DUNU Studio SA6

Overview:

Up for review today is the DUNU SA6 (SA6.) I picked these up used form a fellow Head-Fier so that I could review them for YOU, and to use them for future comparisons (oh, and because they look awesome.) The SA6 has 6 BA drivers, hence the name, with 2x AcuPass Vented Dual Woofers, 2x custom midrange drivers, and 2x custom dual tweeters. The SA6 also comes with a switch that can change the tuning from neutral to bassier – yayyy switches… More importantly, the Dunu comes with gorgeous faceplates that remind me of the Rosson RAD-0. It’s a nice touch that helps the SA6 stand out from the crowd.

The SA6 is often considered one of the best IEMs in its price range – and possibly under $1K. There are quite a few other IEMs in the price range including the Moondrop Variations, Kinera Skuld, Thieaudio Oracle, etc. Certainly, there is nothing that looks quite like the SA6 with its stabilized stained wood faceplates (except the relatively unknown AAW W900.) Of course, under the SA6 there are a lot of standout IEMs, the Blessing2/Dusk, The Raptgo Hook X, The 7Hz line, the TRUTHEAR HEXA. There is also a lot of really good IEMs above the SA6, Letshuoer’s line, Meze’s Advar, Softears RSV, Audeze, etc. So the real question is: should you get the SA6, save your money and get something cheaper, or spend more money than the SA6? That is what the review below attempts to find out.



Build Quality / Comfort:

The build quality on the SA6 is really good – no HEXA-like build here. Shiny one-piece resin and gorgeous wood faceplates make this feel like a premium product. The weight is good and the size is pretty small, sort of like a high-end DQ6S. The cable is surprisingly good. No cable rant here except to other companies that charge 5x as much and don’t include cables this nice. Heck, it’s even better than the Monarch Mk2 cable, which is has paracord microphonics and kink memory. The SA6 cable is even modular, with a 2.5mm, 3.5mm, and 4.4mm connection end so you can get balanced or unbalanced connection form the IEMs. The cable is also not paracord, but there are still some obvious microphonics from it, even when listening to music. It’s not too thick, not too tangly, not to heavy, it’s a solid stock IEM cable.

The comfort level is really good and I have no issues with the cable or the IEMs fitting. I’m using the Spinfit W1 tips with this since the stock tips were used and…gross (you can get them here if you want some: https://amzn.to/3XXudBt.) I will also be using the stock cable with the 4.4mm because it doesn’t anger me very much (The Kinera Leyding (you can get one here if you want one: https://amzn.to/3RDuirZ) is honestly still better because it’s less microphonic and lighter, but it’s $70 instead of included.) The accessories are pretty nice as well. You get a nice leather case, a multitude of tips, and 3 different L-shaped termination jack connections. Heck, it’s as good as or better than most kilobuck and above IEMs (Mezzo excluded.)

Sound / Source / Comparisons:

Looking at the squig.link frequency response graph (switch on), I don’t have anything in the $550 range on hand, but you can see how close the $19 TRUTHEAR HOLA and the SA6 are. Yes, that’s a bit depressing that you can get almost identical tuning for $530 less. The build quality isn’t there on the HOLA and the cable is not as nice, no fancy faceplates either – still, wow. You’ll have to decide what you care about more, quality or money (oh, and a gimmick switch.) The HOLA actually has more bass and mids until 600 hz, then the SA6 (switch on) kicks it up a notch through the low-highs and then does some fun dips and mountains in the highs while the HOLA stays more neutral until 8k. These both have Monarch Mk2 tuning, and that’s a good thing.



I will be running the SA6 and HOLA from my Shangling M3 Ultra (M3U) from Tidal Hi-Fi on balanced 4.4mm with low gain. The SA6 runs comfortably between 25-30/100 on balanced and the HOLA runs between 28-35/100 with the Leyding cable and stock tips on balanced. The SA6 are more efficient and will save battery life over the HOLA on DAPs.

As usual, I don’t like breaking down headphones solely by frequency range since every song has bass, mids, and highs (and I can’t tell the difference between vocals at 1900 Hz and 2100 Hz.) So, I will start with bass-heavy songs, then move to mids-focused and lastly highs-focused songs, then break down each song by how all the pieces are presented. You can find my Tidal test tracks playlist in my signature if you want to compare them to your headphones.

