Dunu DM-480 Review – All About That Bass

Pros:

Above average technicalities for a DD setup.
Great subbass extension; High quality bass (in accuracy, speed, texturing).
Wide soundstage width.
Comfortable, ergonomic, great sturdy build.
Superb isolation.

Cons:

Thin note weight for vocals.
Poor timbre for acoustic instruments in mids/treble frequencies.
Overly recessed lower mids – not for vocal lovers.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The DUNU DM-480 is a U shaped dual DD set, boasting superb isolation, above average technicalities (for a DD set), wide soundstage and well extended bass of good quality. While timbre and vocals is not its forte, it would otherwise make a good all rounder daily beater set, especially for transit purposes.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Driver: 2 X 8mm Titanium Diaphragm Dynamic Drivers (coaxial with isobaric dual push configuration)
• Sensitivity: 105dB +/-2 at 1kHz
• Frequency response: 20Hz – 40kHz
• Impedence: 20Ω
• Cable: 2 pin detachable cable

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

ACCESSORIES

In addition to the IEM, it comes with:

1) SPC cable -> cable is on the thinner side, nil microphonics. 

2) Semi rigid case

3) Shirt clip

4) Multiple silicone tips -> there are 2 types of stock silicone tips in different sizes, one with longer nozzle (white tips) and one with shorter nozzle (black tips). I preferred the longer nozzle eartips, as they give better fit and isolation, and hence better bass response, but YMMV as we all have different ear anatomies.

BUILD/COMFORT

The DM-480’s shell is of good resin quality, it looks and feels like semi customs. It has a concha protrusion, which some may like or dislike.

DUNU says the DM-480 is their first IEM to be manufactured via high-resolution 3D printing, using 3D modeling software to design the most optimal shell shape from a large database of scanned ear shapes. Indeed, the DM-480’s shells are light, well fitting, ergonomic and comfortable. 

I did not note any driver flex, despite the DM-480 being unvented (which is pretty uncommon in a pure DD setup).

ISOLATION

Superb. Estimated about 25 dB isolation using stock tips. This makes the DM-480 a superb transit IEM. My gold standard transit IEM is the Audiosense T800 (8 BA) with ~ 30 dB isolation, and the DM-480 comes very close for a pure DD setup.

I used to think that multi BA sets generally had better isolation due to their smaller shell size and being unvented, but the DM-480 can beat some multi BA sets in the isolation department. There’s minimal loss of bass frequencies in noisy environments with the DM-480, which is usually the first frequency to be lost.

DRIVABILITY

The DM-480 can be driven from a smartphone but scales much better with amping in terms of dynamics, details and soundstage. The DM-480 is quite power hungry actually, considering the specs (impedance 20 ohms), it takes about 10 – 20% more juice to drive than some of my other IEMs of similar impedance.

SOUND & TECHNICALITIES

The DM-480 has a U shaped sound profile with boosted bass/treble.

The DM-480 has above average resolution and technicalities for a pure DD setup, it actually sounds much closer to a budget sub $30 BA setup in technicalities than a DD one.

Unfortunately, the DM-480 also inherits the timbre of said BA setups. Usually at the budget to midfi segment, I prefer DD timbre compared to BA timbre, and the DM-480’s timbre is accurate for the driver handling the bass frequencies, but the driver handling the mids/treble frequencies has a poor instrument timbre. It’s timbre loses out to some DD sets like BLON BL-03 and KBEAR Diamond. Note weight is on the thinner side, I personally would have preferred thicker notes for voices and instruments.


Bass:
Bass is linear from midbass to subbass. The subbass really goes low to around 30ish Hz or lower, with an emphatic visceral grunt (that is felt rather than heard), and sounds like a subwoofer.

Quantity wise, the midbass is north of neutral but not at basshead levels. Some might find the midbass quantity lacking, especially if you are coming from bassier sets or are a basshead.

Quality wise, the DM-480’s bass is tight, textured and accurate with no midbass bleed. It has a decay that is on the faster side for a DD bass, and every bass note that is supposed to be in a recording will be heard accurately.


Mids:
Mids are recessed, but still retain above average details and clarity. Female voices are slightly more forward than male ones. Instruments are more forward than vocals, so in view of the recessed mids, vocal lovers should look elsewhere.

There isn’t a large 2 – 4 kHz sawtooth peak typically seen in CHIFI tuning that can cause some upper mids fatigue, which I appreciate.


Treble:
Lower treble is boosted relative to upper treble. Microdetails are good for a DD set, it extends relatively well for a DD setup (better compared to say BLON BL-03 and KBEAR Diamond), though there’s a higher treble roll off. But because of this, it is not fatiguing or harsh, with no sibilance to my ears. I am treble sensitive and rather enjoyed the treble on this set, though maybe trebleheads might think otherwise.

SOUNDSTAGE

Despite the DM-480 being unvented and having a closed isolating design, the soundstage width and height is on the big side. Depth of soundstage is about average though, and isn’t as good as some similarly priced multi BA/hybrid sets.

COMPARISONS

1) BLON BL-03:
– The sound signature of the BL-03 is harmanish with a midbass bump. Midbass quantity of the DM-480 is less than the BLON BL-03. Though the BLON BL-03’s bass is slower and not as accurate, and not as well layered/textured as the DM-480’s bass.
– Timbre and tonality is better on the BLON BL-03, with thicker note weight.
– Technicalities (clarity, instrument separation, imaging, details) are better in the DM-480.
– The BLON BL-03 has a narrower soundstage.
– The BLON BL-03 has much poorer isolation.

2) TFZ No. 3:
– TFZ No. 3 has more subbass quantity/extension and is more basshead than the DM-480. There’s a midbass bleed on the No. 3 unlike the DM-480. The No. 3’s bass is also slower, less accurate and has more bloat than the DM-480’s bass.
– TFZ No. 3 has about equal note weight and timbre.
– Technicalities wise, clarity and details are slightly poorer on the No. 3.
– No. 3 has a smaller soundstage width than the DM-480
– No. 3 has poorer isolation than the DM-480.
– TFZ No. 3 has peaks at the 2 – 4 kHz and 8 kHz which can be fatiguing with longer listening sessions compared to the DM-480.

3) KBEAR Diamond
– Bass speed and accuracy is slightly better on the DM-480.
– Note weight is thicker in the Diamond. Timbre and tonality is better in the Diamond also.
– Technicalities wise the DM-480 is slightly better.
– Soundstage is wider in the DM-480.
– Isolation is better on the DM-480.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The DM-480 has great subbass extension and accuracy, with wide soundstage width and minimal treble harshness/sibilance. It has great fit and superb isolation.

Maybe vocal lovers might need to look elsewhere in view of the depressed mids. And the DM-480 may concede in the area of note weight/timbre compared to other DD counterparts, but I prefer the DM-480 to most of my other DD sets in the area of technicalities.

For those searching for a set that has excellent analytical technicalities or great timbre/tonality, there may be better stuff out there. But the DM-480 is my current daily transit beater set due to the superb isolation and comfortable build and subwoofer like subbass.

MY VERDICT

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DISCLAIMER

I would like to thank Vivian from DUNU for providing this unit for an objective review. The DM-480 can be gotten at the official DUNU Aliexpress store:  https://dunu.aliexpress.com/store/5001057

Retails at $69 USD.

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You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

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