[davidmolliere]

Congrats on the Hulk, I've been enjoying mine for more than a month and the pairing with my VE8 is perfect. It allowed them to reach their full potential in coherency, outclassing many far more expensive options.

I'd definitely buy at least two more plugs : 1/4 inch jack (6.35mm) and 4pin XLR

Plus one here, the Hulk is an amazing cable and value for money.

Indeed pairing with VE8 is amazingly good but it also pairs well with all my IEM so much so I am considering getting a MMCX as well!

Quite interested by the Noble as well, consider me a brand fan now

 

[DUNU-Topsound]

Congrats on the Hulk, I've been enjoying mine for more than a month and the pairing with my VE8 is perfect. It allowed them to reach their full potential in coherency, outclassing many far more expensive options.

I'd definitely buy at least two more plugs : 1/4 inch jack (6.35mm) and 4pin XLR

Glad you're enjoying the HULK with the VE8!

As mentioned in my previous post, we will have third-party manufacturers who will produce plugs as well:

• Standalone plugs will be sold individually soon. Eventually, third-party manufacturers will also produce plugs. Because we hold the patent for the modular plug system, we reserve exclusive rights to the 90 degree plugs, but third-party manufacturers can manufacture straight plugs and other angles of their choice. There have been audiophiles who have given us feedback regarding possible USB Type-C or Apple Lightning plugs. It is unclear whether third-party manufacturers plan on offering these options.

So while we might not produce those plugs you mentioned, the third-party manufacturers might just do so! We will make sure your suggestion gets to their ears. The four cables may just be the tip of the iceberg!

 

[gto88]

Personally I think it makes quite a bit of difference, though it seems other people feel the difference are subtle, e.g. @marcusd from Headfonics seems to feel there is not that much separating the two, at least from his initial impressions. From my perspective, I feel the 4001 is less mid-bass focused and therefore sounds tighter, allowing the sub-bass to shine through. I haven't the 17th but thus far the 4001 has one of the best dynamic driver bass presentations I've heard in an earphone on the gentler side of $1500 --- thus far I've only heard the Solaris and Z1R provide an alternatively good presentation of bass. It's been a long time since I've listened to the RE2000 but I think its bass might also be on a similar level of competency. It's tough to compare presentation against BA bass and planar bass because they each have different strengths/weaknesses.

I feel the 3001 Pro is more typical of its price point (still decent and well controlled, but more typically boomy). Where it succeeds against the 4001 is overall presentation; its mids are forward and upper mids are present, resulting in large, rounded vocals that will please just about anyone. However, it lacks the microdetail the 4001 is able to provide. The 3001 Pro's treble is also more diffuse, resulting in a more ethereal presentation. The downside is that the timbre sounds just that wee bit off. To me I always enter that uncanny valley when I hear the peculiar timbre of the 3001 Pro. That's why I prefer the 4001.

Thanks, that really help.

 

[twiceboss]

does dk 4001 carries the same sig with the previous 3001 which is known as etys sounding too?

 

[Moon moon]

Well, we don't want to make any assumptions about whether people will think the NOBLE is better than the CHORD or the HULK. There will always be people who believe cables made of a single material like the HULK is better than a mix strand cable like the NOBLE or CHORD, and vice versa.

What we can guarantee, is that we always try to price our products to give as much value as possible to the consumer. A hand woven, mixed-strand wire like the ones found in NOBLE and CHORD is always going to be more difficult and costly to source and make than the HULK. The extra copper shielding layer in the NOBLE is more difficult to produce than the unshielded CHORD. We don't attempt to price according to consumer expectations of sound.

Many people have asked us why we decided to offer aftermarket cables when we are earphone specialists. The reason is that many of our fans, especially in China, have urged us to be a guarantor of authentic sources of cabling. It is very easy to source cables from 1688, Taobao, and JD, but it is difficult to determine whether those spools of cable are authentic. Our customers can be confident that the wires we source have authenticity.