The sub/mid-bass test track will be David Guetta’s “I’m Good (Blue).” The intro bass drums have decent impact, but not amazing, there’s no extra reverberation and it’s very quick, tight bass. The Sub-bass at 0:38 is decent, but definitely not among the best I’ve ever heard. It’s still quite audible, but can’t touch the sub-bass on the $29 KZ X HBB DQ6S. I’d put it around the same as the $23 7Hz SALNOTES Zero. The synths sound pretty good and vocals aren’t bad either, but they both come in a little blurry with less detail and presence than I would like on this song. The soundstage is pretty flat here, but better than the HOLA, and instrument separation is good, but not mind-blowing. The HOLA has good highs on this song and good bass impact. The Sub-bass has more rumble on the HOLA, more of that breath stopping quality I want to hear from this song. The vocals and Synths are clearer and more forward on the HOLA. Both IEMs sound similar with crisp cymbals and snares. It’s basically a tie here, with more sub-bass and more forward mids on the HOLA, but a bigger soundstage and better instrument separation on the SA6.

Today’s mids-test song is “The Zephyr Song” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The vocals and guitars come through very clearly on this song. The snares and high-hats have more body and more presence on the SA6. The lows sound good on the SA6, but the HOLA has noticeably better bass guitar and bass drums. The soundstage is larger on the SA6 once more and the guitar at 2:10 sounds fantastic on the SA6, and better than the HOLA. Instrument separation is once again better on the SA6. If you like bass guitars and bas drums and sub-bass, the HOLA and HEXA are better than the SA6. If you want that soundstage, better quality mids and more forward highs, the SA6 wins.

Moving on to the sibilance test with Panic! At The Disco’s “High Hopes.” There is definitely some sharpness/sibilance from the SA6 on this song, which you typically get from highs-forward IEMs, so not much of a surprise there. The horns in the intro sound good, and the low horns are present, which they aren’t on everything. My previous comments on the mids apply to most of this song as well. The HOLA sounds much flatter on this song and has worse sibilance/sharpness to the point where it’s almost unlistenable and I had to turn it down.

While we’ve already determined that the highs sound good on “The Zephyr Song,” I like Dream Theater’s “The Alien” to test how the highs come in with an otherwise busy soundstage. I am very impressed with the highs performance on the SA6. The high-hats and cymbals can be clearly and distinctively heard – this is a Mezzo LE with switch 3 on, level of highs performance. The guitars still come through nicely on the solo and the drums are good as well. Very impressive performance from the SA6 on this song. The HOLA just sounds muddy here with nowhere near the level of highs performance the SA6 has, and a very 2D soundstage. The guitar solo still sound good, and the highs performance is on par with the ZMF Aeolus, which is still good. The HOLA is still a super impressive $19 IEM.

Alright, I get it, it’s not fair to compare a $550 IEM to a $19 IEM you’re screaming. But frankly, their tuning is so similar that it’s pretty fair. You would think the SA6 would trash the HOLA, but it doesn’t except in the highs. That’s either embarrassing for DUNU or high praise for TRUTHEAR (the HEXA is better than the HOLA and SA6 at $80.) Still, the DUNU has some really good qualities, just not at the $550 price. For a lot of people, that’s the answer, just get the HEXA, a $70 Kinera Leyding cable, $20 Spinfit tips, and save yourself $300+ if you’re not worried about crappier build quality/feel of the HEXA. If you want the really clean highs and the build quality and looks, grab the SA6 (used or on sale.) I think the Sa6 used to be really good when it was first released, but a lot of newer IEMs have similar tuning and can do a lot of things better for cheaper.



Conclusion:

Fantastic high, decent mids, and OK lows make the SA6 a bit of an enigma. For Metal, they sound great and you get all of that high-hat and snare goodness, but for EDM and bassier song, take a pass. This is a mids and highs-focused IEM, not a jack of all trades, so purchase accordingly`. DUNU, take the SA6, keep the wood faceplates, remove the switch gimmick and make the up position the normal tuning, and sell these for $350 – change nothing else. Profit.

