DUNU LUNA

DISCLAIMER

I would like to thank Tom from DUNU for having me on the DUNU LUNA review tour. The DUNU LUNA was passed on to another tour member after a week or so of assessment.


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The DUNU LUNA is lunatically good sounding (no pun intended). I’d say it is the best single DD set I’ve heard, in terms of melding technicalities, timbre and tonality. Well, I can’t afford it in this lifetime, but too bad the ears can’t unhear it now and I can’t look at other single DDs in the same (moon)light.


SPECIFICATIONS

• Driver Type: 10 mm Acoustic-Grade Pure Beryllium Rolled Foil with Polyurethane Suspension
• Frequency Response: 5 Hz – 40 kHz
• Impedance: 16 ohm@ 1KHz
• Sensitivity: 110 dB at 1 kHz
• Cable: Patented Catch-Hold MMCX Connector with patented DUNU Quick-Switch Modular Plug System
• Tested at $1699 USD

ACCESSORIES

My set was a loaner tour sample, it is different from the actual retail package (which has more goodies like a type-C DAC dongle with a USB-A to USB-C adapter and an additional carrying case). FWIW, included in this loaner tour sample was the following (in addition to the IEM):

1) Lunatically large amount of different silicone tips of various bore and nozzle lengths/diameters (including spinfits) – do tip roll to see what suits your preference.

2) Leather carrying case – has pockets with zips and is of excellent build.

3) Cable – very well built. It is a mixed strand of furukawa electric ohno continuous cast (OCC) Copper & DHC silver, with silver-plated OCC copper shield surround. This cable comes with a modular system at the distal end for various adapters (3.5 mm single-ended, 3.5 mm balanced, and 2.5mm and 4.4mm balanced). This is an innovative idea that allows one to swap modules out at the distal end of the cable, so as to cater to whatever source you have. Do be careful that the 3.5 mm balanced adapter can be mistaken for the 3.5 mm single-ended one, and this may fry your source. The only difference is in the number of lines on the connector!






BUILD/COMFORT

The DUNU LUNA is made of metal and is very well built and comfortable for me. I have used it for long sessions without discomfort. No driver flex was noted for my set.

I was a bit disappointed that the DUNU LUNA came in an MMCX connector. I’m not a fan of MMCX connectors in general, due to their generally shorter life expectancy compared to 2 pin sets, but I guess the modular system at the distal end of the cable theoretically means that one doesn’t need to swap the cable out at the MMCX area to get access to various sources.



ISOLATION

Isolation is below average. Hence, I wouldn’t recommend the DUNU LUNA to be brought on the subway/bus due to this (to protect hearing health). But then again, I wouldn’t dare to wear a $1700 USD set outside. It’s not just a matter of perhaps getting robbed or the DUNU LUNA getting stolen (though I’m not sure if other than hardcore audiophiles, would the laymen robbers know what is a DUNU LUNA, perhaps they are more familiar with Beats and Apple stuff haha), but I would be fearful of scratching it or snagging the cable against something while outdoors! It’s so precious!


DRIVABILITY

I tested the DUNU LUNA with a Khadas Tone Board DAC -> Topping L30, Shanling Q1 DAP, Ziku HD X9 DAP -> Fiio A3 amp, android smart phone, Sabre HIFI DAC (ESS ES9280C PRO) and a Tempotec Sonata HD Pro. The DUNU LUNA does scale with higher powered sources but is drivable from lower powered gear.


SOUND & TECHNICALITIES

The DUNU LUNA I would say, is a W shaped set (see graphs below under “comparisons”). I would say it is the best single DD set I’ve heard, in terms of melding technicalities, timbre and tonality. It is a musical set, yet preserving very good technicalities. The selling point of the DUNU LUNA, would be that is has pure beryllium drivers, which theoretically would give fast transients and excellent dynamics. And I have to say, indeed, the DUNU LUNA manages to get smoothness with speed, excellent technicalities with authentic timbre, fast transients with good note weight all spot on.

Sound is rich and nuanced. Timbre for acoustic instruments is very good in keeping with its single DD roots. Technicalities on the DUNU LUNA like clarity, details, imaging, instrument separation and soundstage can easily hang with multi BA/hybrids, which is amazing for a single DD set. The usual adage that single DD types are superior in timbre/tonality, but weaker in technicalities than multi BA/hybrids is a common refrain in the audiophile world, but hearing a TOTL single DD like the DUNU LUNA will really shake this adage upside down. Soundstage is very deep and high. Soundstage width is on the wider side (though probably not classleading in width per se). I didn’t find any instances of muddiness or congestion, even in complex music, or fast movements.


Bass:
Bass on the DUNU LUNA is almost neutral, it is quite punchy in the midbass, but the bass quantity will not be for bassheads. It is a midbass focused IEM and the subbass unfortunately also has a roll off, that’s one area of weakness on this set. Quality wise, in terms of transient speed, dynamics and timbre, the bass is excellent. Texturing is very good. There’s no midbass bleed and decay is on the faster side. So the DUNU LUNA goes for a quality bass over overt bass quantities, I think everyone other than diehard bassheads will appreciate this.


Mids:
Mids are my favourite aspect on this set, the term that comes to mind on hearing the mids are “romantic”. Lower mids on the DUNU LUNA are very sweet and lush. Mids are very layered and transparent and detailed and mid lovers will like this set. The upper mids area around 3 – 4 kHz is boosted, relative to the lower mids, but I didn’t find it that harsh/shouty, compared to a lot of CHIFI that boost this area. At high volumes (Fletcher Munson curve) or with poorly recorded material, one might find this 3 – 4 kHz area to be hot and jarring at times, or perhaps leaning to fatiguing with longer listening sessions, but by and large, I found the mids rather smooth. The added boost to the upper mids does make guitars and vocals have a bit more prominence and bite. Female vocals are more forward than male vocals in general.


Treble:
Treble extension on the DUNU LUNA is average. The treble preserves excellent microdetailing and clarity, without going into fatiguing territory. Cymbals sounded very natural and not splashy. However, the treble does roll off early for the higher treble frequencies. I’m treble sensitive and it is quite a safe and non fatiguing treble IMO, and I didn’t find any sibilance on it. The converse is that the DUNU LUNA does not have a top end sparkle that will cater to trebleheads, so YMMV.


COMPARISONS


Graphs comparing 3 purported full beryllium sets. Graphs courtesy of KopiOKaya from Audioreviews (IEC711 compliant coupler). 8 kHz area is probably a resonance coupler peak.


Final Audio A8000 ($2000 USD)

The DUNU LUNA is usually discussed in the same breath as the other full beryllium single DD summitFI set, the Final Audio A8000. Between these 2 beryllium behemoths, I do think the Final Audio A8000 has better technical performance, though I found the Final Audio A8000 too bright/fatiguing for me due to the wealth of resolution and details and there’s a harsh peak somewhere at the 5 – 6 kHz region, so it isn’t my cup of tea.

TBH, I would say the Final Audio A8000 has the best resolution, transparency, transients and technicalities I’ve ever heard in a single DD set, though it needs amping as is quite difficult to drive compared to the DUNU LUNA. Other than the Final Audio A8000 besting the DUNU LUNA in the above technical areas, soundstage is also wider on the Final Audio A8000. The Final Audio A8000 bass doesn’t rolloff at the subbass as much as the DUNU LUNA, and has more subbass quantity than the DUNU LUNA. Mids are thinner and more “clinical” in Final Audio A8000, and treble is more extended and boosted on the Final Audio A8000. Vocals can instruments can sound a bit dry and thin on the more analytical Final Audio A8000.

Hence, the Final Audio A8000 goes for a brighter, thinner and crisper tonality compared to the warmer and smoother and fuller DUNU LUNA, so different strokes for different folks. For sure the Final Audio A8000 is the more technical and analytical IEM, but it is more fatiguing at the higher frequencies than the DUNU LUNA, so treble sensitive folks better be warned about it.


KBEAR BElieve ($159 USD)

I know it is kind of lunatical (no pun intended) to compare the KBEAR BElieve ($159 USD) to the $1700 USD DUNU LUNA, but since they are both advertised to have full beryllium DDs, here we go:

The KBEAR BElieve has poorer timbre and a thinner note weight. The KBEAR BElieve is less refined, has slower transients and has poorer technicalities/dynamics, but it costs 10 times less, so that’s kinda expected.The DUNU LUNA is much easier to drive, but has worse isolation. I wouldn’t recommend the KBEAR BElieve if you don’t have a suitably powerful source, as it can sound muddy and congested when underpowered. If I were to give a ballpark figure, I think the KBEAR BElieve can hit around 70% of the DUNU LUNA’s technical performance (when amped).

So between the 2, it depends if you wanna chase the last 30% sound for huge diminishing returns, or are happy with hitting 70% performance for 10% of the cost, but the only problem is I can’t unhear what I have heard (the 30% improvement) in the DUNU LUNA hahaha.


CONCLUSIONS

The DUNU LUNA is lunatically good sounding (no pun intended). I’d say it is the best single DD set I’ve heard, in terms of melding technicalities, timbre and tonality. The romantic and lush mids of the DUNU LUNA are the star of the show. The beryllium drivers really do provide great transients and excellent dynamics.

The usual adage that single DD types are superior in timbre/tonality, but weaker in technicalities than multi BA/hybrids is a common refrain in the audiophile world, but hearing a TOTL single DD like the DUNU LUNA will really shake this adage upside down. The DUNU LUNA keeps the excellent tonality and timbre of its single DD roots, but adds the resolution of a multi BA/hybrid set into the mix, amalgamating the best of both worlds.

If there are some nitpicks I have to make, they are that the DUNU LUNA has below average isolation, its skyhigh price (I can’t afford it this lifetime!), and perhaps the subbass and higher treble roll off.

It was an extremely enjoyable listen throughout my week of having the DUNU LUNA for a loaner tour. Too bad the ears can’t unhear it now and I can’t look at other single DDs in the same (moon)light. I was really quite sad to pass it on to the next tour member. Honestly, price is probably going to be the biggest stumbling block for more folks to own or hear the DUNU LUNA, so I really look forward to checking out the upcoming DUNU ZEN, hopefully DUNU manages to come up with a TOTL tuning at a comparatively cheaper price for a single DD!

Dunu Luna ($1699): Fly me to the moon... 「玥」



Luna landing

Intro: As luck would have it, Dunu offered me the new SA-6 while I waited my turn for the Luna. Bad luck meant they both arrived on the same day...knowing I would only have the Luna for a week, I immediately hooked it up to insure all was working, then included it in my final three FiR Audio reviews (M2, M3, M4). Knowing the price matched the M4, more time was spent in that comparison, and will be shared below.

The Luna is Dunu’s attempt at raising their level into the true flagship level. Utilizing pure Beryllium for the driver has shown to have many merits, including speed of reproduction, lightness and longevity. Much information can be garnered from the link above, and perusing it really is not a waste of your time, even if you are not in the market.

My experience with Dunu started with the Titan 1, which was my first foray back into the portable audio segment, and my son still currently enjoys it. I really did enjoy the sound, even if it was a bit too hot for me up top. Initial impressions from the Luna (and SA-6) note that what to me became the trademark Dunu top end has thankfully been toned down a bit. So far so good.

Most of what I read beforehand told of the Luna being quite good at detail retrieval and clarity, along with a solid non in your face bass quality, which is also quite good. My initial impressions can concur with those assessments.



Specs:

BRAND: DUNU
MODEL: LUNA

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 5 Hz - 40 kHz
TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION: 0.2% at 1 kHz
NOMINAL IMPEDANCE: 16 Ω
SENSITIVITY: 110 dB at 1 kHz

DRIVE MODULE: 10 mm Acoustic-Grade Pure Beryllium Rolled Foil with Polyurethane Suspension

HOUSING MATERIAL: Titanium Alloy, Grade 5 (Ti-6Al-4V, TC4, with modified rare earth metal formulation)
NET WEIGHT: 10.3 g

CABLE LENGTH: 1.2 m
CABLE MATERIAL: Mixed Strands of Furukawa Electric Ohno Continuous Cast (OCC) Copper & Neotech Silver, with Silver-Plated OCC Copper Shield Surround

CABLE CONNECTOR: Patented Catch-Hold® MMCX Connector
PLUG CONNECTOR: Patented DUNU Quick-Switch Modular Plug System (2.5bal, 3.5bal, 3.5se, & 4.4 Pentaconn included)


Also included:

Three pouch (center one zippered) pleather case, which looks like a large zippered wallet

4 sets of silicon tips in s/m/l (yellow & red shaft, blue and red-shafted gray)


Gear Used/Compared:

FiR Audio M4 ($1800)
Unique Melody Maestro V2 ($1499)
MMR Homunculus ($1699)

Cayin N6 mk2
Shanling M6 Pro
MBP/EarMen TR-AMP
MBP/Yulong DA-Art Aquila II
MBP/Little Dot mk3 se



Songlist:

Joey Alexander-Warna album and others
Mark Knopfler-Laughs And Jokes And Drinks And Smokes
Santana w/ Mana- Corazon Espinado
twenty one pilots album, Trench
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Big Head Todd & The Monsters-Beautiful World
Mark Knopfler-Down The Road Wherever
Elton John-yep, still good, still cool
Tidal MQA


Unboxing:

I took it out of the mailing package and unwrapped the extra-sized wallet from the bubble wrap (no I did not squish any of them...) and unzipped the case. Inside I found the unit, all four changeable jacks and the four sets of tips.

That’s it, that’s the unboxing.



Build/Fit/Finish:

To me Dunu is known for producing smaller sized IEM’s, that pack a large compendium of sound. The Luna would be no different in the sound or the size department. In fact, if you flip the Luna over, using it without the over-ear bend it mimics the classic Titan looks.

Made of four parts, the cylinder that holds the cable, back plate, shell and nozzle, there is an industrial look to it, which is not unpleasant. The fore side of the back plate and shell are not completely flush (on both), so I am unsure if this is by design (to aid in grip) or a function of tolerance. When one forks over the hard-earned green for a TOTL, one expects perfection. While this is a minor quibble to me, it does matter. Made of grade 5 Titanium though (Ti-6Al-4V and TC4), the unit is built to last. Adding in their own rare earth mix to give the shell a better “ring,” Dunu formulates the shell for its own signature. I have ridden friend Titanium racing bicycles and they are superb. I prefer old-school steel myself, but if I had to, Titanium would be the easy other choice. For that part, the Luna carries an understated stunning look to it. Like the gorgeous date who walks in with you but carries herself in an unassuming manner and reserved dress. Only those who pay close attention would go, “wow...she’s gorgeous.” I like unassuming, understated beauty.



More manufacturers are taking the shell space seriously, like the chamber in which your home stereo plays. To more discerning ears than mine, I’m sure the differences are more apparent. I applaud this aspect of careful detailed presentation and think this is something all manufacturers should do.

The back plate is concave, and thus sits deeper into your ear. Mind you the Luna is svelte in and of itself, so to further minimize itself is a nice addition. In-ear fit is good, and with a good tip choice, seal is solid. Instead of having an over ear bend of plastic sheath like normal, the Dunu has a thick plastic sheath, much like you would find on the other end at the jack. Meant to protect the cable, here the sheath is indeed bent towards the back, thus giving the cable a “natural” over ear bend. Tucked neatly behind the ear, without trouble of coming off or hindering my glasses, the Luna cable worked. A thoughtful execution to a potentially persistent problem.

I will state that aside from the “misfit” shell and back plate, the Luna is put together superbly. With a vent hole out the back as well as tucked aft of the nozzle on the shell, there is adequate ventilation. Quality exudes from the Luna at all turns.



Sound:

Starting down low as per usual, the bass goes fairly low, but this would never be confused with a basshead IEM. There is a bit of a roll off in the sub bass, which prevents rumble from coming out, but the presentation is good, nonetheless. Countering that “lack” is excellent speed and control. The Be driver is certainly doing its job here. I am not the best at discerning separate sounds, but the speed with which this driver reacts is impressive. But, due to that lack of overall rumble and reach, I understand here why a reviewer called the Luna “light” in sound. Mind you that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The opposite of that is clarity, which is quite good.

The mids present a somewhat opposite approach. Both a bit forward and elevated, vocal presentation takes the center stage as witnesses on Elton John’s All The Young Girls Love Alice, or Knopfler’s Laughs And Jokes And Drinks And Smokes, which permeate the air right in front of you. This is not bad, and again clarity comes to mind. Those who like a forward-mid presentation will really like the way the Luna presents this part. I appreciate it as one of Dunu’s “signature traits,” ever since I listened to the Titan 1. I do notice an artificiality coming in much like what @B9Scrambler describes as “plasticky.” Hindering the overall quality of the mids with an almost balanced armature quality is how he describes it. Not able to put my finger on it until I read that description, I would agree with that assessment.



Thankfully up top, the treble comes across with a brilliant presentation. Not overly bright, or shouty, but present and near-forceful. Not forceful enough to overpower, but present with extreme confidence. Think about the gymnast who needs to nail a pommel horse jump to win. And she does it. On Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, there is a chance an IEM can come across as overly bright due to the complexity up top. The Luna present and exemplary story and this could be my favorite aspect of it. Often with bright signatures up top, I have to turn the volume down (not due to sibilance, just can’t take too much bright); but here I do not and even through a neutral DAC/amp such as the Yulong DA-Art Aquila II, it is not too much. Well done Dunu.

Put all of the above together and the soundstage comes across as impressively wide and tall for a single dynamic driver. Granted the slight elevation of the mids and vocals aid in this but when Albert King’s I’ll Play The Blues For You comes on, his wretchedly cool guitar licks come across dead center while the support bass guitar and electric guitar support one side, and the drums the other. Think of a planetarium where you could talk into a rounded wall and someone on the complete opposite side would think the sound is coming from BEHIND them. A cool phenomenon and one, which to me describes the soundstage of the Luna.

The clarity of which I mention above also aids in keeping everything separate, with good isolation of all involved. As a result, the texture is good, and layering is also good. Don’t expect a huge amount of separation as the overall signature is one of evenness and not meant for that analytically precise separation. Think more of the whole as opposed to the parts.



Comparisons:

Dunu Luna ($1699) vs Fir Audio M4 ($1800): From my M4 review...

The Luna came in time for a comparison as luck would have it, and I have been graced by some superb wares the last three months. The Luna fits into that mold of flagship nicely, and it is a technological marvel. Replete with a pure Beryllium foil driver, and a shell of Titanium, the Luna finishes the overture of techno-wizardry off by being handmade.

Described by one reviewer as “light” for a signature, this was not meant as a pejorative statement, but one of appreciation for the “lilt” given off by the signature. The Luna is one of the more clarity-driven IEM’s I have heard of late. Crisp sound and deep-enough reach of bass (it is quite good without bleed, and a good punch), this is indeed a direct comparison. With mids that are brighter, and treble on par but with a bit more presence I did have to turn the volume down. No sibilance, but a high end not for the faint of heart. Crystalline and crisp, but with an edge would be an apt description. Very good would be another.

And this is what separates the two. The Luna is not shy about its top end, where the M4 shows a bit more respect for our ears. And in doing so, I appreciate that as well. I would call the Luna the “typical” Dunu house-top-end, except that the SA-6 I have in as well pretty much blows that out the back door. The Luna is another excellent example of how this range between $1500-2000 is packed with excellent choices. See also the one directly below, and that “hard choice” we have to make gives us just reward, regardless of the signature.

*Addendum: The more I listen to the Dunu, the more I appreciate the signature as “not typical” Dunu, but what Dunu can be when allowed to expand. I really like the M4 and would most likely choose it over the M5 (save a grand as well), but each of the Luna and M4 can be appreciated very much so for the differing approach they take.


Dunu Luna ($1699) vs MMR Homunculus ($1699):

Mostly from memory, what I appreciated about the Homunculus was its laidback tonality and respect for the music. A bit warmer than the Thummim (which is extraordinary), I would use the word “mature” again. And that is a good thing, too. With bass that is impactful, but not slow; the Homunculus presents a full-fledged example of how far we have come in this segment. To think that three excellent choices in this price are listed here, and all are really quite good, with distinct tonalities gives one appreciation for the way each manufacturer has approached this level. Give the user an excellent sound signature and let them choose.

This would most likely be the toughest choice if given these two.

But, throw on the Eletech Socrates, and it becomes and easy choice-the Homunculus. Of course, you then get into the price of the flagships, and I am sure what the Socrates does for the Homunculus, it could do for the Luna. Take your choice, then.


Dunu Luna ($1699) vs Unique Melody Maestro V2 ($1499):

Another old friend brought out, the Maestro was my first TOTL purchase, and even after the Mason V2 came along, I kept the Maestro instead. Paired with an Effect Audio Ares II, the sound is still quite nice. With bass that punches a bit deeper than the Luna, there is still a more centralized sound to the Maestro, which I still appreciate. On Albert King’s song mentioned above, the bass stays central, but everything else spreads the field, filling the sound with a clarity that is on par with the Luna. I still like how I can raise the volume with the Maestro, and it does not grate on my senses. The UM can still emote the accolades with today’s newbies so to speak, and I am still glad I kept it.

With a more forward mid, vocals and guitar take the center stage, but not to the detriment of the others (similar to the Luna). Crisp higher notes add width as well as height helping that airy note permeate all layers quite nicely, again much like the Luna. Running the stock silver cable makes me appreciate how I can change the note with just a simple switch. In stock form, the Maestro still sings to me.

The Luna and Maestro are very similar, save for width of stage, which goes to the Luna. Both a really quite good.



Finale:

Finishing with the Mark Knopfler song mentioned above, I again appreciate the finer points of the Luna. Crisp, clean sound saturate the air, which detail retrieval comes along for that pint of dark gold. Mark’s vocals highlight a simply superb song that I want played at my funeral celebration. The Luna presents the sound emoting from the song with excellent speed and detail, highlighting the truly positives of a pure Beryllium single dynamic driver. This is a very fine unit and one that should most definitely be listened to. While it may not wow you with its performances when taken singularly; this truly is a case of the whole is greater than the parts. And for me that exudes “underdog” status. I love the underdog. The Luna is a really fine unit, which should be appreciated for its simplicity, its exotic use of earthen materials, and a subtlety, which other flagship IEM’s do not promote. Understated and appreciated. I like the overall package of the Dunu. Well done.

I finish listening to Damian Marley’s So A Child May Follow, and with that I thank Dunu for the opportunity to listen to their TOTL. I applaud them on pushing their technological advances forward, without the astronomical prices. The Luna is well worth a listen.

