This is a review of Dunu DN-2000J 3-way hybrid IEM. http://www.dunu-topsound.com/DN-2000J.html , available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/DUNU-DN-2000J-Triple-Premium-Earphone/dp/B00YUTCVHM/?tag=vectron00-20 or Penon: http://penonaudio.com/DUNU-DN-2000J
It's rare to see a company releasing an update to their popular flagship headphone model a year after its initial introduction. I’m not talking about refresh with cosmetic changes or an upgrade with incremental model number. This is a serious update (the same model number, adding suffix "J") with a newly developed wide-bandwidth dynamic driver (going up to 40kHz to meet hi-res requirements) and redesigned smaller lightweight shell. To me it says a lot about the company when I see them being obsessed about their flagship IEM, striving to improve the quality and the performance, and implementing changes based on their customer feedback. I didn’t have a chance to listen to their original DN-2000, thus can’t compare it, so this is going to be the first time I’m testing and reviewing a hybrid IEM from DUNU. Here is what I found.
Having previously reviewed their Titan 1 IEM, I found a lot of similarities in the packaging, though that didn’t take away from how much I was impressed with all the detailed info printed on the box: from high res images on the top of the magnetic flip cover to a complete spec with all the driver and housing and accessory details on the back and the sides, including pictures and description. You can definitely learn a lot about the product even before opening the box, and DUNU even included a frequency response graph to give you an idea about sound tuning.
But the “story” continuous when you turn the cover open to reveal DN2kJ under another flip cover in a clear display window, and a lot of additional info with details about the product and the philosophy behind the design. With another flip cover out of the way, you will find DN2kJ like two shinning jewelries in a gift box setting, a number of eartips, and a premium case with the rest of the accessories inside.
Unboxing.
Before I even start talking about accessories, let me just say that I have never seen that many before with any other pair of headphones I reviewed in the past. And what makes it more appealing, a lot of these accessories are not just "quantity" fillers, but actually quality original accessories I would like to talk more about in details. It’s all a matter of a personal opinion if you find them useful or not, but I do appreciate the effort and all the available options to fine tune a sound to your liking.
Starting with eartips, you get 3 sets of quality silicone tips, each one in S/M/L sizes and all with a medium bore opening. One set is white silicone while another one is in gray, and if you are not looking close enough you will miss that a third gray set actually has a foam inside of the cap. Never seen such “mod” before, and it helps with making an eartip cap stiffer to improve a seal in comparison to the same eartip without foam insert. I would have loved to see instead of white silicone set another set with a narrow bore opening, just something different for sound-shaping during tip rolling. Also included were 3 sets of medium size genuine Comply tips in different types (T-500, Ts-500, and Tx-500). DUNU is very proud of including Comply Tips and even mentioned about it specifically on the cover of their packaging.
You also get 1/4” adapter, an airplane travel adapter, and a shirt clip for the cable. These particular accessories are not at the top of my list, but some might find it useful. Furthermore, you will find a large metallic case for headphone storage. The case is sturdy with a good level of crush protection, but it’s too bulky for a portable use and not easy to open since you need to use both hands to pull it apart which often results in headphones and other accessories flying out. I would be very careful opening this case and never do it up in the air, only over some surface. Personally, I’m staying away from this case.
Moving along, you get custom earhooks for over ear cable fitment – another example of original slim design, not like generic ebay stuff under a dollar. You can also find two sets of different fins for a more secure fitment (each one comes with a spare). Unlike some cheap generic fins you’ll find with sports IEMs, these one are quality custom fins that go over the hook on the side of the shell – another original design element. Also, you will find a set of silicone rings which at first I didn't know where/how to apply until I realized they go on the back, protecting the edge of the shell. Maybe it’s overkill, but DUNU thought of every possible angle how to make fitment of their DN2kJ more comfortable.
Some of these accessories are intended not just for comfort but also for sound shaping. We are all familiar with “tip rolling” while going through variety of eartips to find the best fit/seal which affects the sound. Here you get a new way to fine tune your sound in addition to tip rolling. It’s very common to control amount of bass by closing one of the air vents in IEM. With a pinhole vent at the base of the nozzle, DUNU provides a silicone ring to cover that vent in order to increase bass quantity. That trick really works and you get a nice sub-bass boost, but as an artifact you also get a noticeable driver flex (a pop when you insert IEMs in your ear) since valve is closed and there is no path for the air to escape. Considering DUNU included this "bass-boost" ring as an option, I'm sure they consider this driver flex not to affect reliability of the driver covered under warranty. Personally, I prefer a natural bass rather than enhancement not intended by the original design.
