Dita - Project 71 aka ‘Bumblebee (2019) & Sakura 71 (2021).

[NewEve]

Regarding comfort, with the supplied final audio tips, it is as comfortable as it gets for a universal earphone. It is supple and soft.

Isolation is as good as a universal earphone can get. It's not going to drown out environmental noise completely but when music is playing, environmental noise is minimal.

Sound is absolutely stellar. This is one of the few earphones that sits exactly within my tonal preferences and has excellent resolution, detail and clarity. I couldn't put it down the first time I heard it, which is rare for me. Usually I can find issues with specific frequencies that I nitpick, but with the project71 I have zero complaints. I don't care for detail oriented, treble heavy tunings. I like a vintage, analogue and emotive sound. And the project71 hits the spot.

Bass is more sub than mid, but just enough weight in the midbass to sound full. There is great extension down below and rumble, portraying depth and control. The balance in the bass tuning is quite impressive. Probably not enough for bassheads, but is definitely a very refined bass with good slam, impact, decay and texture.

Mids are spot on. Detailed enough for great clarity, yet weighty enough to convey emotion. Dita in my opinion has struck a wonderful balance here, where most earphones err on one side or the other. Many mid tunings either shoot for the emotive but at the loss of some detail, or go the other extreme with detail that has no 'feeling'. Most TOTLs have converged more closely within a target balance, but I feel that the project71 cuts it right smack in the middle for me. I suspect that the OSLO cable (if you have read some of the reviews) also contributes in large part to this phenomena. The mids are also open and resolving - you need to hear it for yourself.

Treble has extension and air, yet is one of the best, if not the best treble tuning to my ears. It never feels harsh or sharp or sibilant, and timbre is accurate and realistic with brassy tones for cymbal work. My ears are exceptionally picky with treble, and the project 71 manages to be completely inoffensive yet able to capture detail and extension. Treble heads or listeners who are more used to brighter tunings might find it dark, but it is definitely not veiled, without any loss of detail - it just doesn't shove it in your face. If I could use a metaphor maybe it's like wearing shades. it takes away the glare of the light but you still retain 100% clarity and visibility. Some might not like the tint though, but I love it.

Staging is large enough to be slightly out of head but not as large as say something like the Solaris. However, it's technicalities are nothing to be scoffed at - unless you are looking for an arena like stage (which with iems is practically impossible), you will have no complaints.

I run it out of a WM1A balanced, and it's perfect. It brings me back to enjoying music.

One thing though - driver flex causes it to develop some hairline seams between the brass and wood components. I've sent it in for checking and apparently this is normal, within expected tolerances without affecting SQ. The brass bits are also prone to oxidation and develops a dark patina over time. I'm not too concerned about it, but some may.

Yes, it's mmcx connector from the OSLO cable end has a locking mechanism - which prevents you from using the cable with other IEMs. You can use other cables with it though, but I have not tried - I see no need to.

The only niggle I have is that even when wearing over ear, the weighted cable splitter (made of brass and wood) is important as a counterweight to prevent the iems from dislodging from your ears due to movement.

Let me know if anyone has any other specific questions!

In conclusion, the project71 has an absolutely masterful tuning. Kudos to Desmond and Danny. I learnt in a conversation with Desmond that this is a departure from their house sound, which is more 'hifi' and detail oriented.
I'm really looking forward to the Dream XLS - which is sweeping awards at audio shows and to my ears at Canjam SG 2019, one of the best IEMs I have heard, period.

This is spot on although I'll need to add the following: these need power to swing.

At first, I could relate to parts of @mejoshua's above impressions though not entirely.

I did notice that running them balanced made a difference (SP1000M and SR25) but now that I tested them with Cayin's new N3 Pro using the Ultra-linear tube mode in high-gain (so single-ended) these are, to me, an entirely different set of IEMs which I'll be keeping as I find this pairing to be out of this world.

They rival my Campfire Audio Andromeda Gold bringing everything a DD should yet keeping resolution, detail and clarity without veering into anything annoying which the Golds can sometimes become.

 

[Calfredo826]

I have a like new/mint condition set for sale if anyone is interested. PM me for further details.

 

[jwbrent]

Just purchased the Sakura 71, the blonde version of the Project 71 which I had owned in the past. I ended up giving the Project 71 to my son because the brass on it tarnished so easily, I was tired of cleaning it all the time. It did, however, have a tone to it that was very enticing, and so I’ve had my eye on the Sakura 71 since it was released earlier this year celebrating DITA’s parent company’s 50 year anniversary.

