DUNU - KOTO ITO

Sooooo, I really dig the ITO. This is the set I was really waiting for from Dunu, a truly bassy, bumpin’ set that doesn't bury the vocals and keeps the treble well extended. That's gonna be your TLDR, continue on if you’d like to hear me gush about my ITO love. I really like this set. Got a whole bunch of comparisons down there though. Might be cool. Just sayin. The DUNU x KOTO ITO goes for $200 and has a hybrid configuration utilizing 2 Dynamic Drivers and 2 Balanced Armatures. Many thanks to the fine folks at HiFiGo for the review copy, I’ll drop a non-affiliate link in the comments. As stated, ITO brings the Bass. But it does so in a way that doesn't ruin my more delicate tracks with low end. That makes the ITO my new bassy best bud, and it beats out some stiff competition to do that. Let’s crack the box and have a listen. [(Oh yeah and here’s the video if you’re into that kind of thing. Kthxbye)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoQoBSctFNg) # Look and Feel It’s quite pretty. The ITO has a 3D printed shell and faceplate, and beneath a layer of transparent resin we can see glistening blue waves cascading over each other in relief. Or maybe it’s more like a field of tall blue grass swaying in the wind. You tell me, but whatever it is I’ve been staring at it for a while now. As per usual, Dunu threw in a nice accessory package. Beneath the waves (or grass) we have a handsome hard case full of goodies. Aside from the case, we’re provided with 3 sets of tips: 1 set of Dunu’s S&S tip, 1 set of their Candy tips, and 1 set of their stock tips. We also get Dunu’s bronze-y stock cable with 2 terminations, a 4.4mm and a 3.5mm, matching the set beautifully. And the cherry on top is the little cleaning brush Dunu always throws in. Love that little guy. My ears are big. Cavernous. Deep. With that said, I found the fit excellent. Dunu sets always fit very well for me and they seem to keep to a pretty consistent form factor throughout the line. Excellent passive noise isolation, and the 6mm nozzles didn’t give me any trouble. The cable holds just a bit of memory, but is by no means tangle prone. Perfect weight for me, neither too light nor heavy, and it has a functioning chin cinch. Noice. Alright let’s go talk about sound. # Sound Impressions It’s so good and I love it? Is that a sound impression? Not really but that’s kinda how I feel. The title was my real first impression. I know I’m hyping this shit up a lot right now but I honestly think it’s a killer tuning with excellent technical prowess for its price. My normal preferred sound is a warm neutral for an all-rounder set, but I’ve picked up a bunch of basshead sets just to mix it up. I guess basically, if I’m gonna listen to some EDM or House, I prefer a heartier bass presence so long as it doesn’t just destroy the track with low end like a lot of basshead sets do (for me). But the ITO comes in nice and clean, and I feel like it delivers the best balance I’ve heard in a set with this much bass so far. All impressions taken with a Hiby R4, highest res music possible downloaded from Tidal. **Bass** The subbass and midbass sound like they’re on a fairly level playing field, neither vying to outshine the other. But they both play their part so well I’d call them co-headliners. The subbass is plentiful, offering up tremendous rumble and enveloping you in an expansive soundscape. Its lowest tones will slither into your eyeballs and massage your brain. And plentiful as it is, it’s kept in control and never allowed to bleed over and muddy up the midbass. A clean and highly resolved sound is the key to ITOs ability to wrap you in bass without a hint of boom. ITO has no idea what mud is. This is bass clarity at its finest. The midbass kick is hefty, but comes through so clearly and distinct from the subbass. It’s impactful with a tightness and bounce that satisfies with each thump. The bass has a quicker attack than I’ve found in most Dunu hybrids, with a natural decay that reminds you it’s a DD. When the subbass and the midbass play together, it’s an amazingly visceral experience that leaves you entranced. Real quick music suggestion: “Sparkle Park (I Wanna Love You)” by The Red Panda. It’s from the soundtrack to a $2 video game. It’s dope, whole album is too. And on the ITO, I can comfortably crank it up to feel the synth thunder behind the beat of the drum, as they gather together to smack you on the head and drag you towards sonic bliss. For a less “weird” suggestion, try out “Oh Dove” by Men I Trust. So good. **Mids** Well yeah, the bass the biggest star at this show, but it’s well aware that it’s playing as part of an ensemble. The midbass knows its place and doesn’t overwhelm the midsection, never really bleeding over to the midsection or masking the vocals. Vocals come through clearly and naturally, taking just a small step behind the bass and treble. And that's weird. I would have expected them to be a bit more recessed, but ITO manages a to keep the mids from getting lost in the mix, Guitars, especially electric guitars sound lively and energetic, exhibiting a nice bite. And snare drums hold their own against the heft of the low end. ITO has a tendency to be able to read the room. When I’m listening to more midrange-centric music, it doesn’t commit the normal “basshead set” sin of blooming its subbass all over the place and distorting the sound of stringed instruments. Hybrids are good for that, and it feels like each of the 4 drivers are pulling their weight. A slight accentuation of the upper mids that peaks at 3k goes a long way towards making sure female vocals don’t get lost up against the low end. What they’ve managed to accomplish in terms of layering is unreal for the price point, it’s like the set is able to take on a more neutral sound when the situation calls. Vocals always retain an established presence, making the set fairly versatile. **Treble** The treble is gently accentuated, and I found it comfortable while still being incisive and carrying nice noteweight. It manages to cut through the bass and lets the set sparkle while continuing to bump. It’s very well controlled, lacks any distracting sibilance, and retains excellent clarity. Cymbals and high hats ring clear and true, with treble well extended. There’s a bit of a dip around 10-15kh that keeps the set comfortable for me while still retaining enough air to sound realistic and natural. I’m a bit sensitive to this region so I’m a fan of this choice. The clarity they’ve managed to achieve in the face of such a rambunctious low end without just cranking the treble is another testament to those layering skills. **Techs** Precise imaging that moves cleanly across the stage. A sporty transient response that handles chaos with grace. And a tall, wide and deep soundstage in which to appreciate all these nice things. At this price point the techs are dumb nice, rivaling the sort of sound you can expect in the $300 price range. Microdetails are above average for both a $200 set and a set which this much bass presence. What helps makes this set so fun is excellent resolution across all frequencies. It allows you to appreciate not only the most delicate high-frequency details, but the macrodetails of the midranged and the highly resolved texture of the bass as well. I think it’s this sheer technical ability that really has it glued into my ears. # The Competition Kiwi Ears KE4- Never been a fan of the KE4. Lots of vocal sibilance, thin midrange, less rumble, less impactful. Worse resolution and detail. Recessed vocals. Treble sounds weak and pitchy. Aful Exporer- less warmth, more recessed vocals, not as resolving with weaker treble extension. Slightly darker sound. Less impactful midbass. Darker, less exciting. Binary Dynaquattro- I feel like an air mattress being inflated with the 4DD setup. This one is closest to ITO, good vocals and a very impactful sound. However it doesn't have the clarity or deft bass layering of ITO, I often find it boomy, a bit muddy. Sounds more V-shaped. Dunu DaVinci- Plenty bassy, but with less rumble and slam. The bass is “softer”, bass notes hit with a slower attack and the subbass is nearly ever-present. Its imparts a bit of a glow on most tracks. I call it a “glow” rather than “boom” or “mud” because the midrange retains clarity and nothing sounds distorted. # Final Thoughts I barely had the words for this one. “YOOOO” still captures it best. ITO is by far my new favorite basshead set and it’s really exciting to see Dunu come out of nowhere with exactly what I wanted to see from them. There wasn’t very much for me to nitpick here, and I spent 2 weeks trying! If you’re looking for an engaging set with lots of bass that doesn’t become fatiguing, this is an amazing pick and very likely the best you can find for $200. Maybe even $300. At any rate, I have to say that this set can make for a hell of an all-rounder if you’re really about that bass. Thanks for reading y’all, peace!

