DUNU DN-16 Hephaes Review

DUNU DN-16 Hephaes Review

A Few Things

I’d first like to say that this will be an interesting review as I’m not much of a basshead and these are definitely bass oriented IEMs. So I’ll be trying to understand my fellow bassheads in this review, as well as get the most out of these IEMs. I would also really like to thank DUNU audio for this giveaway, I really appreciate it.

Shipping and Packaging

I think the shipping deserves mentioning. Quite simply it was the fastest shipping from Taiwan I have ever seen! It got to my house near Pittsburgh PA, 4 days after it was shipped from Taiwan! Thats insanity and I give DUNU props for getting it here so fast. 

As for the packaging it was definitely better then I thought it was going to be for a pair of headphones in this price range. The box is actually quite useable as a storage box and has magnetic latches which are very nice. The box has a very attractive simple, but to the point design which I enjoy.

Appearances and Accessories

It includes the following:

DUNU leather pouch

DUNU carrying case (shown)

Ear hooks for different wearing style

Ten different pairs of IEM tips/earpieces

In terms of appearance I’m not sure I’m a fan of the flames but those may be removable I’m not sure on that though. I would also like to note that these are one of the heaviest pair of in ear headphones I’ve ever felt. This adds a sense that its worth its weight in gold and that its built strong. I’d also like to mention the cord, the cord has a strap that you can use to wrap your headphones up with and keep them from getting tangled which is very useful.

Comfort and Isolation

 Comfort wise these average the reason being,is that sometimes the flames can hit the side of your ear and are not the most comfortable when that happens. I’m not saying these are bad at all, other then the flames I think that they fit into my ears near perfectly. If the flames are removable, and they may be, then I would say that these have an excellent comfort level, more so then the HIFIMAN RE 272s! The stock tips that where already on the headphones also fit perfectly and I did not have to fiddle around with tips at all. 

Isolation is slightly above average, its not as good as the HIFIMAN’s RE 272s but its not bad either and competes well to isolation levels found in this price range.

Sound

Soundstage: The soundstage is a little odd, much like this headphone in general. It has a very wide sounding stage but with absolutely no depth. The separation is ok good for an IEM in this price range. But it is quite odd to listen too sometimes, it feels like its right up in your face but that the instruments are at large angles to each other.

Bass: The bass is done surprisingly well, and I think thats the key to these headphones is the lower frequency reproduction. It contains quite good detail and though it is definitely exaggerated in quantity it does not sound too boomy. These headphones are definitely geared towards the people coming from Beats,M50’s or other bass heavy users, though I thought the bass on the M50s where much more detailed and much tighter sounding. Don’t get me wrong these are pretty good for IEMs in this price range and I think they compete well in terms of bass reproduction. The bass has pretty good impact and ok extension. It seems to drop off some around the 30Hz mark. 

Mids: This is where things start getting a little weird. Yes the excessive bass does bleed a little into the lower mids but its actually quite controlled and not as bad as you would think. This is one of the better examples of boosted bass that I’ve heard in that it does not ruin the lower mids. However I do have a problem with the upper mids. The upper mids are greatly recessed around the 4-7Khz range I would guess that they are down by about 3DB’s. Being someone who listens to a lot of female vocals this annoyed me some, not to mention I probably got used to the K702s upper mid peak. 

Highs: The highs are also very weird and not too pleasing to my ears. The lower mids are exaggerated which when combined with the upper mids being recessed adds up to make quite an odd tonal balance. The highs can also get painfully bright on certain tracks and a tad grainy.

Sound Signature: These have the well known V sound, meaning that the highs and the lows are both boosted leaving the mids recessed. It also had an overall very odd sound to it and odd tonal balance. This worked towards some genres and against others. If I had to pick, I would say that these sound like a pair of Ultrasones got into a fight with some Beats by doctor Dre. Which might be your cup of tea depending on your taste however I don’t think they are mine, at least for the most part. I say this because there are some things that these do very right and sound great with. 

Genres that these sound good with:

Alternative (some)

Electronic

Rap

Rock

Genres that these do not sound good with:

Blues

Classical

Country

Folk

Instramental

Jazz

Pop

R&B

Reggae

Vocal

World

Specific Songs

Muse – Black Holes And Revelations – Soldier’s Poem: The beginning where the drum starts kicking is one of those moments with these that you feel like you have your head right next to the port on a subwoofer. It really kicks and does so with a good amount of detail! The vocals are only, just noticeably recessed. There is a little grain to the voice and the highs are sibilant. Not perfect but decent.

Radiohead – OK Computer – Paranoid Android:  This song is very good on these headphones. Quite a bit of detail in the highs, the mids could use for some more dynamics and the lower mids could do with some added clarity but bass is good. Its not to harsh though and I give it that, vocals come through very good a little on the warm side and its pleasing to listen too. 

AC/DC – Highway to Hell – Highway to Hell: This song is a mixed bag for me. You start listening and you hear the great impact of these IEMs and the good detail. The voice comes in and it still sounds great good detail,clarity, maybe a little thin but good. Then you get to the chorus and thats where it goes down hill. The voice in the chorus are screechy,sibilant, and almost painful to listen too.

Pink Floyd – The Wall – Mother: Great sound with this one, truly. The added bass gives this song a nice warm song too it. The highs are retained fine without sounding sibilant at all, they have plenty of detail and are not grainy. The mids have clarity and body, and the lows are filled with detail. This is one of the songs that leads me to believe these things are for rock!

The Doors – Strange Days – People Are Strange: Perfection with this song as well. The highs are not at all to harsh, in fact they are close to perfect. The boosted bass adds body to the voice which usually feels a little thin with headphones. Imaging is good in this song as well and placement is very good. Lows don’t sound over down nor boomy, great sound!

Extra Thoughts

Where they lack in wide use applications they make up for by doing what they can do very well. I think that rock sounds absolutely great and I’ve been using these a lot for rock over the last few days. Since most older rock seems to lack some lower end the added bass on these makes up for it quite a bit. With the often almost screechy sound of some recordings the dip in the upper mids tends to fix this as well making these absolutely amazing for rock! If you like your electronic and dubstep head pounding these will do that as well. However is you want something that accurately portrays the music your going to want to look elsewhere. 

The bottom line is this, if your a basshead or listen almost exclusively to classic rock I would say you should consider these when making a purchase. But if the above does not pertain to you then steer clear from these because these are not your cans! Luckily I do listen to a lot of classic rock and so these work good for that, just not everything.