Thanks to DUNU for sending me a pair for review.

Back when I got to unbox a pair of Sony IER-Z1R IEMs, I was impressed by the luxury packaging. Little did I know that DUNU planned to exceed that with their LUNA flagship IEMs. The box was so large that I could barely fit it onto my table to shoot.



The IEMs are so small and light that they could have been packed neatly in a large earring box. Centred at the top of the stack of trays, they look comically tiny.

I've had enough pairs of IEMs arrive with carry cases, but this was the first pair that had two. Not just a small carry pouch, but a full man-bag which can contain a DAP and a bunch of accessories as required. This alongside a bunch of tips (silicon, Spinfit, and a set of foam tips in a separate bag), airline adaptor, USB A/C audio adaptor and cable adaptors.






Speaking of the cable, it uses DUNU's cable adaptor system, allowing one cable to be re-terminated by just switching a plug. 2.5mm, 3.5mm (both regular and HFM balanced) and 4.4mm come in the box. The connector system is lovely to use, with a very precise fit of the aluminium plugs.



For such very light IEMs, the cable seems almost too thick, even though it isn't really that thick of heavy by high-end IEM standards. Switching around cables among IEMs, I found it to be a good cable overall, with at least one other person I know buying one to use with other IEMs.



I briefly tried the included USB C dongle and found that it does the job, if not doing total justice to the LUNAs. If I realistically owned a pair, I could see myself using this dongle with the LUNAs, my iPhone a Linum Bax cable for maximum portability.

Sound Impressions



I primarily used Spinfit and Spiral Dot tips with the LUNA. My source was primarily the Chord Hugo 2 and 2go.

Describing the sound with the LUNA is tricky, as it comes across as a bit unconventional.

Depending on my mood, I sometimes found the treble a touch muted for preference (fixable by switching to wider-bore tips such as the Spiral Dots) and the upper mids a bit too forward, but only by 1-2dB. This brings instruments and vocals forward, but the treble reduction makes them feel slightly muted at the same time, lacking the last bit of sparkle that would be most ideal. Then again, for an IEM, a treble that is too strong becomes quickly fatiguing if there is outside noise mixing with the music.

The LUNA has a very punchy and detailed bass which is present enough, without being too far forward, though I can see some people wanting a bit more. While the quality is excellent, it rolls off when you get down to the low bass, something only really noticeable on tracks that have very low bass lines.

The main consequence for the tuning is that while the IEMs are very crisp and punchy in their delivery, percussion can not come through as well as it does with other IEMs, and the overall soundstage ends up sounding somewhat more narrow than with more v-shape-tuned IEMs.

So, while they are generally quite good with all music, and quite enjoyable to listen with for the most part, they aren't the most detailed, don't have a particularly wide soundstage, and the tuning isn't perfect. Yet, they didn't fail to provide a good, enjoyable listen with most music, as once one's brain adapts -- easily done if they are the only IEMs you listen with -- their strengths are more noticeable than their downsides, at least in my experience. This was especially true through the mid-range, when guitars and vocals come into play.

Music Impressions

These were taken from notes I made while comparing multiple IEMs at the same time.

Mirrors - SEED Ensemble (Spinfit tips)

The forward 4kHz (upper mid) sound, alongside the more muted treble makes percussion sound a bit odd, and detracts from the impact from what is otherwise what is a very competent presentation. Cymbals are missing sparkle.

Micro detail isn't as present with the A8000 and Andromeda MW10 (at least from the Hugo 2). The saxaphone doesn't show itself as forward as it should towards the end.

Switching to Spiral Dot tips brings out a bit more treble, but doesn't fundamentally change the above.

Aurora en Pekin

Tonality with Spiral Dots works well on this track with the guitar and other instruments coming through crisply and with great intensity.

Dreams - Fleetwood Mac

The weakness in the treble that affects percussion is very apparent here on what is a track that does no favors to bright IEMs. The more mid-bass and mid-range focus narrows the perceived soundstage somewhat too, compared to the slight "v" of the A8000.

Porch Swing - Trace Bundy

Crisp guitar and mid-range listening. Lovely.

Sitta - Merge of Equals

The slightly muted treble works well with this brighter track, though for preference some people might prefer more sparkle and a bit more bass. It is less thick-sounding than the Andromeda MW10 and 2020. The bass is beautifully clean and dynamic, something that the BA-bass driver IEMs can't quite match.

Conclusion

While there are IEMs that are more technically competent and prettier looking, if I were to actually consider a pair of expensive IEMs for portable use, I'd strongly consider the DUNU LUNA. They simply did a good job of making music enjoyable, especially given the lack of fatigue from not being physically heavy. For portable use, being light-weight, and generally good-sounding with most music, I'd know I'd get enjoyment from listening with them.

Shoutout to Kevin from DUNU for last minute throwing me into the LUNA tour so I could test and review the iems. While I always appreciate the chance to test and review products sent in from manufacturers, it never affects the rating of my review.

I’m rather vocal in my reviews of iems when it comes to my love for hybrids. I like the treble that BA drivers can produce and I love when the DD driver is used for decent impact and rumble in the low end. I never heard anything with an upper midrange/lower treble focus so I was interested to see what the LUNA could do. The new trend I’ve noticed as of late 2019-2020 is an adoption of single dynamic driver tech for new iems. More and more companies are releasing these single DD iems and after I had a chance to own and use the Fiio FD1, I was interested to see what other single DDs sounded like. I still have a slight favor towards a good hybrid but as more single DDs come out, I’m hoping that I will be more tempted to choose them over hybrids. The LUNA is marketed towards a specific audience in Asia that likes an upper midrange focused TOTL iem. DUNU made this point pretty clear from the beginning. As time goes on, they plan to adjust tuning on their product line as they release more of these single DD iems. More info can be found via DUNU's site for these https://www.dunu-topsound.com/product-page/luna

Onto the review of the sound! My personal preference is a dynamic hybrid iem where I get good hitting bass and have a brighter treble with decent mids. When it comes to an over ear headphone I prefer a spacious sound with a deep low end, the mids to be more forward and the highs to be a little bright with some sparkle. I listen to a lot of genres but I hover in the classic rock, blues and edm music with some rap here and there.


Gear used
IPhone 12 pro with headphone adapter, iFi hip dac, iFi NEO iDSD, FiiO UTWS3 and SMSL SU-9 feeding the SMSL SH-8/SH-9 amps.

Looks and fit
I really like the looks of the little LUNA. I do mean little as I was fairly surprised just how tiny it is. Compared to something like my Andros or Ikko OH10, the LUNA is small. It’s also lightweight and can easily be worn with no real long listening session fatigue. Since the nozzle is short, finding tips that fit can be a slight hassle. I normally use a medium tip but had to go large with the CP145 that was included with the LUNA. Some may not have as much as a hassle but after using the SA3 that made a seal that was too strong I was surprised how much of a struggle I personally had with the LUNA. I still can’t stand mmcx connectors but they seem super sturdy with the few cables I had to test these with. When I got this in however, the right iem would constantly drop the connection mid song. I had to pop the cable out and adjust the little ring on the MMCX connector to make it sit tighter in the LUNA. I don’t believe this will be a problem with a new unit but it still gives me MMCX PTSD and I mostly prefer a 2 pin haha.

Packaging and accessories
Unfortunately these came in a simple DUNU leather bag instead of the official packaging. It came with the spinfit CP360 and CP145 set so I was pretty happy as I love spinfit tips for most iems. If you would like to see what the LUNA comes with then I’d recommend watching something like Currawong’s video review of these.


Sound
These final impressions were done off the SMSL SU-9/SH-9 stack. These are what the LUNA sounds like to my ears. Things like ear tip selection and DAC/amp selection will produce different results and impressions vs what my ears hear on my specific gear setup. Still feel free to roast me if you don’t agree with my impressions though haha.

Lows
Low end has a little warmth to it but the LUNA keeps things fairly neutral and accurate. There is still decent impact from the sub bass and is much better than an all BA design when it comes to low end thumps. I couldn’t hear any congestion or bloat between the lows and mids. Bass overall is really detailed and fast. This gets fairly close to my preferred low end taste. With the way the LUNA is tuned I think it does really well when it comes to the quality here. Ear tip selection here will make a decent difference.

Mids
Vocals come through smooth with fantastic detail and feel super emotional. Upper mid frequency instruments came through super detailed as well. I rarely get excited about mids but this was one of those times I actually kept looking for music to listen to that worked well with the LUNA. Vocals mixed with the fantastic soundstage really made this quite the experience.

Highs
Highs are super tamed to my ears. The lower treble has a big focus and that sounds great. Things like the crashes of a cymbal or hits on a high hat feel super toned down though. Upper treble instruments feel dull at times as well. Since I personally like a focus on all of the treble, I was sad going into the testing of these knowing beforehand they wouldn’t be the main focus of the LUNA. While the LUNA is missing that top end sparkle, it isn’t a complete dud up top. Due to the lower treble focus, It still has really good detail, it also picks up micro details extremely well.

Soundstage/Imaging
Soundstage is fairly wide for an iem. Depth is also decent as well. The LUNA sound wider than deep to my ears. Imaging was really good. Definitely the best I’ve heard so far out of an iem. I picked up a lot of things I either could barely hear or didn’t notice from other iems. I of course never owned anything this expensive outside the original beat up andros I have. I had a few big “woah” moments listening to some music.

***On a side note, I actually noticed a fairly nice soundstage with the cheaper FiiO FD1 as well. Both have the same nice and wide soundstage though the LUNA presents it all way better. I’m hoping this is a trait of single DD iems.

BASS mod
One thing the FiiO FD1 was slightly lacking for me personally was a low end thump. The solution was putting a little porous tape over the vent facing the user's ear. This gave the low end an almost bass head sound that gave a little bleed into the mids but made for a fun sound. Since the LUNA is set up kind of the same with an inward vent and outer vent I put a little porous tape on the inward vent. This produced a fantastic low end thump. It of course starts sounding a little too warm and hurts the quality of the mids as well. Doing this simple mod made the tips seal much better and blocked out more outside noise as well. I did finish my testing without the porous tape and I didn’t like the sound change personally. I really don’t recommend doing this since if you really want harder hitting lows then I’d say find something else. Especially at this price.

Cable rolling
I threw the DUNU Chord cable, Null Audio Lune cable and their Tiburon cable at the LUNA. The Chord seemed to give the LUNA a slight boost to the low end but at the cost of a warmer treble when compared to the stock cable which is fairly bright sounding. Same exact thing happened with the Tiburon cable. The LUNE cable was a little brighter than the stock cable but the soundstage didn’t sound nearly as wide sounding. Overall I didn’t really see a need to dump the stock cable for something else. Most of the time I swap stock cables for an aftermarket cable, it’s so I can go balanced since everything usually comes with a standard single ended cable. DUNU was smart to include a high end cable that lets you swap the audio connectors out if you wanna go balanced.

Stock cable
The stock cable is a really nice looking cable using their quick swap audio connectors. A 3.5mm single ended, 2.5mm Balanced, 4.4mm balanced and finally a 3.5 balanced connector are included to use with the stock cable or any other DUNU quick swap cable. I’m not sure what cable is being used with the LUNA but when I plugged it into my M5-5D, the m5 sounded about the same as the Null Audio Hakone cable I have. So not a super bright sounding cable at all. The stock cable has no noticeable micro phonics and doesn't tangle at all. I am super impressed with the stock cable. I really wouldn’t replace it unless you wanna try something exotic as the other cables I tried made it warmer sounding which I don’t think compliments the LUNA well at all.


Tip rolling
I personally settled on the largest CP145(4.5mm bore) included with the LUNA. I found small bore tips really caused a murky sound with the added bonus of sounding a little harder hitting down low. Tips like the CP500(5.5mm bore) gave off a slightly better top end presentation at the cost of the low end. With the “Goldilocks” bore sized tips I found a good balance with only the upper treble slightly lacking. This is one of the few times I really found an iem to be super tip dependent when it comes to changing up the sound.

Amp Combinations
I found the LUNA to be a little amp picky in terms of how the lows and mids sound. I used the hip dac for portable use out of my Iphone and the others for at home testing.

Lightning headphone adapter
Normally I can live with using the adapter as the sound isn’t horribly degraded since iems normally don’t get picky. I was really surprised when I plugged these in after listening on my desktop setup. The LUNA sounds super muddy and lacks the wonderful vocal quality it had from the DAC/amp combos I used. I would definitely recommend any type of DAC/amp for the LUNA.

iFi hip dac
Switching from the lightning adapter to the hip dac out of my Iphone made a world of difference. The hip dac is a little too warm sounding for the LUNA IMO but it sounded really good vs the lightning adapter. The hip dac can’t compare to the desktop setups but I have zero issues using this pair if I was going portable. I had no hiss via the single ended jack but I picked up the hip dac’s floor noise via balanced. I would still recommend something a little more neutral sounding if picking up a portable DAC/amp.


S.M.S.L. SU-9/SH-8
I was able to use SMSL’s SDB feature of the SH-8 amp that boosts the low end and treble. This made things sound a little closer to what I personally like. The mids lose a little of their magic due to the bass being a hair too much. That being said, I really liked the way the LUNA sounded off the SH-8. I still think the LUNA could benefit from better gear however. The SH-8 is wide sounding IMO so it paired well with the wide sounding LUNA. A almost non existent hiss is picked up via balanced here.

S.M.S.L. SU-9/SH-9
The new SMSL stack has really impressed me as a slightly warm analytical sounding “stack”. This was my favorite pairing with the LUNA. This was also the brightest setup I have to test with. The luna benefits from the depth provided by this SMSL stack. Since the stack is fairly clean and doesn’t color the sound too much the LUNA gets to shine and show off what it can do. There is zero floor noise from this pairing as well.


iFi NEO iDSD
The NEO is a nice warm DAC/amp that gives the LUNA a nice smoothness and slight lift to the low end. While I find this pairing to be perfectly fine for most people, it may not please those such as myself trying to get as much top end sparkle out of the LUNA. The other issue is the upper mid boost the NEO has which at times can make the LUNA sound a little sibilant with vocals. I didn’t mind this pairing when compared to the SU-9/SH-9 stack. The balanced port picks up a decent amount of floor noise. This goes away with music playing however.


Amping thoughts
While the LUNA doesn’t need much power to get loud, I think it really benefits off a quality DAC/amp. While using the iFi hip dac gave me decent results I would still recommend a good mid range DAP, portable DAC/amp or mid-high end desktop setup.

Overall thoughts
Well! I didn’t know what to expect going into reviewing the LUNA. I initially tried these right after listening to some of my hybrid iems and once I started playing some music through the LUNA I was extremely disappointed with the sound signature. Going from a lows/highs boosted hybrid to the unique tuning of something like the LUNA makes for weird faces and sad feelings haha. I decided I should step away from listening to anything for at least an hour. I eventually came back and popped the LUNAs in my ear, started playing some music, then proceeded to be blown away by the sound these little iems produced. I’ve been very surprised and impressed by the LUNA. While I would have liked to see this priced around maybe $1200-$1300, I understand a new flagship with new tech won't be cheap. This is truly something else and tuned in a way that sounds different compared to what most people are probably used to. I’m very happy to give this a full recommendation! As with most TOTL iems/headphones, these are meant for a specific listeners preference. These can be used as an all rounder but if you feed the LUNA good gear and the right genres, it really is something else. I think DUNU did a great job here. I look forward to checking out the ZEN, which is their next new product featuring some of the tech from the LUNA. Thanks for reading!

Accessories
1. Spinfit Tips (S M L)


2. Stock Tips (S M L) + Other tips [These were found in the tour package, not sure if they are available with the purchase]


3. OCC + SP-OCC MMCX cable w modular connectors


4. Large carrier pouch


Listening Impression

Bass:
I really love the dynamics of the bass spectrum which is relatively linear with soft roll-off at the sub-bass region. I find Luna to be more punchy than most DDs in the market (I don't think I came across anything punchier than this). Some people seem to find this bass-light but I actually think this is a sweetspot for this particualr tuning, being present and accurate whenever the music pieces call for it.

Mids:
The mids is definitely the highlight of this IEM! With all the FR graphs readily available, I was kinda worried when I saw them, I'm one who prefers warmer,bassier or generally neutral tuning. What I'm afraid of didn't happen, despite it being really bright it was really comfortable and open a whole new world for me.

The vocals for both male and female are really good. Being brighter in nature, it brings forth a livelier and more fun experience. I did not hear any of the ever irritating sibilance and harshness many might expect. The male vocals are energetic, neutrally warm while the female vocals are lively and crisp. The comparison or in fact the fusion and coherence is really cool in duets!

Treble:
This is where I have to nit-pick a little. The drop around the 8k was pretty obvious to me, resulting to the loss of details at the region. Although the valley is spread across a very narrow region,the steep roll-off following a steep increase made it pretty obvious. But all in all, I like how the treble have extended further in comparison to many in the market, giving more micro details.

Isolation:
It is a pity that the isolation is not as good as I assumed it to be. Probably due to the shorter nozzle and the overall shape of the shell. I have tried replacing the tips with foam type for better isolation but is of little improvement. I certainly enjoy this earpiece in quiet places, tried using this on public transport and in a cafe as well, like what you might have guess, the external factors made it less enjoyable and have to increase the volume to negate outside noise.

Separation:
I can easily distinguish various instruments even in orchestra tracks, I guess this is more than enough to express myself? Tested pieces with Duet and Acapella, same result, I can easily distinguish them.

Conclusion:
As mentioned previously on my preference of tuning, I really like this fun and energetic pair but not really my personal cup of tea. But if you are one who love fun sounding tuning, this is certainly something for you. With the sudden shift from my "cup of tea" I thought I would take a fair bit of time to get used to this tuning. Surprisingly, due to the highly comfortable tuning, my ears did not reject them and quickly adapted to appreciate them.

Fun fact: I was curious in trying to find out will the piece "The Diva Dance" from the movie <The Fifth Element> would in anyways expose the higher mids to "break" or cause a harshness. But surprisingly my ears still find it acceptable...

Giving a 4.5 mostly due to the isolation issue, if the valley at the 8k region were more subtle, definitely a full 5 from me. Just to mention, the above is my personal findings/experience, I'm a newbie and in no way a professional reviewer.

Greetings!

Today we're checking out the Luna, a new flagship single dynamic-based earphone with some “world's first” technology running the show.

Beryllium is a pretty sweet material to use for speakers. Dangerous to collect and manufacture, but the resultant qualities are worth it. It's extremely light and stiff resulting in breakup/distortion later, and at higher frequencies than other more common materials, such as titanium. Whereas most earphones utilize materials like carbon nano-tube and titanium as a coating to improve the integrity of a driver, Dunu took things a step further being the first to develop and utilize a beryllium rolled foil diaphragm. No coatings here. Unlike most other products in this price range, the Luna doesn't feature a swath of drivers of various styles either. Instead, they let their singular, very special driver, hog the spotlight and strut it's stuff.

And strut it does. Let's take a closer look, shall we?


What I Hear Treble is extremely smooth with a reduction in emphasis in the brilliance region compared to the rest of the signature. This leaves the Luna with a warm, soft, detailed presentation that is amazing for extended listening sessions, and at higher volumes than I'd normally listen. That said, as a result of this downplayed emphasis cymbals, chimes, etc. lack impact in a track and in cases where they should be prominent forces and lead, such as on Gramatik's “Bluestep”, fall in line with the rest of the presentation and fail to stand out. Thanks to the Beryllium drivers, notes strike and decay quickly and with impressive control, though there is a lack of sparkle and shimmer to go along with this composure. Complicate things, such as on King Crimson's “Starless and Bible Black”, and the Luna remains distinct and clean, easily detailing each element without congestion.

The midrange of the Luna is elevated over the rest of the signature thanks to an upper mid bump giving vocals a strong presence. Thankfully this bump is not enough to engage the flavour of the month criticism, shoutiness. Sibilance isn't much of an issue either, resulting in unforgiving tracks like Aesop Rock's “Blood Sandwich” being perfectly serviceable and enjoyable through the Luna. That said, you will still experience the occasional bit of discomfort at times when you come across particularly sharp sounding vocals. Timbre accuracy is reasonably solid with a plasticky, almost armature-like quality creeping in at times. It's nothing that hinders the overall enjoyment of the product for me, but those who are particularly picky and hold the Sony MH755 and/or Blon BL-03 up as timbre gods should probably keep this in mind if they were thinking up upgrading to something good.

Bass is quite linear in presentation with only a soft roll off in sub-bass regions keeping it from being perfectly balanced. As expected from a pure beryllium driver, speed is excellent with the Luna able to handle the nuts-o rapid double bass line common to various metal tracks without breaking a sweat. It's also very well controlled leaving individual notes sounding distinct and well-defined. Texturing is a low point with the presentation being a bit too smooth for my personal preferences. Tracks from The Prodigy and Tobacco lack the grunge and crunch I expect through the Luna. This means that overall detail in the low is also a bit lacking, leaving the presentation feeling somewhat one-note and less dynamic that I would expect from a product at this price point. Despite these qualms, I still find the low end satisfying, just not as good as it could have been.

Sound stage is actually quite impressive which I was not expecting given the laid back upper ranges. The default positioning for vocals sets the stage just at the outer edge of the ear with instruments and affects branching out from there. I found the Luna quite immersive, as experienced listening to King Crimson's live take on “Indiscipline”. This is in large part thanks to the excellent layering and instrument separation qualities. Imaging is quite clean and nuanced, but doesn't quite stack up to some of the multi-driver flagships found in this price range.

Overall I have really enjoyed my time with the Luna. While I don't necessarily think it is truly class leading in any particular aspect, put everything together and you have a package that sounds very coherent and capable. This general all-round quality has left the Luna as one of the more enjoyable products I've spent time with this year.


