Intro
BGVP has been in the game of in-ear monitors (IEM) for quite awhile. Some of their products have garnered positive responses all over the globe while some faces contradicting views. I believe they have quite a number of fan base and it is great to see them keep coming up with new IEMs that indicates they’re still competing. But, can they keep up with the competition?
Packaging
The DN3 is supplied in a typical carboard box with an outer sleeve and everything inside is laid out neatly. On the inside rests the head unit, two sets of eartips (including a pair of foamies) and a velvety carry pouch. There’s nothing much here but more than enough to keep you busy tip-rolling between the two types of eartips provided. The unit I received was supplied with a mic cable, which in my opinion defeats the purpose since the DN3 actually demand power.
The shell is made out of aluminium, nicely finished with matte coating. An interesting feature of the design is the faceplate. Like many that have been eyeing the DN3 (or at least have seen their promotional brochure), it’s akin to one of Hifiman’s most reputable headphone – The Ananda. It’s pretty light (somewhere along the weight of the Moondrop Aria). I had some issues fitting the DN3 properly and it won’t go as deep as I desired (YMMV). That aside, I would say that the product is well built and decent.
Functions & Specifications
- Material – Aluminum Magnesium shell
- Transducer Type – 1x 10mm Beryllium Coated Dynamic Driver, 1x HEVK Balanced Armature
- Sensitivity – 109dB SPL/mW @ 1kHz
- Impedance – 19ohms @ 1kHz
- Frequency Range – 10Hz to 40kHz
What’s In The Box
- BGVP DN3
- Silicon Ear tips (S, M, L) x2, Foam Ear tips x1
- Carry Pouch
Retail Price & Where To Get
MYR 273.58 14％ Off | BGVP DN3 dynamic driver balanced armature DIY headset heavy bass female poison line control HIFI ear customization
https://a.aliexpress.com/_m01EYy3
Sound & Tonality
The sound signature of the DN3 (at least for me) is W-shape with a natural and bodied presentation. It’s quite balanced throughout but the treble may not be for everyone (read:fatiguing). The only significant downside of the DN3 is that it’s not quite coherent.
Source Used
Xduoo X2s > Xduoo XQ-10 > BGVP DN3
Foobar2k > iFi Micro iDSD Black Label > BGVP DN3
Songs Used
Bass
Sub-bass is smooth but rolled off just a bit early on the DN3. If only it extends a tiny bit more it would’ve been wonderful. It’s there but for me it’s kind of a bit too faint. Mid-bass is punchy and fairly textured. The DN3 will not give you a fast, ultra-resolving bass but rather a quite an energetic one with somewhat natural decay presentation. Upper-bass is somewhat smooth and clean. It actually helps with the DN3’s coherency transitioning to the mids because the DN3’s bass also sounds a bit too blunted. Smooth, clean but blunted. Make sense? To be honest, not really but this is at least how I would describe incoherency.
Mids
Lower-mids sounds warm and natural. Vocals are great to say the least. They do sound full which is great in my opinion, considering that the DN3 is close to a W-shaped IEM. Mids are transparent and detailed. It’s clean sounding all the way up from here but not quite revealing. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s resolving enough to not miss those micro details but all it lack was nuances (nitpicking? Yes). Upper-mids sounds clear and safe. By safe I meant it’s not shouty nor thin sounding considering how the treble sounds.
Highs
Lower-treble is crisp and snappy. Too bad there are some significant peaks. On some songs they can be sibilant and piercing (especially on poorly recorded tracks). Treble is well articulated and detailed. Quite agressive to be honest. Details are extracted with little harshness but can be a bit gritty (debatable, of course). Upper treble extension and brilliance is fairly good considering that it complements the whole tuning of the DN3. It’s nothing of the ‘airy’ or the ‘effortless’ sorts of treble presentation but it is enough to complete the character of the DN3.
Soundstage
Slightly closed-in, wider than deep, moderately tall considering the price. Yes, the DN3 won’t give you the slightly ‘out of your head’ atmosphere nor having a deep soundstage, it’s rather average in my book.
Imaging & Separation
Imaging is good but not pinpoint accurate. Sound cues are presented in a somewhat flat 2-D plane that lacks layering (but still, it’s quite OK). Separation suffers a bit on the lower frequencies but is otherwise alright throughout the spectrum nonetheless.
Driveability
The BGVP DN3 will scale with more power as any Beryllium coated DD does, hence the expected improvements can be heard. But, do note that it’s a bit leaner/brighter with more powerful sources.
Synergy
I’ve found that the DN3 prefers warm sources to compensate for the ‘pushing the limit’ highs. But that may just be my preference.
Comparison
Hill Audio Mirage
My first impression of the DN3 really reminds me of this IEM by Hill Audio – MY. Bass is deeper, faster and leaner on the Mirage as compared to the DN3. And it rumbles too! Mids are a bit thinner and shoutier on the Mirage but clarity is on par for both. However, the DN3 edges out the Mirage in detail retrieval. Treble on the Mirage is smoother but can be a bit gritty at times in comparison to the DN3.
Soundstage is similarly wide on both but the DN3 is taller…slightly. However the Mirage has more depth to its soundstage. Imaging is slightly more accurate on the DN3 while separation is on par for both. For me, both of them are somewhat similar (of course with their own strengths) in terms of sound signature and it would go down to build/fit to determine one’s purchasing factor (YMMV).
For Who?
I would say that the DN3 is targeted for those who would like to venture into what BGVP has to offer in their line ups. Now, it may not be an all-rounder to begin with but the DN3 is a capable IEM bearing a more sophisticated sound signature that’s hard to be found within the price range.
Verdict & Stars
All in all, I’d say that the DN3 is an average IEM but it’s a good option for starters since it offers a decent amount of accessories for the price. Adding a mic cable as an off the shelf option is not really a wise choice made by BGVP since the DN3 needs power to shine. But we can always repurpose the cable for more efficient IEMs, right?
(3 / 5)
