H T T
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I am quite interested in the Falcon Pro.
Oh. So. PRO. All New DUNU ECLIPSƎ Products: FALCON PRO & ZEN PRO
- Thread starter DUNU-Topsound
- Start date
Yes! We'll have a limited number of discounted units on the show floor, both FALCON PRO and ZEN PRO. Looking forward to seeing everyone there!Any Canjam discounts?
I loved the Zen, and the Pro is now on my follow list. Great job, DUNU!
morndewey
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Applause
kmmbd
500+ Head-Fier
The air-damping scheme on the Falcon Pro seems very interesting. The vents kinda reminds me of the OG Titan 1. I wonder if the isolation would take a hit though since that is often the case with such vented designs (the Titan 1 had an open presentation at the expense of isolation). Other than that, seems like a very interesting entry in the <$300 segment esp for a single DD.
Wow. It looks like DUNU is addressing the biggest issue I had with the ZEN's SQ when I owned them. While I loved the the design, comfortable fit and accessories of the ZEN, it unfortunately had a rather unpleasant 'hardness' to it's upper-mids and treble that quickly became fatiguing to me. Everything else sound fantastic, but I just couldn't get on with it's upper-mids. Hopefully the ZEN PRO will fix the only issue I had with the original ZEN.
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And another single DD !!!! Great.. it’s indeed coming on the « around » 1000$ segment — (FAUDIO DARK SKY - SEN IE900 - TURII) very very promising .. hope it be available here for listening ... really love thé graph
deafenears
500+ Head-Fier
Does the ZEN PRO come with the DUW03 cable like with the ZEN? Or is that now bundled with a CHORD?
weexisttocease
Headphoneus Supremus
I think this time it's bundled with the Chord cable.
Looking forward to pair the lightening adapter with my SA6, specially in brown colour
AHHHH another $200 dynamic with interchangeable nozzles. I just ordered KATO -- looks to be a shootout. I'm gonna bet we all win
H T T
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We will have to see how the Kato sounds. If is based off the VSDF (probably) and the Falcon Pro is like this:AHHHH another $200 dynamic with interchangeable nozzles. I just ordered KATO -- looks to be a shootout. I'm gonna bet we all win
The two products will then likely be complementary.
tkddans
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Super interested in trying them! I tried to check out the Falcon Pro, but it is currently out of stock.DUNU is proud to announce two all new models in our refreshed lineup: FALCON PRO and ZEN PRO.
Over the past couple of years, we here at DUNU have been working hard to overhaul our entire product portfolio to one that more closely reflects the thoughts and values of the collective portable audio community around the globe.
In doing so, we wanted as much as possible to incorporate our exclusive ECLIPSƎ driver technology platform (CNIPA ZL20202008721.5) into our products. ECLIPSƎ was born during the development of our flagship LUNA, one of the very few pure beryllium foil driver earphones in the world. One of the most important (perhaps more than the beryllium) lessons we derived from its development was how to make a better dynamic driver on the small scale. With ECLIPSƎ, we're able to build drivers with a larger percentage of surface area actually used for sound reproduction and leverage disparate driver materials in a variety of ways, expanding their use cases, and optimizing their motion characteristics.
It is for these reasons that both FALCON PRO and ZEN PRO leverage ECLIPSƎ technology into their designs. It’s a good time to go PRO!
FALCON PRO
Design & Construction
FALCON PRO's predecessor, FALCON-C, was introduced in late 2016. Its handsome, amorphous zirconium alloy shells were incredibly strong and light, but less expressive when finished in matte black. FALCON PRO takes the shells in a bold new direction. They're now cast in solid 316 stainless steel and finished on a CNC lathe for precision tolerances. The entire exterior is polished to a mirror shine, and a unique sandblasting technique is applied to the outer bezel, sparing a throwback logo motif.
Acoustic Design
The 10 mm dynamic driver at the heart of FALCON PRO is a brand new design built around a large diameter dome that is coated with amorphous diamond-like carbon (aDLC) via the latest generation plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) methods for maximum uniformity and structural integrity. It is furthermore joined to a highly-compliant polymer surround leveraging our patented ECLIPSƎ construction techniques, giving the driver ideal excursion behavior our ECLIPSƎ drivers are known for.
Beyond the judicious use of diaphragm materials is the magnet pairing, and no ECLIPSƎ driver would be complete without a high magnetic flux system, good for over 1.6 Tesla. This magnet enables the diaphragm to be driven with the most ideal, efficient motor possible.
A well-designed and constructed driver is just the base. Strategies to control damping and resonance are paramount to ideal sound. To achieve a balanced, versatile tonal response, DUNU engineers employed a multi-prong approach to airflow and resonance control.
Along the interior face of the FALCON PRO, five separate vents line the housings. Each vent dampens airflow in a different manner to control acoustic impedance across different areas of the driver, both to the front and the rear.
A dual chamber design additionally empowers our engineers to suppress unwanted resonance in a finely targeted fashion. The resultant sound is one we're confident will resonate (pun intended) with users all over.
For the first time, DUNU is also offering interchangeable tuning nozzles (denoted by different color O-rings) to tailor FALCON PRO's sound signature for individual tastes. By varying both stem length and damping material, we're able to offer three appreciably different sound signatures.
The yellow nozzle, labeled 'Reference', is our take on a balanced response.
For extra clarity, depth, and detail, the blue 'Transparency' nozzle does the job.
'Atmospheric Immersion', in red, allows listeners to better appreciate the fullness of vocals and visceral impact of bass lines without negatively leeching off treble energy.