Compared To A Peer (volumes match with Dayton iMM-6)

Campfire Audio Ara (1,299.00 USD): The Ara is notably brighter than the Luna, particularly due to a significant amount of additional energy in the brilliance region. This gives chimes, cymbals, etc. a ton more presence in Campfire's offerings vs. the much more downplayed output from the Luna. While notes seems to attack and decay at a similar speed, impressive given the Luna has a single dynamic, the Ara goes about it in a more obvious and aggressive way. The Ara's midrange is more forward, though not to the same extent as the treble region. Vocals out of the Ara are a bit thicker and more weighty with a warmer tonality, with the trade off being that they are not quite a detailed and articulate. Timbre is more natural out of the Luna, but the differences are mild. Bass out of the Luna is only slightly more prominent than on the Ara, but thanks to the lack of treble to counterbalance ends up feeling more boosted than it really is. Both have a very linear presentation with a similar drop in emphasis in subbass regions. The Luna's low end is slower and can't quite match the Ara's lightening quick response, nor does it output as much detail and texture. It does, however, carry more weight and move more air providing a more viscerally satisfying experience on bass-reliant tracks. When listening for soundstage differences, I was surprised to find the Luna felt wider and more spacious allowing additional air between notes and resulting in tracks feeling more layered. The Ara comes across more intimate which plays well to it's razor sharp imaging that the Luna couldn't match.

When it comes to build they are both outstanding examples of top of the line products and I cannot say definitively that one bests the other. They both utilize Titanium for their shells with the Luna having the more understated design compared to Campfire's iconic and awesomely angular look. The Luna's simpler, smaller, lower profile shells lack the visual flair and do not isolate quite as well, but are definitely the more ergonomic and comfortable of the two, and I have zero issues with comfort with the Ara. The cable is where the two separate. Campfire's cable is thinner, lighter, and more flexible. It does a better job of staying out of the way while also being less prone to memory and tangling. On the other hand, the Luna's thicker cable design is more encouraging for long term durability, plus it utilizes Dunu's Quick-Switch modular plug system meaning you don't have to wear out the MMCX ports with cable swaps should you decide to run it balanced.

Overall they are both some of the best sounding products I've ever used. Since their tuning is so different, they compliment each other well and choosing one over the other really comes down to your personal preferences. Do you like a warmer, more mellow sounding earphone? The Luna ticks those boxes well. If you prefer a more analytic, detailed sound the Ara should be the one you look at.

Campfire Audio Atlas (1,299.00 USD): The single dynamic Atlas has a clear v-shaped signature in comparison. Starting with the low end, the Atlas is A LOT bassier. It digs deeper, hits harder, is more textured and provides more detail. The Luna is quicker and tighter though with a much more natural, balanced presence in the overall mix. They are clearly aimed at completely different audiences. Both have a similarly placed upper midrange, though perception says it sticks out more on the Luna thanks to the differences in emphasis in treble and bass regions. I find the Luna's mids thicker and more natural, but a step behind in terms of clarity and detail. The Atlas's dry-ish timbre is less enticing than the Luna's presentation in my opinion. Heading into the treble the Atlas is sharp and shimmery with a strong attack that brings a lot more energy to the table compared to the laid back Luna. Notes are tighter and better controlled out of the Luna, lacking the mild splash hear in the Atlas. Some people seem to like splash I've noticed. For me, it's a definite negative, though it's not so bad as to be a detriment here. Sound stage is quite good on both with the Atlas getting the nod. While the Duna feels spacious, the Atlas feels more capacious with a deceptively cavernous feel to it at times. It comes across even wider and deeper though imaging, layering, and separation qualities end up being pretty similar.

Where the Luna is small and light with a super comfortable, low profile design, the Atlas is made of extremely heavy, hand-polished stainless steel. Combine that with a more traditional barrel shape that sticks out of the ear and ergonomics are very much hit and miss. Luna is definitely the better of the two for wearing pleasure, in my experience. The Atlas certainly looks a heck of a lot cooler though with it's brash design and 'bling bling' chrome. While I prefer to wear the Luna, I like the Atlas' cable more. Sure, it doesn't utilize Dunu's awesome Quick-Switch system, but it's lighter and more flexible which earns it huge points in my book. Both cables are great though.

Overall? These two target completely different crowds. If you want something that can act as a reference unit, mostly balanced with a mid-range bias, Luna all the way. If you want a top of the line bass monster that doesn't skimp on quality or technical ability, obviously go for the Atlas.


In The Ear The wearing experience of the Luna is just as impressive as the sound it outputs. The shape is quite reminiscent of the DK3001 Pro that I absolutely adore, right down to the unique, horizontal stalk that protrudes from the top of the shell and contains the MMCX port. Given the serious reduction in driver quantity, the Luna ends up even slimmer with a concave outward facing plate that fits the tip of a finger nicely when seating it in the ear. It is a light, small low profile earphone that feels very natural to wear, even across heavily extended listening sessions. Isolation is not a strong suit though. The twin ports, one down near and nozzle and another larger one on top of the shell, do little to prevent outside noise from bleeding in. Foam tips help, but even with them equipped I can still hear various happenings going on around me fairly well.

Fit and finish is generally quite good with no misaligned segments or significant flaws to be found. The extensions the cable plugs into are a separate piece and their attachment to the shell slightly lopsided, but I think that was a design choice and not a fit and finish issue since it's the same on both sides. A subtle touch that might be overlooked is the knurled metal rings at the end of each stalk where the cable plugs in, coloured to denote each channel; right for right, silver for left. L and R are also printed on the MMCX plugs on the cable, but some redundancy never hurts. The metal nozzles are a separate piece. They taper in slightly at the entrance with a small lip that holds most third party tips in place without issue though my prefer set, Sony Hybrids, can be knocked off with little effort. I've never had them fall off in my ear thankfully.

The silver-plated cable is a very nice addition to the package. The sheath and overall feel to the cable is quite dense with a fairly tight wind and manageable heft backing it up. While fairly flexible, it retains some memory of bends and kinks but nothing that sticks around long, or causes issues with usability. Strain relief at the Quick-Switch equipped modular jack isn't particularly long or useful, but I'm not too concerned given how tough the sheath feels. While relief is also absent at the y-split, there is a handy chin cinch so that's a plus. Another plus is the use of preformed ear guides which do a good job of holding the cable in place around the ear. I never ran into issues with it hopping up and around the ear, even when out for a jog.


In The Box Since the Luna was a tour unit, it was not shipped with the original packaging and compete accessories (I think). Since this is usually my favorite section and most of what is covered here was not sent along with the earphones, I'll leave you and your mad Googling skills to find this information should you care. Or if reading this on Head-fi, scroll down to the first few reviews for some handy dandy images.

Final Thoughts I read quite a bit of coverage of the Luna prior to being asked if I wanted in on the tour, so I had an idea of what to expect. That said, written word and graph analysis can't replace genuine experience with a physical object. The Luna showed itself to be plenty competitive, and a fantastic showcase for the benefits of using beryllium. With a tight, controlled, detailed sound free of harshness or distortion, it makes for an easy listening but very capable earphone. A combination of qualities that few other totl products I've heard can brag about.

Not only does the Luna meet sonic expectations, but it is every bit as nice in other aspects. The gorgeous titanium shells have an attractive but subtle design that doesn't scream “1700 USD earphone over here. Come steal me!!” to passerbys, so users can feel confident they'll be safe when using it outside the safety of their hovel. The included accessories also seem to be quite extensive, with the uber premium leather case and Quick-Switch equipped cable being some specific highlights.

Overall a great earphone and an impressive showpiece for the brand. Highly recommended to give it an audition if you're looking for a mostly balanced sound with totl quality performance in a fatigue-free package.

Thanks for reading!

- B9

Disclaimer Thanks to Thomas with Dunu for reaching out to see if I would like to join the Luna tour, and for arranging to have it sent over for a few weeks of testing. At the time of writing the Luna was retailing for 1,699.99 USD. You can check it out here on Dunu's product page: https://www.dunu-topsound.com/product-page/luna

Specifications

• Frequency Response: 5Hz – 40kHz
• Impedance: 16 ohms
• Sensitivity: 110dB @ 1kHz
• Harmonic Distortion: 0.2% @ 1kHz
• Driver: 10mm Acoustic-Grade Pure Beryllium Rolled Foil with Polyurethane Suspension
• Housing Material: Titanium Alloy, Grade 5 (Ti-6Al-4V, TC4, with modified rare earth metal formulation)
• Cable: Mixed Strands of Furukawa Electric Ohno Continuous Cast (OCC) Copper & DHC Silver, with Silver-Plated OCC Copper Shield Surround, equipped with Dunu's patented Catch-Hold and Quick-Switch systems

Gear Used For Testing LG Q70, Earstudio HUD100, Earmen Sparrow, Earmen TR-Amp, Asus FX53V, TEAC HA-501

Some Test Tunes

Supertramp – Crime of the Century
Slipknot – Vol 3 (The Subliminal Verses)
Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
Aesop Rock – The Impossible Kid
King Crimson – Lark's Tongues in Aspic
King Crimson – Starless and Bible Black
Infected Mushroom – Legend of the Black Shawarma
The Prodigy – The Day is My Enemy
Steely Dan – The Royal Scam
Porcupine Tree – Stupid Dreams

Duna Luna - Omega Clarity in an IEM

Introduction
The Dunu Luna has been made available to myself and others who applied in the headfi loaner tour. It is, in the next few days at least, on its way to the next person on the Tour, the great @dill3000 and then onto my equally qualified friend @Ithilstone.
I thank Dunu for choosing me. I know there are a great many other reviews out there of the Luna already, many of which, I am sure, I shall look forward to reading in the days and weeks to come.
I haven't read any reviews of the Duna so far. Why not? Because I like my work and my opinion, to be my own. With the best intentions on the World, were I to read something from one of the giants of our profession (@Currawong immediately springs to mind) inevitably I would be already being led down a path that has already been walked. In other words, my impressions would be developed before I even opened the box. Thus, I steer clear of reviews before I get to try out the items myself. May my name live or die on the basis that this is all me, like it or not
When you read my reviews; they're all me. The only thing I will say is that I have to look at the official website of the manufacturer for the technical information that I need and you all crave. Yes, there is much marketing talk in such sites. Yes, some are more persuasive than others. But all are designed to sell the product they portray and in that way they are less of an influence than a more objective (or should I say Subjective) opinion.



The Luna
The Duna Luma retails at £1399 in the UK. IT can be found here

How much? Well, see here, it's all about this beryllium. It's certainly not based on numbers of drivers squashed into the shells. There's only 1. It's not about tons of different flavour cables. There's only 1. It's a universal. 1 size fits all. Simply, the material that this is made from is where the money is going. The metal (you'll see beryllium mentioned a few times in here) that is used for the driver diaphragm costs lots and lots of money. It is incredibly dangerous to make. So it needs a super duper mega tech lab with people in NASA suits and massive lenses and scopes doing intricate things that cannot be seen except on an atomic level. As you can see, my imagination has somewhat kicked in on this. Whatever the reality may be, this manufacturing plant in the USA is probably charging Dunu a packet for this material. It is incredibly strong. Like kryptonite. But it would smash kryptonite into pieces if they ever met up. That means you can stretch it into really thin peices. The thinner you can get something, the more responsive it is going to be when you push a force at it. This is why companies have been interested in beryllium. Focal's Grande Utopia uses beryllium for its tweeters. So what? You say. I answer, well, they cost £129 000....
The Luna is all about keeping things as minimal as possible to keep distortion as low as possible. A single driver needs no crossover. Crossovers cause distortion. The less strong the material, the less true it is capable of reproduction. There are other beryllium IEMs out there, but the PURE berylliums...I'm afraid they cost quite a bit more than the models that have flakes of the metal sprayed onto the driver diaphragm. Dunu state their cheaper models are semi beryllium and give you a flavour. The real thing is sat beside me...
I have had experience with another Pure Beryllium Single Driver Universal, having been part of the loaner tour for a certain Final A8000. Details of that can be found here


Unwrapping
The tour model comes in a box, without the packaging that would be supplied with the retail product so we can skip that part of the discussion. What we can chat about, is the content found therein. First off, a great big black leather bag.

He's nice isn't he? 3 compartments. 1 for the tips, one for the connectors, 1 for the IEMs. Clearly, once stowed away, the Luna's are bullet proof. Putting the Luna into the bag is rather like dropping a pebble into the black hole of Calcutta... It is rather a large Bilbo Baggins whereas the Dunu Luma is rather small.

Within said bag is a series of other bags. I will virtually scatter the contents of the boutique bag and you can have a ganders. Here goes....


The tips consist of several different styles and strengths of silicone and the complys. I wasn't enthralled by any other than the ones I settled on. I was quite surpised as to how much difference I got from using each of the different types, and not for the better, may I say. I dare say, if you can get your favourite tips to slip onto these nozzles, you may be in for a treat.


These are the connector jacks. They snap on to the end of the cable. What a clever idea! All bits and bobs catered for here; both balanced or unbalanced, you're sorted, without lots of extra metal diminishing the cosmetic appeal of your treasures.

A glimpse of the twisted braid silver cable. It does a good job and provides a decent fit around the ear. Let me show you more

Although my video will give you a proper view of the fit, the end connectors have been subtly angled to aid the fit around the ear still more. You can also see a chin strap in clear plastic. It's all in the details; the chin strap is hardly obtrusive but it feels right.


The velcro strap is the standard affair. I put it on to the tour unit because I find it so much easier to transport around like that.

There it is, all coiled up, in what is essentially a very small pocket's worth of earphoniage. Unless you are going to want to use that bag.

Fit, build, looks
The shells of the Luna are perfectly smooth, sphericly round, thin and tiny. They fit into the ear without an issue. The tips are the only sticking point. The tips, for me, were a compromise. They produced the best tonal range but certainly not the best isolation. They were somewhat loose in the ear canal. Adjustments were frequent and added a touch of inconvenience to the proceedings. The feeling of never quite being in the sweet spot is a plague of many an IEM.

The build, otherwise, is great. Everything feels rock solid, satisfying clicks are evidenced sporadically all through my video. Attention to detail is important when you are spending this sort of money. Bear in mind that this product is on a Tour; there is not a mark on anything. If you are sensible enough to wish to own this as an heirloom and want to use it for the rest of your life each and every day etc. I can say with confidence; you should be fine.

I was impressed by the Dunu Website's look at the Luna. Although it has been written rather more seriously than this here ditty, it is well worth a read.

I thought the pictures that they had of the Luna were amazing. I definetely have the Luna's; but when I look at them, they don't seem the same ones. When you take the moon out of the equation and it starts raining outside.... Oh dear, the lustre seems to fade. I hate to mention this; I find the cosmetic appeal of these to be lacking. The shells, with their almost invisible connection to the stalk, yep, cool with that. Otherwise, I find them a bit boring to look at. Is this because Dunu wanted to avoid alienating any potential buyers with a design that made a statement? At least I am not saying the Luna's look ugly. Says me, in my cargo trousers and t shirt.... Look, I'm not a designer! I just sit in an air conditioned office for a living, imagining I am famous for all sorts of reasons I just know what I like when it comes to stuff, and maybe as a reviewer of all these top products one can become desensitised to looks. I hope you all think it looks sumptuous.


Sound
These are the specifications for the Luna.
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 5 Hz - 40 kHz
To comment with any proficiency on this mind boggling statistic, only bats and instruments need apply. I am out.
TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION: 0.2% at 1 kHz
This is an interesting one. The IE800 has a THD of 0.06%. It is also a single driver IEM. The Luna's sound much more accurate to me.....
NOMINAL IMPEDANCE: 16 Ω
Combined with the 110 dB as shown below, the Luna can be played through a smartphone. There are some of you out there with those precious few audio smartphones. As for me....sacrilege! I used my Fiio M11 and the HiFiMan R2R2000 and HM1000 to squeeze whatever extras I could glean from the Luna. The HM1000 has super low, low and high gain settings. Dunu needed no more than super low.
SENSITIVITY: 110 dB at 1 kHz

Bass
Bass was thinner than I expected from the Luna. The expectation of a supreme bass master came from my memory of the Final A8000. They were incredible in the bottom end. The bottom line is important. It didn't strike me instantaneously as a resonating roar, and of course, then comes the creeping disappointment that objectivity tries desperately to avoid. Heck, I'm a (semi) professional! I gritted my teeth, and girdled my loins, and stuck with it, and waited for the real Luna to emerge. And, sure enough, the bass is there. Lurking, almost sullenly. It has been held back. The bass is accurate and has no bloat. It would seem that there might be something else which the Dunu Luna wishes to draw our attention to.


Mids,highs and sound stage
This is where the magic happens. The Luna's are ultra clear. The precision of the mix and the way in which music is portrayed.... Deep feelings of bliss over many many tracks! Wow! This is not an easy thing, showing up these subtleties, hidden fruit waiting to be plucked by the inner ear, that takes some expertise. Whatever they have done, Dunu has achieved something with these IEMs. Feel proud of yourselves, Dunu! Well done!
The Sennheiser IE800 sounds muddy in comparison to the Luna. I need to get rid of these Luna's, real quick, so as I can forget how they sound. I can then get back to enjoying my other stuff. Go on, Dunu! Be off with you! Before I set the dogs on you!
When you are gazing into the bottom of a pool with a set of eyes stolen from the Six Million Dollar Man, you can see everything. You can see all the mud and the Coke cans, and the crisp wrappers....The Luna has the cystal clear vision. But not all of my beloved music collection was ready for this forensic examination. When you are dealing with this much clarity, there may come a point when, like me, it becomes too much. This is the big league, and not every track is ready to be reexamined wit an HM1000 and the Dunu Luma's. It wouldn't be fair to say that the earphones were fatiguing, but some of the music certainly was.
The sound stage of the Luna was big, not quite as big as the IE800, but appreciably larger than the single driver RE2000 Silver's from HiFiMan. In fact, I concluded that the stage was just right for my tastes, and the IE800, famous for its crazily big stage, was artificially huge.

Conclusion
I have had a fairly long time with these IEMs. It was more than I had expected and I feel privileged to have been allowed to do so. I have, once again, not been able to give maximum marks to my review. There has yet to be a perfect IEM, even amongst the ones I have bought myself. I suppose deep down, there must always be room for improvement, and year after year, manufacturers achieve something new.
The Luna might be one of the most revealing IEMs out there. It shows its strengths in abundance, and they are linked with the holy grail of all audio; clarity. You have to accept less bass and let more music into your life if you want to fall in love with Luna. Push her too hard and she will bite youCompare her to your existing equipment at your peril.. I suspect many people would get an instant wow factor with these. I really enjoyed them, but perhaps the RE2000 is more to my liking, if I had to make that agonising choice between the 2. The RE's had a less precise sound but perhaps because of that, they were more forgiving, especially over longer listening sessions.
It almost feels like a betrayal of what we hold dear to state the above, but there, I've said it now. Whatever way you enjoy your music, I shan't take that away from you. I hope you've had fun reading this. Until the next instalment, I remain vigilent in my search for the ultimate IEM.

The circumstances leading up to me reviewing this earphone are interesting. After focusing a healthy sum of funds and endless hours into the R&D of their latest flagship, Dunu seeked to impress. As such, the Chinese manufacturer started a tour on Head-Fi, in which one of my best friends enrolled. Upon receiving the IEMs, however, he had a colorful choice of words for them.



We met shortly after he received the earphones, during which I was to try them. To our collective surprise, I... really liked them? As such, to save him from the awkward task of speaking his mind about the IEM he was graciously loaned, it, along with the reviewing responsibility, were transferred to me (not at the request of Dunu, but as a shared decision between my friend and I). That’s technically the first thing I’m reviewing that has been sent to me by a manufacturer, so thanks Dunu!

The Luna. At $1700, it’s a pricey IEM, but also one that differs from most of its competition with its driver setup: while most rivals opt for multi-BA, hybrid, or even tri-brid configurations, this one keeps it simple with a single 10 mm dynamic driver setup. There’s a twist though - it’s claimed to be the first IEM using a diaphragm composed of pure beryllium foil, an alkaline metal chosen for its high rigidity and low weight. Others have previously adopted this material, but in composite assemblies where beryllium coats a polymer substrate.

The Luna is a comfortable IEM. The shell is fairly small with an average length and diameter nozzle that points upwards, following the path of most ear canals. The memory wire isn’t very compliant, but contours the ears well. Isolation is run-of-the-mill for a single DD configuration, and is acceptable for most uses including public transit. Whilst the venting essential to this design prevents it from having top tier isolation, it also avoids pressurizing the ear canal which benefits comfort.

It’s worth mentioning that the IEMs come with a nice selection of goodies: some high quality cases, a healthy selection of ear tips (including SpinFits) and even a USB-C DAC called the DTC-100. The grade 5 titanium earpieces are well built and light, but likely won’t exceed your expectations considering the price. They are coupled to the included quad core mixed OCC/silver MMCX cable, which feels relatively supple, but a tad stiffer than some other braided cables. It uses Dunu’s “Quick-Switch” modular system, allowing you to swap between 2.5/3.5 mm SE or balanced without need for adapters, which I really enjoy.

Coming in at 16 ohms with a high 110 dB/mW efficiency, this IEM is easily driven by most portable sources. I have mainly used it with my Sony NW-ZX507 DAP and SMSL iDEA DAC.

Sonically, while I can see where my friend's criticism rose from, I actually enjoy this IEM very much. Sound signature is an odd "neutral-bright", with its largest emphasis being on upper midrange and lower treble.
Bass

Low end is tuned to a neutral level, but its texture is atypical for a dynamic driver. Attack is punchy (more than most DDs even), but the decay is blunted, nearly devoid of bloom. This, along with the absence of a bass shelf that most IEMs nowadays exhibit, may cause basslines to sound lacking in fullness. Lowest octaves are also ever so slightly rolled off, which in conjunction with its tightness, prevent the Luna from truly sounding like it’s “moving air” like others such as the Hyla CE-5. However, despite this strange paucity in sustain, I definitely wouldn’t describe the bass as limp as it delivers very good macrodynamics, mainly manifested as a robust sense of mid-bass impact and slam, though still not to the level of exemplary competitors such as the Beyerdynamic Xelento.

Midrange

This is where things get weird. The Luna showcases a healthy amount of lower midrange, followed by a brief dip around 1-2 kHz, then a strong (and late) rise in the upper midrange, around 3-4 kHz. As a result it can be aggressive and shouty, yet at times… warm? It doesn’t come off as thin since fundamentals aren’t recessed, but the 3-4 kHz emphasis, when elicited by certain instruments with high-reaching upper harmonics (e.g. alto saxophone and violin), can sound very intense. In spite of that, other acoustic elements that rely less on this 3-4 kHz region and more on the 1-2 kHz area (e.g. vocals) actually appear slightly on the smoother and thicker side tonally. This paradoxical tuning will definitely puzzle and turn away many listeners, but the IEM redeems itself in other ways...

