Dunu DM-380 Review – Voice From The Past
Pros — Good fit; meaty bass.
Cons — Extremely pronounced V-shape resulting in a thin, aggressive midrange (2016-2017 style tuning); non-detachable cable; price.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Dunu DM-380 is an extremely V-shaped “fun” tuned earphone reminiscent of earlier KZ models.
INTRODUCTION
Dunu is one of the best established Asian players having been around for over 25 years. I had read mainly good things about their models and the earphone gods of my youth collectively worshipped this brand. Recently, Dunu have released a new model line with the DM-380 sitting at the bottom end of their line. The company started an aggressive advertisement strategy on Head-Fi.
Dunu’s product pages brag with impressive technical claims such as the DM-380 being Hi-Res Audio, a Triple Dynamic Titanium Driver System. Let’s see what this can do for our ears.
SPECIFICATIONS
RAND: DUNU
MODEL: DM-380
NET WEIGHT: 20 g
COLOR: Gold/Pearl White/Black
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20 Hz – 40 kHz
IMPEDANCE: 16 Ω ± 15%
SENSITIVITY: 110 ± 5 dB
RATED POWER: 2 mW
WIRE MATERIAL: High-purity silver-plated oxygen-free copper (OFC)
CABLE LENGTH: 1.2 mm
CABLE CONNECTOR: N/A (fixed)
MICROPHONE SENSITIVITY: -45 ± 5 dB
DRIVE UNITS: Titanium-Coated, 5 mm (×2) for highs, 6 mm (×1) for lows and midrange
Tested at $49
Product Page: https://www.dunu-topsound.com/dm-380
PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY
The content is minimalistic: the earphones/cable, 3 pairs of silicone tips (S/M/L), a pleather case, and the manual.
The non-detachable silver-plated, high purity, oxygen-free copper cable contains an inline remote and microphone. The earpiece have a unique shape that fit my ears very well. The earpieces are very comfortable. Build is ok but reminiscent of the KZ ATE, a $12 earphone from 2016. The plastic housing with gold paint was apparently designed for the Russian market and it may take some time for the rest of us to get used to.
Isolation is very good. The Dunu DM-380 is driven very easily by my iPhone SE and Shanling M0. The largest included eartips worked great for me.
TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES
My tonal preference and testing practice
The bass is beefy, really beefy. Surprisingly, it is not overbearing but satisfying, not he fastest (and hence a bit fuzzy), but with a powerful oomph. Good extension, but could be more focussed and measured. Many would perceive the bass as “too much” and it certainly does not contribute to a natural reproduction of the music. Old school, reminiscent of my first Chi-Fi earphones in 2016.
As you see on the frequency response graph(s), the lower midrange is in a valley between the bass and a mighty, sawtooth-shaped upper midrange. That high sawtooth is the feared Chi-Fi peak [explained here] that adds energy to the lower midrange in that is sharpens vocals to an extent that will hurt the sensitive ear.
The vocals department is recessed, thin, and somewhat harsh…it is this case where the listener keeps on cranking up the volume to get more vocals but at the same time the increased harshness causes fatigue. Again, something that has been the signature of the early generations of KZ multis. Vocals need to be denser not to be smothered by the low end and the upper midrange. This creates a skewed tonality. One could say the tonality is kept in check by the balance of power between the low end and the upper midrange.
The signal starts dipping consistently from 5 kHz so that sounds towards the upper end stay behind the over-prominent upper midrange. Cymbals are holding back nobly. Above 10 kHz you have the classic sparkle and fake resolution peaks.
Technicalities are also average. Soundstage is not too wide because of the strong low end, but it is tall, and somewhat deep. Timbre is good sans the bass. The rest is average for the class.
In summary, I have drawers full of budget earphones that are more appealing to my ears.
COMPARISONS
The identically priced Tanchjim Cora suffer from short nozzles and lack of excitement but have a more balanced tonality with a richer vocals department and no offensive peaks. The $38 Blon BL-03 has a much better imaging than these two combined and the discontinued Moondrop Crescent sounds like a real earphone. At $79, the KBEAR Diamond offers infinitely more value in terms of sound, build, and accessories.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
After I had read so much about Dunu products, the DM-380 are disappointing simply by being nothing special. I’d assign a $25 price tag to this model. Considering Dunu’s aggressive advertising, I had expected much more than 2016-2017 budget average. Dunu appears to have somewhat missed the boat in both design and tuning in this model.
The DM-380 is by no means a really bad earphone but I get much better value (and more pleasure) from the cheaper Blon BL-03 or from the $30 dearer KBEAR Diamond. And if you want a real Dunu at a budget price, the only slightly more expensive DM-480 appears to be a good recommendation.
Keep on listening!
You find an INDEX of all our earphone reviews HERE.
DISCLAIMER
The DM-380 was provided by Dunu upon my request and I thank them for that.
Our generic standard disclaimer.
You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.
