Dunu Titan 1es Black

 
 

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Preamble:

I do personally own a few and have reviewed some of DUNU’s in-ears and while some are probably not the best suited models for treble-shy people, none (except for the I5C that wouldn’t be my first choice compared to other similarly priced single-BA in-ears) has failed to convince or even impress me when it was about technical quality.
When it comes to single dynamic driver in-ears, especially in the sub $150 price range, the already 22-year-old Chinese company’s “Titan” line in-ears are what I consider to be among the best value in their price range for the money and also belong to my personal favourites here (the only downside is that they can sound thin and shouty if the vents are a little too far away from the ears, however I can say that I am lucky that my ears are very compatible with a good vent placement of these in-ears so I don’t experience any thin or shouty sound unless I force the Titan in-ears’ vents to be too far from my ears).

In the Titan range, there is one model that keeps the titanium-coated dynamic diaphragm but is more lightweight, available in three colours, features a different and innovative wearing method and is even more budget-friendly, costing only half as much as the other Titan in-ears. The particular model I am talking about is the DUNU Titan 1es (http://www.dunu-topsound.com/titan1es.html) that was introduced some time after the successful Titan 1.
In this review, I will figure out in what ways it differs from the Titan 1 and also put it up against another of my favourite titanium-coated diaphragm in-ears, the Fidue A65.


Before I continue, I would like to thank Vivian from DUNU for sending me a sample of the Titan 1es in-ears free of charge for the purpose of an honest, unbiased evaluation and review.


Technical Specifications:

Price: ~ $55 - 60 (for example Amazon, Lend Me Ur ears or Penon Audio)
Driver: dynamic, 14 mm, titanium-coated
Impedance: 16 Ohms
Weight: 13 g
SPL: 102 (+/- 2) dB


Delivery Content:

The first thing you will notice is that the package is smaller than the one for DUNU’s other Titan in-ears, however you cannot deny that it is a package that carries a design that I would consider as being typical for DUNU with the big letters, nice description and the magnetic flap.
Inside, one will find the in-ears, a circular and zippered carrying case that I already know from the Alpha 1 earbuds, ear guides, a shirt clip, three pairs of red core silicone tips as well as three pairs of longer and grey silicone tips.
So in contrast to the Titan 1, we get one type of ear tips less and a less premium carrying case that is however still nice.
 

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Looks, Feels, Build Quality:

The Titan 1es in-ears have adopted the “UFO”-like appearance of the other Titan series in-ears but are made of plastic instead of metal and also smaller. On the inner side of the bodies, there is only one vent as opposed to the Titan 1 that features multiple vents.
The permanently attached cable is transparent and one can see the silver-plated strands through it. Unlike the Titan 1, there is no nylon coating below the y-split which I consider as better this way as it cannot fray then and won’t soak sweat. Of course the cable doesn’t lack DUNU’s patent-pending cable managing tool.
The y-split, cable cinch and angled 3.5 mm plug are made of shiny silver metal and feature good strain relief that is however lacking directly at the ear pieces.
The cable feels well and is flexible albeit ever so slightly springy.
 

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Unlike the other Titan models, the Titan 1es has got a pretty convenient cable “attachment” directly at the housings that allows for a wearing method with the permanently attached cable either around the ears or straight down, as pictured on the inner side of the package.
 

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Comfort, Isolation:

Comfort is good in my ears. That the cable can now be natively worn around the ears is a great plus in my view as it might improve the comfort for some and is generally more secure and reduces microphonics. Speaking of which, using the cable cinch and wearing the cables around the ears, microphonics are extremely little.
 

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Isolation is not the best but a bit better than with the very open Titan 1. Nonetheless I definitely wouldn’t recommend the Titan 1es in a (very) loud environment if you are looking for halfway good noise isolation.


Sound:

Source devices for listening were mainly my iBasso DX90 as well as the Cowon Plenue M2 and iBasso DX80. On my computer, I used the LH Labs Geek Out IEM 100 and HiFime 9018d with foobar 2000 as software player for my CDs.