The Luna’s intangible midrange qualities are some of the most impressive I have heard in any IEM, and they are my favorite part of its presentation. Leading edge is sharp and clean, making cues such as plucked strings sound very snappy. Decay is on the faster side, imparting a sense of dryness and bite to clear cut notes, especially in the upper midrange. Dynamic contrast, both at the micro and macro level, is extraordinary, and further complements the liveliness exhibited by this IEM. The aforementioned 3-4 kHz emphasis may annoy some, but I think this aggressiveness plays very well into vibrant acoustic genres (e.g. Jazz fusion), supplementing the tension of crescendos and calling for the listener’s attention. Detail retrieval is excellent and resolution is good, though the Luna does sound a bit grainier than more effortless IEMs such as the Shure KSE1500. Overall, even though it’s a complete oddball, I found that the very raw-sounding midrange presentation worked extremely well on high DR acoustic music. However, electronic genres are a less ideal match, sometimes sounding glary, a phenomenon that isn’t helped by the absence of bass boost.

Treble

Once again, somewhat of a mixed bag. Tuning lies on the brighter side, with a prominent lower treble emphasis. This creates a sense of “freshness” and “clarity”, but can also sound cold on some occasions. There is also a peak in the mid-treble, around 9-10 kHz, which provides a decent amount of air, though similarly to other single DD offerings, the upper treble extension feels somewhat missing, lacking some sparkle. Treble resolution is solid, but definitely not class-leading with other IEMs like the IER-M9 being undoubtedly more revealing up top, albeit less textured. Nevertheless, you still get a strong taste of the Luna’s intangible character in the top end. Cymbal crashes are dynamic (though lacking some "tizz"), snares are forward with a satisfyingly “crunchy” texture, for lack of a better word. It does, however, feel a smidge metallic (I hate drawing comparisons between IEMs and headphones, but the Focal Clear and Utopia come to mind here). While some may find this ardent presentation overbearing, the decay is actually on the smoother side for a single DD here, with the Luna sounding significantly less etched and harsh in the treble than others like the MDR-EX1000, VSonic GR07 and, Lord forbid, the CA Atlas.

Intangibles

The Luna is very detailed, digging deep into recordings for information. It’s easily the most resolving single DD IEM I have yet heard, but I have auditioned multiple hybrid and multi-BA offerings that surpass it in that aspect. Imaging capabilities are average for an IEM, but the mid-treble bump does help the Luna feel somewhat “open” and airy despite some lacking energy in the highest frequencies. Note weight is also fairly light due to rapid decay, with dry and moderately metallic timbre. Finally, dynamic contrast and attack characteristics, especially in the midrange and treble, are easily the finest aspect of this IEM, making it remarkably engaging. It’s certainly a strong technical performer, albeit one with many tonal quirks that cannot be overlooked.

When looking at the $1700 price tag, many will wonder: is this IEM worth it? Well, the answer is complex. The Luna appeals to a very specific niche. Acoustic listeners looking for a highly technical, colored and vivid sound will likely be pleased by it, as it delivers a truly special experience in that sense. For example, I found its rendition of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s “1996” album to be the most strikingly beautiful I have heard out of any IEM. When it works, it works fabulously. Unfortunately, however, fulfilling such a specific slot is both a blessing and a curse. The Luna is a much less safe option than many of its similarly priced crowd-pleasers such as the Sony IER-Z1R, which will offer more consistent, less genre-specific performance. It’s more of a “flavor IEM” than an all-rounder, and will probably serve best as part of a collection. This specificity is further compounded by the hefty price tag as a strong reservation against me openly recommending it as a potential blind purchase.

Nevertheless, I strongly suggest that you demo a Luna if given the opportunity, simply because no other IEM I’ve heard offered a truly similar presentation. As demonstrated by the stark contrast between my and my friend’s experiences, it might be a "love or hate" type of sound...

About myself

I'm 38, so my hearing is possibly not the same as in my 20s. I like various music genres, mainly prog rock/metal, blues and some classical music. I'm not into rap/hiphop/EDM so I don't have a strong preference regarding excessive bass quantity.

Some background

My "audiophile" journey started about 15 years ago when my brother showed me a Shure E4C on the web. We've ordered two units and I was amazed by the sound, having only tried earbuds costing 5-30$ before. About ten years later I bought a Shure SE846 that I loved very much. Recenlty I got an ItsFit Fusion universal. Now I got a chance to test the Luna as part of the Luna Loan tour. Thanks Dunu for the opportunity.

This means that this is the most expensive IEM I've ever tried, I have no comparisons with IEMs in the 2K-5K price range.

Unboxing

As my unit was a review unit, I did not have the full retail package. However, I saw that the accessories were high quality and the number of tips included was more than what you usually get with IEMs. The cable has an innovative modular design: you can simply replace the connector of the cable with the included 3.5mm and different connectors (3.5mm single ended, 3.5mm balanced, 2.5mm balanced and 4.4mm balanced). One side note: all of them have an L-shape, which does not work well with USB dongles.

Comfort and fit

Putting the Luna on was easy, as it is very light and small, so you can easily find a comfortable fit. Insertion depth is pretty shallow, so it is not a snug fit, at least for me. Let me note that due to its vented design, shallow insertion depth and small body, sound isolation is not too good. If you plan to use the Luna when commuting, make sure to listen to music where there are no pauses or silent intervals and turn the volume up, otherwise you'll hear all cars etc. around you. This can be a pro for some, of course.

Sound

The first thing I've noticed is the amazing bass response. Deep bass extension, good punch and impact. I can't imagine that this is not enough for some, but I'm sure I'm wrong Details are there too.

The midrange was fine, I just could get instrument separation I was expecting based on earlier reviews. The soundstage was not too big, but this is something that is very closely related to your anatomy and the way how you can insert an IEM, so this may be problematic only for me.

The treble was there, it was smooth but a bit tamed. Definitely not sibilant, treble-sensitive people will love it.

I've heared that this IEM was designed and tuned for the Chinese market and there are exact differences between European and Chinese audio preferences (not sure if this is due to anatomy or simply taste).

Comparisons

Shure SE846 - This IEM was crowned as the king of bass response when it was introduced thanks to its passive low-pass filter. The Luna easily beats it in my opinion, no contest. The Shure was great but cannot compete with an IEM costing almost 1700$ in 2020. (Of course different tips make a big difference). I prefer the midrange of the Shure to the Luna as it is a bit more separated and more forward. Treble is a tie, the SE846 was never known for its treble.

ItsFit Fusion - in my opinion, this IEM is very hard to beat in any specific aspect. It's bass matches the excellent bass of the Luna. I like the mids are also a bit more, but the real difference is with the treble. The magnetostatic driver of the Fusion provides a magnificient treble, which affects the perception of acoustic instruments and some electronic too. This is a no contest here, Fusion wins.

Sources

I was using a Calyx M for some time, but during the review I have received my Tempotec Sonata HD Pro. My biggest audio revelation till today is that a 32$ USB dongle from 2020 can easily surpass a high-end 1000$ DAP from 2015 in every aspect. Since getting it, I was exclusively using the Tempotec dongle as a source. It has greatly improved the sound of all my IEMs.

Conclusion

Dunu Luna is a warm sounding, cohesive IEM that is pleasant to the ears. As I love to focus on different instruments and hear all the nuances in music, the Luna is not my cup of tea, due to the lack of TOTL transparency and instrument separation. If you are looking for a fun IEM with excellent bass that is non-fatiguing even during long listening sessions, make sure to give the Luna a try.

Introduction
DUNU is an older Chi-Fi company, and they've been in business longer than I've been alive! The Luna is their flagship IEM which utilizes pure beryllium for the dynamic driver. Without getting into all the nitty-gritty, which I truthfully don't know jack about, this is a material that is often found in higher-end headphones like the Focal line-up. It is extremely stiff, and in theory, should translate to better PRT. While that's certainly sounds cool, let's talk about how it stacks up in practice.

In the interest of full disclosure, I want to thank Tom of DUNU for sending these along to me for review. They will be returned at the end of the review period, and as always, what follows are my honest thoughts.



The Tangibles
I was sent the IEM itself as well as a few accessories. So no fancy packaging. Here are some brief comments on the build and whatnot:

• Great cable and pouch for the IEM. The cable is a little springy, but it's very high-quality. Dunu clearly cares and is putting in a good deal effort here.
• The Luna is quite small which is definitely a plus for smaller ears. However, if you have larger ears, it might feel like the IEM is a bit loose (although I doubt it'll actually fall out). As a result of the small size, it also doesn't isolate particularly well.

The Luna’s build is noteworthy to me because they’re using titanium. This is the metal of the gods: It’s hypoallergenic, essentially rust-proof, and has an extremely high strength-to-weight ratio. And even better? DUNU didn’t cheap out and run with Grade 2 titanium which is considerably more malleable and easier to machine. DUNU's making sure their stuff is going to last a long, long time.




Lets’s quickly talk about their proprietary output swap system. This is a really simple, yet cool feature that the DUNU cables feature. There are 2.5mm, 3.5mm, and 4.4mm plugs available. All you have to do is line up a small notch and from there it’s plug-and-play.



Sound Analysis
Well, the Luna is interesting. It’s certainly not lacking anything when it comes to speed – this thing is fast. Probably the quickest, snappiest transients I’ve heard of a single DD, and fairly good resolution to match. Despite the cramped staging, layering and imaging capability both seem well above average too. But what it really excels at, at least in my opinion, is dynamics. It’s terrific at scaling those macro-delineations, inflections with vocals.

Unfortunately, any further praise hits a roadblock from here – a big fat one called tonality. Simply put, the Luna is far from being tonally correct, and there’s a plethora quirks with its frequency response:

• The low-end is unmistakably dynamic, but it decays too quickly for my preferences and seems to roll-off in the sub-bass.
• It feels like there’s a lack of note-weight in the midrange. Vocals presents themself with a hollow, whispy nature. The upper-midrange is particularly bad because it sounds like there’s a lift. Female vocals are just shoved in your face, occasionally bordering on shout, and they’re impossible to ignore.
• The treble has some serious peaking going on. Cymbal hits are dragged out with a distinctive screechiness, and it turns one of my favorite songs, “Amen” by Eden’s Edge, into a shrill caricature of what it should be. Forget something like “Galaxy Supernova” by Girls Generation all together.

The bass is pretty alright – not great, but I can live with it. The midrange and highs, though? They’re dealbreakers for me. Most of my listening is done at lower volumes, but I still like to have fun sometimes. Even at just say, ~75dB, the Luna is extremely fatiguing on my ears. There’s no way I could possibly see this being a daily driver.

Tuning a new driver can’t possibly be easy, and I suspect that there are certain constraints that Dunu was forced to work with. Alas, while the Luna has its merits, the tuning is not one of them. And while the Luna is indeed tip-sensitive, all the tip-rolling in the world is not going to save it, especially when it comes to those nasty treble peaks. Believe me, I tried a good number of tips, and as a younger listener, I'm particularly sensitive to treble.

Could you get used to the Luna by letting your brain “burn-in”? Absolutely. Some people might straight-up enjoy this type of tuning, and I did find myself appreciating Luna’s technical chops despite its tonal quirks. But I cannot, in good faith, ignore the shortcomings that become readily apparent in A/B comparisons.

The Verdict
The DUNU line-up has been rather hit-or-miss for me sound-wise. I like that they’re trying to switch it up, but sometimes playing it safe is the better ploy like with the DK-3001 Pro. My rating will reflect this. After all, I do try to maintain some semblance of impartialness when scoring.

As I’ve stated time and time again, though, objective reviewing does not exist. To this effect, I really like DUNU as a company. The audio industry moves fast, and you don’t survive as long as DUNU has without doing something right. One of the first things Tom of DUNU told me was “Don’t be nice for the heck of it – I know beforehand you probably won’t be into the Luna’s sound”. Know what that is? Honesty. It’s a beautiful thing, and knowing that I don’t have to be shy about my thoughts, my opinion, is more than I could ask for. More importantly, it’s great to see that DUNU’s not content to rest on their laurels. If I had a “recommended” manufacturers list, you can bet DUNU would be on it.

Dunu Luna Review - To reach the unreachable star

It is finally here - Dunu released its first-ever 1DD flagship model, Luna. Although most of their products were made of a hybrid setup including DK-4001, though I have been looking forward to seeing this coming since the point when they announced their 1DD mid-range model, Falcon-C back in 2018. I remember being much excited to hear its release news and to be one of the earliest to be hitting the check-out button as it went live. Needless to say, I was satisfied with Falcon-C's build and sound quality. Luna is their next 1DD IEM to be released after Falcon-C, so I had no choice but to pull the trigger once again.


As multi-BA drivers get advanced in performance as well as new types of drivers appear (piezoelectric, EST, etc), our most classic, and our good old dynamic drivers have been constantly advancing just as much or even more. To its nature, Luna is a revolutionary achievement for not only Dunu but also for the IEM market, as Luna is one of two very first IEMs to be ever made with pure beryllium diaphragm along with A8000 from Final Audio Design. Let us now take a close look into its features and sound, as well as a compare and contrast with its contestants.

Packaging

Luna comes in a large, square packaging that portrays a design concept similar to a spacecraft. Once the upper cover of the box is removed, four sides of the lower box would spread and reveal 7 different layers of the packaging that includes Luna and its accessories. Other than the earpieces, Luna includes all kinds of useful accessories - a high-quality stock cable with switchable connectors (2.5mm/3.5mm/3.5mm pro/4.4mm), 4 pairs of wide eartips, 3 pairs of narrow eartips, 3 pairs of SpinFit CP360 eartips, 3 pairs of CP145 eartips, a leather case, a large leather pouch, Type-C to 3.5mm portable DAC, USB to Type-C adapter, a velcro tie, and some user manuals. This is what I would call proper packaging for a top-tier product like this and perhaps the best set of accessories I have ever seen so far. Nice work, Dunu.

Earpieces

Luna features a 10mm acoustic grade rolled foil pure beryllium diaphragm and, as said in the beginning, is one of few IEMs to be using pure beryllium drivers. Dunu has been incorporating different materials to their dynamic drivers for a long time - titanium for DN2000J, carbon nanotube for Falcon-C, and beryllium coating for their recent premium models. Besides, in the case of beryllium coating, Dunu coated the diaphragm with a beryllium layer only on the front side for DK3001 Pro, while both sides were coated with a beryllium layer for DK4001 and 17th-anniversary.


Compared to other materials, Beryllium is known to have an extremely high stiffness level which eventually leads to a much faster sonic response speed, outdoing more than twice than materials such as titanium, aluminum, or magnesium. Since that, going fully beryllium must have been the goal they were aiming for, and not surprisingly, they have accomplished it with Luna. The housing material is fully made of grade 5 titanium alloy. The earpiece is round-shaped with a concave faceplate and a polygonal connector stem. This concave front design naturally triggers a shadow within the faceplate, giving that moon-like appearance.


Along with that, the polygonal connector design and the inner side of the earpiece having light contour traces caused by the CNC machining adds a cosmic feeling to it. Although its thin joint between the connector and the earpiece may look fragile, inside the connector portion is actually screwed in with a long stem (which is also made of titanium), so there is no need to stress about it as the earpiece is built even sturdier than most other IEMs. The connectors are terminated with enforced MMCX, having the same compatibility and form as standard MMCX connectors but increased in durability and gripping force. The length of the nozzles is just about average, being very slightly shorter than the nozzles from DK-4001 and DK-3001 Pro.

Cable

Dunu has spent just as much attention on its stock cable as they did for the earpieces. The cable material is comprised of mixed strands of Furukawa OCC Copper and DHC pure silver, shielded with silver-plated OCC Copper wires. As usual, it is terminated with their Quick switching connectors, enabling the user to conveniently switch around the plug between 3.5mm, 2.5mm, 4.4mm, and 3.5mm Pro.


The wires are marginally thicker than the Noble cable included with DK-4001 and do not negatively affect the comfort. It is very slightly springy but still soft and flattens out once worn, so microphonics are not an issue here. This cable is yet to have a dedicated name and it is unsure in the meantime if Dunu will decide to sell this cable as a stand-alone product (just as they did with Noble, Chord, and Lyre), but I would love to see that happening since the quality of this cable is spectacular.


Not only that, but Luna comes in with DTC-100, their new Type-C DAC dongle. DTC-100 is equipped with an ESS Sabre ES9118EC converter and the included USB to Type-C converter allows DTC-100 to be used on a PC, both Windows and Mac OS. It is again very surprising to see such a generous amount of accessories to be included and I take this as a big plus. Further details and specs for the DTC-100 are as the following.


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Specs for Dunu DTC-100 (Type-C DAC with USB adapter)

• Digital-to-Analog Converter: ESSTech ES9118EC
• Frequency Response: 20 Hz - 20 kHz
• Supported Formats:
  • PCM 32-bit / 384 kHz
  • Up to quad-rate DSD256 (DSD128 over DoP)
• Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR): 120 dB (A-weighted)
• Dynamic Range (DNR): 120 dB (A-weighted)
• THD+N: 0.0004% into 32 Ω
• Output Power: 25 mW into 32 Ω
• Input: USB Audio 2.0 (USB Type-C)
• Supports Windows 7/8/10 and Mac OS

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Sound impression - Lows

Looking at the big picture, Luna shows a gentler/calmer version of a W-shaped sound signature, making it look more like a mild w-shape with more emphasis on the lows. As a full beryllium DD IEM, Luna does create some high-quality bass. Other IEMs such as Empire Ears Legend X or Rhapsodio Zombie MK8 do be creating one stunning bass that shakes your headroom with thundering roars. Luna, on the other hand, takes a more virtuous approach with a smooth decay, but its high-density, bottomless-deep lower extension towards the ultra lows and its mellow yet wide spatial express are easy to be addicted to.


The bass strikes are superdense with thick acoustic lines but would not get obtuse in analyticity or reaction speed. These strikes are precise and perfectly controlled with proper tightness, keeping this deep and dark bass from getting stuffy. Along with that, Luna continues the upper lows without having it bloated and creating a linear flow throughout the range, further enforcing Luna's clean atmosphere - keep in mind that I am not referring to the quantity when talking about linearity here but the flow of the overall bass range. Savoring the ultra lows is one of Luna's largest charming points. Not many IEMs are capable of exposing the ultra lows with such level of clarity and texture details, and these texture grains are not dry or rough to the feeling but rather fine and smooth. Luna's large and wide bass not only excels with its extension but also with consistency and linearity. It oozes a generous amount of musicality and depth but would never get overwhelming whatsoever.

Sound impression - Mids

As many of you may have already known, just because the lows are vivid or remarkable, that does not mean the mids will be shaded by the lows and suffer from mushy texture or lack of power. Mids show an elegant and seamless transition from the lows. Here, Dunu has proficiently overcome the common vulnerability for a bassy IEM where the lower mids are easily swallowed up by the upper lows. Compared to the other ranges, Luna's lower mids are not weaker in presentation and liveliness and keeps it just as prominent. In terms of positioning, mids feel to be on top from the lows (but with enough space between them) rather than popping the vocals in the front. This way, Luna shows prominent vocals while protecting its imaging accuracy.


Just as the lows, the density on the mids are also highly thick to its nature but also tightened up as if a much larger size of vocals have been compressed to the current imaging size - which is still large. As a result, the vocal thickness is slightly meatier from neutral with elevated crispiness on the upper mids, making male vocals to sound full-bodied while female vocals are rich in color and taste. Overall the vocal tone is fully neutral and organic but with a touch of enhancement in coloration in the upper mids, only enough to add the extra taste. Mids show a pretty linear flow throughout the range just as the lows without any audible spikes or sibilance. Instead, the sibilance area is replaced with a bit of airiness that gives some freshness and free space for the mids to mingle with the background

Sound impression - Highs, etc.

The quantity of highs is slightly lesser than mids, though highs make their presence very clear and deliver a clean, quick snap for the strikes. Along with that, having a pitch-black background as a base, treble splashes out with full of air and fineness. It stretches out smoothly like water flow and carries an adequate amount of crisp and an organic tone. The brightness is slightly dimmed which does not degrade the details or the crispiness, but rather makes the listening smooth, delicate, and fatigue-free.


Now for the staging. What I love from Luna is that it has a very subtle style of stage exposure and let me elaborate further. The quantity and the intensity from all the three bands (lows/mids/highs) are carefully controlled to keep a smooth sound flow while being generous enough with the musicality. This allows Luna to give thorough attention to its dark and quiet background, which resultingly enriches the music to become a lot more soulful and vasty. This unexaggerated yet expansive staging creates a natural headroom as well as the imaging.

Comparisons

-Dita Audio Dream XLS-

Both IEMs would show perfection throughout the range but once we look from a relative perspective, Dream XLS puts more weight on the mids whereas Luna puts more weight on the lows. For the lows, Luna shows a more expansive and immersive presentation thanks to its rich bass quantity and depth, but as said above, it never reaches to the point of getting muddy or overwhelming. Just as Luna did, Dream XLS has outstanding bass extension and texture details but it is calmer in quantity, focusing more on maximum cleanliness and clarity. Therefore, Luna creates a bass imaging that spreads wider and larger.


Dream XLS pulls the mids closer to the ears with a touch of 3D effect, highlighting each layering while keeping the sound surprisingly harmonic. Its brightness is also shinier and airier. Luna, on the other hand, proceeds to make a smooth transition as it enters the mid-range, not having the vocals popped out but instead takes a small step forward, keeping the natural sound flow with vocals that are even fuller-bodied than Dream XLS. The temperature is a bit warmer on Luna and slightly darker in brightness.


The upper frequencies are rather airier and more transparent on Dream XLS, but at the same time, Luna is creamier and fatigue-free without getting the atmosphere any stuffy. Highs from both IEMs are crisp and highly detailed but with differences that happen similar to what happened from mids - the quantity is similar, yet Luna mildly tones down the brightness along with the distance for the smoother listening experience.




-Final Audio A8000-

As the first two IEMs to be using pure beryllium drivers, these two were destined to be matched up. The type of sound signature that A8000 presents is somewhat similar to the way how Dream XLS does, though A8000 persues even further with its sound signature, making the difference between A8000 and Luna even bigger. Lows from both IEMs dive just as deep and similar in quantity, size, and reverbs but there is a subtle difference on the way how they end their bass - Luna lets the reverbs ring slightly more with the edge of the bass to feel more rounded, giving a stronger splash once it blows a strike. In the case of A8000, the reverbs are cleaner and calmer, with the edge of the bass being more acute which leaves it on a cleaner, crispier note.


