DUNU Falcon Ultra

Dunu Falcon Ultra Titanium review and comparisons.

I would like to thank Dunu for sending me these beautiful in-ear monitor (IEM) earphones for a review. Dunu never told me what I could or could not say, and there is no money gain on my part. You can rest assured that this review will be truthful according to my perception.

I've been listening to music on earphones for more than 30 years now, and I find Dunu to be one of the oldest audio companies that are still operating today. Dunu, based in China, has always been, for me, a middle- to high-end company that produces high-class and high-quality IEMs at longer than usual intervals between product releases compared to other brands. I've never seen Dunu products that are cheap or poor in quality, and as you can see in the measurement graph that I did (see photo), the channel balance between the left and the right is impeccable; it is practically perfect, a testament to a high production quality standard.

Note: This newly released Dunu Falcon Ultra Titanium grey edition (220 USD) is exactly the same internally as the older Klein blue version; only the color and finish are different, as I was told.




Fit and comfort:

The Dunu Falcon Ultra Ti is a small, mid-sized IEM that doesn't protrude outside the ears so much that sleeping with it is very possible. The parts towards the nozzle don't touch the outer part of my ear canal, so it doesn't cause discomfort during long listening sessions.

Nozzles:

There are two sets of nozzles included: one is gold, and the other, which is the one pre-installed, is silver. I tried the gold nozzle, but I highly prefer the silver nozzle because it sounds more dynamic and fits my taste better, so this review will be based on the silver nozzles.

Eartips and cable:

The eartips included are one of the best because they include one of my favorite tips, which is highly regarded and known to have excellent sound: the Dunu S&S eartips. It also includes another highly regarded tip, the Dunu Candy tips, as well as two other kinds of tips that also sound and feel excellent. I tried other brands of eartips, but I found the included tips optimal for best sound with the Dunu Falcon Ultra Ti. However, good as they may be, I still find the ePro EP00 tips better; they sound tonally similar to the Dunu S&S eartips but with more defined imaging. So, I used the ePro EP00 eartips for this review.

The modular cable included is good and doesn't tangle easily; it seems to sound good, but I haven't connected it to other cables because I have no other MMCX cables yet. I will upgrade the cable in the future.



Synergy:

The Dunu Falcon Ultra Ti is very sensitive to the sources' own sound signature; be careful when paring it with an ESS Sabre Dac chip source as it can sound very analytical, as in the case with my Fiio M15s. I like it, but some people may not. I tried it with my other Dac/amps such as the Moondrop Moonriver2, Dawn Pro, Topping G5, and Hidizs S9 Pro Plus Martha. They all sound good, but my favorite sound of all is with the Hidizs S9 Pro Plus Martha, as this pairing has the best balance between details and musicality.

Sensitivity and drivability:

The Dunu Falcon Ultra Ti is very easy to drive and has above-average sensitivity. It is easily driven by small dongle DAC/amps and goes very loud with a modest volume setting. I give it two thumbs up for this.

Power handling and distortion:

The Dunu Falcon Ultra Ti can take a lot of power and can go very loud without obvious distortion, more so than most sets; it is highly recommended for loud listeners. I give it an A class status for power handling. This is proof that the drivers employed are of very high quality.

Sound signature, timbre, and resolution:

The Dunu Falcon Ultra Ti has a slightly bright and natural timbre, and depending on the eartips used, it has a slightly V-shaped to slightly U-shaped sound signature. It is also very revealing and sometimes unforgiving of the quality of the recordings. The resolving capability is excellent.

Sound staging, imaging and holography:

It has above-average spherical sound stage size, and with the ePro EP00 eartips, the imaging and holography are superb; it can project sound from near to far and sometimes from behind; and the left to right instrument panning performance is seamless. The Dunu Falcon Ultra Ti is the best single DD IEM I have heard in these regards, but I haven't heard them all, so you may take this with a grain of salt.

To give you an example, on the music mix called Chillhop Essentials · Spring 2024 [chill relaxing beats/llofi hiphop] that you can search on YouTube, starting at the 50 minutes and 25 second mark, I can hear a very realistic bird chirping sound coming from 10 feet behind me with above six feet of elevation.

