DUNU DN-2000J -- More Than Evolution?

[Paulus XII]

d2kj is another league than those Titans. In its price range imo it sets the bar for a true reference earphone

 
Even DN-1000 is.

 

[Brooko]

Not the Titan5 Paulus. I'd take it over the DN1K

 

[Hifihedgehog]

Not the Titan5 Paulus. I'd take it over the DN1K

I wonder if the TITAN 5 is to the DN-2000J, in some way, like the HD 650 is to the HD 800. I have heard the newest revision of the HD 650 and though it is not my preferred sound signature, I oddly prefer it to many headphones that do have my sound signature of choice, bar a few uber expensive ones. (Note: the older HD 650 and even the older HD 600 were way too muddy and slow for me.) It has that sense of space, still has some detail and gives off a very nice timbre. For brighter recordings or when I just need a relaxing moment or a change of pace, the TITAN 5 might just be the HD 650 of IEMs that I have been looking for, a perfect complement to the DN-2000J.



By the way, guys, it is official! I will be the proud owner of the DN-2000J this Tuesday!

 

[Aero Dynamik]

 
d2kj is another league than those Titans. In its price range imo it sets the bar for a true reference earphone

Pure poetry! 

 

[Aero Dynamik]

 
By the way, guys, it is official! I will be the proud owner of the DN-2000J this Tuesday!

It's finally happening! 

 
Let us know what you think! 

 

[Hifihedgehog]

  It's finally happening! 

 
Let us know what you think! 

What's more, it is now coming a day earlier thanks to my estimated shipping date being pushed forward by a day. I must resist the hype and take my prescribed dosage of *NTS meds.
 
I must confess, however, that I will not be able to get a full review out until about two weeks from today. A combination of outer forces composed of collegiate, familial and occupational demands will preclude me from sitting down and formulating a well-written review. Nevertheless, the one key benefit that I will savor that I specifically purchased these for is the pouring out of unrestrained, tuneful music while I am feverishly studying away for a competitive examination or finishing a few thousand lines of code. Hopefully, I can listen to the music, enjoying the pure rush of sound and emotion with the perfect balance of finesse and excitement, and find my island of tranquility amid my external pressures. If this does or does not deliver the sonic experience I have been after, I will certainly let you all know within the first few hours. For now, I am geared up and ready to switch on my entire music library, kick the tires a bit and give it the ultimate sonic performance test drive the very minute it hits my doorstep! 
 
*NTS=New toy syndrome

 

[Aero Dynamik]

 

  It's finally happening! 

 
Let us know what you think! 

What's more, it is now coming a day earlier thanks to my estimated shipping date being pushed forward by a day. I must resist the hype and take my prescribed dosage of *NTS meds.
 
I must confess, however, that I will not be able to get a full review out until about two weeks from today. A combination of outer forces composed of collegiate, familial and occupational demands will preclude me from sitting down and formulating a well-written review. Nevertheless, the one key benefit that I will savor that I specifically purchased these for is the pouring out of unrestrained, tuneful music while I am feverishly studying away for a competitive examination or finishing a few thousand lines of code. Hopefully, I can listen to the music, enjoying the pure rush of sound and emotion with the perfect balance of finesse and excitement, and find my island of tranquility amid my external pressures. If this does or does not deliver the sonic experience I have been after, I will certainly let you all know within the first few hours. For now, I am geared up and ready to switch on my entire music library, kick the tires a bit and give it the ultimate sonic performance test drive the very minute it hits my doorstep! 
 
*NTS=New toy syndrome

I certainly know the feeling Hifihedgehog! 

 
A word of warning though; remember that the DUNU engineers do recommend these monitors to burn in. In my experience they're right. Whether it's a matter of driver or brain burn in I don't know and it doesn't really matter.
 
FWIW my current DN2KJ configuration consists of the red extension rings, the white stock tips (large), and james444's blu-tack mod.

 

[james444]

  FWIW my current DN2KJ configuration consists of the red extension rings, the white stock tips (large), and james444's blu-tack mod.

 
Oh, I thought you undid the mod and still liked the treble?

 

[Aero Dynamik]

 

  FWIW my current DN2KJ configuration consists of the red extension rings, the white stock tips (large), and james444's blu-tack mod.

 
Oh, I thought you undid the mod and still liked the treble?

That's correct, and I do feel I can live without it. However, going a bit back and forth I now feel pretty confident I prefer it with the mod.
 
The thing is that I feel the mod is a bit tip dependent. With the T-500 (Comply Foam) tips I prefer to go "mod-less". However, with the white stock tips the mod is more beneficial, and I think I now prefer the white stock tips.
 