Hey y’all, my review copy of the Ito arrived a few days ago and I am kind of nerding out about it. I’m not exactly a basshead but I do enjoy a well done bass-centric IEM from time to time. This is my new favorite basshead set. I had to listen for a while but I’m pretty confident saying that now. Compared to my normal bassy go-to (DUNU DaVinci) the bass is more impactful and engaging. The ITO is a bit more v-shaped than the DaVinci to my ear, but the treble is comfortable, non-sibilant, and well extended. The entire sound is like a high-resolution version of the Juzear Defiant, and that’s my go-to all-rounder in the $100 price range. At 200 bucks, the Ito is shaping up to be a pretty cool value right now. It graphs really similarly to the Punch Audio Martillo so I’ll be interested to hear opinions from people that have heard both (I have not). I’ll probably brush the cobwebs off my YouTube channel for a video review of this guy too because I’m pretty excited about it. The last DUNU review I did was for the Vulkan 2 and, well, I wasn’t crazy about the Vulkan 2. But having heard pretty much every DUNU set, this is the most satisfying bass-centric set they’ve put out to date. Release was set for mid-September but it’s up for sale on HiFiGo now. Lmk if ya got any questions on it, be good y’all!

Thanks bro, really loving this thing right now. It’s the best price-performance ratio DUNU’s put out so far.

Do your own research, but I'm very happy with my dunu ito

If you’re looking into the Arcadia, I suggest you also consider the Dunu x Koto Ito. The Ito has more bass (not a whole lot but noticeable) but has better build and accessories BY FAR. But I think you should probably look at something else, and I say this as an owner of not only those two, but the Explorer as well. I was interested in getting the Martillo after the Explorer but found the Arcadia at a good price and liked it. Unfortunately, it feels cheaper than the Explorer and perhaps that kinda made me not enjoy them as much. Probably a stupid reason but oh well. Decided to go after the Martillo for real but the Ito was released and since it was considered a “Martillo Lite”, I went and got them on the last Amazon sale. I love it and it’s the only set I use apart from the Explorer. But if you’re looking for something better than the Martillo then perhaps there are better options for you. I’m perfectly satisfied with my sets and still want to get my hands on the Martillo; really interested in knowing what you get next.

Recently posted a review about the Dunu X Koto ITO on my profile if you wish to check it, i sadly havent been able to compare it to other bassy iems around the price range (there arent much to begin with, maybe only ZiiGaat Arcadia and 7Hz Legato as an alternative), but i think, for what you are looking for, that the ITO might fit in what you want.

# Overview (TL/DR) The Dunu X Koto ITO is a bass heavy V-shape IEM which proves that bassy can come along good technical performance: offering accurate sound, a fairly open soundstage and crisp resolution despite the amount of bass it wields. ITO focuses on a deeply rumbly sub-bass alongside an authoritative punchy mid-bass. A well-executed mid-range that has just fairly present male vocals but lively female vocals that balance the sound. And a complementary treble that avoids harshness or fatigue without sacrificing detail or air in your music. ---------- # Quick note: For everyone interested in this IEM, right now there is a sale at Amazon USA from HiFiGO store, though, it’s only going to last a few hours today (ends after October 8, GMT-7 time zone) so, for anyone interested to snatch a nice flash deal (From $200usd+ down to $171usd): [- CLICK HERE FOR AMAZON LINK - ](https://a.co/d/5pUoJML) ---------- \---------- **WOULD RECOMMEND:** * For people that want basshead (very good) quality of bass. * For people that want a big amount of bass (in basshead territory). * For people that like energetic (V-shape) kind of tunings. * For people that like lively vocals, specially female vocals. * For people that like to do EQ, since it works fairly decent with it. * For people that want a good assortment of accessories. * A nice bassy upgrade coming from any sub $100 bassy IEM, especially the KZ Castor Bass or Kbear Rosefinch. * For people looking for a potential “Basshead” endgame IEM on a budget. /----------/ **WOULD NOT RECOMMEND:** * Not for people that don’t like V-shaped, too energetic, or too intense sound signatures. * Not for people that like very thick and very full (lush) vocals. * Not for people sensitive to bass at all (can be too heavy on bass). * Not for people looking for a very technical performance. * People who are sensitive to upper mid-range (high pitched vocals), should be cautious with this set. * People that use iems at high volumes should be a bit cautious with this set. ---------- ***Full disclosure, this set was NOT provided by any brand or store, I did buy it with my own money, but the purchase was facilitated by HiFiGO, the opinions, as always, were given on my own accord.