Dynamics:

The vibrant dynamics of the Dunu Falcon Ultra Ti are what caught my attention right away; the Falcon Ultra Ti is consistently energetic throughout the whole audio frequency range.

Vocals:

Excellent, especially the female vocals, which are really clear and natural. The vocals have great intensity when they are in the recording, and male voices are also great. This is an excellent IEM for vocal lovers.




Bass:

It has one of the best neutral-head bass I have heard among the 30+ IEMs that I own, including the more expensive ones. It's not for bassheads; it's for people who don't like to have excessive bass sound in their music and who value neutrality, such as myself.

The bass is slightly boosted with a balanced sub-bass and mid-bass presence; it sounds very detailed and articulate; it is neither dry nor boomy. When a passage with excellent sub-bass presents itself, the Dunu Falcon Ultra can go from 0 to 60 in an instant; the sub-bass transient response is very fast with superb depth, but on tracks with normal bass, you won't suspect that this IEM is capable of such performance; the bass only goes loud when need be. I feel that this is due to the excellent dynamic drivers employed and, of course, the tuning.

To give you an example, on the music mix called Chillhop Essentials· Spring 2024 [chill relaxing beats/llofi hiphop], which is the same example I have given in the Sound staging, imaging, and holography section and can be searched on YouTube, the song at the 52 minutes and 10 second mark, the Dunu Falcon Ultra, has no problem reproducing the sub-bass, as well as other sub-bass in some Rap and other electronic music songs I listened to. But keep in mind that this is not a bass-head-tuned set, but for a neutral-head like me, the bass is perfect.



Midrange:

Neutral with excellent accuracy and clarity, it's neither thick nor thin and sounds very clean, but be aware that this has a pinna gain that peaks at 3 KHz but is not high enough to make it fatiguing. Pinna gain in IEMs is necessary to make them sound as natural as speakers with flat frequency response sound; it also helps IEMs achieve very good imaging, sound staging, and holography, and the Dunu Falcon Ultra has those in spades. Overall, the midrange sounds very natural, and there are no sudden jumps in the response like shoutiness or distortion. The midrange is never fatiguing and is very well mannered.

Treble:

Clean, clear, detailed, and slightly boosted, with very good macro and micro details. The upper treble is very extended and smooth and doesn't sound like it needs the help of another driver that would act as a tweeter. I hear no obvious driver diaphragm break-up distortion, unlike other IEMs with lesser quality drivers. Again, a good indication of how good the drivers are on the Dunu Falcon Ultra Ti.



Comparisons:

I will be focusing mostly on sound quality to make this section as concise as possible, and I will be comparing it to IEMs with different price brackets. If there are aspects of sound quality I didn't mention, it means I have no issues with those particular aspects, or it could also mean I forgot to. I'm not perfect, you know. I intend to guide the readers in the right direction and not waste their hard-earned money.

Compared to Simgot EA1000 (220 USD):

The Simgot EA1000 is a direct competitor to the Dunu Falcon Ultra Ti; both have the same driver configuration and price; they have similar tuning; and the quality of the drivers used on both is also similar. I use the default silver nozzle and ePro EP00 tips on the EA1000.

I find the bass on the Dunu Falcon Ultra to be slightly superior to the Simgot EA1000's bass, it has a little more sub-bass, and a tighter, punchier, and more detailed mid-bass, but again, only slightly so. On casual and non-critical listening, I find the difference to be subtle and almost negligible.

The midrange on both is equally clean and clear, but the Dunu Falcon Ultra Ti has slightly more energy in the upper midrange than the Simgot EA1000, making the EA1000 sound more relaxed in the midrange, but again, only slightly so, and due to the Falcon Ultra Ti having slightly more energy in the upper midrange, it has better imaging, details, and holography.


The treble on both has about the same boost or elevation, but I find the upper treble on the Simgot EA1000 to be a smidge more enegetic. I can hear more fine sparkles on the EA1000, but the difference is really small. On the other hand, I find there is slightly more clarity and immediacy on the overall treble with the Dunu Falcon Ultra.

They have similar soundstage sizes, but the presentation of the Dunu Falcon Ultra Ti is slightly more forward and three-dimensional.