Moving on to the upper frequencies. Luna is fuller in body, warm, and soothing while A8000 is relatively slimmer (neutral-thin), bright, and highly revealing. Mids on A8000 goes full force on clarity and transparency, carrying the vocals with an airy, cool breeze throughout the mids and highs. Mids step in close to the ears with vivid straightness, forming a highly intimate vocal presentation. Since all that, A8000 achieves outstanding detail retrieval and clearness, though it is possible for treble sensitive to find this a tad hot. Meanwhile, in the case of Luna, mids sound softer and bring in more warmth which keeps the vocals bold and clear, but also leaving no possibilities for causing any fatigue or sibilance.


The same situation goes on with the highs. A8000 would carry a brighter tense with extra crisps added to the texture. Relative to that, Luna is mildly lesser in treble quantity with darker brightness, making the treble more comfort-based. In short - if you are keen to enjoy clarity-focused signatures that carry a transparent, crispy sound, A8000 would be a better choice. Though if a warm, easy-going sound signature with stronger bass slams are your jam, Luna would work out better for you.




-Dunu 17th Anniversary-

There is some price gap between the 17th and Luna, yet I believe this would be a fair if not fun comparison due to their same driver configuration and since the 17th model being a pre-flagship model after Luna. Despite I love the 17th and its sound signature, the performance gap between these two is apparent. Luna produces an incomparably deeper and detailed bass response in terms of depth, extension, and weightiness. Although I have been thinking 17th achieves quite a decent bass details and quantity, Luna's massive bass scaling and deep punches makes 17th to be lacking the whole bottom end.


Mids are more refined on Luna with a slight advantage on the tonality as well. Along with that, vocals scale larger with ever better focus point, spotlighting the vocals a lot better. Luna also achieves more thickness on the lows and mids, giving a full-bodied sound but without getting any obtuse - in fact, Luna shows a stronger and faster impact. The overall sound is significantly thicker in color with deeper, higher, and wider staging, providing immersive dynamics. There are no doubts about the 17th still being a valuable and fantastic performer, yet the game completely changes once compared with Luna.

Verdicts

Dunu has been well known for crafting some great hybrid IEMs throughout the price range, yet they have brought renovation to themselves by ruling them all with a single, well-made driver. I am glad to see my long wait has been worth as Luna lived up to my rather picky expectations that have developed over time, which was not only limited to sound quality but also on various aspects - builds, cable, accessories, and so on. As said, Luna is a remarkable achievement for Dunu being one of the first to be incorporating pure beryllium diaphragms and, most importantly, creating one hell of an IEM. If you dig the naturality of single dynamic driver IEMs and looking for a top-notch, full-bodied sound, Luna is undoubtedly the one to take into some serious consideration for.

SOUND: 9/10
CONSTRUCTION&DESIGN: 8.5/10
ACCESSORIES: 9/10
VALUE: Do not apply

Click to expand...

Today I will review the flagship DUNU LUNA.

Beryllium dynamic drivers are often used for earphones, but it’s not always specified for which part of the drivers. It can be coated on a diaphragm of another material, used for the dome or like the Luna or Final Audio A8000, the whole diaphragm can be made of 100% pure beryllium. All this will inflict on the final transient response speed, even the microscopic difference in thickness between Luna and A8000 will inflict on it too.

I have always been a fan of beryllium coated drivers, which tend to improve both speed and clarity, but the real revelation is when I listen to A8000, the transient speed was just from another world and it feels like I was listening to a hybrid IEM with dedicated divers for lows, mids and highs.

When I heard DUNU launch a flagship full-beryllium IEM at half the price of the A8000, I jump in review tour boat with euphoric expectation.

Now let’s see in this review if these 1700$ earphones offer a pristine sound experience that won’t make you regret the consequent investment.

The LUNA sell for 1700$ and I suggest you to buy them directly from the official DUNU STORE for peace of mind about after-sale service.

SPECS:

Driver Configuration: 10 mm Acoustic-Grade Pure Beryllium Rolled Foil with Polyurethane Suspension

Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.2% at 1 kHz

Sensitivity: 110 dB at 1 kHz

Impedance: 16 ohm@ 1KHz

Frequency Response: 5 Hz – 40 kHz

Plug: Patented DUNU Quick-Switch Modular Plug System

Connector: Patented Catch-Hold MMCX Connector

Cable Length: 1.2 m

Cable Material: Mixed Strands of Furukawa Electric Ohno Continuous Cast (OCC) Copper & DHC Silver, with Silver-Plated OCC Copper Shield Surround

Net Weight: 10.3 g


ACCESSORIES, CONSTRUCTION&DESIGN



As there wasn’t a full package included in the review tour, I can’t judge unboxing but the number and quality of accessories are impressive enough. The cable is a flagship one that uses ”Mixed Strands of Furukawa Electric Ohno Continuous Cast (OCC) Copper & DHC Silver, with Silver-Plated OCC Copper Shield” as well as a very practical modular jack with 3 types of plugs (2.5mm, 3.5mm and 4.4mm balanced, 3.5 single-ended). This cable do show the full potential of LUNA sound and became my go-to cable for a lot of my IEM. Apart from the cable, you have a very generous amount of ear tips (including mostly spin fit ear tips) and a very nice looking leather carrying case that is near as big as a purse, so you can store a lot of things in it.






The construction of LUNA isn’t particularly yealing ‘’I’m a 2K luxury IEM, look at me’’ and it’s a blessing because it attires the attention of anybody, includes suspicious characters. It’s beautifully sober in design, inspired by DK series housing. The material used for whole housing is Titanium Alloy Grade 5, which is extremely durable and solid and not prompt to easy scratching. Back of housing is concave within a circular shape and create a beautiful shadow effect and light reflection. The texture is a little rough, which permits a very good grip and this back housing dip help to push IEM inside your ears with your thumbs and achieve a more easily perfect fit. All this is meticulously machined and inspires a long life span. In terms of comfort, I find them perfect for me and never encounter a long time comfort issue. To note I have rather big ears, as well, those who like deep fit will find LUNA shape and nozzle not long enough. Anyway, they are light, small and very comfy with long ear tips.




ISOLATION is just a little above average and you will hear some outside noise if listening at low volume. This is perhaps due to the venting hole at top of housing, or type of metal used. In terms of noise leakage, it’s minimal and near insignificant apart if you are surrounded by a bunch of people suffering from hyper-hyperacusis.




DRIVEABILITY is both easy and not overly sensible even with high 111db sensitivity due to normal 16ohm impedance (at 8ohm it would be surely prompt to overdriven issue). What the LUNA love is an enough powerful DAP with very clean sound. The best pairing is with my Xduoo X20, which is ultra-clean slightly cold sounding and offers 300mW balanced output with ultra-low THD.

SOUND


Source used: Ibasso DX90, Xduoo X20 (balanced), Xduoo X3, Audirect BEAM2, X20 and DX90+JDS LABS ATOM

If you were afraid the LUNA sound too technical, bright or clinical, or overly similar in tonality or timbre to the Final A8000, you can be reassured it is a completely different beast and follow a more musicality minded tuning where warmth meets speed. It has a unique meaty sound that kept great transparency through its nuanced timbre density. We are in W shape sound territory, which is my favorite sound landscape to climb. All curves, no spike.

SOUNDSTAGE is out of your head and panoramic, it’s wider than deeper and surrounds you in a circular way around you. While it’s not the must airy and vast spatiality, its far from being overly closed up. You’re near the musicians with the LUNA, feeling in the same big room as them.

IMAGING is very good but not particularly sharp or precise, instrument separation is lively but without a lot of space between them, still, due to weighty sound dynamic, you have both front and stereo separation which give sens of space between layers even if not very deep. With the LUNA you don’t really become a ‘’pre-made critical listener’’, the sound goes at you in all its macro-cohesion, it does not feel cut in micro-pieces for you so you have an ultra-highly-resolve definition of every instruments singularity.

TONALITY is a dynamic neutrality, with warm bass, forwards mids, and smooth delicate treble. W shape signature where mids and lower treble is the more fowards and low bass have good weighty slam that can move air, treble is thick and well rounded.

TIMBRE is lush, thick and nuanced in texture. It’s a natural timbre, free of too much grain but near 50% opaque because of it’s rich density.

BASS is greatly influenced by ear tips you use, wide bore ear tips make these more U shape sounding while longer ear tips like KZ Starline (my favorite and cost near nothing) keep the balanced W shape tonality intact. Sub presence region is boosted, not in extension but more in fatness around 100HZ region, so we have a high-end boomy presentation with good round slam that can go quite impactful and have a fast articulation. In other hand, the separation between mid and high bass isn’t very crisp and the kick lack a bit of forward crisp punch impact. While not perfect, I appreciate this bass for it’s a chunky presence that do not veil mid-range while it adds natural fullness to vocal. For acoustic bass, it will have a good dynamic that tends to extract its presence, but the extension will stop to soon. For synth-bass it’s perfect, offering superb articulation with impressive layering that adds physical excitement to rendering. For toms, again, the extension will not feel supernatural but have good (too) rounded slam. Unfortunately, you can’t tweak extension with ear tips, just presence-impact. I feel guilty to appreciate THAT much ‘’imperfect’’ bass, but it’s rendering is so unique, both fast and dense, in fact, it act as if the bass was a little slow but it isn’t at all this is where I’m puzzled, sometimes you feel like if the DUNU was dual DD of 2 different compositions. In a track like ‘’View from a satellite’’ from PORTICO QUARTET, we have an incredibly enjoyable sound experience where the kick bass is the star of the show and fast transient speed flexibility is euphoric, the LUNA love to slam and jam whatever the number of kicks and digital toms it has to deal with, sound layering here is phenomenal with the wide synth pads layers floating with great transparency, the saxophone positioning between low kick, just behind the fast snare hits, and this round juicy thumping beat, super weighty in attack and full in timbre. So delectably sweet bass hit!


MIDS, Oh, the sweet, lush, clear, and lively mids! I really adore them and their transition with treble is so natural that some might not understand how well-tuned they are. For once, we have weighty mids that don’t sound bloated with the bass, for once piano can be played in whole register and sound magnificently full! Yes, the LUNA love pianist and let me tell you that this is my number one instrument to judge any IEM, I could just write review listening to solo piano and this might happen because it’s very rare that earphones can deliver both natural tonality and dynamic technicality of this instrument and if they do, like Final Audio E5000 or A8000, they will lack proper separation or timbre fullness. This is where LUNA shows the unique agility of pure beryllium drivers. Listening to‘’Miles’’ from last JAMILA WOODS album is a real delight where crisp snappy percussion, fast round thumping bass, light background electric bass line sound super lively and dynamic but let the stage clean for Jamila’s voice to fully blossom. Her lush vocal is wide and transparent with a smoothed edge free of sibilance, it’s natural, not very textured with just a little hint of upper mids brightness so the definition do not mix with rest of music due to an overly warm tonality. So, both vocal and piano excel with the LUNA, but instruments like electric guitar will perhaps lack a bit of bite, while an acoustic guitar will lack hint of sparkle, both showed with full-bodied tonality and effortless clarity. With the LUNA we have a full mid-range with a good amount of lower mids, which is something very rare, and the resolution is highly articulate.


TREBLE has more of its energy in the lower region and extra crispness in the upper region, it’s not a flat and neutral approach of the highs and it’s slightly tamed in the region that adds texture to the instrument. Some percussions like snare and hit hat will sound fuller while metallic percussion will sound sharper and more delicate, lacking a bit of density. Cymbals crash have natural long decay and stay in the back, no splashiness neither trebly spike. LUNA has rolled off ultra-highs which stole a little bit of air to the overall presentation. Most sound dynamics come from bass, mids, and lower treble. As said, the extra crispness in high can push forwards metallic percussions, some will find this exciting and others will find it a little distracting for jazz music where suddenly the drummer feels in the front stage. Thigh and fast are the highs, with a very snappy attack but not alot of brilliance or decay, here its fast decay and have more crunch than crisp. The LUNA are more musical than analytical and show you details in a natural way, if you actively search them you will find them, in term of sound layers it’s more evident to discern than micro-detailing because here it’s the cohesion of macro-resolution that excel.




COMPARISONS




VS DITA FEALTY (1500$)

TONALITY is brighter, more neutral and colder.
SOUNDSTAGE is taller and deeper with about the same wideness, the IMAGING is less holographic and isn’t as much layered but has more precise placement.
BASS is more recessed, doesn’t have any slam but has more texture and more linear extension.
MIDS are less present, leaner in presentation with more upper mids boost. They are thinner in timbre and less dynamic and weighty in attack.
TREBLE is more emphasized and extended, it digs more micro details and adds more texture and sparkle, upper treble is notably more aggressive too.

All in all, the LUNA sound warmer, fuller, more natural and musical with a more bodied and balanced presentation in dynamic, while not as technical and neutral as the FEALTY, it’s more versatile and engaging listen that does favorize bass and mids while FEALTY is the opposite by taking all its energy from treble boost.


VS FINAL AUDIO A8000 (2000$)

So, here we have a real PURE BERYLLIUM battle….but a whole different tuning approach too. The A8000 push transient speed to its limit while the LUNA is more about mids and timbre fullness. One thing to note too: the A8000 are way harder to drive and less versatile in the pairing.
SOUNDSTAGE is notably less deep, but feel taller and wider, IMAGING is less accurate and crisp so you struggle to spot instrument in a higher range.
BASS isn’t as realist sounding as the A8000, due to warmer resolution and slightly more boomy articulation which add more slam instead of natural extension, it sounds a little slower too.
MIDS are fuller, lusher and weightier in attack but less transparent and textured than A8000, the vocal is more forward and piano sound less thin and dry.
TREBLE is more relaxed, thicker, less offensive than more detailed and analytical highs of the A8000.

All in all, here it would be a matter of tonal preference, if you’re more about speed and details, the intensely resolved A8000 will blow your mind, if your more about musicality and vocal, the LUNA is just unbeatable.

CONCLUSION



Did I love the LUNA earphones? Oh yes, I adore them because they hit the right balance between musicality and technicalities and keep intact the wow effect when it’s due to good mastering-recording of music.

Will I buy them? No, because I can’t afford that amount of money, but if they were selling at 500$ used I would jump on them. And to me, 500$USD is near a month of salary.

To those that can afford the LUNA, I envy you and wish you to be transformed into an audiophile frog, you spoiled prince! No but seriously….congrats! (sigh)

The DUNU LUNA is an audacious IEM that does not try to use pure beryllium driver to show you how fast and detailed it can go, it’s agility behold in its musical fluidity and lush tonal balance. It’s both smooth in timbre and weighty in dynamic, flexible in attack and thigh in decay, warm in details and sharp in macro-resolution, it’s a cocktail with sirup sugar (and no lemon) that taste addictively refreshing.

Comparison: ERLKONIG, Thummim and Luna

This review will be a comparison among the Vision Ears LE ERLKONIG, the MMR Thummim and the Dunu Luna. I was able to spend some time with the Thummim on an audition from MusicTeck, and I own the LE ERLKONIG and the Luna. The Dunu Luna was included in this comparison because I was asked by Arijitroy2 to compare it along with the other two. That is what I did, and I decided to do it by using some select albums and tracks to show you what I preferred and to hopefully provide a feel for the 3, along with what I think is the best. I have used this format in the past on some of my posts, so hopefully you will like it. Please think of this as sort of a review in comparison among the 3 vs a detailed review explaining everything about primarily one IEM. As many have already reviewed each individual IEM in detail already, I did not feel that to be necessary. Please read any of the other posted reviews of these IEM’s for more specific details, especially in terms of build specifics and packaging. Please think of this as some additional comparative information, and as mentioned above, I do hope that you will have a greater feel for each after reading it.

The albums listed below were not predetermined. I had been auditioning the Thummim and decided to do this comparison and take some notes on what I was hearing in comparison to the ERLKONIG and Luna. These just happen to be the albums I took notes on. These are 3 top IEM’s, so do not expect any bashing, they are all too good for that. This is a matter of what do I feel is the best of 3 outstanding IEM’s.




Dunu Luna and N8, LE ERLKONIG, MMR Thummim

All listening was done using my Cayin N8 BB using its 4.4mm SS output. I do feel that is the best output on this device (though the tube output is excellent as well, it was not used in this comparison), and highly recommend it as one of the best DAP’s based on sound quality alone. For EDM I was using my Hugo 2 (I also used it for some tracks that I did not use to take notes on). I added in a comparison to my home system on a few albums/tracks to judge which IEM was the most accurate. Obviously, “accuracy” here will mean closest in sound to my home system. My home stereo system consists of Rockport Altair 2 speakers connected to Viva electronics (Preamp, and mono-block amplifiers). I adore my home system, so that is why I use it from time to time as a comparison. As I am sure you are aware, the ERLK has a choice of 4 different sound signatures. For this comparison I left the ERLK in Position 2 which is my favorite position at this time. Position 2 increases the bass over one of its neutral settings while still possessing a fabulous midrange and treble.

When comparing IEM’s on the albums and tracks I both listened fully, and I also would use sections to immediately compare so that there were only seconds in between listening to each IEM. I did this to preserve Auditory memory, which as you all know, is extremely short. And yes, this all started to get “nuts” after many hours. Without further ado, here are my thoughts.


Soular Energy – The Ray Brown Trio

Listening to this and comparing how the IEM’s sound as compared to my home system (Rockport Altair 2’s) the ERLKONIG is hands down the more accurate and matching sound to my home system. I also like it the best personally. It’s tone, tight bass, detail of Ray Brown’s bass, etc. are the closest to my home system.

The Thummim provides more bass (even than my Rockports) but less tight. The overall timbre is darker than on my home system and darker than the ERLKONIG. Not in a bad way, but darker (warmer) and less accurate. It still sounds very good, and lots of detail comes through on Ray Brown’s bass.

The Luna is lighter sounding than the ERLKONIG and lighter in sound than my home system. Close. Again, very good detail in the bass. When listening to the Luna for a time and then the Thummim, the Thummim may at first seem too dark and into the bass. When listening to the Thummim for a while and then the Luna, the Luna sounds very light in comparison. They are two different renditions, one a little brighter and one a little darker than the ERLKONIG and my home system.

My favorite is the ERLKONIG and I would say it is not close. It just sounds better with tighter bass, great detail, and the best timbre of the group.
Second goes to the Thummim. I do feel its bass is a little too prominent, but still very good sound.
Third to the Luna, but close. Again, a different presentation than the Thummim.

I would certainly call the Thummim colored, but it does it in a good way. With lots of detail in a bass heavy presentation and soft mids (vocals will be softer than on the ERLKONIG, though there are no vocals on this album).


Don’t Smoke In Bed - Holly Cole

The Thummim does a nice job on the presentation and Holly Cole’s voice. It is still a darker presentation than the others, but it is good. Detailed bass, though at times more than should be present. On occasion it seems slow/muddy as compared to the ERLK. Still a nice presentation. But it does not create the same sense of presence provided by the Luna and ERLKONIG.

The Luna handles the bass well on this album. It also provides more air and quality of tone to Holly’s voice. On “Je Ne T’Aime Pas” it is a very intimate presentation. Holly is right there with you. An overall nicer timbre than on the Thummim.

The ERLKONIG presents this album beautifully. Holly’s voice comes across a little less bright than my home system, more romantic which gives her a gorgeous timbre. As I have said in the past on Headfi, the ERLK comes across as neutral leaning romantic in any deviation from neutral. The bass is tight, impactful and detailed. Holly Cole is right there with you on “Je Ne T’Aime Pas.” Even nicer and more intimate than on the Luna.

My favorite for this album is again the ERLKONIG and it is easily heard.
Second goes to the Luna.
Third to the Thummim, though I feel a bit of a gap between it and the Luna on this album.


Boston - by Boston

The Thummim does a great job on this rock album. As the album is a bit bright, the Thummim handles it well. The bass of the Thummim comes through, and the pace it displays on the rhythm is easily picked up. The guitars sound great. It is still darker in presentation than the other IEM’s, but it can be welcome at times on this album. Nice drum detail as well. It produces the sound with a nice clarity.

The Luna provides a bit brighter presentation again, but its bass and detail are there. It definitely sounds good here, and it keeps the vocals from getting sibilant. The Thummim provides more bass power, but the Luna is close, and probably the more accurate.

The ERLK again has the best overall timbre. It can handle the bass as well though the Thummim provides a bit more. However, the ERLK is tighter.

Here, I might pick the Thummim as best for this album. It’s dominate bass providing an overall richer sound, and it tones down the brightness of the album just a little.
I will go with the ERLK for second and Luna Third. You can make a case for the ERLK to be first here as well, but I am very happy listening to the Thummim, and I am not wishing for any of the other IEM’s.


STYX – Greatest Hits

Same story here. I started listening to the Thummim on this album and loved its sound. Bass, vocals, everything sounding great. Great bass details when present. The vocals were beautiful. Switching to the ERLKONIG, it is just better. Tighter bass, just as or even more impactful and the vocals were gorgeous. A little more open and yet more intimate at times than the Thummim.
The Luna would be a little lighter presentation with great vocals as well. Detailed bass that was not as powerful as the other two. Still a top tier production, but ERLK and Thummim had an edge in direct comparison.

By the way, I do feel all 3 will be enjoyed by anyone who owns them. I like all 3, but I am trying to provide an order.


The Greatest Showman

“Never Enough”

I love how Lauren Allred does this song. One of my favorite female vocal performances. The recording is not that great though, in comparison to Norah Jones or Holly Cole recordings for example. Her vocals can induce ringing in my ears on this recording. The Thummim prevents this and still sounds open and detailed. A great presentation.

It is on recordings like this that the Luna shines. Luna allows the vocals to have more presence and air than the Thummim, yet also prevents the ringing that can be easily produced by even great IEM’s.

Truth be told, the ERLKONIG actually has the better tone, however, its accuracy hinders it here for me. Although the best timbre to Lauren’s voice, they induce that ringing in my ear I was talking about. I can lower the volume to correct it, but the Luna and Thummim do not require any volume modification.

On this song the Luna is my favorite with the Thummim second and the ERLK third.
On the rest of the album I do not have this issue and the ERLK sounds the best. The Thummim is also good, but again to the warmer side of things. The Luna also good and provides its signature lighter presentation. I would probably take the Luna second for the rest of the album and the Thummim third with its warmer presentation and driving bass. It makes it a different but fun presentation.


