Dunu I3C-S Quick Review

Dunu I3C-S Quick Review

Thanks to Frogbeats for the sample

Brief:  Dunu makes a sort of Ety

Price:  £76

Specification:  Balanced Armature, SPL 105+-2dB, Impedance 10 ohms, Frequency Response 16Hz ~22KHz, Noise Attenuation 26dB, Weight 16g, Cord Length 1.2m

Accessories:  a soft baggy, a metal hard case, a cleaning cloth, a plane adapter, an impedance adaptor, a 6 1/4mm to 3.5mm jack, a shirt clip, 8 pairs of tips

Build Quality:  Top notch.  They are light maybe even too light but everything looks well put together and the buds look quite premium.

Isolation:  Pretty good.  About the norm for a BA IEM so plenty enough to get you turned into a road stain if you don’t pay attention when out and about.  I’d be happy to use on a plane too.

Comfort/Fit:  Very good.  Always varies person to person but with the guides and the small size, the shape of them I can’t imagine many if any having a problem with them.

Aesthetics:  I think someone over at Dunu has been looking at a pair of Shure 530’s.  they have a very similar goldy bronze look to them.  It catches the eye but doesn’t look gaudy.  I like it.

Sound:  Without the “conductor” they are okay but a bit bright and forward.  With it things get way better but then it gets hard to drive.  If you have something with power then great but if you had say an EU crippled Sony then I doubt you’ll be able to use the “conductor” at all.  Without it’s a pretty bright and a touch crispy, which ironically would be more suited to a Sony like DAP with its warmth to balance a touch.  Even then it may be not enough.  Actually I think Dunu should have just made the IEM 200 Ohms and not bothered with the super sensitive and then just aimed it at Etymotics market as a comfy version of the hf3.  Otherwise it’s a pretty reasonable IEM but next to things like the PL-50 it falls short at its current price.  However if you can use the “conductor” then it’s a much better proposition.  Oh and no a 75 ohm ety adapter doesn’t cut it.

Value:  A mixed bag.  The bundle is clearly about the best out there and the metal case is stunningly lush.  The sound though sans "conductor" is a bit meh.  It can’t really justify its cost until you can use it by which point I’d wager you want something better anyway.  Not a bad IEM but I’m just hard pressed to think of a situation where it would be what I’d recommend.

Pro’s:   With the “conductor” it’s basically a comfy hf3, superb bundle and stunning case.

Con’s:  Most DAP’s will have trouble driving with the “inductor” in use, without it it sounds only so so for the money.