I used the largest included red core silicone tips for listening.

Tonality:

Just like the other Titan in-ears, the Titan 1es has got a front-vented driver with the vent sitting directly where it gets most likely covered by your ears. Just as with the other Titan series in-ears, the distance between your ear and the vent (and therefore how much it is covered) will directly affect the amount of bass you are hearing.
I wasn’t really aware of this during my reviews of the other Titan in-ears and wondered why there were mixed impressions of their tonality and especially bass quantity/tonal balance in the German and American/international community. After I did some measurements with open, closed and halfway closed vents of the Titan 3 and Titan 5, it became clear to me that people who don’t get a close fit with decent vent coverage would experience a thin and unbalanced sound with the Titan 3. I, who never experienced this due to my ear anatomy that matches the Titans’ shape and vent position very well, then did an experiment where I artificially increased the distance between the Titan 3’s vent and my ears using a spacer, and voilà, the sound wasn’t somewhat warm, smooth and balanced but instead thin, lean and shouty.
The phenomenon of the vents’ proximity to one’s ears directly affecting the amount of bass can also be heard and seen with the Titan 1es that is no exception. With a more distant and open vent, it will have a pretty neutral bass and forward mids whereas it can become somewhat bass-forward but not bass-heavy with greater vent coverage and closer vent proximity to your ears. For my ear anatomy, the latter is rather the case (but not fully).

So how does the Titan 1es sound in my ears? Surprisingly a good bit different to the Titan 1 (that I will compare it to later on in a dedicated section of this review).
To my ears, the Titan 1es has got pretty much exactly 6 dB more bass quantity than a diffuse-field flat sounding in-ear like the Etymotic ER-4S (depending on your ear anatomy, this value might either be greater or lesser). What I am hearing, listening to sine sweeps, is that it starts climbing at 500 Hz and reaches its climax around 200 Hz, and then keeps its level down into the lowest sub-bass at 20 Hz.
What I am hearing then is a strong and present, emphasised midrange – yes, I would consider the Titan 1es as a mid-forward/-centric in-ear (which I don’t hear with the Titan 3 that I perceive as quite balanced sounding with a very slightly warm bottom-end) that can also sound somewhat shouty and canny at times. Regarding timbre, the mids are tonally quite accurate, however due to the lift in the lower root and the lift in the middle highs (more about that in a moment), really low and really high singers’ voices are somewhat on the warmer respectively brighter side at times, but for the most parts the vocals aren’t coloured but only forward.
Now to the highs: around 3 and 8/9 kHz, I hear them as being a bit in the background wherefore the Titan 1es is definitely not as bright sounding as the other Titan siblings. It could almost be described as being on the slightly darker side if it wasn’t for the middle treble around 5 kHz. Just as with the other Titan in-ears, this area is emphasised. Those who are sensitive to elevations here might find the Titan 1es somewhat unpleasant here. I am not as sensitive here and don’t mind an emphasis in the middle highs most of the time, however together with the forward midrange, I just wish that the range around 5 kHz was somewhat less present in order to be less exhausting. This 5 kHz emphasis with no brightness/elevation in the other parts of the treble also makes the highs sound somewhat unnatural and artificial. Here I find the other three Titan in-ears to be (much?) better tuned in the treble because of their generally bright upper range tendency that suits their overall balance and tuning better in my view. With the Titan 1es however, I am questioning why the mids and 5 kHz range are pushed forward without brightness in the rest of the treble, which makes the tuning appear not only artificial but also exhausting (at least for me).
As much as I really like/love the other three Titan in-ears, the Titan 1es doesn’t get my full approval for a fitting tonality as its w-shape just doesn’t sound natural to me, no matter whether subjectively or objectively. This is not really apparent with high quality but fully electronically produced music that I like to listen to outside and sometimes in-between, but for everything that contains real instruments in the treble (drum kit, trumpets, pianos, violins), the tonal balance in the highs sounds too much off to me. Cymbal crashes and trumpets just sound… weird to me.