As for the differences in the Beryllium-coated drivers between the DK-3001 PRO, the DK-4001, and the 17th Anniversary Limited Edition model, @tomscy2000 is mostly correct, but let me fill in some details! First, we have to make sure you guys understand that there are lots of factors that impact sound performance in our products. Without giving too much away, the basics are:

• Initial (uncoated) diaphragm mass, diameter, and surface structure
• Magnet and voice coil configuration
• The type of diaphragm coating: we are proficient in titanium, liquid crystal polymer, carbon nanotube, and beryllium
  
• Single or dual-sided coating
• Venting and bass reflex

To answer your question, the 17th Anniversary Limited Edition model has both a thicker Beryllium coating and a different base diaphragm than the DK-4001. The DK-3001 PRO's base diaphragm is the same as the DK-4001's, but the Beryllium coating is thinner. Lastly, the DK-3001 PRO does not have ACIS, so the quality of the bass is also going to be different.

Now it is clear.
The Diaphragm n cable seems a mystery to us fans for the few models. Last question probably, which spinfit model is the tip for the 17th? It matches 17th rather well....

 

[tomscy2000]

does dk 4001 carries the same sig with the previous 3001 which is known as etys sounding too?

Short answer: No. There are IEC compliant measurements of both the original 3001 and 4001 on the internet, taken from the same measurement rig. They look different.

These are taken from the Russian website Reference Audio Analyzer:



The 3001 has a peak at the conventional 2.5 kHz region and a secondary peak at 5 kHz. The 4001 moves the peak forward to 1.8 kHz and the treble peak is moved upward to 6 kHz.

 

[twiceboss]

Short answer: No. There are IEC compliant measurements of both the original 3001 and 4001 on the internet, taken from the same measurement rig. They look different.

These are taken from the Russian website Reference Audio Analyzer:



The 3001 has a peak at the conventional 2.5 kHz region and a secondary peak at 5 kHz. The 4001 moves the peak forward to 1.8 kHz and the treble peak is moved upward to 6 kHz.

thanks! good to know this. The lows region is no longer flat. Quite a bummer for me as i prefer flat bass for my vocals and highs lust!

 

[tomscy2000]

thanks! good to know this. The lows region is no longer flat. Quite a bummer for me as i prefer flat bass for my vocals and highs lust!

Not that simple. The bass is extremely well controlled in the 4001, such that it doesn't really impact vocals.

You'll probably find the 4001's upper mids to be recessed (I do too), but this is not a consequence of the bass. Vocals are still very detailed despite the relative recess in the upper mids.

As I mentioned, I prefer the 4001 to the 3001 pro and the 3001. To me, it is significantly better than both. Its price has little to do with the expensive Noble cable and everything to do with their engineer taking time to tune this thing well.

That being said, I don't know what you actually prefer in your music. It may just be that you won't actually enjoy the 4001.

An FR graph doesn't tell the whole story, and I state this as a person who emphasizes measurements in evaluating products. Additionally, there are subtle things that go into FR interpretation that few people on here understand, aside from the most veteran members, as well as manufacturers. It takes time and experience to appreciate these details, though.

 

[twiceboss]

Not that simple. The bass is extremely well controlled in the 4001, such that it doesn't really impact vocals.

You'll probably find the 4001's upper mids to be recessed (I do too), but this is not a consequence of the bass. Vocals are still very detailed despite the relative recess in the upper mids.

As I mentioned, I prefer the 4001 to the 3001 pro and the 3001. To me, it is significantly better than both. Its price has little to do with the expensive Noble cable and everything to do with their engineer taking time to tune this thing well.

That being said, I don't know what you actually prefer in your music. It may just be that you won't actually enjoy the 4001.

An FR graph doesn't tell the whole story, and I state this as a person who emphasizes measurements in evaluating products. Additionally, there are subtle things that go into FR interpretation that few people on here understand, aside from the most veteran members, as well as manufacturers. It takes time and experience to appreciate these details, though.

i agree that on fr will not show everything. For example KSE1200, the graph is totally off from what im hearing, the bass hump on kse fr but in real life listening, i found nothing on bass. Just flat and controlled. I gave my opinion on my previous post as a pre judgment by only looking at fr. But yeah, im happy with my gears now. Just getting er4sr for reference as etys really do something to my sound preference.

 

[Moon moon]

Yes, we should clarify. Currently, we have four different cables outfitted with modular plugs.