If you already have the Simgot EA1000, is it worth getting the Dunu Falcon Ultra Ti too? No, and vice versa, as they perform equally well and sound equally good, the differences are small.

If I had to choose only one, which one would it be? It'd be the Dunu Falcon Ultra Ti for me; I like it more because of the punchier bass, the better imaging and holography, and the overall clarity. In the Simgot EA1000's defense, it has a more easy-going sound that is more forgiving and relaxed. But again, the differences between the two are small.



Compared to the Xenns Mangird Top (530 USD):

The Xenns Mangird Top is a hybrid IEM consisting of one dynamic driver and eight balanced armature drivers for the midrange and treble for each channel.

The Xenns Mangird Top has more fine micro details and better imaging, holography, and sound stage, but the Dunu Falcon Ultra Ti is not far behind, and when it comes to the bass, I find the Falcon Ultra Ti to be better. The Xenns Mangird Top has a louder bass but could sound detached at times. The bass on the Falcon Ultra Ti is very coherent. I also find that in terms of consistency, the Xenns Top sounds more bassy at low volumes and becomes brighter at high volumes. This can be caused by the different kinds of drivers behaving differently at different volumes, but I never had that issue with the Dunu Falcon Ultra Ti.

They are equally capable of handling a lot of power and delivering loud sounds without obviously distorting.

Whether you want coherency or more details with less coherency is essentially what determines which one to pick.



Compared to the Hidizs MP145 (150 USD):

One of my favorites, the single-planar IEM Hidizs MP145, offers sound quality and tuning comparable to much more costly sets.Compared to the Dunu Falcon Ultra Ti, the MP145 is warmer-sounding with elevated midbass, recessed upper midrange, and an energetic upper treble. The MP145 has more micro-details in the upper treble too. On the other hand, the Falcon Ultra sounds more accurate overall, has more immediacy in transient attacks, has clearer details due to its more forward presentation, and for me, has better vocals. The MP145 has a bigger soundstage, but the Falcon Ultra has better holography.


Compared to Kinera Celest PhoenixCall (120 USD):

Another favorite of mine, the PhoenixCall, is a tribrid IEM with a micro-planar driver for the upper treble, balanced armatures for the treble, and a dynamic driver for the bass and midrange.

Due to its driver configuration and V-shaped tuning, the PhonenixCall has more fine-sounding micro details, a more illuminated treble, and a warmer-sounding bass. On the other hand, the Falcon Ultra Ti has more accurate sound across the audible frequency range, a deeper sub-bass, and better imaging, holography, and vocals.



Compared to Moondrop Starfield 2 (100 USD):

The Dunu Falcon Ultra Ti is a direct upgrade to the Moondrop Starfield 2. If you own a Moondrop Starfield 2, you know how good it is at imaging and holography, yet the overall sound lacks polish. Well, the Falcon Ultra Ti is a refined version of that. It has all the positives but none of the drawbacks, with the exception of the price..

Compared to other less expensive IEMs such as:
Simgot EA500, Mondrop May, Moondrop Lan and Kinera Celest Pandamon.

These are very good-sounding sets for their price range, and I highly recommend them if you are on that budget. But if you are looking for a real upgrade to these and have the funding, just get the Dunu Falcon Ultra Ti if you are already on the fence. I said this because I see so many people asking for upgrades to their good-sounding budget sets like those mentioned, and then people would suggest another budget set that has similar, if not worse, performance than what they already have. What I'm trying to say is that if you want a true upgrade, you have to spend more money rather than wasting it on side grades, though not necessarily on the Dunu Falcon Ultra Ti.



Pros:

+ spherical sound stage
+ imaging and holography
+ high-power handing
+ high sensitivity
+ high volume capability
+ excellent vocals
+ shell design

Cons:

- perhaps the MMCX connectors...
- Sonically, none that I can think of for the price.


To wrap it up:

I have nothing but praise for the Dunu Falcon Ultra Ti. It performs on par with more expensive sets; for me, it has a flagship level of performance. The excellent vocal performance and engaging dynamics only add to its excellent tuning. I highly recommend this if you are a vocals lover and/or want a near-neutral-sounding IEM. Thanks for reading! Cheers!

4-29-2024

This is my first review guys, so go easy on me.

Note: This review is based on the included blue nozzle.