Some audiophiles think that someday their will be "game over", but I want to disappoint these audiophiles. The end of the game can come only for one reason, you will cease to be an audiophile...and here I again want to disappoint you and at the same time gladden...you cannot stop being an audiophile, this is one of the few "good" chronic diseases

Fine art and audio devices have a lot in common. Each new product, whether it is successful or not very successful, is an attempt by an artist, an engineer, and an artist, designer (in fact, there are many more of these people). Each new product is the result of painstaking and very complex work, a large group of people

Now I will tell you about a product that was made by a group of people who were visited by the most important SPIRIT of the Audio universe

I was greeted by a very small box with very beautiful printing. I often throw away boxes from new IEMs, but I have kept this one for myself, firstly, it takes up very little space, and secondly, it is very beautiful

It will surprise you, but the design of the box says a lot about which SPIRIT of Audio art has visited the developers. I'll make a reservation, a lot of gold and large boxes do not mean that this is the highest SPIRIT in the audio SPIRIT caste. But very often the box speaks of the quality of what is inside

There is a quantitative asceticism inside, but what is given is of the highest quality. Large and comfortable case, 3 types of eartips with different sound properties

The cable is so good that you don't immediately pick up the SA6, it is moderately soft, heavy, thick and very beautiful. Each cable is individually numbered. There is a possibility of quick replacement of the jack (2.5, 3.5, 4.4)

And now a real miniature masterpiece from DUNU audio artists. Shells SA6 are anatomically shaped and very comfortable, they are small in size, suitable for 95% of audio art lovers. In addition to the iconic resin shells, SA6 is adorned with faceplate made of painted stabilized wood...yes, this is not a novelty, but it was DUNU that make it inimitable, red-blue color, each one faceplate has a unique natural pattern, it is insanely beautiful

When you hold any work of art made by hands, even children, you feel the energy of the master, in this case, when I hold SA6, I have similar feelings

I will describe the sound as subjective and biased as possible, because I really like it and this greatly affects my assessment. High frequencies have an airy and very pleasant basis, with excellent reproduction of male and female vocals, string instruments sound very natural, the sound is filled with overtones

The mids have a very high resolution, they come into perfect resonance with the listener's hearing aid, they convey the soul and full structure of the sound of any musical instrument. The bass here, of course, cannot be compared with the bass of any DD, but the way BA Sonion works out the bass, it causes goosebumps, they still occur to me even now, when I write about it

The bass has amazing attacks, the sabbass goes as low as you can hear it. This is the best BA IEMs bass I've ever heard. The shells have a switch that increases the amount of bass, but I do not use it, because the amount of existing bass is enough for me

SA6 has a neutral presentation, but not dry, but very emotional. BA are docked as coherently as possible, I do not hear joints or adjacent frequencies creep over each other. The overall sound is very natural, detailed and catchy

Audio artists from DUNU have made another masterpiece, this masterpiece is not cheap, but it is worth every penny invested in it. SA6 is a true audiophile product with its own unique spirit that I wish every audiophile

Having touched the great, remember that great has no limit! ©

#DUNU #DunuTopsound #DunuSA6 #PenonAudio @DUNU-Topsound @Penon

DUNU SA6 :: A Comparative Review




Summary & Objective:

You have already come across many reviews of @DUNU-Topsound SA6 which focuses on it's technical capabilities & sound performance details.
This review is not that kind of a review. I will be skipping most of the features and details and getting directly into comparisons with other IEMs in similar or slightly higher price categories. This review is based on request I have received from many people and would want to cover few of the requested comparisons.

If you are looking for a detailed review of the SA6 technical features & technicalities - would highly recommend that you read the review in the link below by Mr. @kmmbd as that is well written review to which I agree for most of the parts.

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/dunu-studio-sa6.24665/review/25633/



Disclaimer:

This review unit was not supplied by @DUNU-Topsound and I do not own the SA6 either.
I had loaned this SA6 unit from a friend for the purpose of an honest comparative review.
Everything mentioned in this review are purely my own based on my experiences with the IEM .