Senor Mouse – The Forever Album - Chick Corea, Clarke and White

Same signatures here. The ERLK is the most accurate and has the best timbre and sound. The Piano notes, the bass strings, the drums, all presented great.
The Thummim provides the warmer presentation as compared to the ERLK, and the Luna the brighter presentation as compared to the ERLK. These differences are all easily heard by the way. This is not hair splitting. These are significant.

May favorite is again the ERLK with its great tone, tight drums, and bass. The Thummim I also liked allot and place it second. The notes were coming out of a black background. Really good.
The Luna with its brighter presentation is third though also very good. Less bass and less warm than the other two.

A brief story. I was listening to this track and the “Forever” album on the Thummim and saying to myself how great it sounds. Then I decided to compare it to the ERLK on “Senior Mouse” as I just talked about. When I did that, I was wowed by the ERLK. It was just better in every way (tone, tightness and impact of the bass, the piano, etc.). I was shocked that I could be so happy with the Thummim on this track, and then listen to the ERLK, and easily hear it reproduced at yet another level.


Holst The Planets - Zubin Mehta and the Los Angeles Philharmonic

I like to use “Mars” and “Jupiter” to assess how an IEM (or any speaker for that matter) can handle classical music, bass performance complexity, etc. There are also the trumpets, drums, sub bass, etc.

The Thummim provides a good presentation. It can produce the sub bass rumble, the drums and the trumpets, etc. all very well.
The ERLK also does it, and again, with less warmth providing to me, the better timbre while losing nothing in the bass or sub bass.
The Luna is also excellent with a less warm presentation than the Thummim that works well here.

The ERLK is again my favorite and with the LUNA my second favorite and the Thummim close. All 3 do a good job, but the added warmth of the Thummim hurts it here as it is not as open sounding.


Come Away With Me – Norah Jones (Hi Def)

I like all 3 allot on this album. The ERLK and LUNA might be a touch more intimate.
My favorite here in a close call would be the Luna. All 3 are excellent. The ERLK and Luna have a bit more open presentation, the Thummim slightly more laid back and warm, but excellent. All in a good way.


LA Woman – Doors

ERLK again number 1.
Luna or Thummim in 2nd depending on if you want a brighter tone (Luna) or warmer (Thummim). You cannot go wrong either way.


Aqualung – Jethro Tull (Hi Def)

Thummim again does a great job on this album. Nice clarity and when the bass is called, it delivers. Locomotive Breath is definitely in its wheelhouse. The driving bass is easy to hear and the right weight.
The ERLK and LUNA are actually even better. The Luna provides a tighter bass and has more presence to Ian Anderson’s voice. The ERLK is in another league altogether. Just awesome. The bass comes pouring through and is very tight. Ian’s voice is clear and just sounds terrific. This is the hidef recording, and wow is the ERLK perfect for it.


EDM
SYZYGY 02 by OPIUO

How about a little EDM just to round things out. All 3 will handle the bass. I like the ERLK, followed by the Luna and then the Thummim. The ERLK and Luna open it up a bit more. The Thummim still is a bit warmer and not as tight, but still great. The point here is all 3 have no issue.


Summary

Overall, I do feel the ERLK is the superior IEM of this battle. I would place the Thummim in second and the Luna third. There were also many times I preferred the Luna over the Thummim and a few times over the ERLK. All 3 are excellent IEM’s. The Luna is the obvious “buy” of the 3 (great packaging too by the way) based on its list price ( $1699 for the Luna, $4499 for the Thummim and the ERLK is sold out).

The sound signatures were easy to distinguish with the ERLK having the more accurate sound and the best timbre as I described. Using the ERLK as our point of reference, the Thummim is warmer while the Luna is Brighter in presentation. In summary:

- If you like thick and warm, the Thummim is your IEM.
- If you like a brighter signature with a bit less but tighter bass, the Luna is your IEM (it is also the most comfortable to me by the way if you have fit issues).
- If you want a bit of accuracy coupled with the best timbre, bass impact, and tightest bass of the bunch, then you will want the ERLKONIG.

Now, if you are asking “do I want a Thummim?” “Yes,” I do. Will I pay list price? “Probably not.” It provides an altogether different (Warm/dark) perspective which can be of interest on particular recordings, and especially “bright” sounding albums. It is different, and unlike a top home system with 500lb speakers, you can simply put a different IEM in your ear, and have a completely different presentation. This, to me, is what makes the Thummim a great compliment to most any IEM available. The Luna can do the same from the perspective of a lighter presentation that somehow manages to keep the vocals smooth, airy and detailed. That said, the LE ERLKONIG is King!

Introduction

With the release of the LUNA late last year, DUNU brought to market its newest flagship IEM incorporating a singular aesthetic design, top quality materials for its construction, and the application of pure beryllium rolled foil as the driver material. Enlisting the expertise of a US based company that is a world leader in beryllium processing for the aerospace industry, including NASA, this dynamic driver is the key element to the superlative sound the LUNA possesses.



Impressions

In March of this year, DUNU began a tour for the LUNA and I happily joined a few weeks ago. I received the review sample that included the LUNA and its cable/connectors, tips, and case. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the folks at DUNU for allowing me the chance to try out the LUNA and compare it to my reference IEM, the final A8000.



Let me start by saying the LUNA is much smaller than I had imagined, as well as being incredibly light. The titanium alloy casings do a great job here in making the LUNA a very comfortable fit, the best I've yet experienced in a universal design. A highly notable feature are the modular connectors that snap into place: included is a 3.5mm TRS, a 3.5mm TRRS, a 2.5mm TRRS, and a 4.4mm TRRS. Very nicely done! The cable itself is an aesthetically customized version of the DUNU NOBLE, an OCC silver/copper hybrid.

Performance

For my review, I used both my AK240SS and HiBy R5 as my sources playing lossless files. No EQ was used in my critical listening sessions.

Miles Davis / Kind of Blue / "So What"

One of my desert isle albums, this 1959 recording has a presence that captures this improvisational session with vivid realism. What immediately hits you is how the LUNA captures the mid-bass with a bit of bloom adding a layer of relaxing warmth to the sound. Then Miles' trumpet comes into play, creating a sense of raw energy that keeps your head swinging to and fro. All beautifully rendered with great depth separation of the other band members.

Junip / Junip / "Line of Fire"

With the first strum of the guitar on this song, this indie band takes one's listening to a special place indeed. The mid-bass adds warmth which thickens the lower-mids a tad, but not in an objectionable way, to my ears. As the song progresses, the sound becomes more dense and somewhat edgy in the upper-mids, yet softens with the trebles.

Kate Bush / Aerial / "How To Be Invisible"

Kate Bush albums often have an ethereal quality to them, and a highly transparent transducer makes the listening experience all the more rewarding. The LUNA does very well in this regard although not to the level of the A8000 which adds a sparkle to the utmost trebles whereas the LUNA sounds less illuminated. Still, though, my favorite female artist is reproduced in this song with a silky smoothness that brings a smile to my face.

Fever Ray / Fever Ray / "Triangle Walks"

Swedish electronica with a big sound, this song is well suited for the LUNA's overall tonal character, in my view. As before, the usual traits remain consistent with an elevated mid-bass (sounds really, really good with this genre!), slightly peaky upper-mids, and smooth trebles. Lots of stuff going on here in regards to the soundstage with excellent depth albeit less so with width and height.



Comparison between the LUNA and the final A8000

The A8000 has been my reference IEM due to its superlative transparency, the hallmark of its design. The A8000's performance is strongly attributed to the same driver material as the LUNA, a pure beryllium rolled foil dynamic driver. Yet the difference between them is not subtle at all. Where the LUNA has a mildly elevated mid-bass, the A8000 is more neutral in this area; its sub-bass, however, having more energy to my ears.

The largest area of difference between the two sound wise is in the midrange response as I hear it. Although the LUNA can get edgy at times in the upper mids with certain recordings, overall there is much more presence in the entire midrange with the A8000, and not without its faults. Some will find the A8000 too bright sounding, but I really love its tuning in this critical area of the frequency range. The LUNA's trebles are somewhat muted compared to the A8000, but have a smoothness that can be intoxicating. Less than stellar recordings will generally fare better played by the LUNA. On the other hand, the A8000 clearly has a bigger overall soundstage, so it really is a matter of tradeoffs and sensitivities as to which one reigns supreme.



Summary

The LUNA has been my first experience with DUNU, and I walk away impressed by its commitment to release a flagship model that not only excels in reproducing music with emotion and impact, but that delights with its refined aesthetics as well. I strongly recommend giving it a listen with your favorite recordings.

Intro

I have to admit that while I've known about Dunu, the Shenzhen-based headphone earphone-maker hasn't been one on my radar amid the stark ramp-up of high-end IEMs (and prices) of the past few years. That said, I've always viewed them as a league different from the vast affordable Chi-Fi options that have flooded the in-ear market as of late. Or in another respect, quality over quantity.

Dunu has gradually climbed its way up the IEM ranks, and with the new launch of the Luna and $1700 asking price, has entered into a serious arena of some of the best earphones on the market. What is it equipped with? A Titanium housing, conceptually-rounded to evoke aspects of the moon (and abstractly, our vehicles used to visit it), and single Beryllium dynamic driver. Note that we're not talking about any of that "Beryllium-coated" nonsense. The diaphragm is a pure, Beryllium (foil), first in its technique of being rolled into form and bonded to a polyurethane suspension (said to be a tough challenge in itself). This synopsis breaks down the keys point to know about the sky-reaching Luna.

The Rundown

> I won't dwell too much on the design, as you can tell in pictures if it's your jazz or not. I'd call the Luna design interesting rather than good-looking. There realistically isn't much outside of a puck-shaped chassis with a concaved cap and stem attached to the side. There is some styling of course, like the asymmetric slope to the cap at a profile view and beveled edges on the stem, but you have to inspect it to notice these details. Just in hand, it can't help but see a silver sweet tart. The concaved cap even makes it feel like one too. Everything is metal and sturdy, which is great, but Fiio is also doing this on much lower-priced earphones. Suffice to say, despite all the moon and spacecraft inspiration in the design, I wouldn't say the design should be significant factor in the buying decision.

> All that said, the Luna's earpieces advantageously have notably small footprints and are lightweight and low-profile. Some mobile audiophiles want a headphone that doesn't draw attention but is refined and feels great in the hand. Luna is this.




> Dunu just passed along a leather pouch with Luna's essential goodies (excluding the retail-included USB-C HiFi DAC dongle and smaller carrying pouch), so I don't have a proper unboxing to display. Luna's set of accessories is impressive on most fronts but the tip variety should have been better (i.e. foam tips).

> The stock cable is standout. It feels like a quality third-party cable you'd buy when the cable that comes in your IEM's box doesn't quite cut it - not too thick, not too thin, ample length, doesn't tangle (numerous strands, so there's a little stiffness to it), and doesn't feel flimsy whatsoever. The kicker is at the termination.



> Cleverly, instead of pack multiple cables in the box to account for our confounded world of port selections, Dunu just includes one balanced cable, with a changeable termination. All the common choices for portables are present: 3.5mm unbalanced, 2.5mm or 4.4mm (pentaconn) balanced, and even 3.5mm balanced for good measure. This is a cool approach that eliminates waste from having to produce multiple cables.

> Fit is terribly important with IEMs. The proficiency of the in-canal seal can make or break an earphone. The Luna is comfortable, and the earpieces don/doff very easily/naturally. The cable stem that sticks out of the circular chassis is positioned perfectly outside the ear and to guide the cable routing around the ear. I'm not generally a fan of memory wiring around the ear, but in this case, it's not thick or stiff and not bothersome whatsoever.



> However, the seal is where there's a lofty concern. The Luna's are a shallow earphone (the amount you can push them in is below average). This will be a contention for a lot of users. Where I usually wear medium tips, I had to go for the largest tips I could find to get an appropriate seal. Even then, it's not a super tight seal. Not going in deep also impacts sound isolation, which was average for me in the case of the Luna's. This is especially since Dunu exclusively uses SpinFit tips for the Luna, which are generally good for fit but poor for isolation. Dunu should have made the nozzles longer to mitigate the shallow fit.

> Fortunately, the Luna's nozzle diameter is standard. I could easily throw on a large pair of Final E tips, which improved bass and isolation compared to the thinner membrane SpinFits.

> Admittedly, the sound quality of the Luna wasn't the easiest for me to assess, or in other words, put my finger on how exactly the sound was great but also why I felt something was lacking. Eventually, after lots of time with the Luna, rotating between different DAC/amps (Chord Mojo, iFi Micro iDSD BL, and Chord Hugo 2) and comparing with another high-end earphones (Shure KSE1200, Sennheiser IE 800, and Shure SE846), I've reached some fair conclusions.



> I hate to start with a negative, but the Luna's somewhat hot treble is the first thing my ears caught, and it did not get better with burn-in (neither brain nor driver burn-in) during my two-week review period. Granted, this will be a YMMV kind of thing. I have ears that pick up on treble peaking, and it's a trait that I've noticed on other closed-back, highly-resolving headphones I've reviewed in the past - the RHA CL2 Planar in-ears and Focal Stellia over-ears (which also use a Beryllium driver), as well as my daily driver KSE1200 electrostatic in-ears.

> If one isn't careful with tuning and push the driver too far, you'll get an unnatural, metallic quality to your treble, resulting in sounds that can be described as shrill, scratchy, or thin. In my experience, the RHA CL2 are the biggest culprit of this. The Focal Stellia just has a hint of metallic-ness in the treble but no where near unacceptable. My personal KSE1200 IEMs can be called bright and treble prominent, but Shure did a great job to keep it more natural than metallic-sounding. So where does the Luna stand? It'd pit it right between the CL2 and Stellia - not unacceptably harsh like the CL2 but treading a little too close. For instance, higher frequency vocals inescapably have a scratchy tssssss to them. I stress that my ears pick up on this, where yours may not. I'd say in this respect, the Luna played better with my Mojo than Hugo 2.



> Another aspect I struggled with was impact. I might sound crazy, but the Luna have slam while also being delicate at the same time. I struggled with how to describe this for a while. The bass is large, like a rolly, encompassing bubble when really called on by the track, but it never really hits hard. It's almost like it starts to and doesn't follow completely through. What I may be describing is a lack of punch. This isn't to say the frequency range dips or the detail isn't there, nor is it a lack of decay. These technicalities are satisfactory on the Luna, and the pleasant warmth from being a dynamic driver certainly shows. My critique feels backwards, because I hear the mid-bass as stronger than the sub-bass (measurements even show this), but somehow it's missing the punch that I feel should be there.

> The transition from bass to mid-range is excellently cohesive. A strong quality of the Luna is how airy and filled-out it sounds throughout, and this is especially appreciated in the mids. There's a slight dip in the upper mids that is noticeable but in no way distracting. Via my Hugo 2, I realized a standout ability of the Luna to display macro details, like spatial definition and layering, so effortlessly. Actually, a/b'ing with my SE846 IEMs makes the SE846 sound 2D in comparison, which is not how I would have ever described them. The SE846 has a wider stage no doubt, but the Luna most certainly works within an evenly spaced bubble around you. Although I love a wide stage, I personally prefer an even presentation. It feels more natural.



> As touched on, macro details are fantastic with the Luna. I think I can say it's the best thing about these IEMs. When dynamics and dimensionality are both handled excellently, it does a lot for the listening experience. This is amplified by the Luna's clear and effortless instrument separation and articulation. This aspect pushes the listener to just fall into the music than analyze it.

> Micro details on the other hand (which to me means qualities like pronounced note articulation/extension, small audible nuances, brilliance, and decay) are just above-average - not quite as pristine and resolving as I'd picture a beryllium dynamic driver being. The Luna's reproduction sounds smoothened as a whole, which makes for a pleasant listen but doesn't have that crisp, pin-drop detail that many audiophiles may look for from an advanced driver. It may be a taste decision from Dunu, because the Focal Stellia as I remember was sounded sharper. Furthermore, when I switch from the Luna to my KSE1200, it's like a veil is lifted, and I can hear ever little detail so clearly where they were subtle with the Luna. This isn't to say that I would describe the Luna as veiled or not resolving. It shows more detail than other dynamic driver IEMs I've used, but it's no where near as resolving as an electrostat (not that many earphones are; the mention is a reference on performance).

Conclusion

I feel like I've been hard on the Luna. It's a really good IEM - cohesive, engaging, above-averagely detailed, and pleasant-sounding, with no critical flaw to speak of. The treble is pushed a little far, but even with a treble sensitive person like me, I can still listen to it and enjoy. Its smooth, warm, tonally-proper, encompassing, dynamic, separated, and articulated sound is hard to argue with and I imagine will work for a lot of audiophiles that want to just enjoy music as much as they want to pick it apart.

However, at $1700, you have to be more than just a really good IEM. Where the Luna stands out is its macro capabilities. With the right DAC, you'll be given a very fun, encompassing experience, which not many IEMs at this price point can rival. Is this enough for the large price tag? That'll be up to you to decide.

How good is good enough?

That is the one question I keep asking myself as I encounter yet another top-of-the-line (TOTL) gear. At this price, diminishing returns start creeping in, you begin splitting hairs, focusing on not only the whole picture but also the abstract representation of it all.

Dunu has been in the IEM game a long time. They were also one of the first IEM brands that got the hybrid setup right. Beyond the hybrid stuff, their single dynamic models have also been quite memorable. I myself bought the Dunu Titan 1 (reviewed here) and it has a solid place in my collection due to its airy soundstage and impeccable imaging.

The Dunu Luna is a single dynamic driver flagship. That’s not been too common lately as most have focused on multi-BA/hybrid setups with their top-end offerings (Audeze, Final, Hifiman a few exceptions). I’m quite glad though that Dunu went the other way — less is more, et cetera. This price bracket is rather uncharted territory for Dunu since they’ve never really competed at this level before. So there would be a lot of scrutiny involved along with the typical shade-throwing as to how only brands with a history of high-end offerings should dabble in this range.

Lots of ground to cover. Let’s get right into it.

If you prefer to watch the full video review rather than, well, read through a wall of text, click below:


Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. Dunu was kind enough to send me the Luna as part of the Review Tour (thanks Tom!) Disclaimer

Sources used: Yulong Canary, Questyle QP1R, Cayin N6 II, LG G7, E1DA PowerDAC V2
Price, while reviewed: $1700. Can be bought from Dunu’s Official Website.

Build: The Luna has an understated yet striking design. There are no sharp angles, everything is rounded and smoothed out. Such lack of angles often leads to blandness but the Luna exudes character. The grade-5 Titanium alloy shells are practically perfect with subtle grooves around the nozzle and the stem that shimmer as light scatters across them.

The concave face-plates have raised ridges that snugly caresses your thumbs. The metal nozzle is angled to help with ergonomics, and it has a raised lip to keep the eartips in place without them sliding out.

There are two visible vents: one atop the mmcx stem, and another on the inner-side just above nozzle. The text DUNU Beryllium is etched onto the outer circumference of the IEM and is mostly out of sight. Meanwhile, the mmcx connector is further reinforced using a catch-hold mechanism. Basically, there is a substantial amount of friction between the mmcx port and jack once the cable is plugged in, so the IEMs don’t spin around like most mmcx ones.

Picture perfect.
5/5


Accessories: At first, a disclaimer: Dunu sent a reduced package for the Luna Review Tour, and all of us on the EU tour basically got the big purse/bag chock-full of eartips, the earphones and swappable plugs of various terminations. Frankly, it’s a good decision to ease up logistics given the current COVID-19 situation (the full package weighs over 2.5kg).
The retail package is one of the most luxurious unboxing experiences you will likely have, and goes toe-to-toe with the awesome IER-Z1R unboxing experience. Heck, Dunu even throws in extras like a type-C DAC dongle along with a USB-A to USB-C adapter and another smaller carrying case just to round the whole thing up. You get loads of Spinfit tips (13 pairs to be exact) and they are of rather high quality.
A special mention goes to their custom cable. It’s an OCC Copper/DHC Silver mixed strand cable and has great ergonomics. No kinks or loose braids, very pliable and the memory hook is rather supple. It does have some heft but I reckon that the quick-switch termination system is responsible for the weight.



Speaking of the quick-switch system, it’s very convenient. You just pull at the plug-end and it snaps out. The internals of the quick-switch mechanism seems akin to a miniaturized 4-pin XLR connection. The connection was solid throughout despite routine plugging/unplugging operation and I think this will last a while. My only gripe: this whole mechanism adds a lot of weight at the jack-end of the cable and extends the length of the L-shaped plug which can be a bit of a bother in the following manner:



Yeah, I nitpick.
5/5

Comfort: The lightweight shells and the angled nozzle coupled with the smoothed out inner shell should make this a very comfortable wear, but there’s a catch — the nozzle length. While it’s not that short a nozzle (Sennheiser IE800 still takes that crown) it’s not long enough for a deep-fit, which is essential to get the best out of Luna. As a result, using tips with a longer stem (e.g. Azla tips, or the Spinfit/Final ones) is necessary for most. I myself went with the Spinfit CP-100 and got good results but your mileage may vary. Do note that isolation is only average at best, so this is not an IEM I’d recommend for commuting. Then again, I’m not too inclined towards yanking out a nearly 2 grand IEM in the middle of the metro while precariously balancing myself between two grab-bars.
4.5/5



Now, onto the sound. The big selling point of the Luna is its 10mm single-dynamic driver. More accurately: the material of the driver-diaphragm. It is one of the world’s two “first” pure Beryllium driver-diaphragm earphones (other Beryllium touting IEMs use a vapor deposited Beryllium coating). In fact, apart from Focal Utopia, I can’t think of another headphone that had a pure Beryllium driver-diaphragm. The reason behind choosing Beryllium is it’s exceptional stiffness (287 GPa), which combined with the relatively low density (1.85 g/cubic cm) results in extremely fast sound conduction speed (12.9 km/s). The material being very brittle in room temperatures is also challenging to work with. The whole driver manufacturing process is extremely time consuming in fact and also needed fair amount of R&D. It’s best to point toward’s Dunu’s promotional video regarding the drivers since it’s visualized a lot better there:


The tech is impressive, no doubt, but the proof is in the pudding, or sound in this case.

The sound impressions below were mostly formed with the CP-100 tips and Yulong Canary desktop DAC/Amp as the source.



Lows: Perhaps the most contentious part of Luna’s signature would be the lows. Bassheads will find it lacking in sheer volume and grunt, whereas those who prefer a more neutral response would feel right at home. I myself am veering towards “a bit more rumble would be perfect”, so there you go.