• NOBLE, also the stock cable for the DK-4001
• CHORD, also the stock cable for the 17th Anniversary Limited Edition model
  
• LYRE, also the stock cable for the DK-3001 PRO
• HULK, a standalone cable

The details for the cables are as follows:

• NOBLE, our flagship cable, is a 24 AWG gauge cable composed of individual strands of high-purity (up to 7N) OCC copper from Furukawa (Furutech) and individual strands of pure silver (not silver-plated copper) from DHC. Because the strands are interwoven, the cable itself is completely hand-woven. It also has an OCC copper (non-conducting) shielding layer surrounding the cable strands. This shielding layer is one of the reasons why we do not need to braid the NOBLE cable. We get enough shielding from electromagnetic interference from the copper shield. The cable structure is shown here, where you can see the copper shielding layer surrounding the alternating strands of silver and copper:
  
  
  
  
• CHORD is also a 24 AWG gauge cable composed of individual strands of high-purity (up to 7N) OCC copper from Furukawa (Furutech) and individual strands of pure silver (not silver-plated copper) from DHC. However, it does not have the copper shielding layer. Therefore, we have made it with the traditional round Litz braid, but it is a tighter braid than the one on the LYRE.
  
• LYRE is a 24 AWG gauge cable composed of high-purity OCC copper, with additional secondary after-treatment performed by DUNU. It is braided with the traditional round Litz braid, and is a looser braid than the one on the CHORD.
  
• HULK is a 22 AWG gauge cable composed of 168 strands of high-purity OCC copper for each wire. These strands are grouped into 28 strand bundles in a Type 2 Litz configuration. It is hand-braided with a traditional round Litz braid.

Lastly, there are some more details:

• Because they are not made exclusively for the DK-4001 and DK-3001 PRO and are meant to be compatible with other earphones as well, the standalone NOBLE and LYRE do not have the curved plastic overmolded design of the stock cable.
• Beyond MMCX, they also come in two additional connector options: a 0.78 mm 2-pin, and QDC-style 2-pin. These connector options are commonly offered for aftermarket cables in China.
• The MMCX connector that we employ is our own patented Catch-Hold mechanism, which is more secure, resistant to rotation, and longer lasting than traditional MMCX connector designs. But it is compatible with just about all MMCX pin seats, so there's no need to worry about compatibility.
• They all come with the modular plug system, and the NOBLE and HULK will come included with all four types of plugs: 3.5 mm single-ended, 2.5 mm balanced (Astell & Kern compatible), 3.5 mm balanced (3.5 PRO is a new standard in China), and 4.4 mm balanced/unbalanced (Sony compatible).
• The LYRE and CHORD will only come with one plug included (of your choice).
  
• The standalone LYRE and CHORD are not yet in stock, even in China. We are currently in the process of mass producing them and distributing them to Chinese domestic retailers.
• Standalone plugs will be sold individually soon. Eventually, third-party manufacturers will also produce plugs. Because we hold the patent for the modular plug system, we reserve exclusive rights to the 90 degree plugs, but third-party manufacturers can manufacture straight plugs and other angles of their choice. There have been audiophiles who have given us feedback regarding possible USB Type-C or Apple Lightning plugs. It is unclear whether third-party manufacturers plan on offering these options.
  
• Our own quick-release modular plug system is rated for a minimum of 3000 cycles (the equivalent of changing plugs 8 times a day, everyday, for a year), but basically we have zero problems even beyond 7000 cycles. Most users will not change out their plugs this often.
• Lately, we have noticed modular cable systems highly "inspired" by our design, with a different mechanism. It is also designed to be quick-release, but the latch is rotational. This is not our design, and therefore we cannot guarantee compatibility or quality. But imitation is the best form of flattery!
• We acknowledge that other companies have made modular plug systems before we did. However, we feel we designed a system with the most complete user experience around, and we're very proud of this accomplishment. We hope more people will be able to experience it!

It wud be great if existing customers can be offered an upgrade discount for the cables,eg Noble or Hulk.

 

[Moon moon]

Well, we don't want to make any assumptions about whether people will think the NOBLE is better than the CHORD or the HULK. There will always be people who believe cables made of a single material like the HULK is better than a mix strand cable like the NOBLE or CHORD, and vice versa.

What we can guarantee, is that we always try to price our products to give as much value as possible to the consumer. A hand woven, mixed-strand wire like the ones found in NOBLE and CHORD is always going to be more difficult and costly to source and make than the HULK. The extra copper shielding layer in the NOBLE is more difficult to produce than the unshielded CHORD. We don't attempt to price according to consumer expectations of sound.