Specifications:

The DUNU SA6 comes with $549 price tag and the specifications are as below:

https://www.dunu-topsound.com/sa6-detail

• BRAND: DUNU
• MODEL: Studio SA6
• NET WEIGHT: 11 g
• FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 5 Hz - 40 kHz
• SENSITIVITY: 113 ± 1 dB at 1 kHz
• IMPEDANCE: 60 Ω at 1 kHz
• TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION: < 0.5% at 1 kHz
• BALANCED ARMATURE DRIVER CONFIGURATION:
• BASS [2]: Sonion AcuPass Vented Dual Woofer
• MIDRANGE [2]: Knowles Custom Midrange Driver (×2)
• TREBLE [2]: Knowles Custom Dual Tweeter
• 
  
• TUNING MODES:
• Default Signature (Switch Position ‘I’)
• Atmospheric Immersion (Switch Position ‘ON’)
• 
  
• HOUSING MATERIAL:
• SHELL: German Nice-Fit Hand-Poured UV Acrylic Resin
• FACEPLATE: High-Grade Stabilized Wood
• 
  
• CABLE LENGTH: 1.2 ± 0.1 m
• CABLE CONNECTOR: 2-Pin (0.78 mm)
• WIRE MATERIAL:
• 8 Core, High-Purity, Monocrystalline, Silver-Plated Copper
• PLUG CONNECTOR:
• Patented DUNU Quick-Switch Modular Plug System
• INCLUDED PLUG TERMINATION(S):
• 4.4 mm TRRRS Balanced,
• 3.5 mm TRS Single-Ended
• 2.5 mm TRRS Balanced

NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT THE SOUND....

Items Used for this Review:

DAC/AMP: @iFi audio Micro iDSD Signature, Luxry & Precision W2 Dongle DAC/AMP
DAP/Source : Cayin N6 Mk2 with T01 motherboard, @Shanling M6 PRO (Ver 21), @FiiO M3 PRO
Streaming Source: QOBUZ
Ear Tips:
I've tried tip-rolling with a variety of tips including Final Audio E Series Transparent Red, @SpinFit Eartip CP145 and JVC Spiral Dots. I've found Final E series tips to suit me preferences best and have used that mostly.



Tracks Used:
The tracks I have used can be found from the below playlist that I have used and generally use for most reviews... I would like to thank @Otto Motor for his contribution here.




SA6 Sound Impressions in Short:

The BASS:

The Bass of the SA6 comes with good attack & Intensity and are quite dense for a BA. In tracks like : "Anna R. Chie (Remastered) - Konstantin Wecker" and "My Queen Is Ada Eastman - Sons Of Kemet" you can really feel the drums and their attack - however you will also feel that there are not enough transients like you would get from a Dynamic driver based Bass. Though the SA6 bass is amongst the best all BA bass in the price range - it is not comparable to a good performing Dynamic driver bass in terms of details retrieval & transients.

The MIDS:

Midrange is where the SA6 is great and very enjoyable. It is smooth & musical & comes with enough texture & muscle. The vocals are very immersive and both male and female vocals come with good amount of details. Instruments sounded natural. In tracks like: "Porch Swing - Trace Bundy" and "Rickover's Dream - Michael hedges" while you will enjoy the overall midrange - you will also miss some of the transients of guitar plucks and other instrument percussions. Overall it has amongst the best midrange performance for the price range.

The TREBLE:

Treble is quite enjoyable and non-fatiguing. Cymbals sound natural and tracks like “Chocolate Chip Trip – Tool” sounded great and the track was very enjoyable.
The treble has enough details and texture and is very commendable for the price.

The SOUNDSTAGE:

The SA6 has an above average Soundstage with a slightly lower width& height emphasis but good depth. It is well defined and just as much as the track requires. Tracks like: “ The Secret Drawer – Bela Fleck and the Flecktones” or “Bohemian Rhapsody (live aid) – Queen” sound good & enjoyable whilst I personally would prefer a slightly better staging like the CA Mammoth.

Imaging & Timbre:

The SA6 also comes with just great Imaging & timbre performances. Tracks like: “Rotterdam (Or Anywhere) - The Beautiful South “or “Hello Again - Howard Carpendale & The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra” just shine through due to the great separation & sense of positioning and timbre.