The bass response is mostly flat, and if not for the gradual roll-off post 28Hz — I’d be ecstatic. As it stands, the bass response is fine for most genres, and even some bass-line heavy tracks (e.g. Rage Against the Machine’s Killing in the Name) sound fantastic. The issue arises with tracks that have deep sub-bass rumble, case in point: John Mayer’s Your Body Is a Wonderland. The section from 2:50–3:14 mark feels tad undercooked.

Ironically, another John Mayer track, Clarity, shows off the biggest strengths of the Dunu Luna’s bass response: speed, texture, and impact. There’s no bass-bleed while bass resolution is excellent with different instruments displaying their subtly different textures. Double-bass pedals exhibit a distinctly different thump from the downstroke thock of grand pianos. Meanwhile, the speed displayed in fast-paced tracks have a planar-like feel to them, albeit with more body and slightly slower decay. The impact, meanwhile, is instantaneous and can feel a bit jarring at first if you’re coming from an all-BA/regular dynamic driver earphone. Rest assured, you get used to it quickly and then there’s no going back (until your bass-head heart yearns for sub-bass extravaganza).

In short: almost perfect bass response. Almost.
4.5/5

Mids: Dunu Luna’s midrange is quite… peculiar. The lower-mids have a slight sense of warmth to it, but due to the boosted upper-mids (it looks especially scary on graph) there’s an uncanny clarity to the whole midrange.

Fortunately enough, the 4KHz boost that grabs your attention instantly on the graphs doesn’t quite have the same effect in reality. Yes, the tonality is shifted towards the upper-mids rather than absolute neutrality but it’s not shouty. On certain tracks (Gin Blossom’s Jealousy) it can creep ever so closer to shoutiness despite never really crossing the line. This is mostly displayed on tracks with compressed dynamic-range (and tracks with a lot of processed sound, e.g. Electronica) while well-mastered tracks have been absolutely fine.

Speaking about tonality, the lower-mids are mostly spot-on. My reference headphone for midrange tonality is the HD650, and these sound eerily similar to them in the lower mids. Baritone vocals are portrayed realistically (check the usual Colin Hay track) with ample amount of heft, but not so much that it ends up sounding boxy. It’s the upper-mids that has slight coloration due to that boost. Thus, female vocals can often become a bit tiring to listen to, as is the case with Frou Frou’s sole studio album: Details, or Wolfclub’s Tears (a rather extreme example). This dichotomy is the sole reason why I can’t quite declare Luna’s midrange as perfection.

On a similar note, no thanks to that 4KHz boost string instruments get a bit of extra bite, which is welcome in many tracks. Damien Rice’s Cannonball is one such example as Rice’s entire vocal range (including the breathing) is rendered naturally, whereas the two acoustic guitars are placed further forward. Another one of Luna’s strengths lies in live performance/concert rendition, just listen to Blue October’s The Worry List (Live at Texas).

Micro-detail retrieval along with instrument separation is top-notch and technically I can’t quite fault it.

To summarize: Coloration in the upper-mids is counterbalanced by a warm lower-midrange. Overall excellent detail-retrieval and instrument separation. Male vocals are mostly superb, female vocals can be a bit spotty depending on track/mastering. Timbre in general is realistic, with the aforementioned caveat of upper-registers.
4.5/5

Treble: Perhaps the one thing that best showcases the true prowess of this Beryllium diaphragm is the treble response. It’s immaculate, for my tastes at least. I listen to quite a few heavy metal/metal/hard rock genre and sub-genres and hi-hats or cymbal hits are things I’m always particular about. Often the treble is sizzly, resulting in a wince rather than an ensuing head-bang *side-eyes to Noble Khan*.

Luna walks the fine line between excess treble energy and proper treble sparkle. The treble extension is excellent with ample amounts of air beyond 10KHz. Transient response is exceptional, with instantaneous attack and a natural decay (unlike the ultra-fast unnatural blips of typical BA drivers). In terms of tracks that showcase this, take Slipknot’s Liberate for example. It’s a rather heavy track with blistering fast drum work by the one and only Joey Jordison. Man, earlier Slipknot was ruthless until they slightly mellowed up for that one weepy album and that nearly emo song *cough* Snuff *cough*. Glad that they’re past that with We Are Not Your Kind, but I digress. Luna keeps up as well as anything out there in this price bracket. Same applies to Porcupine’s Trees The Sound of Muzak where every cymbal strike is accurately defined. No smearing whatsoever, and the attack-decay pattern is realistic.

To bring up a slightly lighter track, take Dave Matthews Band’s Crash into Me into account. This particular rendition has a rather elaborate arrangement with jingles, triangles and tambourines chiming in. Luna perfectly portrays the airy shimmer of the triangles along with the subtle taps of the cymbals.

Another unusual characteristic of the Luna is its ability to deal with compressed dynamic-range tracks. Silversun Pickup’s Future Foe Scenarios can turn into an incoherent mess in lesser earphones, not so much here. The heavily distorted guitar riffs neither overshadow the cymbals nor the vocals. Thus, if you listen to a lot o indie tracks the Luna can be a good option.

TL;DR: Excellent treble that will serve nearly every genre/musical taste well, with perhaps the exception of those looking for even more pronounced treble, or those who are rather treble-averse.
5/5



Note: the following two sections may have varying perceptions for each individual due to a number of factors e.g. pyschoacoustics, insertion depth, ambient noise etc.

Soundstage: Stage width is not class-leading, but both stage height and depth are excellent. Instrument placement is determined by the mastering of the track itself, with certain tracks having very up-front instrumentation (Third Eye Blind’s Exiles) and some having sparser presentation (Third Eye Blind, again, but this time The Background).
4.5/5

Imaging: Now, this is more like it. When I first listened to the Luna, for the first hour or so I couldn’t quite pin down why songs sound slightly different on them versus most other IEMs. After a while, I realized that it’s their headphone-like instrument placement. Swapping between these and the Final Sonorous III (a headphone with excellent imaging and even wider stage than the Luna) often resulted in an eerily similar imaging, which is odd as headphones have pinna interaction (thus helping in localization) whereas IEMs don’t have that luxury (most of them, that is, Audeze iSines apart).

Cardinal imaging is spot on, and the only weak point I can mention is the imaging of events happening at the very back of your head, which even many headphones struggle to realistically portray. For an IEM and considering all the limitations, this is excellent performance.
5/5




Source and Amping: Luna can easily get loud out of most dongles and phones. However, they can exhibit hiss with higher noise-floor sources, so keep that in mind. I personally found it to perform the best out of Yulong Canary with its slight warm tonality complimenting the Luna well. Questyle QP1R was also great though I had to use low gain since higher gain levels showed slight amp hiss.

On the plus side, Dunu Luna is source output-impedance agnostic. So even if you have something with a rather high output impedance you will likely be safe from Frequency Response anomalies.

Select Comparisons

Unfortunately, I couldn’t audition the IEMs I planned to compare with the LUna at the stores I usually visit, nor could I contact other local enthusiasts due to the COVID-19 lockdown situation. I had plans to compare these against Sony IER-Z1R and Campfire Solaris among others, but alas.

The ones I could compare to mostly fell short. Among the classic single-driver IEMs, the Sennheiser IE800S and Beyerdynamic Xelento both have inferior build quality, accessory package and most importantly: sound quality.

Sennheiser IE800S sounds bland and lacks the midrange prowess of the Luna. Detail retrieval is a downgrade whereas the treble response is far more peaky with that dreaded 5KHz spike. Soundstage is a tad wider, but imaging is hazy in comparison to the Luna. Sub-bass is more boosted on the Sennheiser but then falls flat in terms of dynamics, overall bass texture and speed.

The Beyerdynamic Xelento Remote, meanwhile, struggles to keep up with the Luna in terms of nearly every technical parameter: bass speed/texture, micro-detail retrieval, dynamics, treble extension, imaging/soundstage. It’s a wash. Only on certain tracks can the Xelento’s overall warmth be more inviting than the less forgiving Luna. That’s about it.

Let’s talk about the de facto standard of kilobuck IEMs: Campfire Andromeda (2019). I myself have never quite found the Andromeda appealing due to the lackluster BA bass, but I do admit that on the technical side these had its own set of strengths. Build quality and comfort I’d give to the Luna, as despite the dense shell of the Andros I’ve seen a number of them color-chipped ones. The Luna cable is also markedly better, on an entirely different plane in fact. The Andros have more boosted bass (depending on your source’s output impedance, mine was 0.6ohms), but bass texture and dynamics go to the Luna. I really like the lower mids presentation of both of these IEMs, but the Andros had a more cluttered midrange due to slightly more emphasized lower mids, while the Luna managed to pull off clarity without sounding thin. Upper-mids are more restrained on the Andros, thus more enjoyable with female vocals for longer listening sessions. Overall detail retrieval goes to the Luna by a margin in my book. Luna just sounded more effortless and even in busier tracks instruments never smeared into one another. The treble continues that trend, so does imaging and instrument separation. The Andromeda did have a wider soundstage, but that’s about it.I’d likely update this section once/when the lockdown is finally lifted and I/we can roam about freely.

Conclusion

When I first listened to the Luna, I didn’t quite find it jaw-dropping enough. It quickly grew on me, however, and now is one of my most favorite IEMs out there.

The build is exemplary and the accessories are plentiful which is taken a step further by the extravagant packaging. The bass is mostly excellent. The midrange has remarkable technicalities and portrayal of male vocals, while female vocals might have some added glare depending on track/mastering. The treble, meanwhile, is perfect for my taste and suits a varying range of genres. Soundstage, imaging and instrument separation is akin to certain full-sized headphones and should satisfy most buyers.

The big elephant in the room is, sadly, the price tag. At $1700 the Luna has to battle established flagships like the Sony IER-Z1R, Campfire Solaris, and the 64Audio U12t (to name a few). Furthermore, DUNU also has to consistently showcase top-tier customer support and reliability/quality assurance to appeal to the higher end buyers. In the former case, it’s often up to the listener since personal preferences swing the tides by a large degree at the upper-echelons. The latter is being addressed via Luna by prominent presence in audio forums and quick, transparent communication. They’ve been very up front about the technical details and tuning decisions of the Luna, which is definitely a refreshing approach. To take things a step further, Dunu is also offering a Private Client Program so that you can listen to them at home before deciding to purchase. They’ve left no stones unturned — I’d hand them that. Time will prove the rest.

At the end of it all, is the Luna good enough?

It’s more than good enough.

#HighlyRecommended

Test tracks (as Tidal playlist): https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/04350ebe-1582-4785-9984-ff050d80d2b7

DUNU established itself as its own brand in 2006. They may sound like a fairly young company, but the people behind the brand have been in the development and manufacturing of pro and consumer goods since 1994.
With their amount of experience, impressive staff, their own high end testing equipment, production facilities, and in-house driver development, it’s no wonder they’re making quite a buzz in the audiophile world.
“To innovate for music lovers” is DUNU’s mission. They highly cater to the taste of audiophiles around the globe, and their most recent flagship is a testament to that mission.


The LUNA is DUNU’s latest flagship, and it’s their first set to cost $1,699US.
DUNU’s claim to fame is their development and use of the “World’s First” Pure Beryllium Dynamic Driver inside the heart of the LUNA.
So why is it such a big deal? Well, Beryllium is well known to be the ideal material used in high-end speakers and a few full sized headphones, such as Focal’s well regarded co-flagships, the Utopia and the Stellia; which costs $3,990US & $2,999US respectively.
I will expand on Beryllium later.


For the build, they’ve used a custom-modified grade 5 titanium alloy that is an aerospace grade material. This makes the LUNA one of the toughest IEMs out there. But using such a material is known to produce ringing. Therefore, DUNU’s engineers reformulated the alloy with the use of other rare earth metals to minimize it. In turn, this allows the unrivalled driver inside the LUNA to show off its unique sound.


If it isn’t obvious already, DUNU’s concept for the LUNA is its relation to the moon.
Having been 50 years since humankind’s first journey to the moon, they wanted to reflect the spirit of the landing and wanted to elevate the manner in which IEMs are perceived.
The main body of the LUNA serves as the representation of the ever changing phases of the moon. This is shown whenever light hits the circular concave faceplate at different angles.
While the main body represents the moon, the cable connector interface symbolizes the Apollo spaceship. I do think their approach was done quite brilliantly, and I am a fan of the design.
As for the fit, they’re actually compact in size at almost the same volume as the Shure SE846, which itself fits in almost every ear. The LUNA fit nicely in my ear, but I had to do some tip rolling to find the best seal. In the second section, I’ll talk more about how tip rolling could help LUNA’s quirks.

While the star of the show are the earphones themselves, I also have to mention the cable that comes with the LUNA.
The cable is made out of combined strands of OCC Copper and DHC Silver, with a Silver-Plated OCC Copper Shield Surround.
While the materials are impressive, it’s the cable system that I’m completely sold on!
It features their patented Quick-Switch Modular Plug system, which comes with all the needed terminations a person would use.
This terminates (see what I did there? *wink*) the need to completely switch the cable or the need to use an additional conversion dongle when switching between your DAP to other DAC/AMP systems you might have.
This on its own is pretty genius!


How do they sound?
Well...the short answer is, they sound AMAZING.
But you’re not here for that right?
So here I’ll go into detail on how the LUNA handles each frequency range.

I chose to use my Onkyo DP-X1 to do this review. While it might be showing age already, it’s still a very capable DAP. (but then again if I had more money, I’d love to have an upgrade either from Sony’s, A&K’s, or FiiO’s flagship offerings. Someone, sponsor me please…*laughs*)


To me, the LUNA’s bass sounds more neutral with a bit of fun and warmth on the mid-bass side of things. To many, the sub-bass region might sound a bit lightweight. In comparison to my other IEMs I have with me, I do have to agree. Testing out the sub-bass, my go to track is LA PARISIENNE by BFRND. The Intro just hits you with a full course of BASS, and sadly, the LUNA just doesn’t give much rumble down low to bring tears to my eyes. But do try it with your IEMs. It's a fun track to test out sub-bass rumble. Now onto that fun and warm mid-bass. The LUNA is amazingly detailed here, it gives so much body to bass instruments. For example, the fretless bass on the track, Pictures, by Kozo Suganuma, just sounds as lifelike as it gets. The LUNA also gives a nice rendering to kick drums and toms.Bring me the Horizon’s song, Run, is a good track to showcase this. On the 2nd verse, it’s filled with drum fills (*wink-wink*), which sounded really enjoyable and didn’t sound muted on the LUNA.



Okay, GUITARS, VIOLINS, and pretty much any string instrument sounds full and engaging on the LUNA. On the guitar side of things, listen to the track, Say Yes, by TWICE. The acoustic guitar throughout the song just sounded so lively and pleasant to my ears. Another great track for strings is the track, Ink to Paper, from the Violet Evergarden OST. The LUNA made me get lost in the beauty of the strings.

While still part of the midrange, I wanna talk about Vocals on the High Mids of things as I listen primarily to a lot of female vocal centred tracks.This is a frequency where female vocals on the LUNA truly shine for me. But I also want to say that male vocals are still just as impressive. For example, on the track, Daijoubu by Radwimps, the vocalist’s voice sounds well modulated and lush and never thin sounding while being on the higher register.


Personally, the high mids on the LUNA is the special sauce. The elevation from 1kHz to the peak at around 4kHz gives female vocals such an airy and encapsulating sound.
Breathier vocals such as the ones in the track, Leyre, by Akiko Shikata. Her vocals just sound so ethereal and intimate on the LUNA. It’s here where I think they might have outshone the FitEar TG334/MH334 as the best IEM for female vocals. (Now, this is just based on memory, but the excellent performance of the beryllium driver and the way it has been tuned by DUNU has given me a sensation with female vocals that no other IEMs have ever given me. Though, there is one other IEM I wanted to have more ideal listening time with. The Empire Ears Wraith had ear catching female vocals as well, but I haven’t had a chance to formally take them home to have an extended listen to judge it. So for now, I have to say the LUNA’s are by far the best IEM for female vocals I have heard thus far.)
While the high mids are great for female vocals, the elevation and peak at 4kHz does have its drawbacks, but this is where the tip rolling I mentioned earlier might help you out as well.
I’ve started out using both the JVC Spiral Dot tips and Final E tips and having favoured the former for giving the most “Air”. But due to that, some instruments, especially the “bagpipe” (not too sure what the instrument is) in the track Hiraite Sanze, by Akiko Shikata, got quite a bit overbearing to my ears. So here came the Sony Triple Comfort tips from the IER-Z1R. People have said this helped them tame the energetic highs of the Z1R’s, but since I didn’t have that problem with the Z1R’s, I had them just sitting in the box. So low and behold, I used them on the LUNA and IT WORKED!
The tips have calmed down the shoutiness of the bagpipe and any other instrument that got overbearing in that section.


I actually like the highs on the LUNA. To me, it just sounds neutral-bright without sounding scrawny. Woodwind, percussion, and especially music box instruments take the front stage here. The overtones they generate get very well highlighted on the LUNA. For example, on the instrumental version of the track, Kasuka na Kaori, by Perfume. The intro’s music box section and other instruments at the higher frequency used throughout the song sounded dense while still being delicate. The highs never got too energetic to the point of sibilance. It has stayed well controlled and has more than enough attack to be engaging and detailed.



While the LUNA does have an impressive soundstage, its mid-forward tonality gives it a more intimate rendering, especially on the vocals. However, it still gives more than enough width and height to the stage. On the track Wherever You Are, Wherever You May Be, from the Violet Evergarden OST, the LUNA gave it quite a spacious yet intimate staging. This is more than enough room for even bigger recordings.

Now, for imaging and instrument separation, let’s use the track I just mentioned. All the instruments are rendered with high precision. I’m very impressed by what the engineers at DUNU have done to achieve this with a single driver.
It has turned me into a believer in the “less is more” approach. This is also what I’d like to say about the Sony IER-Z1R, which consists of only 3 drivers. I strongly believe that the Z1R is one of the best, if not, the best IEM for the incredible staging and highly detailed imaging it produces. I’ll talk more about it in the comparisons.


I’m surprised you’re still here lol
Well, thank you for keeping up with my ramblings. You deserve a cookie!

(For the comparison, I used the same tracks I’ve mentioned in the review.)


Sony IER-Z1R (-2DD,1BA- $1,999US)

These two can’t be any more different from each other.
The Z1R has a slight V-Shape tuning, while the LUNA’s are somewhat “warm-neutral” with a high-mid elevation.
You’ll be able to hear this clearly as the Z1R are more about fun and energy, while the LUNA’s are “lacking” the Z1R are overflowing with.
In the sub-bass section, the Z1R hits deeper and with higher authority.
Here’s where it gets tricky. To me, the LUNA’s mid-bass sounds just as organic as the Z1R. But it does punch a bit more than the more controlled mid-bass of the Z1R. While the Z1R wins in the more organic sub-bass rumble, the LUNA wins it by a hair in the punchier mid-bass presentation. Moving to the mids, there’s no contest here. Guitars and other String instruments just sound more rounded and leaner on the LUNA. While the Z1R is still impressive on its own, it’s just a little more hollow sounding in comparison. As a result, male vocals take a hit on the Z1R. It just sounds anemic compared to the LUNA's meatier male vocal presentation.
Now, here is where both are equally impressive with just a difference in presentation. Female vocals on the Z1R are just as full bodied and airy as the LUNA, but are presented farther away from you. The LUNA’s more intimate presentation allows the listener to almost feel the vocalist’s breathing in their ears. The effect is absolutely ethereal. So I must give the LUNA the edge in the female vocal presentation.
In the highs, the Z1R has the edge overall. The highs on the Z1R just sounds more extended and presents more flare. While it may be energetic, it never gets sibilant. The LUNA’s highs sound calmer and smoother in comparison. Both are very well detailed up top, but the Z1R just gives it more shimmer.
In the soundstage department, the Z1R never ceases to amaze me every time I compare them with other IEMs in the market. With that being said, I do have to say that the more intimate nature of the LUNA does have its own charms. Although the LUNA is not on par with the Z1R’s 3 dimensional staging, it still presents a wide soundstage. But then again, I still haven’t heard another IEM that beats the Z1R in staging.
However, when it comes to imaging, I didn’t really hear much difference between the two. Both are great in that regard, but I just have to give the edge to the Z1R because of how it handles space the imaging just goes along with it.

JH Audio Layla (-12BA- $2750US)

For the Layla, I always have the bass dial set at 2 O’Clock. This gives the neutral low-end a bit more excitement. Let’s talk about that low-end, the Layla’s sub-bass has more rumble than the LUNA. But while the Layla may have deeper rumble and sub-bass quantity, the LUNA has better mid-bass presentation. The mid-bass of the LUNA is really where it’s at, it just sounds organic and very reminiscent of the Z1R’s but with more punch. With this, bass instruments just have more weight to them compared to the Layla’s “neutral” mid-bass response. Moving to the mids, it’s pretty much the same deal here. The LUNA gives more life to instruments that fall into this range. String Instruments especially just sound more natural on the LUNA. The Layla unfortunately also suffer in the higher mids, as vocals, especially female vocals, just sound flat and hollowed out compared to the LUNA’s airy and dense vocal voicing. Next, we arrive at the Layla's biggest weakness; the highs. Now don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved the Layla’s highs when I got it; it was smooth and detailed. But when comparing it to newer flagships, it falls flat and almost dark. The LUNA’s highs could get a little sharp but it never fatigues my ears. In comparison to the Layla, the LUNA is more detailed and gives you more excitement in the higher regions. It really comes down to your preference here. A lot of people, myself included, still like the Layla’s sound signature, as it's a very easy to listen to IEM. It’s also one of the reasons why I liked the Empire Ears Wraith. A lot of people think it sounds dark, but to me, it’s one of the most analytical and relaxing IEM to listen to. In my opinion, it’s pretty much an evolved Layla.
The only area the Layla does have an advantage over the LUNA is the slightly deeper soundstage. The Layla does go a touch deeper with similar width and height as the LUNA. In Imaging though, I have to say the LUNA is cleaner and a touch more accurate with better placement and separation.

