[ChrisHeld1989]

Someone said, that the staging of the FD5 is something special. Staging is very wide and deep and frontal (speakerlike). That was exactly what i am searching for. I had many iems and only one iem had this ability and it was the IMR R1. All instruments and vocals were in front of you and 270 degree around you. I was like a surround system. This staging/imaging was very special and i didn't found any iem who was capable to do this. I hope the FD5 has this same ability.

 

[josesol07]

One person who has both said the details and technicalities are similar but the zens have the better tuning. I personally would not pay double the price if this is the case but will hope for more comparisons until I consider them. All that marketing then sounding technically as good and detailed as fiio's flagship DD at double the price? Let's hope not. I need the zens to separate themselves from the pack and standout for me to take them serious especially at that price. Btw I have the fd5 and they sound absolutely stellar! However, the tuning isn't exactly to my liking and am considering returning them back.

Hi, what don't you like about FD5 tuning?

 

[Nabillion_786]

Hi, what don't you like about FD5 tuning?

Everything about that iem is scintillating but the vocals are further back then I'm used to. Only a touch back compared to the likes of an oxygen, fdx1 and kpe but that was enough to make the vocals less engaging for me. Also, I work late night and let my vocal recitations sing around my head whilst being in a relax state of mind but on the fd5 I found that I had to listen out for them a bit more.

 

[Dsnuts]

I am really curious about the effect of its 1.8t driver.
other one I have seen is 1 Tesla by iBasso? Or fIIo?

FD5 is a very capable earphone however they aren't without issues. They do have a great stage and presence, has excellent technicalities. They went for a harmonish tuning with some coloration. More bass a bit more lower mids and upper treble. The issue there is that they have a good resolving driver but Fiio tuned the upper registers to actually enhance detail. People are resorting to use warmer copper cables and even modding and foam covered tips and such. They are so close to having something really exceptional. However because of the tuning they are more finicky of sources meaning if your using a neutrally tuned source the sound can become fatiguing. You have to resort to mentioned mods and such.

So how is the Zen different? For one they play great on everything and I mean everything. Tonally more accurate with better balancing. Less colored with tighter speedier bass. slightly more upper mid focused vs the FD5 meaning your vocals will pop. Best of all the Zen don't suffer from a glaring treble peaks that will cause you to mod your stuff.

Is that worth the extra. You bet your arse it is. Also since they are more tonally accurate, your gonna perceive your musical details more fluidly without the gimmicky aspect of increasing treble to hear it. Zen in my books is clearly the higher end earphone and one that is actually a great deal. Dunus own Luna cost more than double. Love my Luna and the Zens come dangerously close to the technical aspect of the Luna at less than half and just as engaging.

 

[ChrisHeld1989]

How is the stage of the ZEN compared to FD5? I read that the FD5s stage is like a pair of speakers in front of you and all instruments and vocal comes to you with holographic imaging. Does the ZEN this too or does it play al things in your head and 360 degree around?

 

[corgifall]

So how is the Zen different? For one they play great on everything and I mean everything. Tonally more accurate with better balancing. Less colored with tighter speedier bass. slightly more upper mid focused vs the FD5 meaning your vocals will pop. Best of all the Zen don't suffer from a glaring treble peaks that will cause you to mod your stuff.

Is that worth the extra. You bet your arse it is. Also since they are more tonally accurate, your gonna perceive your musical details more fluidly without the gimmicky aspect of increasing treble to hear it. Zen in my books is clearly the higher end earphone and one that is actually a great deal. Dunus own Luna cost more than double. Love my Luna and the Zens come dangerously close to the technical aspect of the Luna at less than half and just as engaging.

I think the ZEN scales well with better gear but I find playing the ZEN off my PAW S1 attached to my phone brings fantastic results. Even iphone dongle is livable with the ZEN.

The LUNA still manages to surprise me when I listen to genres that work well with it. I find the ZEN a better "all rounder" and I find the ZEN gets more listening time than the LUNA personally. That being said, when I pop the LUNA in I still get "woah" moments haha Both are fantastic. The ZEN is fantastic for its pricing.

 

[subguy812]

FD5 is a very capable earphone however they aren't without issues. They do have a great stage and presence, has excellent technicalities. They went for a harmonish tuning with some coloration. More bass a bit more lower mids and upper treble. The issue there is that they have a good resolving driver but Fiio tuned the upper registers to actually enhance detail. People are resorting to use warmer copper cables and even modding and foam covered tips and such. They are so close to having something really exceptional. However because of the tuning they are more finicky of sources meaning if your using a neutrally tuned source the sound can become fatiguing. You have to resort to mentioned mods and such.

