a partial seal. And they sound wonderful like this.
Unfortunately for me – I can’t use this method for day to day normal living. So what happens (for me) in the absence of a reasonable seal?
I’m guessing here – but I think that what is happening is that I’m getting the full effect of the BA via the nozzle, and not enough lower mid-range and bass to balance it. The result is an extremely strident (at times painful) response – which invariably led me to remove them from my ears within a few seconds of listening. But being the persistent person I am, I stumbled across the multiple foam covers helping a lot, and then used EQ to fix the rest. For me this meant cutting almost 10 levels on Fiio’s EQ from the 1 kHz slider – I knew it was this range simple because of the sensitivity I had to vocals (normally the one thing I look for – now I needed to cut them – new ground for me!).
Once I had done this, plus balanced out some of the other frequencies, the Alphas were fantastic, and I’m still listening to them now, over three hours into typing the review.
Rather than do my usual sections in sound, I’ll simply say with the EQ applied and foams fitted, I’m still finding the vocals quite forward, but a much nicer balance now without the stridency. Bass is fantastic, reaches relatively deep (unheard of for most earbuds) and has good speed and texture.
There is plenty of detail, sufficient for enjoyment without being to glaring. I would say with the configuration I’m using though – DUNUs Titan still has better balance, and more natural clarity.
On the sound stage front, I was expecting overly expansive staging, but the Alpha is surprisingly intimate. I think this is due to the very forward mid-range. The Titan is much more expansive and airy. The Alpha for me is richer, fuller and darker (again – take into account the adjustment via EQ and foam covers). To me – the Alpha sounds more like a slightly expansive IEM rather than an open earbud.
As far as genre goes – I’ve pretty much enjoyed the Alpha with everything I’ve listened to but particularly Pop and EDM (the bass is pretty good). It was excellent in the new configuration with Pearl Jam – but I would still need to play around with EQ just a little more, as I still don’t have Vedder’s voice quite 100% - close but not perfect.
AMPLIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
The Alpha is an interesting earbud. It is pretty easy to drive but despite its high sensitivity and low impedance you may want to consider amplification if you are using a weak source and do need to apply subtractive EQ. For my part, I’m running at around 45/120 on the new X3 and there is plenty of headroom. Most people won’t need to add additional amplification, and IMO doesn’t add anything to the overall sonics.
RESPONSE TO EQ?
As outlined above, I heavily EQ’d the Alpha and am very glad I did. It allowed me time with a very enjoyable earbud which before the EQ I was unable to listen to for long periods. For the record – my current EQ (and it isn’t quite right yet) involved me putting all 10 sliders at +6, then cutting 500 kHz to about +4, 1 kHz to -2, 2kHz to 1-, and 4,8, and 16 kHz in a gentle rise back toward +1. Radical, yep I know. Just remember though, this is due to my personal issues with fit, YMMV.
If you get the right fit, you can look forward to a rich and full sound signature with really excellent bass impact and texture (for an earbud), quite forward vocals, and a slightly relaxed treble – which doesn’t harm the detail or clarity at all.
If you don’t get the right fit, and are open to EQing, the Alpha is still a very capable earbud, and can be tuned to take out any nasty peaks which remain from the less optimum fit.
I would be very interested to hear from anyone else who has tried the Alpha though, as it does interest me to see if I am just unlucky in my personal anatomy – or if this is a wider issue that perhaps DUNU could work on for an Alpha 2. If it is fixable OOTB – then I’d definitely be at the front of the line to try it out.
I've given the Alpha 1 3.5 stars for this review. I have the feeling if I had been able to achieve an ideal fit, the rating would have been a lot higher.
Once again I’d like to thank Vivian at DUNU and Vic for giving me this wonderful opportunity.
RECOMMENDATIONS TO DUNU
Personally I’d suggest dialing back the midrange just a little – because even with my EQ (and love of vocals), I’m still finding the Alpha extremely forward. Also – a very easy fix for both comfort and seal would be to include some thicker sponge-foam covers – maybe even double or triple the current thickness. This could give another dimension to tweaking the sound whilst also aiding overall comfort, and may even negate someone like me having to use EQ.
My introduction to DUNU Topsound (over a year ago) was with their triple hybrid DN-1000, which rapidly became a hit with Head-Fi buyers, and was one of the first triple hybrid IEMs to show that top quality could be achieved at an affordable price. This lead to having the opportunity to review the Titan hybrid IEM/earbud (one of my picks for top earphone releases in 2014), and more recently the DN-2000. Each time I’ve reviewed a DUNU product I’ve been struck by the innovation they’ve consistently brought to the table – and this is continued with their new hybrid earbud – the Alpha 1.
Once again I’d like to thank both Vivian from DUNU, and also my friend from “over the ditch” djvkool – for giving me the chance to hear and review these.
