DUNU DK-3001 Pro

Link to my review and measurement index thread where one can also find a full review overview, more information about myself as well as my general-ish audio and review manifesto: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/956208/

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I only give full stars. My ranking/scoring system does not necessarily follow the norm and is about as follows:


5 stars: The product is very good and received the "highly recommended" award from me.

4 stars: The product is very good and received the "recommended" award from me.

3 stars: The product is good/very good, but not outstanding/special enough to get any of my two awards. ["Thumbs Up"]

2 stars: The product is only about average or even somewhat below that and somewhat flawed/flawed in some areas. [neither "Thumbs Up" nor "Thumbs Down"]

1 star: The product is bad/severely flawed to outright bad. ["Thumbs Down"]

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DUNU DK 3001 Pro


Source:

Review sample.


Miscellaneous:

Hybrid in-ears with five drivers per side – four Balanced Armatures and one 13 mm dynamic driver. Supposedly three acoustic ways, divided by a passive crossover (definitely not an active one as opposed to what's printed on the package - which isn't the only technical mistake and punctuation error on the package, but I don’t really mind about that.).

For some reason, at least on the package, DUNU decided to ditch the hyphen found on the DK-3001 for the "Pro"-labelled model.
Really nice unboxing experience, although it doesn't fully reach that of the DN-2000J which was even lusher and more spectacular (and is only matched or surpassed by very few other in-ears, such as the FLC Technology FLC-8S).
Several accessories such as various sets of differently sized silicone ear tips (grey; dark grey with red core; SpinFit tips, that do however need bundled rubber spacer rings in order to fit the nozzles properly), one pair of Comply foam tips, a cleaning brush tool, a 6.3 to 3.5 mm adapter and a carrying case/purse come included.

While I like the carrying case's turquoise green colour and can see that it is of nice quality and precisely stitched, I personally don't like it nearly as much as the cases that came with the DN-2000J or DK-3001; due to its nature, it's also not as dust- or moisture-proof as them; it seems like DUNU went for a case that fits better to a more boutique-ish product instead of keeping it more practical; it's got a nice little pocket inside for carrying extra ear tips or cable connectors and is made of artificial leather.

Pretty supple and flexible cable that looks very nice as well, although it is a step below iBasso's cables in terms of premium appearance and how it feels.
Rather unusual for DUNU's in-ears, the cable tie is made of Velcro and not of the rubber with lugs, holes and a pin, that was found on most of DUNU's previous in-ear releasess. Then again, it makes sense as this cable with braided conductors is thicker than DUNU's standard rubber cable.
The quick-switching mechanism and lock/release on the cable's end that goes into the source is simply phenomenal and fantastic - it's very easy to operate and appears sturdy (it's definitely a much better solution than using a cable with an unnecessarily over-hyped and more fragile 2.5 mm TRRS plug plus a simple, non-locking adapter).

Very comfortably fitting shells, at least to my ears.

High build quality.
I really like the outside/faceplate design. When it comes to the beauty of the inner side of the shells, the DK-3001 is more beautiful, though.



Sound:

Largest included light grey silicone tips (of the same kind that was already installed).
Tonality:

Diffuse-field oriented v-shape.
Depending on whether the inner-facing vent is free or blocked, which depends on one's individual ear geometry and fit, the bass is either elevated by ca. 4 dB compared to flat in-ears such as my Etymotic ER-4S/the ER-4SR and quite linear through the entire lows, or a bit more sub-bass focused with around 7 to 8 dB more sub-bass quantity compared to the Etymotic in-ears; rather the latter is the case in my ears, and in my opinion, the DK 3001 Pro would be best without any inner vent at all, so that the lows' tuning were be more sub-bass oriented for everybody by default.
Either way, the bass stays nicely out of the lower midrange and starts to climb around 500 Hz, and then reaches its climax around 60 (free vent) respectively around 30 Hz (blocked vent).
That said, the DK 3001 Pro have therefore got the only somewhat less strong lower bass compared the DK-3001, however thankfully noticeably without the warmth that can be found in the non-Pro-labelled in-ears’ fundamental range. Therefore, the "Pro" model is indeed more professional in the lower midrange compared to the clearly more coloured DK-3001.
Sub-bass quantity is about the same when compared to the FiiO FH7.
The midrange takes a nicely diffuse-field oriented approach with only a bit less-than-neutral quantity at 3 kHz. Therefore, voices sound tonally correct, with accurate timbre. That's a completely different direction when compared to the DK-3001 that are noticeably more coloured throughout the entire midrange, with added lower midrange warmth and a bright, clear upper midrange elevation. As a result, in terms of midrange accuracy, the DK 3001 Pro are, out of the ones I have heard, DUNU's most accurate in-ears to date and doe everything right here – there is absolutely nothing to be improved in this area.
Compared to the FiiO FH7 that have got a rather prominent and somewhat exhaustive central midrange elevation to my ears, the DK 3001 Pro are more linear and accurate in the mids and have got correct quantity.
In the lower and middle treble, the DK 3001 Pro continue their diffuse-field oriented tuning, with only slightly more quantity (about 2 dB) around 6 kHz. Therefore, they are more linear and accurate sounding in this area than the DK-3001 as well.
The area around 10 kHz is elevated by around 5 dB to my ears, however not narrowly but rather widely, wherefore it's not a hard but rather a soft brightness elevation. While it adds brightness to the upper end of the frequency spectrum, it doesn't compromise the naturalness much and only softens hard cymbal attacks a bit.
Compared to the FiiO FH7, the DK 3001 Pro are a bit brighter in the upper treble, but also on the non-offensive, softer and peak-/sharpness-free side.
- - -
Often, “Pro” iterations of an existing product are only marketing nonsense terms from manufacturers to avoid labelling the product as a similar enough successor or slight iteration with basically the same sound signature, but in case of the DK 3001 Pro, they are indeed tuned quite differently from the more gimmicky sounding, w-shaped DK-3001, with a neutrally voiced midrange and generally pleasant v-shaped tuning, and therefore justifiably deserve the “Pro” suffix due to their accurate midrange combined with the loudness-oriented/fun elevations on either end of the frequency spectrum.
Frequency Response:

Etymotic ER-4S-Compensation (blocked Vent)

This matches my perception of the DK 3001 Pro very well – keeping in mind that the ER-4S have around 5 dB less at 10 kHz than would actually be neutral in order to compensate for the 5 dB boost in this area that is on several CDs, the graph represents my perception very well but shows somewhat too much level around 6 kHz where I only hear an elevation of only about 2 dB.


Etymotic ER-4S-Compensation (free Vent)


InEar ProPhile 8-Compensation (blocked Vent)


InEar ProPhile 8-Compensation (Free Vent)


Effect of Blocking the Vent

Resolution:

The bass is surprisingly tight, fast and clean for a dynamic driver woofer wherefore it is almost BA-like in its character and sounds definitely much faster and tighter than soft and thumping. It's a bit like some of the slightly slower multi-BA-only implementations, and has only got a bit of “something” to it that reveals that it's a dynamic driver (or it's probably just my imagination - anyway, it is a tight and fast sounding dynamic driver woofer implementation that is definitely in very good multi-BA territory).
However, due to this, it also somewhat loses the "magical" DUNU bass that is a compelling combination of attack tightness coupled with a bit of decay softness which leads to a visceral, almost tactile bass body rumble that often reminds me of my Audeze LCD-Xs’ bass presentation that is clearly lacking in the DK 3001 Pro that have traded this "magic" for a more sober, technical bass presentation; while it is technically more advanced and more “correct” and gives the DK 3001 Pro a “technical”, very clean and precise bass, I personally do not really get the idea behind this, as when I personally reach for a set of hybrid in-ears, this is exactly not what I want to hear from them, but a bass that can be clearly heard as “dynamic driver bass” - for my personal tastes, the DK-3001 and DN-2000J do just this better, but those looking for a “technical, clean” bass presentation in hybrid in-ears will definitely find this with the DK 3001 Pro.
Anyway, when it comes to details and control, the dynamic driver woofer is excellent down into the sub-bass and doesn't lose any texture or quality even in the very lows. Complex and dense, fast bass lines are no problem either and it handles them just as easily as a good multi-BA-only implementation.

In terms of midrange resolution, the delivery is really good although not top-notch and lacks a bit behind the lows and highs when it comes to pure technicalities. Nonetheless, also thanks to the accurate midrange tuning, the in-ears’ speech intelligibility is high.

The highs' resolution and detail/instrument separation is on a very high level with nothing to be really missed here.

Soundstage:

The stage is overall oval in shape and wider than deep.