If you are using an equalizer, I would strongly recommend to reduce the middle mids by some dBs (large bandwidth), to decrease the level around 5 kHz by some dBs (small bandwidth), to slightly increase the level around 2.5 and 3 kHz (average bandwidth) and also to increase the range around 7 to 12 kHz by a few dBs (large bandwidth).

If you’re not afraid of a bright and forward treble, I would personally rather recommend the FiiO EX1 that is basically a more affordable DUNU Titan 1 over the Titan 1es.

Resolution:

The titanium-coated driver inside fails to disappoint – just as with the other three Titan in-ears, I would definitely count the Titan 1es to the better dynamic driver in-ears below $200 based on pure technical capabilities.
The sound and bass feels nimble, quick as well as controlled and not slow or muddy at all. The bass is fast, clean and detailed. There is no slowness and the decay as well as attack are quick and controlled. The bass is, in my opinion, definitely among the better/best single dynamic driver in-ears.
The details in the mids are good but just as with the Titan 1, I find them to lack the last edge of refinement to be perfectly detailed compared to the lows and highs.
The treble is clean and well separated.

Soundstage:

The Titan 1es won’t give you an as immersive and open soundstage as the Titan 1 but the presented room is not small either and from what I perceive still quite open and large, making it larger than average and exceeding the space inside of my head and between my ears. The Titan 1es presents a fairly wide and also deep soundstage with plenty of room around and between instruments as well as precisely positioned and cleanly separated instruments. Regarding openness, I would also see it somewhat above the Titan 3 and Titan 5 that don’t have a small but rather averagely sized soundstage.

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In Comparison with other In-Ears:



 
DUNU Titan 1:
When it comes to build quality, the Titan 1 appears more premium and while I am not a fan of the nylon-coated part of its cable, it is more flexible. In the winter though, the (qualitatively nice) plastic housings of the Titan 1es are much better for outdoor use.

Bass quantity of both in-ears is about identical in my ears, however the Titan 1 appears leaner in comparison because of its audibly brighter overall treble.
In the midrange, the Titan 1es is kind of like the opposite of the Titan 1 to me which I find to sound somewhat distant here.
The Titan 1 is brighter in the treble. It is not the most realistic sounding in-ear here either, but I find the tonal harmony to be good and it fits to the overall sound signature, without appearing too artificial. The Titan 1 in comparison to the Titan 1es seems audibly more natural to me despite its also forward middle highs.

When it comes to technical qualities, I don’t really see a clear winner and would say that both are pretty much identical. Both have got an identically precise and quick bass along with a cleanly separated treble and the only area where the Titan 1 is slightly ahead is the midrange that sounds a little more refined in direct comparison.

Regarding soundstage, the Titan 1es’s isn’t even that much smaller but just a little while separation and placement are similar.

Fidue A65:
The A65 has got the much more premium feeling housings with lacquered copper whereas the Titan 1es has got the somewhat more practical accessories.

In terms of tonality, the Fidue has got somewhat less overall bass quantity and less sub-bass extension but sounds a bit warmer and darker overall.
In the mids, the DUNU is audibly more present although the Fidue’s vocal range isn’t recessed by any means.
The A65 sounds (so much) more even, natural and realistic in the treble in comparison (and even without).

On the technical side of things, both are almost on par: the A65 has got an identically good bass quality for a dynamic driver in-ear with identical attack speed and control but a slightly less quick decay that gives the impression of a bit more body to the sound without making it appear soft by any means.
In the mids, I see the Fidue as being a little more refined, just as I did when I compared it to the original DUNU Titan 1. In the upper treble, the Titan 1es decays pretty much correctly to my ears whereas the Fidue decays slightly too quickly here from what I hear.

In terms of soundstage, the presentation of both in-ears is quite different: the DUNU’s is large and open whereas the Fidue’s is quite small and intimate. It doesn’t sound any congested at all though, but is rather impressively separated and clean for a dynamic driver and places instruments very accurately on the imaginary stage, making it sound just as precise as the DUNU’s stage that has however got more air between instruments because of its larger size while none of the in-ears’ soundstages sounds any blurry or foggy at all.