For those who aren’t aware, DUNU Topsound was established in 1994 originally as an OEM supplier to other companies. Since then they have developed their own branded line of high quality earphones, and gone from strength to strength with each release. They currently have their manufacturing plant in China and head office in Taiwan. They now have more than 100 employees, and market their product range all over the world.
The name DUNU is simply an acronym of the principle design points that the company strives to implement in their product range
- Delicate
- UNique
- Utmost
Once again I thought I’d quote this from their website, as it really does give an insight into what drives the company:
DUNU’s full product catalogue can be found at http://www.dunu-topsound.com/product.html - and their products are supplied through their own storefront (globally) on Amazon.
The Alpha 1’s arrived to me a few weeks ago, and I must confess that I haven’t used these as much as I normally would when reviewing equipment – simply because I’ve struggled with the fit. Read on to find out my personal thoughts on the DUNU Alpha 1.
DISCLAIMER
The DUNU Alpha 1 I’m reviewing today is a loaner unit from DUNU, and at the completion of my review will be returned to Australia – hopefully so others get the chance of sampling it. I am in no way affiliated with DUNU - and this review is my subjective opinion of the Alpha 1.
PREAMBLE - 'ABOUT ME'. (or a base-line for interpreting my thoughts and bias)
I'm a 47 year old music lover. I don't say audiophile – I just love my music. Over the last couple of years, I have slowly changed from cheaper listening set-ups to my current set-up. I vary my listening from portable (Fiio X5, X1, X3 gen 2, and iPhone 5S) to my desk-top's set-up (PC > coax > NFB-12 > LD MKIV > HP). I also use a portable set-up at work – either X5/X1/X3 > HP, or PC > Beyer A200p > HP. My main full sized headphones at the time of writing are the Beyer T1 and Sennheiser HD600. Most of my portable listening is done with IEMs - and up till now it has mainly been with the Fidue A83, Dunu Titan and Altone200. A full list of the gear I have owned (past and present is listed in my Head-Fi profile).
I have very eclectic music tastes listening to a variety from classical/opera and jazz, to grunge and general rock. I listen to a lot of blues, jazz, folk music, classic rock, indie and alternative rock. I am particularly fond of female vocals. I generally tend toward cans that are relatively neutral/balanced, but I do have a fondness for clarity, and suspect I might have slight ‘treble-head’ preferences. I am not treble sensitive (at all), and in the past have really enjoyed headphones like the K701, SR325i, and of course the T1 and DT880.
I have extensively tested myself (abx) and I find aac256 or higher completely transparent. I do use exclusively redbook 16/44.1 if space is not an issue. All of my music is legally purchased (mostly CD – the rest FLAC purchased on-line).
I tend to be sceptical about audiophile ‘claims’, don’t generally believe in burn-in, have never heard a difference with different cables, and would rather test myself blind on perceived differences. I am not a ‘golden eared listener’. I suffer from mild tinnitus, and at 47, my hearing is less than perfect.
For the purposes of this review - I used the DUNU Alpha straight from the headphone-out socket of my Fiio X3 gen 2. I did not generally further amp them (I did test them with my X1 and E11K), as IMO they do not benefit greatly from additional amplification (YMMV and it may depend on your source). In the time I have spent with the Titan 1, I have noticed no change to the overall sonic presentation (break-in), however to be fair, I haven’t personally had a lot of hours with them. I did notice that the more I used them, the better they did sound to me – but this I already know is a sign of brain burn-in. Fit also has a huge effect on the sonic signature of these earphones.
This is a purely subjective review - my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience.
THE REVIEW
PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIESThe DUNU Alpha 1s arrived in an approximately 205mm x 160mm x 50mm retail box. The box “screams” high-quality product to me with s simple picture of the Alphas on the front, product description on the rear, and specification information on the side.
The box opens “book style” to show the IEMs, and on the inside cover gives some great information about the accessories included, and also the options for customising the fit through the use of the various fins and rings, and the effects they should have on the overall sound.
Opening a second inner cover exposes the carry case (new!), some of the fins and rings, and also the Alphas themselves. The actual retail box is extremely well made, very solid, and just looks like a high quality overall package to me.
The carry case is a clam shell semi-soft design, and absolutely ideal for carrying in a pocket. I love it – even over the hard case for the Titans, and hope it is included in more of their future releases. It is more than strong enough to withstand day to day “living, is spacious enough for most IEMs, and has a handy inner pocket for spare fins etc.
The accessory pack includes 1 shirt clip, a standard 3.5 – 6.3mm adaptor, 2 sets of foam covers, 3 sets of thick rings, 3 sets of thin rings, and 3 sets (L, M, S) of the “fin” rings. The guide to fitting the various rings (as I mentioned earlier) is on the indie cover of the retail box.