Many people have asked us why we decided to offer aftermarket cables when we are earphone specialists. The reason is that many of our fans, especially in China, have urged us to be a guarantor of authentic sources of cabling. It is very easy to source cables from 1688, Taobao, and JD, but it is difficult to determine whether those spools of cable are authentic. Our customers can be confident that the wires we source have authenticity.

As for the differences in the Beryllium-coated drivers between the DK-3001 PRO, the DK-4001, and the 17th Anniversary Limited Edition model, @tomscy2000 is mostly correct, but let me fill in some details! First, we have to make sure you guys understand that there are lots of factors that impact sound performance in our products. Without giving too much away, the basics are:

• Initial (uncoated) diaphragm mass, diameter, and surface structure
• Magnet and voice coil configuration
• The type of diaphragm coating: we are proficient in titanium, liquid crystal polymer, carbon nanotube, and beryllium
  
• Single or dual-sided coating
• Venting and bass reflex

To answer your question, the 17th Anniversary Limited Edition model has both a thicker Beryllium coating and a different base diaphragm than the DK-4001. The DK-3001 PRO's base diaphragm is the same as the DK-4001's, but the Beryllium coating is thinner. Lastly, the DK-3001 PRO does not have ACIS, so the quality of the bass is also going to be different.

Is there any reason Dunu not going direct to Pure Beryllium diaphragm like for example Focal Utopia? More technical Or it is simply cost consideration?

 

[tomscy2000]

i agree that on fr will not show everything. For example KSE1200, the graph is totally off from what im hearing, the bass hump on kse fr but in real life listening, i found nothing on bass. Just flat and controlled. I gave my opinion on my previous post as a pre judgment by only looking at fr. But yeah, im happy with my gears now. Just getting er4sr for reference as etys really do something to my sound preference.

The ER4S/SR is definitely a benchmark. Glad you got the SR rather than the XR, because while more people like the XR more, I find the XR has poor, almost textureless bass. It's got the typical bass shortcomings of a single full range vented BA. The SR is just tighter on the whole and allows details to come through. Dunu is definitely not going for that sound. The original 3001 doesn't have that sound either. The bass presentation of the 4001 should be appreciated, however. It's impressive on multiple levels.

Is there any reason Dunu not going direct to Pure Beryllium diaphragm like for example Focal Utopia? More technical Or it is simply cost consideration?

I think it's a cost thing. Have you seen the prices for a single square inch of Materion Truextent (same stuff used in Focal's beryllium cones) ? Off the charts!

 

[twiceboss]

The ER4S/SR is definitely a benchmark. Glad you got the SR rather than the XR, because while more people like the XR more, I find the XR has poor, almost textureless bass. It's got the typical bass shortcomings of a single full range vented BA. The SR is just tighter on the whole and allows details to come through. Dunu is definitely not going for that sound. The original 3001 doesn't have that sound either. The bass presentation of the 4001 should be appreciated, however. It's impressive on multiple levels.



I think it's a cost thing. Have you seen the prices for a single square inch of Materion Truextent (same stuff used in Focal's beryllium cones) ? Off the charts!

I will take clean sounding iem over basshead iem any any day!

 

[DUNU-Topsound]

It wud be great if existing customers can be offered an upgrade discount for the cables,eg Noble or Hulk.

There is an upgrade discount for DK-3001 PRO purchasers that we are running in Mainland Chinese retail outlets. For international customers, we ask humbly that you wait a little more. We are trying to move forward with multiple different things at once, and there are a lot of moving parts. Apologies for the cryptic answer. But you won't be disappointed!

Is there any reason Dunu not going direct to Pure Beryllium diaphragm like for example Focal Utopia? More technical Or it is simply cost consideration?

Sorry, another cryptic answer: Both!

 

[Moon moon]

The ER4S/SR is definitely a benchmark. Glad you got the SR rather than the XR, because while more people like the XR more, I find the XR has poor, almost textureless bass. It's got the typical bass shortcomings of a single full range vented BA. The SR is just tighter on the whole and allows details to come through. Dunu is definitely not going for that sound. The original 3001 doesn't have that sound either. The bass presentation of the 4001 should be appreciated, however. It's impressive on multiple levels.



I think it's a cost thing. Have you seen the prices for a single square inch of Materion Truextent (same stuff used in Focal's beryllium cones) ? Off the charts!

Still, with the iem price nowadays, i think there is a niche market for it if Dunu makes it right...