The only difference aesthetically is the wood used on the shells is cherry versus ebony for the Project 71. The Oslo cable appears to be an upgrade from the original as well. The Sakura 71 now has a coating on the brass parts to help keep it from tarnishing like the original.

It’s possible the change in wood may result in a small change in tonal signature, but we’ll see. I’m getting my set next week, so I’ll report back then on some initial impressions.

 

[deafdoorknob]

Just purchased the Sakura 71, the blonde version of the Project 71 which I had owned in the past. I ended up giving the Project 71 to my son because the brass on it tarnished so easily, I was tired of cleaning it all the time. It did, however, have a tone to it that was very enticing, and so I’ve had my eye on the Sakura 71 since it was released earlier this year celebrating DITA’s parent company’s 50 year anniversary.

The only difference aesthetically is the wood used on the shells is cherry versus ebony for the Project 71. The Oslo cable appears to be an upgrade from the original as well. The Sakura 71 now has a coating on the brass parts to help keep it from tarnishing like the original.

It’s possible the change in wood may result in a small change in tonal signature, but we’ll see. I’m getting my set next week, so I’ll report back then on some initial impressions.

Besides the wood, they are actually tuned differently, it is even more upper mids forward compared to the OG P71 than the graph indicates, if anything, during auditioning, it reminded me more of the jvc fw1k than the P71.

 

[jwbrent]

Besides the wood, they are actually tuned differently, it is even more upper mids forward compared to the OG P71 than the graph indicates, if anything, during auditioning, it reminded me more of the jvc fw1k than the P71.

Thank you for the graph, yes, quite apparent the midrange may pose an issue which means I’ll have to eq them. Interesting comment about it sounding like the flagship JVC, I’ve considered buying that set but I’ve read it can be shouty. I’ll be able to get a better idea how the 10k sounds.

 

[jwbrent]

Besides the wood, they are actually tuned differently, it is even more upper mids forward compared to the OG P71 than the graph indicates, if anything, during auditioning, it reminded me more of the jvc fw1k than the P71.

I checked Crin’s graph on the Sakura and there is an anomaly:

The first graph was taken from his IEM database, the second from his comparison database. They are different, so I don’t know which is correct.

I did receive my Sakura 71 yesterday, and I listened to it and didn’t find the upper mids to be an issue. I’m burning it in for several days for the driver and cable to settle, so we’ll see how the final sound is. My initial impression is really good.

 

[jwbrent]

The Sakura 71 comes with a very nice leather case whereas the Project 71 included a wood case where the top was loosely fitted, so not very practical for carrying around. The cable has been upgraded to the Oslo XLS which has darker colored conductors than on the P71 cable. One thing I noticed when I first opened the S71 box was the ornamental brass nodule imprinted with “Made in Japan” was tarnished just like the P71, so I’m not confident about Dita’s claim there is now a coating on the brass parts to keep them from tarnishing; it could be that since the nodule is identical to the P71 including it also being imprinted with “Project 71,” Dita didn’t coat this part.

All three connectors—3.5mm, 2.5mm balanced, & 4.4mm balanced—are included. The red velvet protector that came with the P71 to keep the two earpieces from clanging into each other was replaced with individual small plastic bags on the S71. Initially, when I first saw a picture of the S71, I wasn’t happy about it using ebony with the Y-split (preferring it use cherry to match the chassis design), but since the cable is darker the ebony matches well.

I spent a couple of hours listening to the S71 last night which is unusual for me since my typical routine is to burn in a new iem before I do any lengthy listening, but the sound was so good I couldn’t stop. I’ll have more impressions about the overall quality of sound once I get some more burn-in time on it.

Other than the concern about the brass parts tarnishing, I’m very happy with my purchase. I don’t have anything in my current collection that sounds like the S71, a very good thing.

 

[Stuff Jones]

The Sakura 71 comes with a very nice leather case whereas the Project 71 included a wood case where the top was loosely fitted, so not very practical for carrying around. The cable has been upgraded to the Oslo XLS which has darker colored conductors than on the P71 cable. One thing I noticed when I first opened the S71 box was the ornamental brass nodule imprinted with “Made in Japan” was tarnished just like the P71, so I’m not confident about Dita’s claim there is now a coating on the brass parts to keep them from tarnishing; it could be that since the nodule is identical to the P71 including it also being imprinted with “Project 71,” Dita didn’t coat this part.