With three different tuning options and a driver designed for versatile performance, we are confident we've brought out the best in terms of cost to performance ratio in the FALCON PRO.
Cable and Accessories
Ever since its inception, DUNU's quick switch modular plug cable system has been acclaimed for its ease of use, durability, and wide range of available cables. Day by day, the active user community continues to grow and thrive, especially within the dedicated cable thread on Head-Fi. We wanted FALCON PRO users to be a part of this community.
And so, FALCON PRO introduces a new type of modular cable system: Q-Lock LITE. It retains the superlative build quality of our previous modular cables (now referred to as Q-Lock PLUS), but simplifies the locking mechanism, allowing it to be more affordable than ever. Included in the box are 2.5 mm balanced, 4.4 mm balanced, and 3.5 mm single-ended plugs, for the ultimate in portable connectivity. The included 6N silver-plated OCC copper cable also pairs perfectly with Q-Lock LITE and integrates seamlessly with the earphones via our Catch-Hold MMCX connectors.
A DUNU earphone wouldn't be complete without our signature, rich array of accessories. Unique to the FALCON PRO is a carry case with a new color and finish, as well as a new set of ear tips with a ribbed cyclone pattern designed to bolster treble performance.
ZEN PRO
With ZEN PRO, DUNU continues to develop and refine its patented ECLIPSƎ technology platform, setting the performance standard for single dynamic driver in-ears under $1000.
As an evolutionary product, ZEN PRO retains the overall shape and design of the critically acclaimed ZEN, now with an attractive, scratch-resistant titanium colored anodize.
Acoustic Design
The minimal exterior changes belie the huge overhaul inside. An overwhelming majority of work has been put into a substantially revised, second generation 13.5 mm ECLIPSƎ driver. Through modifications to its alloy composition, the W-shaped, nanoDLC-coated magnesium-aluminum alloy dome is now stiffer and lighter, boasting superior internal damping and widened effective bandwidth over its predecessor.
The machine milled, external ring-type, neodymium-based > 1.8 T magnet assembly now boasts tighter tolerances, enabling greater magnetic flux at the voice coils. These changes result in a more detailed, fleshed out midrange performance that draws the listener in even further.
In adjusting the sound profile of the ZEN PRO, we leaned on the feedback of existing ZEN users. ZEN was an earpiece designed specifically for dynamic range reproduction. Listeners loved the depth of impact ZEN exhibited, but were hoping for more of an even-keeled trebled response.
We looked at all the different ways to bring this hope to fruition, and it was only after we worked with our dome supplier to adjust the magnesium alloy composition and edge thickness that these changes were possible. We also altered our damping strategies to allow the topmost octave to vibrate freely. The result is a highly impactful, more open sounding, and highly neutral leaning sound signature rarely ever found in dynamic driver earphones.
To validate whether the changes were consistent with an improvement in perceived sound quality, we designed a small pilot study intended to examine:
To do so, we designed three different, lengthy questionnaires. The first established baseline characteristics of the listeners' assessments of the original ZEN; the second polled the listeners on their assessments of the ZEN PRO following a listening session (blinded to measurements of the ZEN PRO and blinded to details of the product). The final component asked listeners to reflect on the consistency of their findings after having seen measurements of the ZEN PRO, and after having been briefed on details of the product.
- whether individuals felt the ZEN PRO was better than ZEN (tested with 20 different descriptors of various aspects of sound)
- whether individuals were consistent with their blind listening impressions, before and after seeing a frequency response curve
- how we can further evolve the ZEN platform for derivative products in the future
The critical blinded listening assessment was most revealing of the differences in sound characteristics between the ZEN and ZEN PRO. Respondents were asked to grade, on a scale of −5 to +5, how ZEN PRO performed relative to ZEN. Positive numbers favor ZEN PRO more strongly, and negative numbers favor ZEN more strongly. Initial analyses on the mean, standard deviation, and 95% confidence intervals (calculated via T-score with n-1 degrees of freedom) for 20 categories of sound indicated a clear positive preference for most aspects of ZEN PRO's sound (16 of 20 categories positively scored for ZEN PRO). A more complete description of the data collected can be found in the original ZEN announcement and discussion thread.
By applying observational methods to examine whether our engineering efforts truly supported an improved listening experience, we at DUNU are confident we've raised the bar for performance with dynamic in-ears under $1000. From the outset, our goal with ZEN and the entire ECLIPSƎ platform was to continuously iterate and improve our craft through deep introspection. ZEN PRO is a better product because of this reflective process.
Pricing and Availability
- FALCON PRO will retail for $219.99 US dollars and will be available for pre-order on our website beginning Monday, September 20. Shipping date is anticipated before the end of September, when they will also be available from authorized retailers worldwide.
- ZEN PRO retails for $899.99 US dollars and is available NOW from our website, and is making its way to authorized retailers as of this announcement.
CanJam SoCal 2021
For those who want an early listen, DUNU will be attending CanJam SoCal, in just over a week on September 25-26 --- the first CanJam in a very long time!
Both the FALCON PRO and ZEN PRO will be available for audition. We’ll also have many more goodies to listen to, as well as unannounced prototypes and our entire lineup of critically acclaimed modular cables!
We’ll be collecting user feedback at the show. Show attendees who complete our feedback questionnaire (electronic and contactless) on the show floor will be entered into a giveaway drawing for BOTH the ZEN PRO and FALCON PRO! Details coming soon!
The DUNU booth at CanJam New York City in February 2020, the last CanJam before the pandemic.
I don’t suppose you send out review units?
For international units, the ZEN PRO comes bundled with the CHORD.
Pre-orders don't start until Monday, 9/20.
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