Late replies --- we've been trying to get ready for our new BA series, Studio (we'll be making an announcement soon).
The discussion has gotten a little testy lately. Let's all try to keep the discussion civil, yeah?
We are an engineering-oriented company, so we recognize the many merits of a more academic discussion on sound, and we're happy to do that.
Over the years, we've also recognized the need to take 'artistic liberties' vis-a-vis sound signature. This is a practice that we had to learn over time, through experience. We know what we're up against. We're not an established German or Japanese firm with half a century of hi-fi heritage. But we've been at it for nearly two decades, with over a decade of working just about exclusive with in-ears and earbuds. Our acoustic engineer, Andy, has been with us since before DUNU was created as a brand. Hitting an FR target is not difficult.
Many thanks
@DUNU-Topsound
I completely understand your pre-amble w.r.t. covid-19. You're very wise to be cautious. But it seems we have the minority view. Most people where I live are out protesting for their constitutional right to drown in their own lung fluids. (And of course, to be able to pass on that experience to their local grocery-store workers and health-care providers.)
I signed up for the tour, but there was no option for me to request a specific slot. It would be awesome if you could squeeze me in while the tour unit is still relatively close to me?!? If not, I understand. I did sign up very, very late.
What has me curious about this earphone is the claimed difference between measurements and impressions in the bass. The treble I'd understand as we have differing canal lengths, resonant peaks, etc. But I've never encountered discrepancies like that with the low frequencies. Not unless there wasn't a proper seal in the ear canal or coupler, and that would be such a noobish mistake to make, I think there's zero chance Jude would have done that. All our coupler brands and variants tend to agree closely in the bass frequencies, so like I said, I'm curious...
I'm not able to find any review from you on the LUNA. In any case, while I'd agree with you that to achieve maximum sub-bass it's imperative to get a proper seal, in every IEM I've ever seen and heard, eartip type (once a proper seal has been achieved) is basically irrelevant to the bass. (Certainly not irrelevant to the upper frequencies, but irrelevant to the bass.) You may be able to throw foam tips on it and reduce the treble and therefore make it tilt slightly warmer, but that's not because you've changed the bass. If you were to align those spectra, the bass wouldn't change at all.
Maybe wearing it in different positions or insertion depths causes its vent ports to block or unblock and those are the differences being heard?
I'd be very surprised if what you're saying weren't true. The low-frequency measurements are usually the more reliable part of the spectrum. Some people genuinely prefer to have a sub-bass that rolls off a bit, and there's nothing wrong with that, if that's what you like. I usually prefer sub-bass > mid-bass, but I should hold back judgement since I've not yet heard the LUNA.
Thank you
@rantng - I wouldn't have found those posts without your help
I think the moral of the story, for every IEM on the planet, is to do lots and lots of tip rolling. I've got IEMs I've owned for years that still surprise me when I put new tips on them.
I don't know how much useful advice anybody can give to others on tips though. I like the Cp100 that
@subguy812 mentions - they seem to fit me well on most IEMs - but
with everybody having different-shaped ears...?
I did notice one of the vent ports looks like it might sit right up against the ear-canal opening. Anybody tried taping over it to see the effect of blocking it?
Cabin fever is just about inevitable these days, but hopefully people will eventually come to their senses and do the prudent thing. As a native Angeleno and health provider, it'd be disheartening to see a second wave. There are ways to open up public services and the economy in a step-wise, safe manner that don't entail protests and blockades.
Yes, there's no option for a specific slot --- we assign the order and slots for the sake of simplifying logistics. Shipping is a veritable nightmare these days. Cross-Atlantic and cross-pacific shipments are delayed by up to an entire week these days. We just found out USPS is refusing shipments to Canada (and most likely Mexico, though we haven't checked), so we have to go with other couriers just to ship across the border. We'll contact you via PM with specifics.
The vent on the interior will affect bass response, as does the vent behind the MMCX connector. They have opposite, balancing effects. If you cover up one, you can get many more decibels of sub-bass, with minimal impact on the rest of the frequency range. However, this isn't the driver behavior we wish to have. It biases driver motion and in listening tests, limits the amount of detail we can extract from the low end.
If LUNA's sound signature is ideal for a listener, we don't recommend occluding the vents, as they will alter the bass response, but owners are welcome to try various methods to mod LUNA to their liking. We know the tricks people do with 3M Micropore tape, Blu-Tack, etc.