Last but not least, you have a selection of 3 sets of color coded spacer rings that go on the nozzle to extend a sound path by shifting eartips placement. More distance between the driver and the eardrum introduces a little bit more space in sound depth which I was actually able to sense after a careful listening. So it was definitely not a gimmick, but I do want to admit that extra space sounds a bit artificial to my ears, like someone just added a bit of a reverb to a sound. Btw, considering DN2kJ has a nozzle with a series of grooves, there was no issue with eartips staying secure on it, even when they were not all the way in due to spacer rings.
Accessories.
When it comes to a design, DN2kJ definitely looks and feels like a premium high quality product. Starting with a cable and specifically the plug, you will find DUNU’s signature right angle gold plated connector with a sturdy grip metal housing and sufficient strain relief. Also, you will find their traditional cable tie in a form of a rubber flap that works great to keep your cable neatly wrapped when not in use. Y-splitter is trim and has a nice strain relief on a common side and a slide out chin-slider on the split side. When not in use, it neatly slides into the metal capsule of y-splitter. Another interesting thing about the cable in the section above the splitter is the hallowed out wires. You can actually feel that cable jacket is not very tight around the wires, creating this hallow space to help reduce the microphonics when cable rubs against your cloth. I find it to be quite an effective solution.
Cable attachment to the shell goes through a short but sturdy strain relief that has a bump on the Left side to distinguish it in the dark. Also keep in mind that due to a built in hooks for the fins (which also have L/R label on them), shells are not exactly symmetrical and I use that for L/R id as well. Shells are made out of stainless and aluminum materials with a very sturdy build and a nice finish. As DUNU pointed out, they worked hard on improving the ergonomics from the original DN2k release, and this “J” update is shorter and lighter, to the point where you don’t even need fins for a secure fitment, though I personally prefer to have them on. I already mentioned about vent at the base of the nozzle and also about nozzle itself having step-grooves for a better grip with an eartip core.
It's rare to see a company releasing an update to their popular flagship headphone model a year after its initial introduction. I’m not talking about refresh with cosmetic changes or an upgrade with incremental model number. This is a serious update (the same model number, adding suffix "J") with a newly developed wide-bandwidth dynamic driver (going up to 40kHz to meet hi-res requirements) and redesigned smaller lightweight shell. To me it says a lot about the company when I see them being obsessed about their flagship IEM, striving to improve the quality and the performance, and implementing changes based on their customer feedback. I didn’t have a chance to listen to their original DN-2000, thus can’t compare it, so this is going to be the first time I’m testing and reviewing a hybrid IEM from DUNU. Here is what I found.
Having previously reviewed their Titan 1 IEM, I found a lot of similarities in the packaging, though that didn’t take away from how much I was impressed with all the detailed info printed on the box: from high res images on the top of the magnetic flip cover to a complete spec with all the driver and housing and accessory details on the back and the sides, including pictures and description. You can definitely learn a lot about the product even before opening the box, and DUNU even included a frequency response graph to give you an idea about sound tuning.
But the “story” continuous when you turn the cover open to reveal DN2kJ under another flip cover in a clear display window, and a lot of additional info with details about the product and the philosophy behind the design. With another flip cover out of the way, you will find DN2kJ like two shinning jewelries in a gift box setting, a number of eartips, and a premium case with the rest of the accessories inside.
Unboxing.
Before I even start talking about accessories, let me just say that I have never seen that many before with any other pair of headphones I reviewed in the past. And what makes it more appealing, a lot of these accessories are not just "quantity" fillers, but actually quality original accessories I would like to talk more about in details. It’s all a matter of a personal opinion if you find them useful or not, but I do appreciate the effort and all the available options to fine tune a sound to your liking.