The imaging is accurate, although it does not fully reach the precision of higher-end multi-BA in-ears; while there's ultimately a bit of smear (although really just a bit of it), the stage doesn't collapse or struggle with fast or dense recordings.



Conclusion:

Recommended.
Nicely tuned in-ears with an accurate midrange and elevated upper and lower ends of the frequency spectrum; the better choice over the DK-3001 that have got a clearly more gimmicky w-shaped tuning, however those have got that nice, visceral, "magical" DUNU dynamic driver bass body that the DK 3001 Pro have traded for a more technical, BA-like bass presentation.
Photos:

What is it?
The @DUNU-Topsound DK-3001 Pro is a mid-range universal hybrid IEM, coming at $469.99. It features a 13mm dynamic driver, 4 BAs, a all metal built and the Dunu Lyre cable, which features Dunu's Quick-Switch connectors.

Packaging and Unboxing
The Dunu DK-3K1 Pro come in a very impressively large and weighty box, especially at its price. It features the internal design of the IEM on the front and info at the back, and quite simply looks and feels great.

Once opened, you are greeted with a exemplary unboxing experience. Underneath the "Designed by Dunu" paper lay the IEMs, cable and all 4 connectors in black foam. It looks really premium and classy, genuinely the best unboxing experience you can get at this price point. Underneath the first layer of foam you can find the second. That one holds the eartips (which there are many off, including SpinFits), 3.5mm to 6.35mm adapter, cleaning tool and the (fake I believe) leather case, which has foam inside of it, just to make sure it is in perfect condition when first used.

At this price point, this is the best unboxing experience and overall package you can get, hands down, arguably only rivaled by Fiio's FH7 and FA9, although even they don't come with as many accessories. Dunu did a great job here. A 10/10 as I don't know what is missing from the package a this price.

Built and Fit
To start of with, the IEMs are made completely of metal. They feel very solid and high quality, with no marks of use, even after a few months of use. The design of them is quite industrial and low-key, with only the Dunu logo being on the faceplate, not that much else can fit onto the faceplate, considering how tiny the earbuds are. This leads on the next point in this section, fit.

These are really quite comfortable IEMs, especially considering they are metal, as a result they can't quite match all the slopes and bends of acrylic IEMs, making up in the sturdiness department. They feel cold to the touch, and I'm pretty confident, even if I accidentally stepped on the earbuds, they would still be in immaculate condition.

The fact that they are tiny, really impressive considering they have a full 13mm dynamic driver and 4 balanced armatures in them, makes them nearly disappear in your ears during use. This is especially great news for people with small ears, such as me, who sometimes struggle with larger earphones. This is as small as it gets, as I really applaude Dunu for keeping a similar form factor throughout their lineup.

The only downside to the design is it's quite short nozzle length, and subsequently the below average passive noise isolation. The short nozzles can make them slightly difficult to keep in place during movement in some ears, but I haven't experienced this. The relatively poor isolation though, can only be expected, looking at the small earpieces and seeing the quite large vents. It isn't "bad", it is useable in public transport when you have music playing, but once the music stops, you definitely hear the outside. It's a 8/10 for me, the only let-down being the short nozzles, but otherwise being rock solid.

The cable also needs to be mentioned. It's called the "Lyre" and can be purchased separately for 149.99$. That is a relatively expensive cable to be included for such price. It's a 4-core pure copper cable, featuring Dunu's signature quick-switch connectors. These allow you to quickly and easily switch between the included 3.5mm unbalanced and 2.5mm, 3.5mm and 4.5mm balanced connectors. This system is really worth the money, as it means you will never have to worry about needing to buy a new cable for your source.

Don't get me wrong, the cable is made of high quality materials, no matter if you look at the MMCX connectors, individual cores of wire or the y-splitter, but it does feel a bit light and thin. This is due to the relatively thin cores and loose braid of the wire, combined with the slightly plasticy outer shielding. Still, for the price, even without the acknowledging the quick-switch system (which is amazing), the cable is good enough for the orice, but could have been really good, if maybe the Dunu decided to go for a tighter braid in my opinion. The microphonics are very low and it's very light and, as a result comfortable. I'm not going to comment on the sound, as I haven't had the chance to use it on any other IEMs, but I would expect it to be quite good. For me, the cable deserves a 9/10, mainly to the quick-switch system, which are one of the main attractions of the whole package.

