DUNU - Vulkan 2

These have become my daily drivers since I got them, they are awesome, when I graduate I'll type up my review.

Hey y’all. I’ve had a good 2 weeks to test out the Vulkan 2, and I needed every moment of it. My opinion of this set flips back and forth depending on what tips I use, which genres I’m listening to, if it’s raining outside or not (seriously). Making the video was a bitch, here it is if you’re into that: https://youtu.be/K9gWwpZoJzs?si=UF0drwqPc2kyDLVa This is a set that needs to be enjoyed in a specific context, ideally on a Herman Miller lounge chair in a completely silent room while listening to Vivaldi, cognac in one hand and your DAP in the other. Pinky out. Top hat and monocle are optional. The Dunu Vulkan 2 is a 2 Dynamic Driver, 4 Balanced Armature Hybrid set retailing for $359.99. It has 4-way crossover system marrying the drivers to create a cohesive, well resolved sound. But it’s not the techs that have me flip-flopping. It’s the tuning. I can’t say this set is an all-rounder, but I’d be remiss not to relay its addictive qualities as well. I’ll put on my tie so we can open the box. Many thanks to DUNU for letting me try out this sophisticated set. # Look and Feel Dunu prides itself on providing one of the best unboxing experiences in the industry. Every Dunu set comes with a wealth of accessories in tow, and Vulkan 2 continues the tradition. Opening the box we’ll find the earphones housed in cut out foam, its cable already attached. The earphones are a sandy-gold metallic colored, CNC’d aluminum shell. The contoured swoops of the faceplate gracefully overhang two substantially sized grated vents that give the Vulkan 2 an “open-back” look to it. Sound too, more on that in a bit. Aside from the earphones and cable, the box includes a roomy teal case, a mini pouch to house the individual earphones, a microfiber cloth, 4 set of various silicone eartips (including the famous DUNU S&S and Candy tips), a 6.3 to 3.5 single ended adapter, and a little brush. Marvelous. I was happy to see a swappable termination on the cable, 3.5 and a 4.4 plugs are included and interchangeable using the Q-Lock Mini system. Love the cable here in both form and function. A beautiful bronze color compliments the sandy-gold set perfectly, and it doesn’t commit any cardinal sins. No microphonics, no excess memory retention, and not prone to tangles. Dope cable. Err, I mean, uhh, top notch cable. Good show, old boy. The fit is very similar to other Dunu hybrids like the Brain Dance and the DaVinci. It’s a universal shape without too many protruding edges, and I find it to be very comfortable. As always, large ear warning, got big ears over here. I got 6.4mm on the widest part of the nozzle lip, and I think fit is shallow enough not to cause many issues. Now that we’re properly attired, let’s have a listen shall we? # Sound Impressions I took a listen to the Vulkan 2 right out of the package with its included tips, and we kind of got off on the wrong foot. The included tips are fairly shallow and wide bore, which led to an accentuated upper midrange presence that made the set sound shouty. Given the fairly neutral sound signature of the Vulkan 2, tip rolling made a massive difference. I used the included S&S tips to put a little more distance between the nozzle and my ears, and that was a much nicer experience. All sound impressions were made using the S&S tips, and my Hiby R4. **Bass** The bass is strange. There’s a huge mid-bass scoop that leaves you looking for any sort of punch or slam. This is Dunu “Delicate” after all, but I find that this bass presentation doesn’t work well for the majority of my music library. I mostly listen to all flavors of indie rock, hip hop, some EDM. And while the scoop does much to eliminate any boom or bleed of the bass into the midrange, it also eliminates the bounce. The elastic, lively quality a set with more midbass can give you. The punch of kick drums and the pluck of bass strings are pretty muted here. A bit too polite for my taste. “Comfort Zone” by Yot Club was a shell of its former self. The subbass is present but not particularly enveloping. It’s sounds natural, soft and clear. The entire bass presentation reminds me of open-back headphones. If you’re looking for an IEM with that sort of sound, look no more! But I personally like a more textured experience. **Mids** The midrange sounds open, warm and pleasant. After taming the upper mids with the S&S tips, I found female vocals to sound sweet and very emotionally engaging without sounding overly accentuated. I would say this is a slightly midrange-forward set, but I have another quibble. The substantial midbass scoop steals a bit of richness and depth from male vocals. Male vocals particularly can sound a touch hollow or nasally. Otherwise stringed instruments sound beautiful and haunting, and I would say that this is a set for fans of classical music. I wasn’t kidding about Vivaldi before, rocking out to The Four Seasons: Concerto No. 1 in E Minor as we speak. And those violins tell a happy tale on the Vulkan 2. However, “Ready to Die” by Biggie Smalls is missing a certain, je ne sais quoi. **Treble** The treble stood out immediately in the best of ways. The treble extends well into the highest frequencies without becoming fatiguing or excessively airy. Cymbals and high hats have a controlled, true ring. A quick attack with a natural decay, typical of branded balanced armature drivers. Despite the midbass scoop, the set has enough depth and warmth to make analytical listening relaxing and enjoyable. The treble isn’t pushy, it’s not sharp, but it gets its point across clearly. Well done. **Techs** The strongest case for this set is its analytical capabilities. Its hybrid configuration allows for excellent resolution. Microdetail can be detected and appreciated without feeling out of balance. The warmth of the midrange and the gentle rumble of the subbass keep the treble in check, allowing us to appreciate the expansive soundstage in comfort. The soundstage is wide and fairly deep, again giving those open-back headphone vibes. I will say it didn’t feel very tall, almost like listening in a room with a low ceiling. We have a quick transient response time to handle busy tracks and precise imaging across the stage. # Comparisons **VS Aful Performer 8** The Vulkan has a much more expansive soundstage, with better controlled, better extended treble. That being said, I prefer the musicality and engagement of the Perfomer 8. Both are fairly neutral with a midbass scoop, but the Vulkan 2 takes it a step farther. The P8 has a sweet tonality and more dynamic sound. **VS Penon Fan 3** Once again tuning wins out over techs. The treble on the Fan 3 is a little smooth for my typical taste, but it makes up for this by having the most unique midrange texture I’ve ever heard. Strangely enough while most of the soundstage presentation is a bit claustrophobic, I occasionally get some deep, out of head sounds. Weird set, I love it. Fun Neutral. **VS Dunu DaVinci** The polar opposite of the Vulkan 2 tuning philosophy with a greatly accentuated low end. However they share excellent technical capabilities and a delicate texture. Bass is much more plentiful on the DaVinci and treble extends just as well. But there isn’t much midbass slam or texture here. Excellent resolution with plentiful, soft bass. # Final Thoughts These are studio reference headphones to me. Really, really good reference headphones, but reference headphones nonetheless. These compare more to my Sennheiser HD 560S than any other IEM I own. Depending on who you are, that could be a could be a good thing. But I use IEMs to enjoy music. Most of my listening is pretty casual. I love a high resolution set with great techs, but in the quest to eliminate boom and bleed, the Vulkan 2 lost some bounce. And I like to bop. Thanks for reading.