I can't say I've made up my mind completely about the mod (and choice of tips), but it's definitely an asset in the arsenal of options (tips, bass rings, extension rings) to tweak the sound. I'm still exploring all these options and I can't say for sure I will make the blu-tack mod a permanent part of my configuration, but as of now it's more likely than not.

 

[james444]

  That's correct, and I do feel I can live without it. However, going a bit back and forth I now feel pretty confident I prefer it with the mod.
 
The thing is that I feel the mod is a bit tip dependent. With the T-500 (Comply Foam) tips I prefer to go "mod-less". However, with the white stock tips the mod is more beneficial, and I think I now prefer the white stock tips.

 
Sure it is, and it's specifically intended for the white stock tips, which offer the best clarity imo, but tend to emphasize sibilance.
 
Some other tips I've tried had better damping and as a result less sibilance, but didn't sound quite as clear across the spectrum as the white stock tips.

 

[Aero Dynamik]

 

  That's correct, and I do feel I can live without it. However, going a bit back and forth I now feel pretty confident I prefer it with the mod.
 
The thing is that I feel the mod is a bit tip dependent. With the T-500 (Comply Foam) tips I prefer to go "mod-less". However, with the white stock tips the mod is more beneficial, and I think I now prefer the white stock tips.

 
Sure it is, and it's specifically intended for the white stock tips, which offer the best clarity imo, but tend to emphasize sibilance.
 
Some other tips I've tried had better damping and as a result less sibilance, but didn't sound quite as clear across the spectrum as the white stock tips.

Couldn't agree with you more!
 
EDIT: Didn't mean to imply that the mod is tip independent. It's just how my words (a bit carelessly) fell.

 

[Hifihedgehog]

About an hour or so from now, it will be all mine! Mhahahahaha! > <-Well, that was supposed to be an evil smiley.

 

[Aero Dynamik]

About an hour or so from now, it will be all mine! Mhahahahaha! >

<-Well, that was supposed to be an evil smiley.

Nothing wrong with the expectations there, and I'm pretty sure it won't disappoint you as long as you prefer crystal clear, spacious sound (among many, many other stellar features of this IEM).
 
So, any first impressions???

 

[Hifihedgehog]

  Nothing wrong with the expectations there, and I'm pretty sure it won't disappoint you as long as you prefer crystal clear, spacious sound (among many, many other stellar features of this IEM).
 
So, any first impressions???

The very moment I peered into the shipping box, I was awestruck by the DUNU DN-2000J's elaborate packaging presentation and rich assortment of accessories on display. I can state with absolute certainty that this is the most feature-rich, professionally packaged listening device I have ever encountered in all my time as an audiophile. If the DN-2000J is so visually intimidating from its prepossessing exterior craftsmanship, is this same standard of excellence mirrored in its primary function, its acoustic performance?
 
EDIT: Boy, did I speak prematurely, but that is what I get when working simultaneously on sprucing up my apartment for a cleaning check and doing some homework assignments. Unfortunately, some EQ settings were active that I use for my MEE Audio A151, so my excitement was totally off-base and unfounded.  With those sound settings off and balance restored, the DN-2000J's sound was still pretty amazing, but not exactly superior to the TITAN 1, and I also noticed one issue that needs some work. With the standard silicon tips, there is some ultra high frequency treble roll off about 10 to 12 KHz that is abrupt and a strange contrast to the energetic and outgoing lower and mid treble. The Comply tips make this transition from the mid to high treble smoother. But, as a result, the sound loses its one advantage, the energy in the lower and mid treble, and, in fact, it becomes darker than the TITAN 1, making it, for my needs, a bit overpriced compared to its lesser brother. In terms of full-sized headphones, I would call the DN-2000J kind of, sort of like an AKG Q 701 with proper deep bass impact; it is in the same vein as the Q 701 as it has a neutral tone, probably the most neutral in an IEM I have found, a bright lower and mid treble, and a steep drop in the upper treble around 10 to 12 KHz.
 
Because of this upper treble roll-off, the cymbals are not as bright and convincing as the TITAN 1 and the sound is not as coherent, either. Because of this upper treble roll-off, the edges of sonic images have a blurred look to them when focusing with my sonic eyes, where sometimes things are like blobs. The TITAN 1, on the other hand, does not have this upper treble roll-off and, though its upper treble is sometimes a bit too forward and though I personally believe this just is a recording mastering issue, the edges of the sonic image in the TITAN 1 are more well-defined and more finely etched. Interestingly enough, the soundstage on the DN-2000J seems ultra wide but not very deep just like the Q 701. The TITAN 1, on the other hand, is the opposite: just moderately wide but very deep, likely due to its greater proficiency in the uppermost treble region.
 