Conclusion:
 

On the technical side, the Titan 1es doesn’t fail to impress. Its titanium-coated drivers sound nimble, quick, clean and controlled. The soundstage is precise as well. And being able to natively wear the in-ears with the cable around the ears is a huge plus, too.
Where I see potential problems though is the tonality: the emphasis on the midrange and middle highs around 5 kHz and an otherwise rather dark-ish treble make the sound appear somewhat quite unnatural and exhausting to me. While this might be okay and work well with fully electronic music, anything that contains pianos, trumpets, violins, drum kits and relies on vocals might likely sound artificial (without equalization).

Overall in my rating of the sound (tonality, technical abilities; 70% weighting) and build/accessories (30% weighting), I still come to an overall result of 3.7975 out of 5 stars which are rounded 4, which is mainly because of the technical capabilities of the in-ear. If one is not a friend of using and EQ and listens to a wide variety of music though, I would definitely recommend to listen to the Titan 1es before buying as the tonality might be a big hit or miss.

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The little black beauty - DUNU Titan 1es review.


                                  - All Photography Taken By Me -


**I’d like to thank DUNU for providing the Titan 1es in exchange for my honest review.**
 


 
 
[Product Link]:  http://www.dunu-topsound.com/titan1es.html
 


*Specification*
 
Unit: Dynamic (14mm)
Cable length: 1.2m
Impedance: 16Ω
Plug: 3.5mm gold-plated plug
Frequency response: 20Hz-20KHz
Weight: 13g
Sensitivity: 102 +/- 2dB
 

 
 

*Content / Packaging*

- Titan 1es
- Earphone Case
- Six Pairs of Silicon Ear Tips
- Shirt Clip
- Pair of Ear Hooks
- Owner’s Manual
 
The Titan 1es is nicely presented within the DUNU packaging.  Unboxing is a fun experience with the magnet snapping front cover.  Inside the earphones rest quietly, ready to wow its new user.

The Earphone Case is simple, yet sturdy enough to protect the little Titans. 

The ear hooks are a nice feature and addition that help make the 1es stand out, but more on that later in the Fit/Comfort section.
 
While DUNU has done a nice job with accessories at this price point, I just wish they had thrown in a few foam tips as another option for comfort and better seal.  For this review, I used both the included tips and a set of aftermarket Comply T500s.
 

 
 
 
*Build/Design*
 
There are 3 Color choices for the 1es; Silver, Red and the Black (shown in this review).  I personally think the black version has a handsome, understated look.  I could easily see the appeal for the other, brighter colors as well.

The all metal body gives these Titans a look and touch of a premium earphone.  The housings themselves are blemish free and put together very well. 

The cable is semi-translucent and looks as nice as it feels in the hand.  Attached to the cable is a handy rubber belt that is used for wrapping up Titans when not in use.  The fixed belt works quite well, but is a bit on the larger side, some may like it, some may not. 
 

 

 
 

*Fit/Comfort*

Talk about a versatile fit.  The Titan 1es can be worn in multiple ways; Cable down, Cable over the ear or Cable over the ear with guides.  I’ll be honest; they all work well and with great comfort.  Let me go over them in more detail:
 
Cable Down – This is the fastest and easiest way to wear the 1es.  Pop them in and you are ready to rock out.  I would say this is how I wore them the most during testing, got me to my music the quickest.  Only down sides are that you will get the smallest, I mean really small amount of micro phonics if you are on the go.  This is also not the way you are going to want to use them for any sort of working out as they won’t be as secure.

Cable Over the Ears – Also relatively easy to do and only takes a few extra seconds to complete.  It will help you to maintain a slightly more secure fit.  It will also help to eliminate that smallest amount of microphonics.  The cable is very flexible and has no issues being put over the ears without the ear guides.  Once fitted over the ears, the cable and Titan stay in place quite well.