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!

Awesome review dude, I agree lol. I like my Vulkan 2 a lot more for casual listening once the midbass scoop is filled back in w EQ. Without it, its my go-to analytical set. Thanks for your thoughts on this one!

I think I got a musician vibe, even when I'm only doing air drums 🤣 because the Vulkan II for me is my favorite set atm lol. Thanks for this excellent review (and video of course!) brother, you rock!

This brother it is an excellent written review, In fact you got some points maybe I missed on my analysis of it, but serves to guide the people who want to try a premium and so well tuned product by DUNU. Gorgeous photos as well man. This set is definitely my top set atm, why? Because I love that organic yet technical tuning, I love the use of branded BAs, the high sensitivity, the premium package and the iem fitting on my tastes as a musicophile/audiophile. I know the person who is looking for this set first needs to see if it fit in their tastes, this set is special. Again man, thanks for your excellent review.

Good day everyone. I would like to share my experience with the Vulkan 2 hybrid IEM. It's a new offering from DUNU, coming in at $359.99 USD. It features full metal shells, an awesome accessories package, and a premium driver configuration. I've had it for a little bit now and got a pretty good feel for it so far. The tuning on this set is different from what I'm used to, so I'll do my best to convey my thoughts on this one. **~Info~** -2DD + 6BA Hybrid. Dual dynamic drivers for lows and ultra lows (10mm sub-bass and 8mm bass). Dual Knowles BA for midrange, a quad BA setup for treble and ultra-highs, and 4-way dual physical and electronic crossovers. -CNC-machined aluminum shells -Very high quality 4-core cable, with Dunu's patented Q-Lock mini modular plug system, including 4.4mm and 3.5mm plugs -Available in both 2-pin and MMCX -Comes with a plethora of eartips with different bore sizes/tip shapes (including Dunu S&S tips in 4 different sizes) You can purchase the Vulkan 2 on Dunu's website using one of the following links: https://www.dunu-topsound.com/ https://www.dunu-topsound.com/product-page/vulkan-2-launch-special-30-off-code-vk230 This set was sent to me directly from DUNU in exchange for my honest impressions, and I am thankful to be part of this review process and share my thoughts with the community. **~Pros~** -Best unboxing and accessories package I've come across yet, and the case is top notch. -One of the best stock cables I have. The swappable terminations are appreciated. -Good technical performance, especially note weight and instrument separation. Also, resolution is good, very clear details. -Very easy to power. Used it on a 4.4mm CX31993 + MAX97220 dongle and volume was only at about 60%. -Takes EQ very well. (Thanks to Hobby Talk for the Squig upload. It's appreciated.) Also plays great with vinyl records. -Very comfortable to wear for medium/larger ears. **~Cons~** -More on the analytical side. It's a different kind of tuning/sound that might not be for everyone, as bass is lower than it should be for a lot of songs once you get vocals to a good volume. **~Unboxing and setup** Unboxing the Vulkan 2 is a nice experience. Slide the outer casing off, take the top off the inside box, and you're greeted with the IEMs/ cable and green leather case (LOVE this case!) displayed in a thoughtful way, looking premium and not just thrown in a bag or the case or something. Also inside we have the Q-Lock Mini instructions, warranty info and the following accessories: -6.35mm to 3.5mm adapter -Cleaning brush and cloth -Pouch to hold the earphones themselves to protect from scratches -Plenty of eartips to choose from, as there are 13 pairs in all. 4 sizes of S&S tips, 3 sizes of atmospheric tips, 3 sizes of balanced tips, and 3 sizes of candy tips. Vulkan 2 accepts a wide variety of tips in terms of what's going to give a good seal. I started using 7hz H08 tips as they were comfortable. Since then I've switched to latex H570 tips as they have a wider bore and feel/sound better to me. The Dunu S&S sound pretty similar to the 7hz H08, the fit and texture is just different with them, a little too tacky for my liking. I also liked the gray balanced tips and Penon Orange Liqueur tips as well. This is one of the few sets where I'm actually going to use the stock cable because it's just plain great in every way. Thicker, flexible 