Introduction:

DUNU has long been synonymous with premium sound quality and craftsmanship in the audiophile world, and their latest offering, the Falcon Ultra, continues this tradition. This review will explore its design, accessories, and most importantly, its sound performance.

Design and Build:

The Falcon Ultra boasts a sleek and premium design with earpieces made of high-quality stainless steel. The earpieces sit almost flush against your ears, providing a comfortable fit ideal for extended listening sessions. The use of Patented Catch-Hold MMCX Connectors adds to the durability and security of the design, ensuring a reliable connection.


Accessories:

DUNU has set a new standard with the Falcon Ultra's accessories. The package includes a luxurious zipper case, a variety of ear tips including DUNU candy and S&S tips, interchangeable tuning nozzles, and a DUW-02 PRO cable with Q-Lock LITE system that allows for easy swapping between 3.5mm and 4.4mm jacks. The attention to detail and practicality of the accessories enhance the overall unboxing experience and value proposition of the Falcon Ultra.




Sound Quality:

The Falcon Ultra delivers a sound signature that is both engaging and enjoyable, leaning slightly towards a fun and dynamic presentation rather than neutrality.

Bass Performance:

The bass response of the Falcon Ultra is a standout feature, offering a rich and impactful low-end that adds depth and energy to the music. The bass is visceral and impactful, providing a solid foundation to the music. The sub-bass extension is excellent, providing a visceral and immersive listening experience. Despite the emphasis on the mid-bass, the Falcon Ultra maintains a detailed and satisfying bass response.

Midrange and Vocal Performance:

The midrange of the Falcon Ultra is beautifully balanced, with a slight emphasis that adds warmth and richness to vocals and instruments. Male vocals benefit from the added warmth, giving them a full-bodied and intimate quality. The upper midrange is smooth and natural, adding a sense of realism to female vocals and instruments. The synergy between the bass and midrange creates a cohesive and engaging sound signature that is a pleasure to listen to.


Treble Performance:

The treble of the Falcon Ultra is finely tuned, offering a balanced and extended high-frequency response that adds detail and air to the sound signature. The treble presentation is smooth and well-controlled, avoiding harshness or sibilance. High-frequency nuances are rendered with precision, allowing for a truly immersive listening experience.

Imaging and Soundstage:

The Falcon Ultra's imaging is precise, with instruments and vocals placed accurately within the soundstage. The soundstage is intimate, with sounds surrounding you in a close and engaging manner. This, combined with the enjoyable vocals, impressive low end, and lack of harshness, makes the Falcon Ultra a truly enjoyable IEM.



Comparison of Nozzles:

The Falcon Ultra comes with interchangeable tuning nozzles, including blue and gold-plated brass options. The blue nozzles offer a more balanced sound signature with a focus on detail across all frequencies with a mid-bass emphasis. However, switching to the gold nozzles results in a noticeable change in sound. The gold nozzles reduce the upper midrange and treble, resulting in a smoother, more laid-back sound. While this tuning enhances the bass presence, it can make vocals feel more distant and the overall presentation less engaging. The focus shifts entirely to the mid-bass, which may appeal to listeners seeking a warmer, more relaxed sound but may not suit those looking for a more balanced sound..



Comparison to Moondrop Kato:

Compared to the Moondrop Kato, the Falcon Ultra offers more bass and a more engaging sound signature. The Falcon Ultra adds warmth to vocals, making them more exciting, while the Kato has slightly leaner vocals. The Falcon Ultra's soundstage is more intimate compared to the Kato's slightly wider soundstage. In terms of accessories and build quality, the Falcon Ultra comes out ahead with its interchangeable cable and a wider selection of ear tips.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the DUNU Falcon Ultra is a standout performer in the mid-fi IEM market, offering exceptional sound quality, premium design, and a comprehensive accessory package. It sets a new benchmark in its price range and is a top contender for anyone looking for a high-quality, engaging listening experience.

“Music is a more potent instrument than any other for education”

~~ Plato, Greek philosopher


DUNU is one of the audio companies out there that I really like as I have tested some of their midrange sets like SA6 regular and SA6 MK.II in which I still highly regarded them as one of the best sets in the midrange segment. And I'm glad that I was given an opportunity to do another project review from them.