*** ---------- # REVIEW # INTRO Since I had the chance to try my first Dunu IEM I fell in love with the way the brand did their craft: always giving good accessories doesn’t matter the price range, and ensuring a good performance in their drivers, even if the tuning was not for everyone, however, I happen to had the bad luck of usually being part of that “not for everyone” side of the consumer market. Don’t get me wrong, I can enjoy Dunu IEMs, Kima 2, for example, is my go to for lovely vocals, while Falcon Ultra is my comfy balanced IEM, still, I was always lacking just that one thing, BASS, and is not that Dunu has a problem with the quality of their bass, the Falcon Ultra has a very satisfying bass performance, but I needed more amount. I have always been a basshead at heart, I always wished for the day Dunu would put out a set that could satisfy a basshead like me, and well… the wait is finally over… and is thanks to the collab of "Japan's largest headphone channel" Kaji Kaji with Dunu. ---------- # Fit and Drivability Dunu more premium stuff has been coming out a bit chunky as of recently, from the DK3001BD down to the new ITO, the shells are of a decent size, however the ITO, just as its big brother the Vulkan 2, has a shell that is thicker rather than wider, which means, if you have small ears, it probably would fit decent enough into it, but the shells will likely stick out a bit, the shell is pretty comfortable when resting on the ear though, but small ear people should be mindful of it. As for the fit inside the ear canal, it gets a bit tricky, I haven’t had any major problem when fitting Dunu iems in the past, and with ITO almost sharing shell shape and size with the Vulkan 2, I didn’t expected any problems, however, it seems that the base of the nozzle on the ITO might have got just a bit wider, and this made a bit more difficult to properly get the nozzle to stay inside my rather small ear canals. I did managed to keep a good seal by using both the included small size Candy and stock gray balanced tips, but if you have small ear canals, or just work better with a deep fit, you should be cautious with it. In terms of driving the ITO, it actually is not a power hungry iem, but it sure can scale with volume, I managed to get a good level of volume out my basic phone 3.5mm audio jack, but the sound did get a bit less clean, a bit more unrefined, so I would recommend the use of DAC with ITO, though you don’t need anything fancy. In that sense, any basic dongle DAC like the Apple dongle, or anything with around 30mW+ of power output, will get the job done, which is fairly surprising given the 2 DD + 2 BA hybrid driver configuration with 105dB sensitivity and some 37 Ohms impedance. --------- # THE BIAS. Just before commenting on my experience, I need to mention a few things about me: remember that every person listens and perceives in a different way, and those differences are key to understand what each person specifically likes and dislikes and how that will translate into a review. My preference is a “neutral with bass boost” type of tuning, I don’t like too boosted treble, however, I do can handle intense upper treble quite a lot, so, what is not too bright, too treble forward for me, could actually come as harsh for you, and what is bassy enough for me, could be too bassy or even muddy for you. Another relevant thing to note is that I’m a bit susceptible to iems with boosting on the upper mid-range and the lower treble are of the sound (around 4Khz-6Khz), which affects things like high pitched vocals and some instruments like cymbals. Having boost peaks in those areas gives the sound this overall intense and harsh energy for me, so if I say that the sound could be “shouty,” or too intense in treble or vocals, please understand that I’m mostly talking about this. Last thing is that I usually don’t struggle with iems with the called “Metallic / BA / Planar” Timbre that some people can’t really enjoy, I normally don’t have problems with neither of those. ---------- # SOUND # Bass Let’s start directly with what matters, how is the bass? Punchy and rumbly as bass should be, but also pretty clean, well separated from the rest of the sound, and definitely a “subwoofer” kind of presentation. Also, the overall bass strikes a very nice balance between mid-bass punch and sub-bass rumble were neither domain nor