[FlowLikeWater]

Well I've been listening to my A8000 and the Luna for two months now. I will not be writing a review on either as there are a number of them posted already but I will write a A8000 vs Luna especially in terms of micro comparison (meaning 10 to 20 seconds at a time while they are both tarry in my musical memory). I may need another week or two as I do not feel like I own the sound of the Luna yet. At the moment I am leaning slightly more toward the A8000 (mainly due to the delicacy of the sound) with a caveat in that I am using a pretty high end custom cable vs the Luna stock cable even though the Luna stock cable is very very good as stock cable goes. Another challenge is that the two being both use single Beryllium driver, they do have more in common than you think. Rest assure I will speak my mind as I own both and I want to be honest with myself and you guys.

looking forward to it bro

 

[zolyniakm]

Noble is good cable, but if you are loooking for something, that brings more from Luna, Luminox Audio Tri-Light is worth trying. Provides wider and deeper stage, even more controled sound (lows, mids, upper mids), better extention on both ends.

 

[james444]

Finally the EU tour unit has landed on my doorstep. Love the minimalist design, very nice. Fit and comfort are top notch, too. Well done & thanks @DUNU-Topsound!

 

[davidmolliere]

@james444 Eager to get your impressions, you're in for a treat

 

[james444]

Dunu Luna Bass Extension

Well, the first thing I'm very much interested in is bass extension, since there has been some discussion about possible roll-off earlier on.

So I'm firing up my test track for bass extension, which has a sequence of 4 bass notes going down to as low as 30Hz (and being repeated twice within the first 10 seconds, before the vocals come in). The crucial notes to listen to are #3 and #4, which, unsurprisingly, are the two lowest ones.

From my experience, notes #3 and #4 do sound about equally loud on IEMs with good bass extension, and I can clearly discern a difference in pitch. Whereas on IEMs with sub-bass roll-off, note #4 tends to sound noticeably quieter than #3, and it's much harder to hear a difference in pitch:



So, how does the Luna fare? In my opinion very good, since I can hear the entire sequence clearly, without any sign of bass roll-off.


Measurement time: comparing bass response against a classic IEM with stellar reputation for bass quality, the Sony EX1000:

(DF-compensated) blue = Dunu Luna, red = Sony EX1000

It's easy to see that frequency responses of the Luna and EX1000 are virtually identical from 1kHz all the way down to sub-bass.

 

[BabetakCZE]

Ok, how different are Luna , EX-800 , Dita Answer and Dita Truth? For me is much easier to buy EX-800 or Dita.
I really need to know what is the "best".
I have EX-600 and its a bit harsh so EX-1000 is maybe too harsh for me.

 

[dleblanc343]

Dunu Luna Bass Extension

Well, the first thing I'm very much interested in is bass extension, since there has been some discussion about possible roll-off earlier on.

So I'm firing up my test track for bass extension, which has a sequence of 4 bass notes going down to as low as 30Hz (and being repeated twice within the first 10 seconds, before the vocals come in). The crucial notes to listen to are #3 and #4, which, unsurprisingly, are the two lowest ones.

From my experience, notes #3 and #4 do sound about equally loud on IEMs with good bass extension, and I can clearly discern a difference in pitch. Whereas on IEMs with sub-bass roll-off, note #4 tends to sound noticeably quieter than #3, and it's much harder to hear a difference in pitch:



So, how does the Luna fare? In my opinion very good, since I can hear the entire sequence clearly, without any sign of bass roll-off.


Measurement time: comparing bass response against a classic IEM with stellar reputation for bass quality, the Sony EX1000:

(DF-compensated) blue = Dunu Luna, red = Sony EX1000

It's easy to see that frequency responses of the Luna and EX1000 are virtually identical from 1kHz all the way down to sub-bass.

Omg I didn’t expect these to be so similar to EX1000. Super exciting!

I’m next on the Canadian tour I believe.