Cable Over the Ear with Guides – If you are going to do any kind of exercise activity, this is the way you will want to wear the 1es.  While the ear guides are nice and hold the cable very firmly, it does take a few minutes to install them.  The cable is flexible and the ear guides are accommodating, but you must show patience as you put them together.  Once you have completed the pairing, you will be rewarded with the most secure and extremely comfortable fit.  No microphonics to speak of. 
 
A big reason the Titian 1es are so comfortable is their relatively smaller smooth housings.  Also, they are more half in ear, than full.  So they are much less intrusive than many other earphones out there.
 

 
 
 
*Sound*
 
Lows – One of my favorite songs to test bass is with “ZHU – Faded” as it really pushes the earphone to show what it can really do.  With the Titan 1es, it first showed an impressive amount of restraint, in that I did not hear any distortion at all.  Sub-bass has presence, but not overwhelming.   Mid-bass has the slightest kick.  The key to the lows with the 1es is control and it does that very well.
 
Mids – Vocals are relaxed and smooth, example being “The Decemberists - You'll Not Feel the Drowning”, Colin Meloy’s tone is perfectly matched with the Titan’s easy going attitude.  The rest of the mids are simplified, but not recessed, instead they are displayed just slightly north of neutral.
 
Highs – The treble while never harsh, it does show itself more than the mids and lows.  I never found the upper region to be spikey or sibilant, but they are tuned to go up the range.  A perfect test here was playing “ZZTop – Sheik”.  With the guitars being strung out and pushed hard during the solo, the Titan kept itself from shrieking and instead allowed much detail to shine through.  I will say the 1es paired very nicely with all of the ZZTop I used with them.  I will note that from time to time I would find some music with purposeful highs can become a bit much (like “Van Halen’s - Eruption”), but those songs were far and between. 
 
Isolation – Sound blocking is not a strong suit of the Titan 1es.  With the smaller housing some noise can creep in if you are not using these in a quiet place.  On the same note, there can be the slightest leakage if played at higher volumes.
 
Soundstage – Depth and width are quite decent for an IEM.  Instruments were not too intimate, instead they hinted at more of a 3D spacing. 
 

 
 
 
*Comparisons*

I picked two earphones to put the Titan 1es toe to toe with.
 
#1 - FiiO (DUNU) EX1, because they are in the same family and share a similar design.
#2 - MusicMaker Tomahawk IEM, because @neuromancer asked me to.

1es v. EX1 is a family duel.  Price and specs put these two earphones in very tight quarters.  One of the only big differences being driver size (1es 14mm / EX1 13mm) and the way each earphone can be worn.

With very similar housings, both the 1es and EX1 are classified as partial in ear and both are equally comfortable.  The 1es just has the added bonus of being worn around the ear easily due to its design and included ear guides.

Sound wise, they are also very close.  With only ever so slight differences in their signatures.  The 1es showed a touch more sub-bass and overall control down low, while the EX1 displayed a bit more presence in the highs.  The 1es has slightly more simplified sound while the EX1 bounces around a little.  I found the 1es to have the least amount of strain in the highs, but at the same time, the EX1 had just the smallest amount more of detail throughout the range. 

There is no real winner here, but more of a choice of what kind of sound signature you prefer. 
 
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1es vs. Tomahawk IEM is an interesting battle.  Price wise, the Tomahawk costs slightly less, but not much more.  The 1es comes with MUCH better packaging and un-boxing pleasure. 
 
Both are designed relatively the same when it comes to their tips.  Both have smooth rounded housings of metal with angled nozzles.  The Tomahawk is a bit bigger both in size and insertion.  The comfort edge does go to the 1es, while the Tomahawk has better isolation.

Sound Signatures of each earphone differs from one another.  The Tomahawk has slightly darker sound, while the 1es displays a little brighter throughout.  Soundstage is larger on the 1es, as the Tomahawk is more intimate and closed.  The 1es is more relaxed in its approach, where the Tomahawk can be a bit more fun.

Both the 1es and Tomahawk are different earphones, with individual specialties. 
 