Starting with eartips, you get 3 sets of quality silicone tips, each one in S/M/L sizes and all with a medium bore opening. One set is white silicone while another one is in gray, and if you are not looking close enough you will miss that a third gray set actually has a foam inside of the cap. Never seen such “mod” before, and it helps with making an eartip cap stiffer to improve a seal in comparison to the same eartip without foam insert. I would have loved to see instead of white silicone set another set with a narrow bore opening, just something different for sound-shaping during tip rolling. Also included were 3 sets of medium size genuine Comply tips in different types (T-500, Ts-500, and Tx-500). DUNU is very proud of including Comply Tips and even mentioned about it specifically on the cover of their packaging.
You also get 1/4” adapter, an airplane travel adapter, and a shirt clip for the cable. These particular accessories are not at the top of my list, but some might find it useful. Furthermore, you will find a large metallic case for headphone storage. The case is sturdy with a good level of crush protection, but it’s too bulky for a portable use and not easy to open since you need to use both hands to pull it apart which often results in headphones and other accessories flying out. I would be very careful opening this case and never do it up in the air, only over some surface. Personally, I’m staying away from this case.
Moving along, you get custom earhooks for over ear cable fitment – another example of original slim design, not like generic ebay stuff under a dollar. You can also find two sets of different fins for a more secure fitment (each one comes with a spare). Unlike some cheap generic fins you’ll find with sports IEMs, these one are quality custom fins that go over the hook on the side of the shell – another original design element. Also, you will find a set of silicone rings which at first I didn't know where/how to apply until I realized they go on the back, protecting the edge of the shell. Maybe it’s overkill, but DUNU thought of every possible angle how to make fitment of their DN2kJ more comfortable.
Some of these accessories are intended not just for comfort but also for sound shaping. We are all familiar with “tip rolling” while going through variety of eartips to find the best fit/seal which affects the sound. Here you get a new way to fine tune your sound in addition to tip rolling. It’s very common to control amount of bass by closing one of the air vents in IEM. With a pinhole vent at the base of the nozzle, DUNU provides a silicone ring to cover that vent in order to increase bass quantity. That trick really works and you get a nice sub-bass boost, but as an artifact you also get a noticeable driver flex (a pop when you insert IEMs in your ear) since valve is closed and there is no path for the air to escape. Considering DUNU included this "bass-boost" ring as an option, I'm sure they consider this driver flex not to affect reliability of the driver covered under warranty. Personally, I prefer a natural bass rather than enhancement not intended by the original design.
Last but not least, you have a selection of 3 sets of color coded spacer rings that go on the nozzle to extend a sound path by shifting eartips placement. More distance between the driver and the eardrum introduces a little bit more space in sound depth which I was actually able to sense after a careful listening. So it was definitely not a gimmick, but I do want to admit that extra space sounds a bit artificial to my ears, like someone just added a bit of a reverb to a sound. Btw, considering DN2kJ has a nozzle with a series of grooves, there was no issue with eartips staying secure on it, even when they were not all the way in due to spacer rings.
Accessories.
When it comes to a design, DN2kJ definitely looks and feels like a premium high quality product. Starting with a cable and specifically the plug, you will find DUNU’s signature right angle gold plated connector with a sturdy grip metal housing and sufficient strain relief. Also, you will find their traditional cable tie in a form of a rubber flap that works great to keep your cable neatly wrapped when not in use. Y-splitter is trim and has a nice strain relief on a common side and a slide out chin-slider on the split side. When not in use, it neatly slides into the metal capsule of y-splitter. Another interesting thing about the cable in the section above the splitter is the hallowed out wires. You can actually feel that cable jacket is not very tight around the wires, creating this hallow space to help reduce the microphonics when cable rubs against your cloth. I find it to be quite an effective solution.
Cable attachment to the shell goes through a short but sturdy strain relief that has a bump on the Left side to distinguish it in the dark. Also keep in mind that due to a built in hooks for the fins (which also have L/R label on them), shells are not exactly symmetrical and I use that for L/R id as well. Shells are made out of stainless and aluminum materials with a very sturdy build and a nice finish. As DUNU pointed out, they worked hard on improving the ergonomics from the original DN2k release, and this “J” update is shorter and lighter, to the point where you don’t even need fins for a secure fitment, though I personally prefer to have them on. I already mentioned about vent at the base of the nozzle and also about nozzle itself having step-grooves for a better grip with an eartip core.