Will try to compare to my KSE1500, custom Roxannes, Sony IER-M9 and EX1000

 

[davidmolliere]

Ok, how different are Luna , EX-800 , Dita Answer and Dita Truth? For me is much easier to buy EX-800 or Dita. I really need to know what is the "best". I have EX-600 and its a bit harsh so EX-1000 is maybe too harsh for me.

There is no "best" at least never in absolute terms

This being said I owned and ended up selling EX1000 because of its agressive peaks it's no on every recording but when it is then it's piercing to me...
Haven't heard the DITA.

Luna to me is simply in a league of its own among dynamic drivers, this is a technological breakthrough and it's one of the few "ah ah" IEMs like KSE1500 I used to own which is totally different from the pack. Contrary to the KSE1500 that sounded totally different but not "real", Luna is precisely as real as it gets with its spot on timbre and insane micro and macro dynamics. That last aspect alone is something where Luna is so far ahead it's downright ridiculous... (really). But, there is always a but although it's (to me) always smooth, it's a very intense IEM (mainly because of the off the charts dynamics). Depending on sources, personal sensitivity it could be overwhelming to some.

If you love intense, then Luna is one of the very best for sure. It belongs to my ultimate top 3 and I own and have owned and auditioned amont the universally praised as top of the cream custom and universals (VE8, LCD-i4, KSE1500, Erlkönig...). It competes at any price point and to me these days, one of the most important aspect a unique tuning and top of the top performance level in at least two dimensions (timbre and dynamics for Luna). If you factor in its price then a pure no brainer and that's why it's my next buy.

 

[Frankie D]

There is no "best" at least never in absolute terms

This being said I owned and ended up selling EX1000 because of its agressive peaks it's no on every recording but when it is then it's piercing to me...
Haven't heard the DITA.

Luna to me is simply in a league of its own among dynamic drivers, this is a technological breakthrough and it's one of the few "ah ah" IEMs like KSE1500 I used to own which is totally different from the pack. Contrary to the KSE1500 that sounded totally different but not "real", Luna is precisely as real as it gets with its spot on timbre and insane micro and macro dynamics. That last aspect alone is something where Luna is so far ahead it's downright ridiculous... (really). But, there is always a but although it's (to me) always smooth, it's a very intense IEM (mainly because of the off the charts dynamics). Depending on sources, personal sensitivity it could be overwhelming to some.

If you love intense, then Luna is one of the very best for sure. It belongs to my ultimate top 3 and I own and have owned and auditioned amont the universally praised as top of the cream custom and universals (VE8, LCD-i4, KSE1500, Erlkönig...). It competes at any price point and to me these days, one of the most important aspect a unique tuning and top of the top performance level in at least two dimensions (timbre and dynamics for Luna). If you factor in its price then a pure no brainer and that's why it's my next buy.

I agree. The more I listen, the more I feel this is one of the top IEM’s available. As you mentioned you have a top 3, what are they? Tks.

 

[james444]

Omg I didn’t expect these to be so similar to EX1000. Super exciting!

Yes, the Luna is in some ways quite similar to the EX1000. Although, in other ways, it isn't. For instance soundstage, separation and imaging reminds me more of another old favorite of mine, the Final FI-BA-SS. While the EX1000 has an extremely wide stage with not that much depth, the Luna is not as wide, but feels more 3-dimensional. Also, the EX1000 has a more "blended" sound, somewhat reminiscent of a live venue with room reflections. The Luna, on the other hand, presents everything very separated (like the FI-BA-SS), with every instrument clearly carved out and located in its place, more like what you'd expect from a studio sound.

It's pretty exciting to have a brand-new IEM at hand, that surprisingly seems to combine the traits of two old favorites of mine, from many years ago!

This being said I owned and ended up selling EX1000 because of its agressive peaks it's no on every recording but when it is then it's piercing to me...

I feel it's similar with the Luna, though to a somewhat lesser extent. But the upper mids and treble tuning is one potentially controversial aspect of the Luna in my book.