To think that the first set that I have tested from DUNU was actually the Falcon C and in this review, I got the latest variant of the said model, the Falcon Ultra. Like its first incarnation, the Falcon Ultra is also a single dynamic driver set-up IEM but DUNU added some new features like new driver technology, detachable filter nozzles and better modular cable.




According to DUNU, they upgraded its dynamic driver which was supposedly similar to their midrange flagship single dynamic driver IEM, The ZEN PRO with “Eclipse” technology on its driver. The dynamic driver of this one is a CNC-milled 10.7mm magnetic chamber with high performance magnetic flux density along with lithium-magnesium alloy on its diaphragm to give more rigidity and faster transient response for more accurate sound reproduction. Aside from its high performance dynamic driver, its acoustic chamber has well-placed vent holes to achieve a better dampening and regulated air pressure to achieve that solid bass response and better dynamics.




As for its shell chassis, it still follows the design language of the Falcon C which has a Magatama-like shape on its form and overall, it has a deep blue colour hue and it underwent an anodising treatment and buff to achieve that mirror-finished surface. It has a detachable brass nozzle where we can choose two types of tuning according to our closest preference on tonality and two vent holes on its cavity base. The faceplate has a minimalist aesthetic and I also noticed that its bottom part has a tiny etch of different DUNU logos on it. Like the Falcon C, it still utilises a MMCX-type connector as its interchangeable connector.



Regarding its fitting, like its predecessor, the DUNU Falcon Ultra offers a good sealing and comfort in my lugholes that I don't encounter any discomfort or fitting issues at all. With ita good sealing especially when I use the DUNU S&S ear tips that gives me an excellent noise isolation where it able to block some external noises from the outside surroundings




The stock cable of this one is a good quality, while it is somewhat on the stiffer side in terms of flexibility but at least it has a patented modular termination plug, so that we can use any types of jacks on DAPs, DAC/amp dongles or even desktop grade headphone amplifiers. The cables are made of 4-core AWG monocrystalline silver-plated Litz copper wires with insulation coating on each strand. As for its modular termination plugs, aside from 3.5mm single ended, DUNU includes a 4.4mm balanced and 6.5mm adaptor.



As for product packaging, I have no doubt on DUNU in this feature as they are known to be one of the most generous audio companies out there in terms of quality and quantity of inclusions that they will include to give more satisfaction to their customers. The packaging box of this one is a medium-size rectangular-shaped box and it is quite bulky given the number of inclusions inside.



Here are the following contents inside of DUNU Falcon Ultra's packaging box:

• Pair of DUNU Falcon Ultra IEM transducers.
• Modular stock cable with 3.5mm SE.
• 4.4mm balanced termination plug
• 6.5mm adaptor
• A hard-bound canvas fabric zippered IEM carrying case
• Four (4) pairs of DUNU S&S ear tips in different standard sizes.
• Three (3) pairs of DUNU Candy ear tips in different standard sizes.
• Three (3) pairs of balanced bore grey-coloured ear tips in different standard sizes.
• Three (3) pairs of wide bore “vocal” black-coloured ear tips in different standard sizes.
• A small plate for interchangeable tuning filter brass nozzles.
• A fabric cloth
• Cleaning tool
• A mesh bag for IEM transducers.
• Extra colour ring indicators.
• Paperwork like instruction manual and user's guide for Q-lite modular system.

When it comes to power scaling and amplification, DUNU Falcon Ultra is quite easy to drive given its low impedance and high sensitivity rating that my LG phones are able to drive properly and a smartphone, tablet or laptop are enough to amplify this set. I have some sources like DAPs, DAC/amp dongles and headphone amplifiers too and it seems that this set is also quite sensitive on sources with powerful output that there are some instances of slight hissing sound. In a source with proper amplification to regulate noise, this set is capable of delivering a clean, full range sound with good amount of dynamics on it.



As for tonality, since this set has a detachable tuning filter nozzle, it offers two types of tuning:

Gold Nozzle - Its tuning has a mild u to u-shaped sound profile with a tad warmer tonality to sound more balanced.

Blue Nozzle - A bright, u-shaped sound that focuses on the upper mids to treble. Sort of a modified Harmanish type of tuning that I'm quite familiar with.