The other accessories are of good quality, including the sea-green semi-hard case. It is a bit of an odd colour to feature in my opinion, but eventually it grew on me. It's large enough to fit the IEM and a small portable DAC (such as the Qudelix 5k) into it. The only problem is that it may be a bit too tall to fit into trousers, jeans and some joggers. Personally, I managed to carry it on my pair of joggers, but not jeans.

Sound
So how does the DK-3K1 Pro sound? It's actually a quite interesting tuning in my opinion. It's relatively neutral throughout, until you come to the treble, which is recessed quite a bit, especially the mid and upper regions. The overall sound is also a bit warm, somewhat laid back and organic, due to the dynamic driver featured. All this is delivered with price-worthy technicalities. As stated by Dunu, this is a very flexible IEM, on which you can listen to basically any genre of music.

Bass
This is, hands down, my favourite part of the IEM. This might be a bit unusual, as this is probably the most neutral aspect of the whole sound signature.

The bass is very organic, tight and dense. It's quite fast for a dynamic driver at this price, with very good tactile punch, due to good sub-bass emphasis. It can go low, produce a very satisfying rumble down there, bringing some very organic warmth to the midrange, not saying the bass notes bleed into the midrange, as the bass is exemplary-well controlled. From my point of view, the bass is the part of the sound signature that gives this IEM a real sonic identity. I genuinely think the only way to improve this bass is to speed up the transients and add extra punch, but for this price, it is as good as it gets a 9.5/10. Maybe if I got my hands on the new Dunu Zen, I could see if the new model improved on this

Midrange
The midrange is, what I would call, mildly warm neutral. It has a bit more lower-midrange emphasis than a normal Harman-neutral sound signature would have, again mainly to the extra note thickness and warmth given off by the dynamic driver, alowing the whole frequency range to smoothly and coherently switch from the 13mm driver to the 2 BAs in the midrange. This is done really well, leading to little to no unnatural change in the timbre.

The upper midrange on the other hand is just slightly recessed, being more in line with the lower midrange. This makes the midrange very natural, quite smooth and somewhat laid back. The vocals have a nice large a thick note size, and both femal and male vocals have the same amount of body, but are slightly further back and less defiened than a true neutral IEM would sound like. The midrange gets a solid 8.5/10, being very organic and natural in its presentation, with really no drawbacks.

Treble
Really, the treble is the least exciting aspect of the sound, because there is little of it. There is decent energy in the lower treble, but this quickly deteriorates in the mid and upper parts. The treble that is there is of high quality, highly resolving, smooth and inoffensive, but at the same time lacking some excitement. This leads to some instruments, such as cymbals and guitars lacking edge and some sharpness.

For me, this is the biggest drawback of this IEM, as it completes a slightly awkward sound signature for some. On one hand, you have a fast, dynamic bass, quite neutral and organic midrange and on the other hand a very relaxed treble, which kills much of the excitement built up through the mid and low end. In my opinion, Dunu should have either upped the travel region, to make the overall sound signature more neutral and exciting; or they should have slowed down the low end, maybe increasing its quantity, becoming a more dark and relaxing IEM, such as the Final E5000. It has to be said though, the IEM does hit the sweet spot if you're into long listening sessions, while having some excitement in the sound, mainly due to the bass, something I've never quite experienced in any other IEM before. The treble warrants a 6/10 for me, as in my view it breaks down the beautifully sculpted sound signature from the midrange and bass.


Soundstage
The soundstage on this IEM is decent. It has decent width and good depth to it, about as much as is expected for an IEM at this price. It's of an oval shape, with the majority of sounds coming from the back part of your head to just outside your ears, in a natural manner. The vocals occupy the neutral centre of the stage, not being pushed forwards. They do though occupy a slightly larger area in the centre than normal, due to the above average note thickness.

The stage dimensions are quite stable throughout, but do sometimes exceed the normal width on some specific tracks I've listened to. Imaging is good, possible even really good for the price, being very stable, but in a slightly diffused manner. This is mostly due to the recessed treble which limits how pin-point the imaging can be. Layering is also good, but not quite matching what you can expect from all-BA models. Overall, the sound stage is a decent 7/10, being average for the price.

Technicalities
As I do not currently own any IEMs at a similarly price point, I won't comment much in this area, apart from the fact that the DK-3K1 Pro defienetly isn't lacking in resolving power or detail. It is not exceptional for the price, but defienetly decent. N/A /10

Drivebilty
The IEM isn't difficult to drive to high volumes, (it can be driven of a phone if necessary) but it defienetly benefits from some extra power. The bass speeds up, adds extra punch, the soundstage opened up. I would recommend I slightly bright source, to counteract the recessed treble, such as the Audirect Beam 2, or really any DAC with a Saber chip, to improve crispness.