4-core cable with interchangeable terminations? Yes please. **~Bass~** The bass on this set is clean and detailed. I listened to **Aesop Rock - Black Plums** from his new album. This song normally has a good amount of sub bass and punchiness. However, the bass and lower mids being pushed down can really affect bass presentation as a whole. Pretty much everything I tested had at least a hint of what should be there. Some songs that were really bass heavy sounded alright, but just had me wanting more. The bass is definitely not the highlight here, although it is very good quality. I'd rather not go into EQ in a review, but I feel like I have to in this case. With an uplift to the low end, and slight reduction to the high end, this set comes alive. Decent punch and great rumble, still with excellent detail. It just needs to be warmed up a little for me. **~Mids and Treble~** Instruments are presented well and are higher up in the mix. Saxophone, piano, acoustic guitar, and violin for example, sound phenomenal in Vulkan 2 and come through with great detail. It actually got me listening to more instrumental/classical music for a change. The upper treble might not be the most detailed or sparkly, but it isn't harsh or piercing. I'm not being bothered by cymbal crashes and that's always a plus. Violin high notes reach all the way to the end, and are not piercing. Vocals here are forward and not fatiguing generally. **Alanis Morissette - Ablaze** played extremely well which can be a sibilant song. I played some metal music with fast paced electric guitar and screaming going on, and it wasn't as good of an experience, so it's really going to depend on the track/genre. I did also try it with the track **Disturbed - Voices**. This is a hard song for some sets with the grittiness of the song, the cymbal crashes, and the "S" sounds, and it was handled surprisingly well. Male vocals sound fairly natural, but maybe not as forward as they could be. This is all easily taken care of with EQ as well. **~Technicals~** Highlight of this set for me. I immediately noticed the instrument layering, and while everything can be going on at the same time as vocals, it's easy to separate them while listening. On top of this, live music has a great sense of stage. Listen to something recorded in a large area and you'll definitely feel the openness coming through in Vulkan 2 as it is pretty wide. I checked out some piano-only tracks and it was also a pleasant listening experience. Each strong key press delivers some great note weight and tonality is good. I discovered a group on Tidal that's been making music for some time, **Black Violin**. Kind of a mix of a few genres centered mainly around violin and drum and bass. Performance on this type of music was also very good (just give me more bass please). I have to mention vinyl performance here too. It's incredibly easy to EQ, and needs minimal help playing anything in my collection. I'm getting superb sound with detail to match. It's my top performer, beating out some fairly expensive single DD sets up to $200. **~Conclusion~** Overall, I like the Vulkan 2 with the premium build, comfort, and accessories package. It's a very capable set and is able to provide some amazing sound in my opinion. It's really just going to come down to what sound profile you're looking for. This is more like you're monitoring music than a "funalytical" set. I did try Vulkan 2 with a 33ohm impedance adapter. It increases bass which is nice, but also increases the high end slightly. Something neat to try if you have one on hand. I usually end up killing a lot of free time by listening to all sorts of different music, and a set needs to be flexible with all genres for me. That being said, Vulkan 2 is my top set once a mild EQ is applied. I'm getting satisfying bass, and nothing is really harsh or thin to me. Vocals pop like no other set I own. I can't speak on hybrid comparisons in this price range unfortunately, but I really do enjoy it. It would be nice if it was closer to my sound preference from the get go, but regardless I have been listening to it for hours on end, and it is not leaving my collection anytime soon. I'm really excited to see the future of the Vulkan series. Oh, and DUNU nailed it with the design and fit. It's on the larger side, but so are my ears and it is incredibly comfortable and lightweight. I want to thank DUNU again for sending the Vulkan 2 for review. And thank you for reading!

