Dunu has been one of the most talked about earphone brands since the inception of their hybrid system earphones DN-1000 and DN-2000/j. These two earphones took their market share sky high. Everyone wanted to get one of these. These two earphones made way for their DK series of earphones with re-designed shells and cables. The DK3001 held the TOTL spot for a while and was received with warm feelings but had some comfort issues.
For the next three years Dunu didn’t release any new earphones. Dunu went back to their drawing boards and made some structural changes to their earphones shells (The shell desperately needed some changes).
Their latest batch of earphones, led by the Luna has some fantastic mid range earphones in it. The DK3001 pro succeeded the 3001, the DK4001 made entry into a new price segment and the Luna is their flagship which is to be priced at around $1699.
What about the DN-2000 and DN-1000 follow ups? In comes the DK2001, their latest addition to the DK series of earphones. Priced similarly to the DN-2000 at $300, the 2001 ups the driver game with 3BA drivers and one 13mm dynamic driver (the 2000/j had two BA drivers and one dynamic driver). It comes in three color options, obsidian (black), topaz (orange) and turquoise (Cyan), only the back plate changes color, everything else is black in color.
The DUNU signature sound and design is retained with the DK2001 while making things closer to what the consumers have been asking for.
Lack of new products and promotion now lands DUNU in a very competitive market lead by BGVP DM7, TSMR-4 and a lot of other earphone brands like Fiio and iBasso.
Read more about the DK-2001 here:-
https://www.dunu-topsound.com/dk-2001
Buy one for yourself from here:-
https://penonaudio.com/dunu-dk2001.html
WHAT WE GET OUT OF THE BOX:-
The packaging quality is very good while providing good amount of protection to the things inside the box.
DUNU used to ship their earphones with extravagant amount of accessories. There were a handful of stock tips accompanied with Spinfit tips and a hard carry case. The lower range DK2001 misses out on a few of these accessories reserved for the higher ranked earphones. You still get a handful to tips. There are three types of tips in the box, balanced tips in 4 sizes, transparency and vocals tips are in three different sizes. There is one pair of memory foam tips which ends the long list (still shorter than the DK3001 pro) of ear tips.
And instead of the hard carry case the DK2001 ships with semi hard zipper case. The modular cable, an extra 3.5mm to 6.5mm adapter, a cleaning tool and some documents concludes the comparatively long list of accessories.
WHAT IT FEELS LIKE:-
The DK-2001 looks very similar to the DK3001 and considerably different to the DN-2000. In black color one might mistake the DK2001 for the 3001 unless one is paying good attention to details.
The DK2001 looks classy. The full metal shell adds more character to its appearance. The non-resonant 316 series stainless steel machined housing does add some heft to it but is nowhere close to getting uncomfortably heavy. There is mesh type vent on the back plate giving some breathing room to the dynamic driver.
The DK2001 departs from the straight barrel design of the 2000 and goes in line with other DK series earphones. Compared to others this is smaller, it doesn’t have any type of uncomfortable notch on the inner side of the earpiece and the nozzle is longer than the last generation DK3001. Where the 3001 was shallow, the 2001 goes deeper into the ear and feels more secure.
The lowest numbered earphone from the DK series might be the most comfortable earphone of the series.
HOW IS THE CABLE:-
I have worked on a handful of earphones in the price range of $300-500 and most of them ship with run of the mill stock cables, you are supposed to buy another cable which complements the earphone both sonically and aesthetically. But it is not the case with the DK2001, the stock cable has to be the best stock cable in this price range. It gives a more premium fell to the whole package.
The cable which ships with the DK2001 uses High-Purity Silver-Plated OCC Copper Litz (Type 1) Cable and is one of the best stock cables in the market. It bears the model number DUW-02 and inherits all the capabilities and functionalities of the more expensive cables from DUNU. The best thing is that DUNU has retained the interchangeable modular termination pins. You can buy your choice of balanced terminations (sold separately) and don’t have to bother about taking the cables off the earpieces, changing terminations cannot get easier.
The 4core externally braided cable is one of the supplest stock cables in the market. There is barely any microphonics to worry about. The cores are covered with soft silicone layers which barely have any memory.
HOW DOES THIS FEELS INSIDE THE EAR:-
The last generation DK-3001 was marred by a design flaw, the notch on the inner side of the earpiece used to give nightmares to most of the users, let it be reviewers or consumers all them felt some discomfort with that design.
With the DK2001 dunu has decided to design the notch more ergonomically. Mind you, it is not totally gone, I think the notch makes way for some BA drivers, buy it is now less sharp and barely makes its presence felt.
DUNU has definitely upped their game when it comes to design but they have not made their DK series with semi custom shell. Even when it is not the most ergonomic earphone, the design is very comfortable inside the ear. The out of body placement of MMCX port helps the cable go over the ear without rubbing against the outer ear, which was a problem with the DK-3001. The new cable plays a big part in making the 2001 sit comfortably on the ear. It bears most of the weight of earpieces and gives a secure hold on the ear. The last gen DK-3001 cable was a pain for most.
I won’t say the DK2001 melts inside the ear like some semi custom or custom shell earphones, but it is one of those earphones which don’t need constant re-adjustments. If it is set, it stays like that unless you move a lot.
