DUNU VULKAN did not live up to the expectations of the fans. While maintaining the traditional advantage of DUNU’s consistent high cost performance, new breakthroughs have been achieved in appearance and workmanship.

• $380 – Check latest price on: AliExpress, Amazon US or other Amazon countries

Appearance Design & Accessories

The design of DUNU VULKAN earbuds is very beautiful. The Damascus steel style panel should be one of the main reasons why many people like it. The look and feel is high-end atmosphere, and the recognition is very high. The entire cavity has clear edges and corners, the edge transition is smooth and natural, and the wearing experience is very good.

The accessories in the package include: 3.5mm TRS single-ended plug, 2.5mm TRRS balanced plug, 4.4mm TRRRS balanced plug, 4-core high-purity silver-plated OCC copper cable, 3 pairs of balanced eartips, 3 pairs of tide eartips, 3 pairs of transparent eartips, aircraft plugs, 3.5 to 6.3 plugs, and an earphone case.

Acoustic Configuration – Sound Quality

Next, let’s talk about the sound. The default burn-in is 50 hours, with balanced eartips.

Let’s talk about timbre first. According to my taste, DUNU VULKAN’s timbre is neutral and slightly warm. The first impression is the extremely dense mid-frequency part, the sound field performance is extremely good, and the separation is also remarkable. If you listen carefully, the bottom of the sound is not very clean, but the amount of full-frequency information is very large. The overall sense of hearing is very warm and loose, and it is not very aggressive. In addition to being stable, there is no lack of fresh tuning style.

The low frequency is where DUNU VULKAN amazes me. In terms of absolute quantity sense, the low frequency of DUNU VULKAN is actually not much, just a moderate level. However, thanks to the excellent extension, restrained overtones, and loose tuning, in terms of atmosphere sense, it is not only not missing, but also very good. After listening to it, you will find that it is clean, loose and layered, but it does not emphasize the solid low frequency of the quantity sence, but can create a more advanced low-frequency hearing.

Mid-frequency is the absolute strong of DUNU VULKAN. Full of detail and great density. The vocal distance is moderate, and the direction is straight and straightforward, and the dental is almost inaudible. It’s just that because of the obvious brightening, the vocals occasionally have a “si si” sound, which is not exciting and sounds very young. Supplemented by clear imaging outlines, slight graininess, and full and delicate sound coloration, both male and female voices can be well controlled. In fact, I think the vocal part of DUNU VULKAN is difficult to define accurately, maybe it is not appealing to your ears. But it is true that the sound coloring is a self-contained faction, which finds a good balance between HiFi and HuFi.

In terms of high frequency, it is still very strong. The lines are moderate, not overly sharp and stimulating, and the details and the sound reproduction of the instruments are quite good. The high frequency of DUNU VULKAN shows more details as much as possible on the premise of ensuring good transparency and hearing resistance, and the Knowles armature is as stable as ever.

The sound stage is another advantage of DUNU VULKAN. The sense of scene is very grand and open, not crowded at all, and the sense of edge is not obvious, which further increases the association space of the sound field. Horizontal, vertical, and even depth, are almost impeccable. Coupled with a moderate imaging size and a suitable distance, it is not too close, but also ensures a good sense of presence.

Frankly speaking, DUNU VULKAN’s dynamic is a little far from what I expected. In fact, it is good enough, the momentum is completely out, and the dynamic fluctuations are also very obvious, but the low frequency quantity sense is insufficient, which makes the sound a little thin. The transient speed is moderate and slightly slow, and the applicability is quite good.

The impedance of earbuds is 15Ω and the sensitivity is 109dB. In terms of data, DUNU VULKAN is relatively easy to drive. The same is true after the actual test, any earphone decoding amp of about 50 US dollars can be easily driven. I personally recommend using Hiby R5 Gen 2 to drive, the class A amplifier can make up for the lack of DUNU VULKAN’s momentum. The overall fullness has been raised by a level, and the vocals are also sweeter. The combination of Hiby R5 Gen 2+ DUNU VULKAN has also become my top recommendation for the current $1000 budget.

DUNU VULKAN vs DUNU SA6: Which is better for sound quality?

The sound quality of DUNU VULKAN is different from that of DUNU SA6 ($549). The middle and high frequencies of the latter still have some graininess, and the common problems of the full armature driver under that scheme are still relatively obvious. Although the extension is not bad, the texture is slightly rough.

DUNU VULKAN vs DUNU EST112

The low frequency quality of DUNU VULKAN is superior to that of DUNU EST112 ($490). DUNU VULKAN has more information than DUNU EST112. The latter has more energy distribution in the mid and high frequencies and slightly less in the low frequencies. DUNU EST112 can meet the small scene instrumental music and vocals, DUNU VULKAN can also complete, and has a wider range of music restoration capabilities.

Does DUNU VULKAN worth recommending?

My answer is: very recommendable.

There are three reasons:

1. 2 dynamic drivers + 4 Knowles balanced armature
2. Damascus steel-style panel, it is hard to find such a handsome appearance at the same price
3. DUNU VULKAN is very easy to drive, and the song style adapts very widely

• $380 – Check latest price on: AliExpress, Amazon US or other Amazon countries