I never owned the OG but it sounds like it follows a similar path. Classical and Acoustic sound great. Other genres just usually need more bass presence.

agree with you, not my cup of tea in terms of personal preference, is something that really depends on that, but in terms of technical performance and build quality, it is a great set, also tried EQ and it definitely accept more bass fairly well, all in all, at least for most acustic music, i liked it a lot, even if i dont like much acustic myself XD. Would recomend for people that like very reduced bass or that like EQ, and want excellent build quality and technical performance, along an extremely clean sound, as long as they understand the kind of tuning this iem has. great review man, keep up the good work, also, good pics :D

TLDR: It’s the Brain Dance that’s not so U-shaped, or the Kima 2 that’s a bit more exciting l. I’m gonna compare this quite a bit to the DK3001BD (“Brain Dance”), Dunu’s last release. The unboxing experience strangely feels more premium than the more expensive Brain Dance. Maybe it’s the color scheme that gives it a Gucci aesthetic. Before even listening to them, one thing of the BD that I preferred is the cable. Not that Vulkan 2’s is bad. It’s a good cable, but I prefer the cloth-like lower section that the BD and the Kima 2 come with. Both types are modular (3.5mm and 4.4mm). As usual, Dunu provides an incredible amount of tips. 4 types of tips, with 3 pairs each type, for a total of 24 tips! That’s more than enough for anyone to find the perfect tip. How does the Vulkan 2 sound? At first I thought it was too “shouty” with an apparent boost in the upper mids, but after testing it for a couple of weeks with a lot of tip rolling, I found that not to be the case. There is a good amount of of “presence” there, but I wouldn’t call it “shouty”. As said earlier, it sounds like the Brain Dance but without the extreme U-shaped tuning. The bass doesn’t border on overwhelming, the way the BD does with some tracks. The upper treble isn’t too emphasized either. So the V2 sounds more natural. I’d say that the Vulkan 2 is somewhere beteeen the Kima 2 and the DK3001BD, not just in price, but in tuning. The tuning is not as crazy exciting the way the Brain Dance can be, but it’s not as natural as the Kima 2. It’s a great middle-ground. Thanks to Dunu for providing me this set to test out.

Exactly. The exciting presentation of the Brain Dance can get to be a bit tiring, depending on what you're listening to. The Vulkan 2 would be better for longer listening sessions.