All in all – a very good, quite innovative and well thought out accessory range.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
(From DUNU’s packaging / website)
Type | Single dynamic and single BA driver hybrid earphone (bud) |
Drivers | 16mm dynamic + single BA |
Frequency Range | 10 Hz – 30 Khz |
Impedance | 16 ohm |
Sensitivity | 125 dB (+/-2 dB) |
Plug | 3.5mm gold plated |
Cables | 1.2m, fixed |
Weight | 17g |
Earbud Shell | Combined moulded plastic and polished metal |
FREQUENCY GRAPH
At the time of writing, I haven’t been able to locate a frequency graph, but for the record I think that the frequency response is going to be very much influenced by fit. Rather than give a general view on the frequency response now, I’ll save it for the sound section.
BUILD & DESIGN
The Titan 1 appears to be extremely well made with a mostly hard plastic moulded body, coupled with a polished stainless steel metal cap or section between the stem and face of the earbud. The Alpha 1 is a large earbud with a diameter of 18mm, and a depth of approx. 20mm from the rear of the stem to the front of the delivery stem. The face of the Alpha has the usual perforated holes for the dynamic driver, but also has a separate ridge allowing the sound from the BA driver to be directed to your ear canal.
The circular part of the body is designed to sit snugly in your ear between your Tragus and Anti-helix, with the raised nozzle directed toward your ear canal. It is designed to be worn cable down, and like all earbuds, is essentially an open design. The addition of various rings and fins is to promote a more stable fit, with various levels of seal to influence the overall sound.
The cable has a very smooth and soft PVC outer cover, and appears to be reasonably strong and supple. There is no real strain relief from the exit of the buds, but as the cable hangs straight down anyway, it’s not really required. The Y-split is metal with the top piece sliding off to form a cinch. The plug is a right angled gold plated 3.5mm plug, and is designed to be very friendly for portable devices. No issues with my 5S with fitted case. The cable shows good flexibility, with no real signs of kinking, and has excellent strain relief at the other required major points (plug, and Y-split).
There is a very little microphonic noise present – and any remaining noise can be alleviated by using the included shirt clip, or tucking under clothes.
One of the most simple but innovative designs with DUNU’s cables is the inclusion of the rubber cable tie actually on the cable. When not in use it sits unobtrusively close to the plug (I never notice it). When you’ve finished listening to the Alphas, simply carefully coil the cable and use the tie. Simple, elegant, brilliant. I loved this with the DN-1000, DN-2000 and Titan, and it works equally well with the Alpha 1.
I can’t really fault the overall build and design too much at this stage except to say that it is a large earbud, and may be uncomfortable for people with smaller ears. There is a lot of innovation with this design though – as I’ve come to expect with every release DUNU makes.
FIT / COMFORT / ISOLATION
For most earbuds, you don’t have to do a lot about fit – just insert them and you’re good to go – a one size fits all idea. But here is where DUNU have broken the mould with the Alpha – recognising that people have different and unique anatomical ear features, and that a combination of fit and seal can influence the end sound.
So they included a variety of tips to help the user find the most comfortable fit, whilst also being able to change the amount of overall seal achieved. The design of the various rings is quite innovative with the fins designed to stabilise and lock the IEM while increasing overall seal, the straight rings simply varying seal, and the foam rings influencing both comfort and overall sound.
[size=inherit][/size] | ||
Large "fin" tips - note notch above the BA port (shows correct fit) | Large "fin" tips | Large "fin" tips - profile view |
Fitting the various rings and fins takes some getting used to and was quite frustrating for the first hour or so – but became easier the more I persevered.
[size=inherit][/size] | ||
Thick rings - notch shows placement on the Alphas | Thick rings from the rear | Thick rings from the front |
Initially I settled for the medium fins, as they gave me the best combination of seal and fit – but I definitely found the foams had the best comfort. Towards the end though I found that by far the best combination for me (comfort and sound) was the use of multiple sponge-foam covers. This helped greatly with the seal, and also tamed an overly strident mid-range. More on this will be brought up in the conclusion and recommendations section.
[size=inherit][/size] | ||
Foam covers - single layer only - quite thin | Foam covers from the front | Foam covers from the rear |
Unfortunately throughout my period with the Alphas I was unable to achieve an ideal fit – and this did adversely affect the sound.
Isolation is average for an earbud – but it is what you expect – they are essentially an open design.
So how does the DUNU Alpha sound? Are the sonics as good as everything else up to this point?
SOUND QUALITY
The following is what I hear from the DUNU Alpha 1. YMMV – and probably will – as my tastes are likely different to yours (read the preamble I gave earlier for a baseline). Most of the testing at this point (unless otherwise stated) was done with my Fiio X3 gen 2 as source, a heavy (by my standards) EQ applied, and double foam rings fitted.
Tracks used were across a variety of genres – and can be viewed in this list http://www.head-fi.org/a/brookos-test-tracks.