So yes --- for our target sound signature, there will be
more perceived mid-bass than sub-bass.
However, we did not design LUNA to be "mid-bassy" to exude fun --- we wished to simulate what we felt was a natural bass response that articulated bass subtleties well without resorting to exaggeration.
We do have models that simulate a more boosted sub-bass response, such as those in our DK hybrid lineup. But LUNA's bass response is intended to convey space, nuance, and resolution, rather than sheer quantity and mono-texture.
It is our acoustic engineer Andy's opinion that LUNA's bass resolution outstrips that of the DK-4001, a model we put a lot of effort into bring out bass by designing a complex spiral-shaped bass reflex port (the ACIS system).
A sub-bass test that users can try out begins at 2:19 on K-dot's
Loyalty. The bass line should be completely below 100 Hz, reaching down to 30 Hz:
Another one may be the bass line from 0:12 to 0:21 from Drake's
Started from the Bottom. This is a good track to test for bass bloat. Ear pieces with rolloff tend to emphasize frequencies above 50 Hz rather than the ones below 50 Hz and tend to overemphasize the midbass bleed.
However, since both these tracks use highly synthesized bass, they both tend to sound very one-note down low. There isn't a lot of complex time evolution going on. Then again, there's not that much going on in these frequencies. Most complex sub-bass will happen between 60-100 Hz.
Again, I encourage everyone to read my eartip comparison. I cannot stress enough the importance of the eartip with the Luna. To achieve the maximum sub bass it is imperative.
Thank you for making the extensive comparison --- it really is very comprehensive and provides anyone with a good roadmap on where to start.
I finally received the Dunu Luna as the EU tour resumed, and I guess it's time to share some first impressions.
Accessories
Now, I didn't receive the full package which is one of the most impressive IEM packagings I've ever seen (along with the IER Z1R packaging). It's understandable though as it significantly eases up shipping/logistics in these Covid times. I did get the large carry bag/purse and all the essentials were there including the awesome Luna cable with swappable balanced/Single-ended plugs in various terminations. The tip selection is especially impressive and should basically cover anyone.
Build
The Titanium shell and its finishing is exemplary with subtle grooves and machining that are only visible when light hits them at specific angles (e.g. the subtle grooves around the nozzle). They are also fairly comfortable to wear due to them being lightweight, however the short nozzle might make fit less than ideal for some. The cable is also superb and the swapping mechanism is very solid with a spring assisted locking mechanism.
Sound Impressions
Again, these are early impressions and I've only listened to them for a couple of hours. The first thing that stands out is the effortless detail retrieval. Another thing that stands out in a less glorious manner is the lack of vivid sub-bass rumble as the bass rolls off post 30Hz. Mid-bass however is really well-tuned, no distracting bumps or profuse bleeding into the lower mids. They just add some warmth to the whole midrange, which is very welcome.
Since there is an ongoing discussion about the sub-bass response on these, I think I can add my own experience here. With the Final E-type tips (Black version, Clear version seals less) I got the most bass emphasis, but it was mostly centered around the mid-bass regions. I ran a sine sweep and did go through my usual songs for sub-bass check. The bass rumble isn't severely lacking per se, but it's definitely not emphasized above the mid-bass, and doesn't give that rattling sensation you get once things go down 25Hz or lower. However, I'd assume that these can take some PEQ due to the very low THD figures and I'd check that with EQApo in the coming days.
Speaking of midrange, from the graphs you'll see a massive upper-mid spike ~4KHz. Fortunately, they don't sound that exaggerated or shouty while listening. It does bring acoustic instruments and strings forward into the mix. Male vocals didn't any oddities and sounded mostly as they should. I didn't check them with any female vocal tracks yet, will do before the full review.
Soundstage is not too wide, but has good depth. Imaging is precise, though as is very common for IEMs - things that should be placed behind your head aren't as convincingly placed as the rest of the coordinates.
To conclude, this is shaping up to a very interesting single DD offering, and I intend to explore more and report back over the coming weeks. Stay safe!
Thanks for the impressions --- we didn't ship the entire box because it weighs 2.3 kg and there are multiple couriers that are refusing to ship items > 2 kg that aren't essential items. It also raises eyebrows; a customs officer has more than once expressed doubt about the true contents of a box larger than most media PCs and yet is labeled "earphone".