FitEar Monet17 (-4BA- Roughly about $1560US converted from Japanese Yen)

These two are quite similar in some aspects but very different in the others.
Sub-bass response is one of the differences. The LUNA’s sub-bass is truly its “weakness” It just doesn’t give excitement. While the Monet17 isn’t as impressive as the IER-Z1R, it comes fairly close to how organic the rumble is presented. I gotta say it’s one of my favorite sub-bass presentations from a Quad BA Driver IEM. Both IEMs have similar mid-bass warmth and punch. But I do have to say, the LUNA gives a bit more air and space in this area while the Monet17 gives more heft.
In the midrange, they’re also somewhat similar, both are full bodied, and offer rich male vocal presentation. When it comes to string instruments, especially on guitars, it becomes a bit interesting. The LUNA is better at rendering clean guitars while the Monet17 crushes it with distorted guitars. The “Tuned especially for Anime Music” becomes clearly apparent here with the Monet17. When you pair it with exactly that genre, they become quite unbeatable. It’s also quite apparent on the high-mids. Monet17’s high-mids are smoother with just enough air and sparkle to make it easier to listen to the usual higher pitched female vocals on Anime songs. Moving to the highs is where it differs again, the Monet17 produces a bit more energy and sparkle while the LUNA gives it a bit more clarity and extension. I gotta say while comparing these two, I’ve come to love the Monet17 quite a bit more now. I’m impressed with the tuning. Being able to keep up with how unique sounding the LUNA is, is quite something. Especially having been 5 years its senior.

Shure SE846 (-4BA- $999US)

Boy oh boy, the good old SE846s. I’ve had it pretty much since it got launched. It still holds a special place in my ears. But unfortunately, like the Layla, while they’re still quite impressive on their own, comparing them to newer IEMs is hard to take in. Either way, we still have to compare the two as it was requested by a user on Head-Fi. So let’s begin.
The deep reaching bass response in the SE846s is still honestly quite impressive for a full BA specced IEM of its age. But unfortunately that’s just about it now. In all other aspects of the spectrum, it’s rather boring and lifeless in comparison to the much livelier and unique sound being produced by LUNA. The LUNA’s mid-bass extending to the midrange just sounded fuller with so much warmth to spare; high-mids have more edge, and have better detail and extension in the highs. It’s sad to say but the SE846 have been completely outclassed by the LUNA.


Here we are guys, we’re finally at the end. It’s quite the journey for me writing this review.
I still have so much to learn about writing, I’m not even sure if what I wrote made sense to you, but thank you so much for giving me your precious time to read my ramblings. I will do even better the next time I write a review.
So after doing an extensive listening with the LUNA, I really have to applaud the whole DUNU team for creating such a unique sounding IEM. I’ve stated this in my first impression post, and I still stand by it. The uniqueness of the LUNA is what makes it a hard IEM to ignore, especially if you’re like me who enjoys a lot of female vocal centric music.

A HUGE shoutout to the DUNU team for the opportunity to be a part of the US/Canada Tour!

I’ll have darker days from now on, as I’ll be saying goodbye to the LUNA. She will now move on to the next lucky person along the tour. I’ll definitely miss listening with them.

I’m excited to hear what their skilled engineers bring to the table next.

Hope you all find my review helpful enough for you to decide if the LUNAs are the right IEMs for you.

Until next time!

Cheers,

Matz

DUNU LUNA

DUNU LUNA has been a revelation to me. I had no idea just how good a single dynamic can really get till I heard the LUNA. After getting the right tips and plugging the LUNA into my Fiio M15. I knew it was a match that I had to continue to explore. The LUNA touts some interesting materials and tech behind the sonics and for what it is worth. DUNU team came out the gate with a bold name to a new flagship that really caught my attention.

This earphone is proof positive that more drivers don’t get you more sonics. Using a single 10mm pure Beryllium dynamic with a polyurethane suspension. Housed in a grade 5 titanium alloy housing. The build is impeccable and is what you would expect from a flagship model.

Opening the Luna is a treat to behold. A big box is what you get and inside that box unfolds layers and layers of goodness in the way of accessories, a USB C dac which was a surprise, 2 pouches, the cables the phones a whole lotta tips and the phones. It is a substantial amount of goodness you get in this packaging. Another surprise to me on opening the box was just how small the earpieces were. Marketing material on their web page would have you believe it is as grand as the moon as the name would indicate. But in reality, in sound only.


The earphones themselves are actually about the size of your garden variety earbud without the foam covering. Very ergonomic with no awkward angles, a brawny size or edges to deal with. The Luna is actually one of the smallest earphones I own. I am very certain the Luna will fit 99% of people that try them and with great comfort. The housing is about as solid as it will get for any earphone. I wouldn’t want to test a 10ft drop but I have little doubts these will take a fall like that with no issue.

The modular clear version of their reference Noble cable ( RP $399.99) is included in the packaging. When asked about the cable.

“The cable with the Luna is the NOBLE cable in clear. We had to silver-plate the surrounding shielding so that the copper shielding doesn't oxidize all green and look ugly. Otherwise, the setup is the same. The conductors are alternating strands of Furukawa OCC copper and DHC silver. The shielding (non-conducting) is coiled OCC copper (or in the case of the LUNA, silver-plated copper).”


If you can’t tell by now Dunu took the time to really think over “the package.” I am here to tell you. You get a top of the line package with the best of the best of what they have in the box. I can honestly say not all companies will do this. So this to me is refreshing and is something that should be a standard for a flagship model. I applaud Dunu for not cutting corners on the whole package of what you get. It is always a good sign that the packaged accessories and unboxing experience is of a flagship caliber.


Noble cable I feel matches extremely well with the Luna, sonically and aesthetically.The modular quick switch system should be the standard for all cables. With so many sources we all use now a days. All with some type of balanced out. This quick change system is so much better than actually changing cables from single ended to a balanced one. It comes with all the popular and the most usable connectors in the box. 3.5mm single, 3.5mm balanced, 2.5mm balanced,4.4mm balanced. Easily switched on the fly. With the cable already matched perfectly for the Luna. Now onto the other aspect of sound optimization.

Tips. As discussed on the impression thread for the Luna. Since each one of us has a unique inner and outer ear. It is imperative that you find the right tips to use for the Luna. Dunu was gracious in providing a good variety of tips including some spin fit premium silicones to try out and you are bound to find a few sets that will match up well for you.

You can’t have enough tips in the earphone game and I can tell you Dunu went above and beyond what most manufacturers throw in for tips. In the end I chose an aftermarket Azla Sendafit tip with a wide opening that fit me well and gives me the best sound sonically. My thoughts about the Luna are all based on the stock cable, Azla tips and the Luna using my sources. Fiio M15, Shanling M6 pro, M5s, M3s, IBasso DX160 and my IFI Black label.

I have been listening to my Luna for the entirety of the lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic in my State and so I have a good understanding of their sonics. They got well over 300 plus hours of burn in and use during this time. Truth about my splurge on the Luna. I was actually saving a bit to get a set of the IER Z1R but decided to go all in on Dunus new flagship. Why so? Sometimes you get that gut feeling. Looking at this design and all that went into it. There is no way these are gonna be a mediocre sounding earphone. So I went for them. Why not. Worse case scenario I can sell 'em off and buy whatever else I would like to try..

Well that didn’t happen. I am happy to report that as impressive as the big box of accessories are, the sound is even better. First time I put on the cable and threw them in my ears. I knew I was dealing with something serious. These are reference IEMs for a reason, and have a high level of detail represented in all regions of the sonics. I have to admit I was a bit worried about 2 aspects of the Luna. One being its small size, I was worried the sound stage would suffer and the other concern was for bass.

As a very important note. If you're curious about the Luna, I encourage you to try and demo the Luna for yourself and not base your perception of them off of graphs. What you might think these sound like based on a graph and how they truly sound are 2 different things. If I was just to strictly base the Luna on graphs it will tell you sub bass is rolled off and has a lot of energy toward the treble region. While there is a bit of a roll off but that don’t mean these don’t rumble in the lowest of notes. In fact this might surprise you but these sound fantastic for bass genres. EDM and even hip hop. As an avid bass fan. While these are not a bass first sounding IEM. They represent in the region splendidly well. Will get to that a bit more later.

Luna to my ears was a treat from the start. Charles Mingus’s, Boogie stop shuffle sounded spectacular with the Luna. Couldn't get them out of my ears. Horns, strings percussion sounded so right so involving, so spacious, a quick listen ended up being a 3 hour session of all my favorite tracks. One after another. The Luna and my Fiio M15 I gotta say has a synergy that is hard to duplicate with anything else I have heard or owned. I am all too happy to report as small as these shells are. The sound is everything but. It has a fairly large scope of sound for in ears and how it projects sound is magical. You're not dealing with a 2D plain of sound here. Slight nuanced detail from your tracks will come at you from all directions. Well recorded acoustical tracks especially sound superb.


Dunu Luna has a finely tuned balanced sound signature for the base of the sound with a lean toward the upper frequencies for exacting clarity and precision. That treble emphasis will have the Luna having a slightly cooler yet accurate tonality, adding a reference level of detail and transients. Shows a slight warmth in the bass to the mids. Ample fullness for lower octave instruments which ends up sounding very natural and true to the recordings. Where it excels is its ability to portray vocal nuance and instrument positioning, layerings in recordings.
Penon Leo Plus cable pictured with Luna.

Showing how transparent the sonics are on the Luna, your sources also matter here. If you own a bright neutral source. You're gonna hear a bright neutral source. Have a full bodied extremely well layered sonically superior dap like the M15 and now you're dealing with end game type earphone and DAP synergy on the go. Some friendly advice: play the Luna on a great sounding dac amp or player and then you will see what Luna can really do. That saying good things in better things out applies here. The Luna will let you hear the sonic ability of each player used with the Luna. Hence the Luna has become my defacto earphone tester for sources.

Sonically the resolving qualities of the pure Beryllium is in full force here and it clearly shows an ability to show you exactly what is in your quality tracks. It has a clear, clean extended transparent treble response. Treble has emphasis over the mids and bass which adds shimmer, clarity and air to the overall tone. The bass end has an equal amount of ability which again the graphs don’t necessarily show you. These are not a bass first IEM so you can’t go into a Luna purchase thinking they will have big bass. They don’t but on the opposite end they don’t sound lacking either. Being a middle porridge of the bass spectrum and emphasis with excellent punch, quickness and that low end textured rumble. These are tuned to be accurate more so than enhancing any area for the low notes. There is slightly more mid bass emphasis than sub bass but again with the right tips the sub bass is plenty good on the Luna and reaches deep.

The mid treble does have some extra emphasis but was deliberately done to bring out the best qualities of the Beryllium dynamic being used in the Luna. I can say without reservation there is no aspect of the Luna that sounds lacking or overly cooked. Some might prefer a more relaxed treble end but I believe the Luna has a great balance of one part dimensional dynamics and another part transparency that makes you take note of their precise presentation. Vocals do not sound shouty and bass is accurate. While tonality leans a bit on the cool side of neutral there is nothing the Luna won't reveal to you. And that is to be expected. You get sound ques from every angle when listening to them. They almost sound binaural due to the extremely well layered sound of the Luna.

A spacious sound with a well rounded stage that surrounds your hearing. While the Luna does not have the widest of IEM sound stages it is so well imaged with a perfectly proportioned depth to height ratio of sound it portrays in ear sonics with absolute type realism that is hard to replicate for other in ears. It is the mid range that I find very special on the Luna. Again the graphs don’t show you just how good vocals and instruments sound on the Luna. Be it male or female. It projects sound exactly how recordings portray it. Breathy and rangy be it Adele’s vocals to Sam Cooke's more analogue larger roomier studio recordings. Each tune has a tone, a uniqueness of the track sounding meticulous using the Luna, and that is something I can’t say with a lot of my other earphones. Shows a true resolving character that you have to hear to truly understand.

Stringed instruments be it Eric Clapton fingers sliding on his guitars to Yo-Yo Ma’s Cello suites low reverb penetrates and represents with a very realistic and accurate defined renditions. The Luna demands attention and leaves you with the emotion of the recording and ultimately this is what listening to music should be about.

Bass is quick agile with an excellent ranginess and attack. Textured sub bass is addictive with a good rumble on the Luna. I would sum it up as more accurate in the bass department than emphasized. Just like the rest of the sonic representation, transparency is shown in the low notes. Bass of the Luna is not highlighted like a lot of earphones but is dependent on how much bass is in the recording. This is the reason why the Luna does not fail for something like RnB or hip hop. Bass was the one area that actually surprised me. The tonality in the bass department is absolute in how it is portrayed and has the ability to morph into any type of low note that is required. Sound separations related to layering of the tracks, each individual instrument has its own space and when taken as a whole the Luna leaves a lasting impression.

The Luna sounds absolutely superb for music which is what it was intended for and in that regard it is a big win for enthusiasts that are looking for exacting qualities in an earphone sound. Sonic details in all parts of the sound when mixed with an airiness and spacious sonic goodness you get something that is special that takes musical enjoyment to a different level.

For my own personal taste. I would like to have just a bit more in the sub bass region, but what makes the Luna shine is a more complete approach in a carefully designed flagship. The tuning is meticulous and balances a fine line between energetic detail mixed with a full on dynamic flare. Ultimately I have nothing that sounds quite like the Luna in my collection and this is from hearing and owning 100s of earphones. They let you know exactly how good your sources and quality tracks are. The Luna will speak to the very reason why you listen to your music in the first place and for that very reason, I feel they succeed. You can find more information about the Luna here. As always stay safe so you can enjoy your music. Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts on the Dunu Luna.

The Dunu Luna is an all-new in-ear monitor which features Dunu’s latest driver: a 10mm beryllium foil dynamic driver with a polyurethane suspension that allows for cleaner and more controlled pistonic driver movement. The Luna retails at $1699, putting it at the top of Dunu’s current lineup, well establishing it as their product flagship.

The Dunu Luna was provided to me by Tom of Dunu as part of a loaner tour on Head-Fi. I will be shipping this unit to the next person in-line immediately following this review release.

Driver
I’ve gone over beryllium drivers before, in my recent review of the Focal Utopia, as well as my very own headphones, the ZMF Verite, although that Verite driver is a coated-beryllium driver. In this case, Dunu uses beryllium in a rolled-foil form, making it the first pure Be driver that I am aware of. Others, like the Shozy Form 1.1/1.4 that I’ve also reviewed, are Be-coated drivers over a traditional plastic driver film.

The Dunu driver is only 10mm, which is smaller than their DK-series of hybrids, which feature a 13mm Be-coated driver. With the smaller driver also comes a smaller shell, this time machined from a titanium alloy, which is finished in a silver-matte appearance and flows quite nicely with the Luna name and theme. It’s a very simple, yet modern and sleek design which I really enjoy, and looks right in-line with the other Dunu IEMs.

Fit
The smaller fit does present a small challenge in getting a good fit and deal. Having small ears, I usually don’t mind and favor smaller IEMs, but the Dunu Luna’s small round shape and shallow nozzle length made me always worry about it losing seal or dropping out. Now that said, once I established a good combination of fit and seal, I never really had issues of leaking sound or it falling out of place, but the mental thought of it was always in the back of my mind because it didn’t feel very secure. I ended up with using Size Large Spinfit tips with this earphone, and they are also included in the unit.



Accessories
So along with the Spinfit tips in all sizes, Dunu also includes their own generic style silicone tips, as well as foam ones. The Luna comes with a large carrying case that has plenty of room for extra accessories and a small Digital Audio Player if you so choose. The cable is a light silver, almost white color with mmcx connectors to the Luna, and Dunu’s patented quick connector on the source end. The package comes with all 4 available connectors – 3.5mm, 3.5mm balanced, 2.5mm balanced and 4.4mm balanced. It also comes with a 6.35mm adapter.



Sound Remarks
The Dunu Luna has a general sound signature that is warm, punchy while having a focused energy in the lower treble that some may find brighter than neutral. In total, I find it to have a nice balance of punchy bass and a tasteful upper boost, although it can be occasionally sharp. Let’s talk about it a little more in detail.
When I popped on the Dunu Luna and some tunes, my first impressions where that it was very resolving, with a good amount of detail retrieval, and a surprisingly punchy and warm sound, that I may not have expected just from staring at the graph and focusing on that lower treble peak. Yes, there’s no denying it’s not present, but it’s not nearly as bad as it may look. I also found the Luna to have quick, yet very controlled transient response that I’d expect with a Beryllium driver.



Bass levels are just above neutral, with a bigger focus on mid-bass than sub-bass although it can reach low. There is definitely a punchy attitude to this IEM, although its slam factor isn’t gigantic, it can still provide some when needed. Like I mentioned, bass response on the Luna is very agile, providing good clean and fast response that is good to bring out micro-details from songs. Texturing is good, and overall, I enjoy the bass, though I would prefer more focus on sub-bass than the punchy and warmer nature of the mid-bass boost of the Luna.

In “Cherry-Coloured Funk” by Cocteau Twins, the very opening of the track kicks off with a powerful bassline that is played back with the expected grand nature on Luna. This attribute does lend itself to the mid-bass and warmer style of the IEM, however I did find Liz Fraser’s vocals to be a bit too strained and peaky. Her voice is ethereal already, and headphones and IEMs that exaggerate upper mid-range and lower treble frequencies can make her voice stand out and become overly harsh and fatiguing and the Dunu Luna does hover that fine line.

In Chrvches’ “Get Out”, I found the general sound was very punchy although only had a decent amount of slam. During the bridge, however, I felt the bass and mid-range textures were presented very well on Luna, but again, my main concern is that the chorus, where Lauren Mayberry echoes her “Get Out” song title over and over again, to sound a bit bright and fatiguing.

This isn’t necessarily going to be a problem for every song or style of music, but I do find that the Luna’s 3-6KHz region is over-emphasized and I wish it was tamed down a few decibels so it wasn’t so far removed from the midrange.

This extra presence isn’t always bad though. In the bluegrass pop tracks, “Gravity” and “Restless” from Alison Krauss & Union Station’s early 2000 record, “Lovely Runs Both Ways,” I find that the strings, whether they are guitars, mandolins, dobros or fiddles – they have a nice exacting sound that has nice harmonics that flow and are well conveyed with emphasis. Yes, it can be a little sharp at times, but in general, I don’t find it troublesome at my lower listening volumes. In addition, here, the angelic sound of Krauss’ famous voice is placed in the entire spotlight.

The mid-range has a little bit of warmth to it, which I wasn’t necessarily expecting. It’s not thick by any means, but it has enough body that it doesn’t sound thin. When I listened to some live tracks by the band, Brad, the late Shawn Smith, sounded excellent. His bravado voice carries a lot of the energy I expect. His vibrato-style of singing comes in with good detail and texturing. Stone Gossard’s guitar-work is also clean and precise, and imaging seems to match what I see on-screen well.

In Air’s “All I Need”, vocals sound more forward than other in-ears. The synth melodies the French band produces are very energetic and occasionally shrill, while guitars are well-defined. This song has a lot of textures and layering built-around the keyboards and guitars and I find the Luna plays them back well, however, music like this can be fatiguing over time.

“Rain on Tin” by Sonic Youth, however, sounds excellent. I wish this band were still together, but alas, we still have their wonderful back catalog to choose music from, and like I’ve mentioned before, the Luna’s strengths are its precise string-play, good instrument separation, and (for better or for worse), it’s lower treble harmonics. With Sonic Youth’s abundance and mixture of electric guitars, all on different filters and effects, playing various riffs in full harmony, the Luna does a good job of separating the guitar chaos into a coherent rock song.


Comparisons

The Dunu Luna is a single dynamic flagship IEM and so the comparisons expected are probably to other higher-tier solo dynamics. Unfortunately, I do not have any on hand to demo side-by-side. From memory, I find the Luna to be a cut above the Campfire Vega and Atlas and unfortunately, I have not had the chance to listen to the other new beryllium driver IEM, the Final A8000. While both the Vega and Atlas have much more bass emphasis, I find both to be a bit muddy and lacking clean texture. The Vega is also a bit harsh and sibilant, and extremely fatiguing to me. The Atlas seemed to sound different from the first time I heard it and the following times. That said, I think it’s respectable, but still falls short in the major technical areas that the Luna stands out on.

When comparing to IEMs I do have on hand, I find it’s closest in sound to the Hidition Viento, which I now own both in universal and custom form. While the Viento is a 4-BA IEM, and does not feature a dynamic driver, it does share similarly large pinna gains, though it’s not as boosted in 5KHz as the Luna is. I find the Viento to have a more natural tonality than the Luna and perhaps even image a little better. The Luna is punchier and slightly warmer, and generally presents bass more naturally though both are on the quicker side of things. Viento actually reaches deeper in sub-bass though. In terms of just raw resolution, I think the are both quite close with perhaps a small edge to the Luna, as it mixes both clean raw resolution with a more natural harmonic sound, even if it’s slightly bright. I still prefer the Viento over the Luna though, and that’s based on tonality being more accurate and the better subbass extension.



The qdc Anole VX impresses more in resolution and bass response, while the Luna has a nice well-controlled punch sound that the VX sometimes doesn’t have – punchiness, as opposed to control. That’s something the VX may top Luna in, though again, it’s close. The VX’s bass is weightier and has nice subbass rumble, while also have nice clean texture and resolution, something that the Luna can do too, but without as much weight. I think both have slightly off-skew tonality when it reaches the treble region, with the Luna overly bright around 3-5KHz, and VX having a sharp peak at 7.5KHz which, in both cases, can cause some music to sound a bit plasticky or sharp.




Conclusion




I did not know what to really expect when I got the Luna in. I had not really looked at other reviewer impressions nor had I taken a deep look at the frequency response. I always wondered how a full Be driver could behave in an IEM after experiencing the benefits on the Focal Utopia and Stellia in full-sized headphones. For the most part, I think Dunu succeeded with many of the technical aspects of in-ear audio. I find the Luna has good resolution, transient response, and a nice punchy bass.

Where it does lack is overall timbre and tonality. I wish there was just a little bit more sub-bass boost, and a little tamer lower treble. It’s not as bad as other IEMs I’ve tried in the past, but it can be a little fatiguing at times. When I gave this feedback back to Dunu, they mentioned that dampening the driver to tune down the treble peak would reduce a lot of the technical aspects that the Be driver and limit the potential of the driver.

As it is for most things, it’s a game of compromises. Just like the qdc Anole VX, which excels in technical performance, it does give way to some minor tonality aberrations. The Luna’s trade-off between technical performance and treble gain and inconsistencies is a question for each listener to answer. Besides that, I find the overall package of the Luna to be great with the big complement of accessories, a large well-designed case, and a beautiful cable with quick-connectors for every source.