 


*Overall thoughts*
 
During my testing, I kept finding that my music stopped playing, but yet the DUNU Titan 1es remained in my ears.  That is because they are extremely comfortable and I would forget they were even there.  The same went for when music was actually playing through them as well.  With the Titan’s easy going playback, there was little fatiguing in the ears.  The 1es can be used for large spans of time without breaking a sweat, as long as you don’t push overly high focused music.

DUNU build is solid throughout.  This is a good looking, tough little earphone.   While I will baby some earphones, I found this is not the case with the 1es, as it is up for the on the go challenge. 
 
The 1es sits almost on the bottom in the DUNU pricing chart (lowest being the DN-12).  Within this price range, you will find a lot of value per dollar with this Titan version.
 
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Greetings,
This review will be dedicated to a pair of earphones, one of the newest models from DUNU.
I will describe why I chose those earphones, and my opinion about them.
 

Why them?

 
Well, I read a lot of good opinions regarding DUNU earphones, and one model that seemed to be exceptional was the DUNU Titan1. But that model has some features (according to what I read, I had no chance to listen to the phones) that make them less desirable for me. According to what I read they do not isolate much, because of the venting holes that they have, and they are pretty large and heavy. Another thing is that some people complain about the accented highs.
And then I noticed the new model, Titan 1es. It seems that all the issues were addressed - they have less holes, made of plastic and considerably lighter. Ah, and they are much cheaper - they can be purchased for less than 50$. They still have the titanium coated driver, so I could not resist.
 
 

Part 1 - the Physical

 
 

 

 

 

 
The earphones arrive in a small but stylish black box. By examining the box you can know just about everything about the earphones.
 

 
The box has two stickers, that will allow you to make sure that the box was not opened during the postage.
 

 
This is the view you get when you open the box the first time.
 

 
The headphones arrive with a lot of bundled extras
 

 
Over ear hooks
 

 

 
Clip
 

 

 
6 pairs of earphone tips (one more pair comes installed on the earphones)
 

 

 
A massive plug (the chrome part is metal). Note the DUNU logo on the side.
 

 

 

 
The splitter, also made of metal. The brand and mode name are a nice touch.
 

 

 

 

 
 
And here are the earphones. Well, they look very generic, only the cable loop seems unusual.
There are two small venting holes, and the signature DUNU sound guide withoud metal mech.
 
 

Part 2 - The fit

Those are the most comfortable earphones I have ever used. Usually I have to immediately install the largest ear-tips, or else the earphones don't hold their place inside my ears. This is not the case with the Titans - once installed they firmly hold in at the ear, and don't fall even if you shake the head. I jogged, and did some sports stair-climbing with those without any hint of a problem - they hold inside the ear really well. And the understated looks is also something that I like. Of course you can choose the silver or the red version if you want something more flashy.
 

Part 3 - The sound

The most interesting part. Well, they sound great - this is the short version.
 
The longer one:
 
The earphones provide a balanced sound, with a tight bass, a bit forward mids and crist highs (the titanium driver at it's best). If the music is too saturated with hights it will be difficult to enjoy with those earphones, but besides that it's a pleasure to listen. The music instruments sound we ll separated, with a lot of air.
I listened to those earphones with FiiO X3II, Clip Sport, Iphone 6s and Ipad Air2. Clip is no match to those earphones, the sounstage suffers, as well the total "airiness". Besides that, they sound the best with FiiO, and not bad at all with the I-devices.
Most music I listened to was FLAC's, from various gendres. From 80's to modern pops, it's a pleasure to listen.
 
The bass isn't bloated, extending really low.
The mids are a bit forward, without colouring.
Highs are really shiny, without being harsh.
 
Sounstage is wide, not fantasting - but still wide. Even the early Metallika albums sound great with those earphones, that's quite an achievement - in many cases the instruments blend, but not with those Titans.
 
The earphones sound very open, like open over/on ear headphones. And they leak sound, If you listen on high volume in a quiet room your roommates will hear the music with you. And the isolation is not great, definetely less than avarage (just like in open earphones).
 
Final words, conclusion
 
I really like those earphones. I didn't know such combination existed - great fit, and very open sound from in-ear earphones.