I have found that, when driving it from a phone (my Samsung A70), the Dunu DK-3K1 Pro slows down its bass response and midrange transients, becoming extremely intimate and quite warm. This isn't a bad thing, as it plays with the recessed treble well, sounding much more like a Final E5000. In this state, the IEM is very much a sit-by-the-fire IEM, although obviously it doesn't show as much resolution in this state, as when used with a proper DAC. Also, from my experience, I've never heard hiss from these.


Conclusion
I really think these are one of the best IEMs at the sub-$500 price point. The built, package and unboxing experience is flawless, punching way above its price point with number and quality of accessories included. It sounds very organic and beautifully natural but at the same time dynamic, apart from the treble. The only reason shy this didn't get a 4.5/5 is because of my personal preference for my treble than this IEM provides, but I know many will find this proportion close to perfect. For me, the real highlight was the bass, which at this price is the best you can get, if you want a neat, solid punch down low. I highly recommend this IEM to anyone craving a organic earphone that they can listen to hours on end, while keeping some excitement in the sound.


Thank you for reading all the way down here : ) This my first review ever and would highly value any feedback given and I hope that you have enjoyed this review. Also, if any company also enjoyed this review, and would wish to send me some gear to review, I would be delighted to do so.

In the interest of full disclosure, I want to thank Tom of Dunu for sending these along to me for review. At the end of the review period, they’ll be returned.

Here are some brief comments on the build and whatnot:

• Great cable quality and pouches for the IEMs. DUNU clearly cares and is putting in a good deal effort here.
• All of the IEMs are quite small. This is definitely a plus for smaller ears. However, if you have larger ears, it might feel like the IEMs are a bit loose (although I doubt they’ll actually fall out). None of them isolate particularly well.

Sound Analysis

This one runs close to neutral, and it’s pretty good; I think DUNU has a winner here. As usual, I think it makes more sense to outline my gripes instead. That way, you know what could possibly be a dealbreaker for you:

• Starting from the bass, I actually think that this’ll be the ideal quantity for a lot of listeners, but there’s a small roll-off not unlike the Luna.
• In general, I don’t find the midrange to be particularly resolving; it lacks bite, although it’s quite inoffensive otherwise.
• Treble is this IEM’s weak point. It is severely in need of more air and extension. Like the midrange, it’s inoffensive, but there’s a lack of energy and the DK-3001 Pro is quite dark as a result. So while treble quantity is ultimately a personal preference, unfortunately, I can’t say its making its mark quality-wise either.

In terms of technical performance, I find the DK-3001 Pro to be at the level of most IEMs in its price bracket. Staging is firmly in-the-head and imaging capability is average. And as with most hybrids, there’s a good deal BA timbre – more so than the DK-2001 which surprised me. But in general, it layers sufficiently and I don’t have any real complaints other than the timbre which I’m admittedly sensitive to.

I’ve cited quite a few nitpicks, but to reiterate: This is a good IEM. It’s not going to win any awards for technical performance, and there’s no real standout, but it’s hard to dislike it. The cut to the upper treble and the slight roll-off to the bass also make it a good IEM for extended listening. In a sea of freak – excuse me, esoteric tunings, sometimes playing it safe is the right move. Out of the three IEMs I was lent by DUNU, this is the one I gravitate to most. Recommended – as long as you’re not a treble-head.

Select Comparison

How does the DK-3001 Pro fare against the king of the sub-$500 bracket, the Moondrop Blessing 2? After all, they’re using the same driver configuration. Sonic-wise, 1:1, the Blessing 2 has a clear edge. It has tighter bass (albeit lacking in texture) and a much cleaner midrange. Some might find the DK-3001 Pro’s midrange less offensive as the upper midrange on the Blessing 2 borders on thin/shouty. Treble, treble isn’t even a contest though. The DK-3001 Pro also can’t hold a candle to the Blessing 2’s staging and imaging capability. But all of this doesn’t account for the tangibles. The Blessing 2 is a chonker and won’t fit everyone’s ears. I can see the 3001-Pro being a suitable alternative in that respect, and the included accessories are certainly better than the Blessing 2’s.