So how is the Zen different? For one they play great on everything and I mean everything. Tonally more accurate with better balancing. Less colored with tighter speedier bass. slightly more upper mid focused vs the FD5 meaning your vocals will pop. Best of all the Zen don't suffer from a glaring treble peaks that will cause you to mod your stuff.

Is that worth the extra. You bet your arse it is. Also since they are more tonally accurate, your gonna perceive your musical details more fluidly without the gimmicky aspect of increasing treble to hear it. Zen in my books is clearly the higher end earphone and one that is actually a great deal. Dunus own Luna cost more than double. Love my Luna and the Zens come dangerously close to the technical aspect of the Luna at less than half and just as engaging.

So far this is one of the most accurate post I have seen yet regarding the Zen sound. As I listen, I search for keywords, adjectives to describe what I am hearing. Dsnuts uses tonally accurate, balanced, no glaring peaks, I concur, but I still need to give them more time. Nice post!

 

[audionewbi]

I always had faith in Dsnuts, always Sorry, couldnt resist.

 

[Scubadevils]

That was quick - left China on Monday, arrived in Dublin last night having travelled via Shenzen, Hong Kong and Leipzig. I guess I'll be joining the ZEN party soon!

 

[Scubadevils]

Landed but work to do before I can enjoy...

 

[Dsnuts]

How is the stage of the ZEN compared to FD5? I read that the FD5s stage is like a pair of speakers in front of you and all instruments and vocal comes to you with holographic imaging. Does the ZEN this too or does it play al things in your head and 360 degree around?

FD5 has a circular stage. Sound is tall as it is deep. This might be the reason why them treble notes get nice n up close. It isnt that the stage is extremely wide like the IER Z1R. It gives a wow factor because of that taller sound than usual which gives a grander sense of stage than most earphones. Most earphones have a good sense of depth and width but a taller stage is where the FD5s are a bit unique.

Zen has more a traditional sideways oval stage. Wider, deeper than taller vs the FD5. Width of stage is similar to the FD5 while the FD5 has that taller sound.

Was listening the Zen on the way to work this morning. I have to give it up to Dunu on this one. Tonal and timbral accuracy is spot on and I agree with @corgifall. Very versatile sound.

 

[nxnje]

As mentioned above, those are beryllium plated drivers, which is quite a bit different than actual pure beryllium drivers. I believe the Dunu Luna and Final A8000 are currently the only IEMs featuring such drivers.

The original OP just stated "beryllium" in his original post with no mention for plated/coated versus full beryllium. Yep I'm aware those hybrids discussed above are plated/coated beryllium, not pure beryllium. Even the budget hyped single DD beryllium types like Urbanfun YBF-ISS014, Moondrop SSR/SSP, Fiio FD1/Jade Audio EA1, Tin T1 Plus are plated/coated too.

Supposedly the Periodic Audio BE and KBEAR BElieve are marketed to be full beryllium too, and they are cheaper than the Final A8000 and DUNU LUNA, but that's a big can of worms, as we will probably need someone to open the driver and send it to a lab or something to prove or disprove this.

I think a lot of budget CHIFI are riding on the beryllium hype for the year of 2020. But I suspect a lot of em may just be using them as a marketing ploy. At the end of the day, I do think implementation and tuning are more important than driver count, driver material/type.

The KBEAR Believe was already opened by a famous Youtuber I will not name, and it's confirmed they have a pure Beryllium driver.
KBEAR also sent another free pair to this Youtuber to replace the one he had open for the community.
So, the Believe is actually the cheapest pure Be IEM atm.

 

[Scubadevils]

1st hour or so initial reaction: I might sell my other IEMs, I can't see much point in keeping them now - they are likely to gather dust. 2 sets actually still within Amazon return window so reckon I'll be availing of that.

These are incredible.

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

1st hour or so initial reaction: I might sell my other IEMs, I can't see much point in keeping them now - they are likely to gather dust. 2 sets actually still within Amazon return window so reckon I'll be availing of that.

These are incredible.

Those are the best kinds of reactions I love to see!

 

[Dsnuts]

1st hour or so initial reaction: I might sell my other IEMs, I can't see much point in keeping them now - they are likely to gather dust. 2 sets actually still within Amazon return window so reckon I'll be availing of that.

These are incredible.

Dont know if your a burn in person but. I highly recommend some burn in with some music playing at moderate levels. Give them a listen tomorrow. Will surprise you even more. lol.