(Graph measurement was provided by @baskingshark , credits to him)


LOWS/BASS:

Gold Nozzles

The bass quality of this one is punchy, impactful and quite detailed too. It has a more balanced presentation on both sub-bass and mid-bass on how I perceived it. There are some slight bass bleeds that smear across the midrange.

There's a noticeable reverberation its sub-bass part and the mid-bass region seems a bit boosted to give a substantial texture on its note weight not to sound leaner, therefore its gives more organic timbre on some bass-centric instruments and male vocals, particularly on bass to bass-baritone vocals.

Bass guitars - broad and rasping sound on every strum, pluck, fretting and slapping on its string notation.

Bass kick drums - full and thudding sound on every stroke, somehow quite fast enough that it can cope up with faster double bass kicks on some rock or metal tracks.

Cello - warm and sonorous sounding that its bass clef sound seems to be complimenting well on other instruments in the string section of an orchestra ensemble.

Viola - warm and “stately” sounding in every bowing motion and fingering notation that somehow affects the pitch tone depending on its tuner.

Bass to bass-baritones - it has an ample depth and texture while having a dense and sufficiently dusky sound. Although not the dark and espresso-like tone that these types of vocals should have, I still consider it well-done.


Blue Nozzles

Tight, precise and more rumbly bass response as if it primarily focuses more on sub-bass response than the mid-bass. It gives a cleaner bass response but at the expense of a tad attenuation of mid-bass region.

Due to more favour on sub-bass presence, it gives more grumble and reverberation on some instruments like synthesisers, octabasses, drum machines and low tone bass guitars that we perceive it more physically.

Mid-bass seems to sound a bit leaner in my liking. It has a less texture and sounds less natural on some bass instruments and bass-baritone vocals.

Bass guitars - resonant and a bit aspirating sounding.

Bass kick drums - soft and a tad hollow sound but it appears more precise and a bit snappy on tracks with fast double bass kick drums.

Bass to bass-baritones - lack of depth and texture on its vocals as if they sound hollow and less engaging that we might classify it as light or lyric baritone, although there's still a noticeable vibrato on their vocal end.


MIDRANGE:

Gold Nozzles

Due to slight bass smearing, it gives a warmer midrange presentation as it gives more texture and density on most male vocals, female contralto vocals, brasses and some percussives. Strings sound a bit more buttery and less energetic and less brilliant sound on woodwinds. Overall, its midrange presentation is quite mildly recessed on this tuning mode.

Male vocals:

Baritones - warm, smooth and rich, light and lyric baritones have its sweet, mild and insouciant while deeper and warmer ones like kavalier baritones, verdi/dramatic baritones and noble baritones have steely, fuller and smoother sound respectively.

Tenors - As there are many types of tenors but this one seems to be appealing and versatile enough. Lyric tenors have warmer sound but less brighter, while spinto and lyric tenors have brassy and a heft in their vocal weight and then on dramatic and heldentenors, their voices have rich, emotive and power on its timbre.

Countertenors - Tender, smooth and “coppery”. Enough to distinguish its recognisable and distinctive pitch notation of their falsettos.

Female vocals:

Contraltos - Rich, plush and smoky vocal quality as these ones are the closests adjective of its intended timbre.

Mezzo-sopranos - Smooth and velvety sound on their voices. It gives a more fruity and comforting sound when listening to these particular vocal types.

Sopranos - Fairly suitable on some lyric and dramatic types as it has warm, rich and creamy but lack of shimmer and energy that coloratura and soubrette sounds less appealing and lethargic.

Instruments:

Trumpets - Substantial, full and rounded sounding.

Trombones - Solid, full and brassy in any register.

Horns - Warm, sonorous and velvety.

Snares - Hard, dry and quite penetrating.

Tom-toms - Warm, rounded and resonant sounding.

Field drums - A bit boomy, full and fairly sonorous sounding.

Kettledrums - Deep, substantial and velvety sounding that reverberates in an orchestral hall.

Guitars - warm and buttery sounding on acoustic ones.

Violins - Solemn, dark sounding yet has a sweet. At least not muffled or veiled sounding at all.

Pianos - warmer tone, reminds me of some antique German pianos.