fall short against the other, and overall, they stand out well over the rest of the sound, but not quite to the degree of a “bass canon”. The mid-bass, to my surprise, is decently quick and agile, not fast or “snappy”, but also not sluggish, it boast of good texture and the impact it gives is pretty physical and authoritative, even near violent, when the music really calls for it, but because of that, it could get a bit fatiguing over long periods of use. The sub-bass reaches very deep in the music to reveal all the lower frequencies, it has “head rattling” potential with its present rumble, however, it won’t do it on its own, it will depend of the music you listen to, and it surely won’t get on the way of music that doesn’t call for this much rumble. ---------- # Mid-range (vocals) Vocals is usually were most bassy IEMs struggle, either feelling “muddy” and covered by the bass, or sounding clean but lacking body, so in this case, nothing can be perfect, the vocals, especially male vocals, are clean but a bit “on the background” too, that said, the quality and presence of the vocals is still very acceptable. Lower mid-range, where a lot of instruments and male vocals live, is fairly thin, you might feel like male vocals aren’t as present as they could be, but they do have some “fullness” to them thanks to the small undertone of warmness bleeding into it from the bass, it isn’t the most natural, but it really is not much distracting for music, and it helps male vocals feel more intimate. In what concerns to upper mid-range, where there is more high-pitched sounds, it is boosted to help balance the overall presence of vocals, making female vocals feel lively and crisp, however, depending on the music and the volume you use, these vocals could feel a tad shouty at times, especially for sensitive people, on the upside, these are quite natural and not affected much by the amount of bass ITO sports. ---------- # Treble When you have powerful bass and decent vocals something usually has to give, and that’s treble, however, it doesn’t mean its harsh, or too reduced, what happens is that the treble on ITO is made in a way that’s an excellent complement to the rest of the sound, rather than main piece of it. ITO will give you just enough air and sparkle on the treble for female vocals, cymbals and very high-pitched instruments to sound clear, but it will not get on the way of music most times, in that sense, ITO is not the most obvious when it comes to presenting detail, however, it sure is very capable of it. The treble in itself is quite smooth, yet crisp, and as long as you maintain an appropriate volume, it will rarely get harsh or fatiguing, on that line, sibilance on ITO is well controlled, and would perform decently even when there is recorded sibilance on the audio being replayed. ---------- # Technical performance One constant complaint about bassy sets is that performance is usually left last in pro of a more fun and engaging sound, ITO comes to prove that you can absolutely have a big bass boost while still matching the technical performance of your price tag. ITO feels decently open on soundstage, despite the bass the sound is not all closed-in into your head, imaging is pretty accurate, so you can clearly hear direction on sound, and the separation is functional, instruments won’t really mash together, but the bass can make the sound feel just a bit “”blurry” at times. Resolution is crisp, as realistic as it should be, detail retrieval is, as said before, good but not super obvious, the detail is there, just not “in your face”, and note weight in general, similar to bass, is a nice in-between of being physical enough, but not getting super fatiguing, all in all, the technical performance is, mostly, what you would expect for an IEM worth around $200usd. Probably the biggest downside the ITO could have is the replay, as it works perfectly with well recorded, well mixed tracks, but is not the most forgiving with poorly produced music: bland music, low quality music, or just the lack of a well implemented bass, could throw off a bit your listening session. ---------- # Overall sound So, despite the amount of bass ITO has, it ultimately is a bass heavy V-shaped IEM, an excellent one, but a V-shape still. It has a focus on a deeply rumbly sub-bass alongside an authoritative punchy mid-bass. A well-executed mid-range that has fairly present male vocals but lively female vocals that balance the sound. And a complementary treble that avoids harshness or fatigue without sacrificing detail or air to appreciate music. About technical performance of ITO, I’m the first one to be skeptical about iems not performing as their price range suggest, however, I can ensure, for