Comparisons:

This is the key differentiator of this review and this is where many other IEMs of similar price range gets compared to the SA6 in no particular order.

DUNU SA6 vs TRI Starshine vs UM 3DT:

The DUNU SA6 comes at a slightly higher price than both the TRI Starshine ($450) and the UM 3DT ($350). While the SA6 is all BA IEM, the Starshine is a hybrid and the 3DT comes with 3 DD architecture. For the purpose of this comparison, I have kept the "Atmospheric Immersion mode" to ON on the DUNU SA6 .

Bass: The TRI Starshine has a punchier bass which I personally prefer while the DUNU SA6 comes with better detailed and textured Bass performance.
I much prefer Dynamic Driver based Bass of the 3DT here none of these two IEMs have.

Mids: The DUNU SA6 has much better and textured mids. more detailed and vocals sound a tad but better. But the Starshine is just great too while falling behind the SA6 here. Hoever, both Starshine and the 3DT lacks in terms of details when compared to the SA6 here.

Treble: I think in this department the Starshine has a smoother Treble performance while the SA6 is just great with details and texture. 3DT also does ok.
Soundstage & Timbre: In terms of soundstage the TRI Starshine beats the SA6 & 3DT quite handsomely both in terms of width and depth. The SA6 seems to have better imaging while Starshine seems to have equally good timbre. the 3DT is the winner in terms of timbre.


DUNU SA6 vs CA Mammoth vs Kinera NORN:

All 3 of the IEMs come at approx. $500 price range - with DUNU SA6 & CA Mammoth at $549 while NORN comes at $509.
Both Mammoth & NORN are hybrids with DD+ BA architecture while the SA6 is an all BA IEM. For the purpose of this comparison, I have kept the "Atmospheric Immersion mode" to ON on the DUNU SA6 .

Bass: The Mammoth comes with a much detailed and punchier bass response than both NORN & SA6 while the NORN comes with very deep bass thumps & slam.
The BA based bass of the SA6 has a good balance but is just not as enjoyable.

Mids: The midrange on the SA6 is significantly better than both the Mammoth & the NORN. The NORN comes with forward vocals which a niche segment may prefer but is not desired by all. While the SA6 reigns supreme in the midrange the Mammoth is preferable over the NORN.

Treble: The Treble on the SA6 is more balanced and enjoyable than the other 2 but Mammoth is not far behind also. The NORN has non-fatiguing treble also but not nrealy as detailed as the other two.
Soundstage & Timbre: This is where the Mammoth just reigns supreme. both in terms of staging & imaging. It has a massive stage with great width, height & depth and also very good sense of direction. The timbre of the Mammoth is the best of the 3 and hence in this category the Mammoth is clearly ahead.


DUNU SA6 vs CA Holocene:

Its hard to find another all BA IEM in the $549 range and the Campfire Audio Holocene is the closest competitor in that category coming at slightly higher price of $649. For the purpose of this comparison, I have kept the "Atmospheric Immersion mode" to ON for the SA6 - as it enhances bass and the Holocene is a great performer in that department.

Bass: The SA6 is a good balanced performer when it comes to bass specially with the "Atmospheric Immersion mode" to ON. Despite that, the Holocene bass seemed to have equal performance in terms of density & richness but the attack & slam & thumps seemed better on the Holocene with better depth also.

Mids & Treble: The SA6 has a great midrange and treble performance for the price range as it is tuned closer to the Harman Curve. However, Despite the not-so-harman-friendly tuning of the Holocene - the midrange is quite enjoyable with richness texture and vocals also sound great. having said that, the upper mids of Holocene are slightly recessed while the upper treble is quite elevated. I found it quite enjoyable despite that.

Soundstage & Timbre: This is where the Holocene shines much brighter as the SA6 staging though good but is narrower than the Holocene in terms of both width & height. Also, depth sense on the Holocene seemed better. Imaging & timbre seemed equally good on both and not much of difference there.



Conclusion :

The DUNU SA6 is a truly balanced performer and likely amongst the best performing IEMs in the $500 or lower price range. It's really hard to find an overall better performer in that category. It is a great value-for-money and highly recommended for people who seek a balanced performance with a great tuning.