SA6 impressions:
A lot’s been written about these iems already, and it was that critical mass of positive opinion that persuaded me to indulge myself (yet again)! To all the reviewers and posters out there and here, well done, you were not wrong...this is a very well put together set that really impresses on pretty much every level I can think of.
Build, fit (they’re not small, but they’ve got curves in all the right places), finish, packaging, tip selection (more on this later), the cable, the case: 10/10.
Sound:
This, of course, is where things get interesting, because unlike any other set I own, where only one type of tips really works properly for my ears (and it’s invariably an aftermarket type) Dunu’s tips are so well engineered that each style can be considered a tuning in its own right, and they’re all awesome.
The first ones I tried (having picked up on positive vibes earlier in the thread) were the blues; in summary, I’ve named these the intensity tips because of the sheer depth of detail and energy they convey. I’ll restrain myself from profanities but it’s tough to describe how I felt without resorting to them. Suffice to say the adrenaline started flowing fast. Expect lightning fast dynamics, effortless layering and separation, whiplash percussion, huge soundstage and real bite across the whole frequency spectrum. 30 minutes of high volume listening later and I was a quivering wreck.
On to the black and blue cores, after a brief test of Final Es (killed the dynamics), and here’s where I found my personal sweet spot and could actually relax into the music rather than feeling like I was jacked into the mains supply. The blues are there for when maximum performance is required, the blacks, with their narrower core, add just a touch of diffusion to the treble, sweeten the mids and subtly expand the bass. On the subject of bass, the SA6s really make me question whether there’s any meaningful distinction between BAs and DDs for Dunu, not once have I felt there was a lack of texture or extension to the low end, and imaging is all wall to wall undertone with maybe a touch more note density and a touch less transparency than a DD would provide. Bottom line, if you crave fast bass, the Sonion drivers deliver in spades.
These are my second pair of Dunus after the DK-2001s, and though they’re markedly different in their tunings I’d venture that they share a couple of key characteristics - soundstage expansion and separation are excellent on both, that out of head 3 dimensional experience that the 2001s have is replicated with even more width on the SA6s. Even more than a decent tuning, which I kind of expect is a given at this level, I need whatever psychoacoustic wizardry goes into the soundstage design for that all enveloping feeling when listening to music, and I’m really pleased with these on both fronts - their presentation is impeccable balanced, airy and nuanced.
After all the incredible close up shots I had to zoom out for mine
. Big thanks Dunu for smashing it with this design and somehow exceeding my massively overblown expectations.
PS, even though I consider myself a borderline basshead the atmospheric immersion setting was not for me. Black tips give me all the slam and rumble I need.
Dunu SA6 just landed