Likewise, though the less costly Phonak PFE with gray filters is inferior in all other respects to the DN-2000J, even its upper treble detail and clarity is far superior. Now, most people would likely not be bothered by the DN-2000J's treble roll-off in the topmost extremes. If you are middle-aged, you would likely not be able to even tell. But for myself, having played flute for almost 10 years and as a young man in my 20s, I instinctively listen to the uppermost treble for air, clarity and focus, so any treble inconsistencies will stand out like a sore thumb, and so this has always made headphone purchases always an interesting pursuit. I got these results regardless of my source, and I know from experience with other headphones handy what I am looking for. So back to seller the DN-2000J goes. It is a nice headphone and all. But for its price, it does not do exactly what I would want or expect. It was certainly a fun ride, and I can officially say I demoed and owned one, but I am shipping it back tomorrow.

 

[Aero Dynamik]

 

  Nothing wrong with the expectations there, and I'm pretty sure it won't disappoint you as long as you prefer crystal clear, spacious sound (among many, many other stellar features of this IEM).
 
So, any first impressions???

The very moment I peered into the shipping box, I was awestruck by the DUNU DN-2000J's elaborate packaging presentation and rich assortment of accessories on display. I can state with absolute certainty that this is the most feature-rich, professionally packaged listening device I have ever encountered in all my time as an audiophile. If the DN-2000J is so visually intimidating from its prepossessing exterior craftsmanship, is this same standard of excellence mirrored in its primary function, its acoustic performance?
 
EDIT: Boy, did I speak prematurely, but that is what I get when working simultaneously on sprucing up my apartment for a cleaning check and doing some homework assignments. Unfortunately, some EQ settings were active that I use for my MEE Audio A151, so my excitement was totally off-base and unfounded.  With those sound settings off and balance restored, the DN-2000J's sound was still pretty amazing, but not exactly superior to the TITAN 1, and I also noticed one issue that needs some work. With the standard silicon tips, there is some ultra high frequency treble roll off about 10 to 12 KHz that is abrupt and a strange contrast to the energetic and outgoing lower and mid treble. The Comply tips make this transition from the mid to high treble smoother. But, as a result, the sound loses its one advantage, the energy in the lower and mid treble, and, in fact, it becomes darker than the TITAN 1, making it, for my needs, a bit overpriced compared to its lesser brother. In terms of full-sized headphones, I would call the DN-2000J kind of, sort of like an AKG Q 701 with proper deep bass impact; it is in the same vein as the Q 701 as it has a neutral tone, probably the most neutral in an IEM I have found, a bright lower and mid treble, and a steep drop in the upper treble around 10 to 12 KHz.
 
Because of this upper treble roll-off, the cymbals are not as bright and convincing as the TITAN 1 and the sound is not as coherent, either. Because of this upper treble roll-off, the edges of sonic images have a blurred look to them when focusing with my sonic eyes, where sometimes things are like blobs. The TITAN 1, on the other hand, does not have this upper treble roll-off and, though its upper treble is sometimes a bit too forward and though I personally believe this just is a recording mastering issue, the edges of the sonic image in the TITAN 1 are more well-defined and more finely etched. Interestingly enough, the soundstage on the DN-2000J seems ultra wide but not very deep just like the Q 701. The TITAN 1, on the other hand, is the opposite: just moderately wide but very deep, likely due to its greater proficiency in the uppermost treble region.
 
Likewise, though the less costly Phonak PFE with gray filters is inferior in all other respects to the DN-2000J, even its upper treble detail and clarity is far superior. Now, most people would likely not be bothered by the DN-2000J's treble roll-off in the topmost extremes. If you are middle-aged, you would likely not be able to even tell. But for myself, having played flute for almost 10 years and as a young man in my 20s, I instinctively listen to the uppermost treble for air, clarity and focus, so any treble inconsistencies will stand out like a sore thumb, and so this has always made headphone purchases always an interesting pursuit. I got these results regardless of my source, and I know from experience with other headphones handy what I am looking for. So back to seller the DN-2000J goes. It is a nice headphone and all. But for its price, it does not do exactly what I would want or expect. It was certainly a fun ride, and I can officially say I demoed and owned one, but I am shipping it back tomorrow.

But what about the burn in? 

 
 
And, why not keep it and wait until you're middle-aged, or why not use it with your EQ settings for your MEE Audio A151?