All three connectors—3.5mm, 2.5mm balanced, & 4.4mm balanced—are included. The red velvet protector that came with the P71 to keep the two earpieces from clanging into each other was replaced with individual small plastic bags on the S71. Initially, when I first saw a picture of the S71, I wasn’t happy about it using ebony with the Y-split (preferring it use cherry to match the chassis design), but since the cable is darker the ebony matches well.

I spent a couple of hours listening to the S71 last night which is unusual for me since my typical routine is to burn in a new iem before I do any lengthy listening, but the sound was so good I couldn’t stop. I’ll have more impressions about the overall quality of sound once I get some more burn-in time on it.

Other than the concern about the brass parts tarnishing, I’m very happy with my purchase. I don’t have anything in my current collection that sounds like the S71, a very good thing.

But how does it sound?

 

[deafdoorknob]

I checked Crin’s graph on the Sakura and there is an anomaly:





The first graph was taken from his IEM database, the second from his comparison database. They are different, so I don’t know which is correct.

I did receive my Sakura 17 yesterday, and I listened to it and didn’t find the upper mids to be an issue. I’m burning it in for several days for the driver and cable to settle, so we’ll see how the final sound is. My initial impression is really good.

Top graph is compensated to his preference curve, the bottom one is uncompensated

 

[jwbrent]

But how does it sound?

I’ll comment on this in a few days once I get more burn-in time.

 

[jwbrent]

Top graph is compensated to his preference curve, the bottom one is uncompensated

Is that what’s going on? I’m not very knowledgeable about how graphs are made.

 

[jwbrent]

Here’s DITA’s Japanese website showing the Sakura 71 of which 288 total were made.

 

[jwbrent]

Hi guys,

I’ve done quite a bit of listening to the Sakura 71 in the last week, so I now feel capable of discussing what I’m hearing.

Let’s start with the bass: the tuning here is very well done with bass notes that reveal a wonderful texture to them. There is also decay to the bass notes that contribute to a heightened sense of realism, and coupled with good extension into the sub-bass region, truly satisfying. The mid bass is quite dynamic, a captivating ingredient to the overall sound. All this from an 8mm driver.

The lower mids have a bit more presence unto themselves and not as a result of bass bleed, as I hear it. Male vocals are rich sounding conveying the emotion of their singing which results in sucking in the listener to the experience.

The midrange and upper-mids are going to be a problem for some. Due to a pinna gain that comes in at about 11dB, this area of the frequency spectrum can get edgy sounding, but this effect is counterbalanced by a purity and liquidity which is somewhat unique in my collection. The Sakura 71 will demand well mastered recordings to reveal its excellence here, and when so followed, the listener is rewarded with a sound that is enchanting due to lots of micro-detail retrieval.

The trebles create a sense of transparency somewhat akin to the A8000, but not to the excellent standard of final’s noteworthy design. Still, transparent the Sakura 71 is, and those that like sheer realism in their listening will be in for a treat.

Imaging is intimate giving the listener a perspective as if they are seated in one of the front rows at a concert. I also like the pinpoint presentation, no wandering here thus creating—here’s that word again—realism that draws one into the listening experience. Staging is also very well done with the width being the stellar particular reaching out beyond one’s ears. The depth of stage tends to be more towards the back of one’s head with less range in front, yet still quite hyponotizing. Finally, the height is also well done, and with the three fields in unison, yes, holographic is an apt description.

So, to sum up, the Sakura 71 is aimed at those that like lots of fine detail coupled with authority in the bass. But it is hot sounding in the mids/upper-mids to be sure, so not everyone’s cup of tea. I happen to really like it, and I’m glad to have it in my collection.

 

[alanlee5721]

Besides the wood, they are actually tuned differently, it is even more upper mids forward compared to the OG P71 than the graph indicates, if anything, during auditioning, it reminded me more of the jvc fw1k than the P71.

I really like jvc fw1k, it really impresses me, but too big to fit into my ear. Looking forward to get a sakura 71.

 

[jwbrent]

I really like jvc fw1k, it really impresses me, but too big to fit into my ear. Looking forward to get a sakura 71.

Musicteck has the Sakura 71 on sale for $799, $300 off.