I've spent some time A/Bing the Luna to the two IEMs I use most frequently these days, my JVC FD01 (modded, identical to the FDX1) and my FAudio Passion (modded). Both of the latter IEMs have a less peaky and more balanced high range than the Luna, as illustrated in this measurement:

(High range comparison > 1kHz, DF-compensated) red = Dunu Luna, blue = FD01 (mod), green = Passion (mod)

Now, the Luna's tuning is interesting and pretty clever, because the high-mids emphasis around 5kHz gives it a lot of presence and clarity, while the wide scooped-out range higher up prevents it from sounding sharp or sibilant (the ubiquitous downside to so many other "detailed-sounding" IEMs).

However, this clever tuning comes at a price, since it introduces a bit of harshness (mostly noticeable with complex classical music - see example below). And it sort of throws the high-mids / low-treble timbre a little off balance (mostly noticeable with rock music, where electric guitars have almost Grado-like edge and bite, but cymbal crashes sound rather laid-back in comparison, with somewhat subdued sparkle and shimmer - see example below)).

So, while the Luna surpasses both of my current favorite IEMs with superior perceived detail / clarity / separation, the latter succeed in reproducing the high range with slightly more smoothness and better tonal balance.

Example #1: Excerpt from Mahler 2nd symphony, listen from 01:30 to 02:30)



Example #2: Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend

 

[kmmbd]

The Luna, on the other hand, presents everything very separated (like the FI-BA-SS), with every instrument clearly carved out and located in its place, more like what you'd expect from a studio sound.

This, precisely, is what stands out the most with Luna for me. The instrument separation is eerily similar to full-size open-back headphones. I swapped between Luna and the HD650 routinely during the review period and the instrument placement was very similar between them (Luna even had a bit better lateral placement I'd reckon). The Sennheiser had more stage height due to the far larger driver but even then it's nothing substantial.

Another thing that Luna does very well is replicate the position of the vocalist and other central-image instruments as they were recorded. In many tracks the vocals sit right in front of you whereas in others they seem to come from slightly up ahead. Watching and listening concert footage with them is especially rewarding as you can correlate what's happening on the screen with what's being played inside your ears and that's a darn good achievement for something so small.

 

[musicday]

How is the bass and subbass on the Luna compared to the SE846? Some people say the later has the best deep bass in a IEM.

 

[Spie1904]

Few quick questions from someone with tiny / small ears.
How are these size wise vs the Xelento?
Are they also plagued by driver flex? Read the xelento have that issue for people with small ears because there is no front vent to get rid of pressure.

Lastly, are these suited for most genres?
I mostly listen to:
- Classical and film music (Hans Zimmer, Joe Hisaishi, Bach, etc)
- Jazz / Blues
- Rock (Volbeat)
- Metal (Trivium, In flames)
- Acoustic song writer / Indie / Alternative
- Piano (Classical, Jazz, Blues)
- Acoustic guitar (Tommy Emmanuel fan)

 

[kmmbd]

Few quick questions from someone with tiny / small ears.
How are these size wise vs the Xelento?
Are they also plagued by driver flex? Read the xelento have that issue for people with small ears because there is no front vent to get rid of pressure.

Lastly, are these suited for most genres?
I mostly listen to:
- Classical and film music (Hans Zimmer, Joe Hisaishi, Bach, etc)
- Jazz / Blues
- Rock (Volbeat)
- Metal (Trivium, In flames)
- Acoustic song writer / Indie / Alternative
- Piano (Classical, Jazz, Blues)
- Acoustic guitar (Tommy Emmanuel fan)

I compared them against Xelento and these have no pressure-buildup issues (I tried with Spinfit CP-100). There are two vents, one on the inner-side and another atop the mmcx stem so I think this should be fine on that front for everyone. These are similarly comfortable but you might have to use a tip with longer stem so tip-rolling is recommended (they do come with loads of tips). They are great with the genres you mentioned. The guitar distortions can become a bit up-front at times but even at louder volumes I could listen to them for hours.

 

[FlowLikeWater]

How is the bass and subbass on the Luna compared to the SE846? Some people say the later has the best deep bass in a IEM.

best bass in IEM tht honor goes to Legend X

also would love to hear ppl's opinions on Luna for metal