DUNU - KOTO ITO

Dunu x koto ito is pretty good

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.

I agree I use the DUNU x Koto Ito right now and with my QX13 the bass is solid in the lows, punchy, and well controlled. Mids are fantastic with separation throughout. I listen to all genres basically. I'm just super happy with these at 200 bucks. Plus they come with the S&S tips and the candy tips, as well as the Leo cable. Same accessories as the Da Vinci.

I let iems be a slow hobby for me. Mainly got them to use for gaming and stuff and because I hated headphones with glasses. Honestly I had no idea about sound signatures and just got whatever looked nice at the time. Over 4 years i have only owned 3 pairs: Tanchjim Hana Tea pro Dunu koto ito Hanas were my first and I used them for 3 years. I was lucky they turned out to be harman like tuned so they were a great beginners pair. Recently got the tea pros and they are great but I felt something was lacking. That's when I learnt about v shaped tunings and got the itos. Now I switch between the two. The itos when i feel like rocking out and the tea pros when I want to relax.

Dunu x ito are very similar to the Martilo and cheaper, got mine for 150 usd during the sales.

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.

Ah got it. Ziigaats have decent build quality but for the price, they feel cheap (similar if not same shell design, thin cable). They have been improving in some ways with their recent releases (metal shell, modular cable) but Arcadias are old school Ziigaat. I got the Dunu x Koto Ito this week and haven’t listened to them a lot but so far I’d put them in a similar “upgrade path” from the Explorer and Arcadia, that is smooth not peaky or harsh at all (although the bass is more pronounced than the latter). The build quality and accessories are fantastic though.

The only FiiO basshead set I can think of is FHE Eclipse but it's not really basshead in the modern meta since it as no midbass tuck, so it's boosted across the entirety of the bass. If that is your style I would also recommend the QoA Adonis New. If you like tucked, sub-bass prominent basshead style the others like Dunu ITO would suit better.

7hz Diablo, Dunu x Koto Ito for bass head level bass yet still not muddy. And CK2V has very fun sub bass for a very technical set, SoundRhyme SR5S is great smooth, organic bassy set

I second the AFUL Performer 7. It’s great for literally every genre I’ve thrown at it. A little EQ and you can make it do whatever you like if you’re into that. Also I’ve become a fan of my Dunu Koto X ITO collab IEM. It’s a basshead set but it’s surprisingly good in other areas as well. A good relaxed but “fun” set that I like metal/rock on.

The unicrom is a good choice then with quality accessories too. Another choice is the dunu koto ito as a good beginner kit with good accessories but a little over your budget. I’m selling my set for 140$ if interested.