Blue Nozzles

While it has more noticeable recession on its midrange presentation compared to gold nozzles tuning mode, it offers a cleaner, transparent, crisper and a tad more energetic sound that will be more beneficial on some female vocals and some classes of instruments like strings and woodwinds. It sometimes gives more leaner and less texture on most male vocals.

Male vocals:

Baritones - too smooth, too sweet and has a tad lighter vocal weight. Not suitable on kavalier baritones, verdi baritones, dramatic baritones and noble baritones as they are lacking on vocal weight, richness and power.

Tenors - Seems satisfactory on leggero and lyric tenors as they have a mild, graceful and lilting voice to give a dazzling and spicy sound. Spinto tenor vocals like Luciano Pavarotti have less vocal weight and a creamy timbre that sounds hollow and opaque.

Countertenors - Still has tender with added glow on their vocal quality.

Female vocals:

Contraltos - Just like the baritones, too smooth, it has an inadequate richness on their vocal quality and a tad weaker sounding.

Mezzo-sopranos - Fiery, musky and tender sound due to the tuning target curve of blue nozzle to elevation in a midrange region.

Sopranos - Coloratura and soubrette sopranos will sound more shimmering and crystalline as it has a sufficient energy that is able to achieve an airy, bright and breathy vocal register that the gold nozzles will not be able to give.

Instruments:

Guitars - Bright, crisp and ceiling, it gives a more crisper and resounding tone on every pluck of its strings.

Violins - Vibrant, bright and lively sound , some instances of having a metallic tone on it.

Piccolos - Clear, brilliant and sometimes a bit too piercing sound.

Concert flutes - Bright and penetrating sound in any register.

Clarinets - Lustrous, lively and reedy sound.

Saxophones - Brilliant, expressive, and a tad shrill sounding.

Snare drums - It has a sharp, clear and metallic sound on every stroke.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

Gold Nozzles

The treble register of this one is so smooth, even and well-balanced that its safe tuning will be appealing to most treble-sensitive folk out there. It has a rather conservative accentuation on the upper-mids just to give a proper vocal rendition and attack of instruments. There's not a hint of harshness nor sibilance on this particular tuning nozzle mode.

On the brilliance part of the treble region, it has moderate airy extension and its sparkling nature is on a sheen side of tuning. Cymbals strikes have a more lustrous and full sounding, hi-hats have a short buzzing sound while celestas sound velvety and mellow, and glockenspiels have lustrous and silvery sound.


Blue Nozzles

Unlike the golden nozzle mode, this mode settings appears to have more crisper, better clarity, energetic and brighter sounding due to some intentionally boosted upper-mids up to the brilliance part of the treble region. It gives more definition on female vocals and even precise and sharper attacks of instruments. But there's a hint of sibilance on this that might be detrimental to some treble-sensitive folk.

It has more sparkle and shimmer and it has an even noticeable improvement of its airy extension. Cymbals strikes has more sizzle and glistening, hi-hats have added more resonance on their sound, celestas have bright and shimmering sound on them and glockenspiels have a brilliant and a tad penetrating sound on any register either on keyboard-type or the traditional mallet-type ones.


SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

As I figured out its perceived sound/speaker staging, it has rather an average to above average lateral width span, acceptable height ceiling and somehow a good depth that gives me a rather less spacious head room with my aural sphere.

On stereo imaging, it projects me a concave–like stereo presentation where I was able to locate precisely the exact positioning of vocals and instruments in well-defined tonal and dynamic layering and a good separation of elements in a perceived black sonic canvas. It is capable of playing more complex tracks like jazz and orchestral tracks.

Coherency of its drivers is absolutely excellent given the performance of having a fast transient response without any hint of distortion. Its appears that maintain a well-balanced resolution capabilities as it has a good and robust macro-dynamics especially on gold nozzle mode and balanced and decently sharp definition of its micro-detailing as it is able to retrieve some nuances and subtleties from an audio track like notational attacks of instruments and vocal ends.


PEER COMPARISONS:

DUNU FALCON C (Demo)

● The older predecessor of FALCON ULTRA, it shares similar design language like physical aesthetic, MMCX-type connector and driver configuration but the FALCON C uses a CNT dynamic driver, non-detachable nozzles and it doesn't have a modular system of its stock cable.