The Issue With Fit
SQ with the Alpha is very seal and fit dependent. If you can get a good fit and seal, the Alphas are very energetic and mid-forward, with a fantastic bass response, and enough detail to impress most people. How do I know this – simple – uneq’d, I pressed the Alphas into my ears and held them there simulating a partial seal. And they sound wonderful like this.
Unfortunately for me – I can’t use this method for day to day normal living. So what happens (for me) in the absence of a reasonable seal?
I’m guessing here – but I think that what is happening is that I’m getting the full effect of the BA via the nozzle, and not enough lower mid-range and bass to balance it. The result is an extremely strident (at times painful) response – which invariably led me to remove them from my ears within a few seconds of listening. But being the persistent person I am, I stumbled across the multiple foam covers helping a lot, and then used EQ to fix the rest. For me this meant cutting almost 10 levels on Fiio’s EQ from the 1 kHz slider – I knew it was this range simple because of the sensitivity I had to vocals (normally the one thing I look for – now I needed to cut them – new ground for me!).
Once I had done this, plus balanced out some of the other frequencies, the Alphas were fantastic, and I’m still listening to them now, over three hours into typing the review.
Rather than do my usual sections in sound, I’ll simply say with the EQ applied and foams fitted, I’m still finding the vocals quite forward, but a much nicer balance now without the stridency. Bass is fantastic, reaches relatively deep (unheard of for most earbuds) and has good speed and texture.
There is plenty of detail, sufficient for enjoyment without being to glaring. I would say with the configuration I’m using though – DUNUs Titan still has better balance, and more natural clarity.
On the sound stage front, I was expecting overly expansive staging, but the Alpha is surprisingly intimate. I think this is due to the very forward mid-range. The Titan is much more expansive and airy. The Alpha for me is richer, fuller and darker (again – take into account the adjustment via EQ and foam covers). To me – the Alpha sounds more like a slightly expansive IEM rather than an open earbud.
As far as genre goes – I’ve pretty much enjoyed the Alpha with everything I’ve listened to but particularly Pop and EDM (the bass is pretty good). It was excellent in the new configuration with Pearl Jam – but I would still need to play around with EQ just a little more, as I still don’t have Vedder’s voice quite 100% - close but not perfect.
AMPLIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
The Alpha is an interesting earbud. It is pretty easy to drive but despite its high sensitivity and low impedance you may want to consider amplification if you are using a weak source and do need to apply subtractive EQ. For my part, I’m running at around 45/120 on the new X3 and there is plenty of headroom. Most people won’t need to add additional amplification, and IMO doesn’t add anything to the overall sonics.
RESPONSE TO EQ?
As outlined above, I heavily EQ’d the Alpha and am very glad I did. It allowed me time with a very enjoyable earbud which before the EQ I was unable to listen to for long periods. For the record – my current EQ (and it isn’t quite right yet) involved me putting all 10 sliders at +6, then cutting 500 kHz to about +4, 1 kHz to -2, 2kHz to 1-, and 4,8, and 16 kHz in a gentle rise back toward +1. Radical, yep I know. Just remember though, this is due to my personal issues with fit, YMMV.
DUNU ALPHA 1 - SUMMARY
The DUNU Alpha is an incredibly innovative design, well built, and technically capable earbud. I continue to be amazed with how the engineers at DUNU are constantly able to think outside the square, and I genuinely think they have come up with something special with the Alpha 1.If you get the right fit, you can look forward to a rich and full sound signature with really excellent bass impact and texture (for an earbud), quite forward vocals, and a slightly relaxed treble – which doesn’t harm the detail or clarity at all.
If you don’t get the right fit, and are open to EQing, the Alpha is still a very capable earbud, and can be tuned to take out any nasty peaks which remain from the less optimum fit.
I would be very interested to hear from anyone else who has tried the Alpha though, as it does interest me to see if I am just unlucky in my personal anatomy – or if this is a wider issue that perhaps DUNU could work on for an Alpha 2. If it is fixable OOTB – then I’d definitely be at the front of the line to try it out.
I've given the Alpha 1 3.5 stars for this review. I have the feeling if I had been able to achieve an ideal fit, the rating would have been a lot higher.
Once again I’d like to thank Vivian at DUNU and Vic for giving me this wonderful opportunity.
RECOMMENDATIONS TO DUNU
Personally I’d suggest dialing back the midrange just a little – because even with my EQ (and love of vocals), I’m still finding the Alpha extremely forward. Also – a very easy fix for both comfort and seal would be to include some thicker sponge-foam covers – maybe even double or triple the current thickness. This could give another dimension to tweaking the sound whilst also aiding overall comfort, and may even negate someone like me having to use EQ.
Hi Paul,
how did you manage to apply the foam covers? Did you install the thin silicone rings first and pulled the foam covers over then or how did you do it?
Thanks in advance