anyone craving some bass, that the sound quality ITO produces, and the tricky tuning that it executes effortlessly, would be worth the money you pay, and that’s a statement that you can confirm I do not say lightly. To be clear, for my personal basshead standards I’ll say that the sound signature of ITO doesn’t quite get to a “bass canon” degree, only to a bassy tonality, were upper mid-range and treble have more or less a balanced presence and bass peaks just a tad more over it, but this totally will be a matter of personal perception with the balance of bass and mid-range, so it could either sound just bassy or really bass heavy for you. ---------- # Accessories While Dunu sure keeps up the trend of minimal packaging for their more budget options, this time we have a more flashy box that, as we open it, it displays the ITO beautiful shells, everything else, as usual, is below the protecting foam, inside the respective Dunu carrying case. - The cable is a nice thick “4-core high-purity silver-plated single-crystal copper material in a 22AWG Litz braided structure” that uses the classic Q-Lock Quick Switch interchangeable plug system with 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced plugs included, feeling premium as usual and sure will last long, however, something that also never changes is that Dunu cables could feel a bit stiff to handle, thanks of its thickness, and the cable do retains a bit of shape. /-----/ - The eartips package, as usual, comes with both premium Dunu offerings: the full 4-size set of S&S eartips, and the 3-size Candy, but differing from other models that come with other 2 sets, ITO only includes one more set of eartips, the Dunu stock grey “balanced” tips, which, to be fair, those are plenty to tip-roll and use, just be aware that it wont be the usual from Dunu this time around. /-----/ - Finally, in the box you will obviously find the classic Dunu hard carrying case, and the usual Dunu cleaning brush tool. /-----/ While Dunu had to cut some corners compared to other models inclusions, ITO still manages to feel like another premium offering from the brand without breaking the bank, with just enough of everything you’ll need to use and take care of your iems, which is always welcome. ---------- ---------- #Conclusions To close things up, if you might be doubting about my intentions praising an iem so much, and even linking a sale of the product of a known audio store, totally fair, you are in your right to doubt me, just hear me out for a sec, for years I been wishing for a bassy iem with good quality of sound and good accessories that would not obliterate my wallet nor be another muddy mess, when I saw that Dunu actually did that iem, I was just genuinely happy, and I wanted to share that optimistic look to whoever read this review. I am really hoping that, along ITO, variety in sound would start reaching even more of the budget price ranges and by the hand of reputable brands, so yeah, as long as you are cautious, considering the small possible downsides I mentioned about the sound, I am pretty sure you’ll be very pleased with ITO, maybe even making it your budget endgame, if you are a Bass enjoyer like me. Oh, and if you wonder, I only got a helpful discount from HiFiGO to acquire ITO for this review, the only thing they asked from me in return was an honest opinion, and I was the one that had to ask them for any possible deal related to ITO. ---------- ***Thanks a lot for reading, the Budget Knight bids farewell, wishing you the best, good luck. – O.E.***

definitely check Dunu X Koto ITO for that kind of sound: good sound quality, intense bass, still clear sound, detailed and crisp enough. very good accesories, i have a review posted if you want to check it on my proflle.

Non of the mentioned, besides Z300, particularly bassy as Castor bass, the closer is Zero 2 but probably youll want to use the impedance adapter, that said, comfort on the Truthear zero line-up is not the best, tho, the Blue 2 has the smaller nozzle from the bunch, still, is a thick nozzle so bear in mind. Not sure how much money you are playing with, but ill say Kefine Delci or specially Letshouer S08 are better actually bassy alternatives to all you listed. Z300 is not bad but is barely an upgrade and bass is not as engaging as on Castor anyway. If you outright want something with the same tuning style as Castor, consider maybe CCA Rhapsody though is a bit old at this point, is almost as old as castor anyway, but even bulkier onto the ear. Really the tuning style of castor is not much used at around $100 bucks, i think youll be fine with Delci instead. There is Dunu X Koto ITO which is a literal direct upgrade in sound style but thats $200usd MSRP.