Zen by Dunu : Dynamic Doozy!!

DUNU is a well known name in audiophile community. It is an old player that has given us many gems like DN-2000J, Studio SA6 and many more. Zen, 2nd IEM in the eclipse series is a worthy addition in Dunu's product line Up. It comes in only one color scheme, black. Zen's unboxing is an experience in itself. The entire box, along with foam and case box are all in impressive matte black. This scheme gives the entire package a feel of richness and elegance.

Coming to the IEM, with a metallic body and glossy black finish , the earpieces are nothing less than a piece of jewelry. The faceplate's design is minimalistic and impactful. The semi-open faceplate has a conical shape without any logo or imprint. The heavy weight of the earpieces is re-assuring and somehow reminded of the USS Enterprise and the remarkable lines "To boldly go where no man has gone before"

The earpieces despite of heavy weight, as of small form factor, are very much comfortable to wear for long durations and have a Magnesium-Aluminum alloy dome with nano-porous amorphous carbon coated driver with a fully independent suspension system. The driver has an external ring-type magnet producing a high magnetic flux of up to 1.8T. These magnets are strong enough as the earpieces cling towards each other if held closely. The outer shell, ear cavity is made with high-quality S316 Stainless Steel material with a patented Air Control Impedance System. I must say If one takes these IEMs and throw at someone's face, it will cause some damage.

The package contains 6 pair of eartips shelved in a white semi-transparent box , a beautiful blue leather case , cleaning tools, airplane adaptor, stock cable and last but not the least the 3 modular connectors 3.5 mm, 4.4 mm and 2.5 mm. The stock cable is 8 Core, High-Purity, Monocrystalline, Silver-Plated Copper cable that terminates with Dunu's quick-switch modular plug system. Overall the build quality of the cable is quite impressive and complements the IEM perfectly both sonically and aesthetically.

 

Disclaimer: 

I have received  as part of review circle sent from the brand itself in exchange of honest reviews. All impressions of sound are subjective to my own listening and my sources and is based on my experience with IEMs of similar hardware configurations and price range.

Sources:

For this review the unit has been paired to A&K SE100 (ES9038 Pro) and Shanling M6 (AK4495EQ) without any other amplification on portable setup. And, it has also been paired to Schiit Vali2+Mutibit Stack in terms of desktop setups which I personally enjoyed more on this IEM

Pros:

• Full bodied textured bass with sophisticated sub-bass presence 
• Very pleasant sounding as of dark treble and rich organic vocals
• Outstanding depth and good height
• Good micro details and resolution
• Very good Separation and Imaging
• Premium build quality and lavishly accessorized 
• Quite comfortable to wear irrespective of heavy weight

Cons:

• Staging width can be felt bit narrow at times
• Lower mid-range can be felt bit thin
• Lack of air in upper-treble 

Highs:

The highs on Dunu Zen are quite crisp but not at all fatiguing or harsh at any point of time. If one is having issues with treble then this is eyes closed one of the best single DD IEMs out there. The overall treble region is bit dark with a slight emphasis on mid treble region resulting a forgiving nature for bad recordings. The cymbals are very well defined and so does the other instruments such as flutes, violins give very nice texture.  The overall presentation is so much pleasant that one can listen for hours without any fatigue. I must say I enjoyed the "The Cymbal Song by Gavin Harrison" very much on it. 

Mids: 

The transition from mids to lows is very well defined, giving a body to mids and then introducing a feel of presence factor and an overall warmish tint. I feel the mid-range in Zen very engaging, warm and rich. The overall signature is very much organic and clean. All the instruments shine out very well in mid-range, listening to "Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris - Romeo And Juliet" was a nerve chilling experience on it.

The male vocals sounds lush but at times the lower mids feels thin as well. The upper mid-range is more focused and bit forwards and does at times get shouty like listening to "Everything I Do by Bryan Adams" but they never get to the point where it become uncomfortable but although at times it just stays at borderline from where it could become bit hot to me.

Lows: 

Bass is the region where Dunu Zen stands out the most. The bass is well defined, full body and have a physicality and weight that sets Zen apart. It felt bit more focussed towards the mid-bass and the upper bass, the sub bass has good presence but it is not at all feel elevated at all and feels just the right amount without causing any fatigue or muddiness. The dynamic driver here is so good technically I would say that the transitions from mid-bass to lower mids are totally smooth and does not feel to bleeding at all irrespective of whatsoever track has been thrown at it. The mid-bass texture is some of the best I’ve heard out of an IEM across any price point. Listening to EDM and other bass emphasized music will instantly give you the wow factor. 

Technicalities: 

Soundstage is majorly average on this, it's not much wide as compared to other IEMs in this price range. The verticality on the other hand is quite decent. This can be felt while playing "Attack On Titan OST- Call of Silence". 

The imaging and separation on the other hand are quite good. Listening to classical orchestra is pure bliss on it. The micro dynamics are top notch, the speed of the driver is applaudable, I was surprised to hear such good transitions from a single DD. The micro-dynamics were so good that the instruments playing at different volumes are having their individual pace in the stage without overlapping each other. It was a heart touching experience listening to "Mark Knopfler - Brothers In Arms" with so many transition and different instruments around.

The best part is the depth of field. It is truly impressive for a single dynamic driver to do such transitions with placement of instruments and can be easily demonstrated at multiple occasions and this is the thing I enjoyed most in Zen other than its bass impact.

Dunu Zen vs Fiio FD5 - The Battle of Single DDs

Both Fiio FD5 and Dunu Zen share similar specs on paper and do come with quite lavish accessories although the cable of Zen is I would say far better than that of FD5. Yet considering the built, comfort and the accessories I would say the Dunu begins to justify the higher price point at a glance giving the feel of a more luxurious product. 

Now coming towards the sound, the FD5 does have a better air on the upper-treble region but overall the Zen sounded more natural to me, the mid-range is far more engaging and when coming towards the bass, it’s a beast given the fact that FD5 has more quantity of bass thump while Zen has far more refined and quality bass reproduction. In terms of separation, imaging and dynamics I would say the Zen is again a winner although width wise FD5 excels by some margin over it.

Zen to me is what I thought FD5 will be while purchasing it. The FD5 is too hot at lower treble resulting a very fatiguing IEM, on the other hand Zen's signature is very much seductive. The tonality of FD5 seems bit artificial at times while Zen feels very much natural and coherent.

So in a nutshell, I would say if one has budget to go for twice the price point of FD5 then, one must definitely take that leap. Zen is definitely a primum single DD IEM in pretty much every perspective.

Final Verdict: 

I would say Dunu Zen not very much detailed IEM as compared to all the hybrids out there but on other hand is very much forgiving in terms of bad recordings as of dark treble tuning, although that does not mean that it has poor resolution; the micro-dynamics are top notch as a result of emphasized mid treble region. The physical character of Zen is outstanding specially when the bass hits. The lower end I must say is very well extended and is equally textured. The layering is amazing along with natural to warmish tonality that creates a very immersive experience. Overall harmonics wise it feels coherent and smooth. Staging is not at its best but on the other hand the imaging is remarkable. The depth is something that is very much plausible. The vocals are very much organic with flawless attack and delay. The transition and separation of instruments is top notch. Overall I would say Kudos Dunu to redefine a single dynamic driver in today's era of hybrid drivers.