● As for tonality, The FALCON C has a u-shaped sound profile as I remember. It has good sub-bass presence and an ample mid-bass texture, a well-balanced and a fairly texture midrange but it is quite recessed on its presentation on the overall sound frequency spectrum, and a boosted upper-mids that might give some shrill and piercing sound on some female vocals. Treble air was quite modest as I don't remember it as airy and well-extended.

● On technical aspect, it has a similar sound/speaker stage dimension with the FALCON ULTRA as both sets give me a bit more intimate head room with the exception that the latter has a better layering and separation.


ORIVETI OD200

● FALCON ULTRA's closest rival as both sets are all-metal alloy chassis, detachable tuning filter nozzles, modular cable and driver configuration. But the difference was that the OD200 uses a beryllium-coated dynamic driver and also has its own acoustic chamber technology the ORIVETI also developed for better dynamics of its sound quality. Even on product packaging and quantity of included accessories, both sets are on par.

● OD200 also offers two distinctive tuning profiles, a mild U-shaped and warmer U-shaped which are quite similar with the FALCON ULTRA. On silver nozzles, the OD200 has more texture and more voluminous mid-bass as it delivers more authority and slam than FALCON ULTRA's gold nozzle. The silver nozzle has a bit more warmer and richer midrange presentation although the blue nozzle mode of FALCON ULTRA has better treble air extension on both nozzle configurations of the OD200.

● While the OD200 has a bit wider sound/speaker stage compared to the FALCON ULTRA but the latter has better layering and separation.


SIMGOT EA1000 FERMAT

● Another rival of FALCON ULTRA as this set also has a metal alloy shell chassis, composite dynamic drivers and detachable nozzles. But the difference between two sets is that the EA1000 offers three types of tuning profile and its dynamic driver was reinforced with a passive radiator. It doesn't have a modular termination feature on its stock cable and it offers less quantity of choices on ear tips to choose from.

● Even though it offers three types of sound profiles, The EA1000 tonality is leaning towards U-shaped sound and a Harman-esque type of tuning. Compared to the FALCON ULTRA, the bass quality and quantity is somehow more refined and well-implemented on the EA1000 due to the passive radiator which gives a darker and deeper tone on its bass response. Midrange is a bit leaner on texture and noticeable more recessed on EA1000 and it has more emphasis on upper-mids to brilliance treble as it gives more brighter and sparkling that it renders a sharper vocal clarity on female vocals and attack of instruments which might gives a bit too intense and piercing sounding to some treble-sensitive folk out there.

● Technical performance-wise, Both sets are actually trading blows on another but here are some takes, EA1000 has a tad wider sound/speaker stage and a bit sharper micro-dynamics while FALCON ULTRA has a more solid dynamics, better depth and more natural sounding.


Given the solid reputation of DUNU in the audio community as they have a solid following from audio enthusiasts around the world. I have no doubt that DUNU will deliver a complete and well-rounded set that DUNU Falcon Ultra is definitely a remarkable set as it maintains a well-balanced sound with some good musical aspect while retaining an organic and competent technical performance in a reasonable asking price given its implementation of newer driver technology and modern features that an IEM should have.

If you are an audio enthusiast looking for a good upgrade from your entry-level sets and want to make a huge leap in terms of tonal and technical performance, The DUNU Falcon Ultra is probably what you are looking for.

The DUNU Falcon Ultra is now available in HIFIGO, you can check out the unaffiliated links that I have provided below.

★★DUNU FALCON ULTRA - HIFIGO★★


Also, you can check my previous reviews on other DUNU products.

■ DUNU KIMA

■ DUNU SA6 MK.II

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: DUNU FALCON ULTRA
IMPEDANCE: 15Ω
SENSITIVITY: 108dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 5Hz – 40KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M
PIN TYPE: MMCX-TYPE CONNECTOR
PLUG TYPE: MODULAR (3.5mm, 4.4mm)
DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER


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

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*



P.S.

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

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to HIFIGO especially to MS. YUMU SONG and MS. LVY YAN. And I also say thanks to NEIL NIÑO CLARK a.k.a @koyawmohabal for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate their generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.