Introduction

DUNU has a very good track record in my books with the FALCON PRO being a good demo for the company's patented ECLIPSƎ driver composite and the ZEN PRO probably the best single driver set of IEMs I have heard to date, possibly even the best in the $1000 range. DUNU then showed it can compete favorably in the sub-$100 market too, with the cyberpunk-style TITAN S punching above its price class and offering an analytical sound signature. One thing common to all three is the use of a single dynamic driver for the entire frequency range, yet DUNU with its two decades of IEM mastery has also become known for its hybrid IEM lineup. It's opportune time to examine the latest entry in the DUNU hybrid DK series thus, and we take a look today at the DK-X6 marketed under another name: VULKAN.


DUNU says the VULKAN takes inspiration from the past and builds upon a decade of experience working with hybrid driver configurations, and the name was chosen to represent power and authority with the design clearly looking rugged and commanding. I was privy to the development process of the VULKAN for a few months prior to its announcement and saw first hand the amount of tweaking and fine-tuning done to achieve the tiniest of changes simply because DUNU was not satisfied. When teasers were put out and the driver configuration released, people were quick to put out prices well above the actual MSRP. Such was the anticipation and build up for the VULKAN, and we now aim to find out whether the hype is justified. Thanks to DUNU for providing TechPowerUp a review sample!

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

DUNU operates a web shop out of Asia, and I do appreciate the notice about potential COVID-related delays you have to acknowledge before ordering lest you are disappointed by the time taken for your precious order to ship. The shipping packaging is on point with an appropriately sized cardboard box and bubble wrap protection all around the product box sealed in plastic. The product box is visually appealing, but still mysterious, as the design elements going around multiple sides of the box and the front only have the company and product names outside of the art itself. The Knowles logo is on the top, accompanied by the expected Hi-Res Audio sticker. On the back are product specifications and parent company contact information in both English and Mandarin, and a look at the side shows this sleeve can be slid off the inner box. Note the commemoration of this being DUNU's 20th year—not bad for the viciously competitive world of IEMs.


The inner box is textured and black, with "DUNU" in glossy letters on the front. This is in fact the lid that unfurls open from the side as seen above for a gift-box style unboxing with a wax paper sheet over the contents. DUNU is using a two-layer packaging with the top layer thick foam with machined cutouts to protect and securely hold the IEMs, as well as the cable alongside. Two ribbon tags on either side help lift this layer up to access the bottom layer, where we see the three modular plugs belonging to DUNU's excellent Q-Lock PLUS cable system, a box containing two sets of ear tips, and the storage case in another cardboard box. This is the blue faux leather case that came with the ZEN PRO, so I will point you that way to save time and mention that there are more accessories inside.


Three separate bags have an airline adapter, 3.5 mm to 6.35 mm (1/4") single-ended adapter, cleaning brush, and third set of ear tips. DUNU thus includes three types of silicone ear tips, each in sizes S, M, and L. These are similar to what we saw with the TITAN S, and I once again would have liked DUNU to include a label for what these different tip types purportedly do, as others have done.


The IEMs being connected to the cable out of the box makes extracting them from their snug compartments easier. At this point, it's prudent to detach the cable for a closer examination of the two, which is as simple as holding one of the IEMs in one hand, placing your other hand on the housing closest to the IEM, and simply pulling the MMCX connector loose without wiggling. DUNU's MMCX connectors are among the best in the business—secure yet not too tight, detaching these requires no tools.