Pros: praiseworthy tonal balance, natural timbre, good resolution, excellent build quality
Cons: lacking sense of micro & macro dynamics, performance varies depending on isolation & positioning (with/without foam & buds’ placement/movement), fixed cable (scaling limitation)
Introduction
I believe a company as big as Dunu needs no introduction whatsoever, especially a name with products that I’ve been writing about lately, so let’s skip this part.
To be frank, I haven’t been interested in any earbuds for the past years since I left all my Venture Electronics & other Chifi buds in the drawer waiting for the redemption day that never comes. It could be simply because they’re not giving me the isolation, the proper diffused projection, & the sort of immersive audio reproduction that most current budget IEMs can provide. Yes, it is known that such a comparison is unfair given the nature of earbuds begs for a different usage & different approach in music listening; say while working with heavy machines, in bed, or in the office. In general, I think tonality is the main reason they have been neglected or ignored, at least in my case.
A quick search on the internet shows there was Alpha 1 which is interestingly a hybrid earbud (dynamic driver & balanced armature) that seemed to have undergone a freak accident out of an experimental lab back in 2015. Everything about it from the shape to the reviews doesn’t look so pretty. There’s no Alpha 2 in between but looking at Dunu’s prowess with single dynamic driver releases in recent years forcing me to voluntarily take on HiFiGo’s request to give Alpha 3 a review. Its release is somewhat random in my opinion, even though it sports no less than a “flagship” dynamic driver with an LCP diaphragm that seems very well-built.
Specifications
Single Dynamic Driver – Liquid Crystal Polymer Composite Diaphragm with Highly Compliant Suspension Surround
Frequency Response: 5 Hz – 40 kHz
Sensitivity: 105 dB at 1 kHz
Impedance: 32 Ω
Housing Material: Stainless Steel & Aluminum Alloy
Cable Wire Material: High-Purity Silver-Plated Monocrystalline Type 1 Litz Copper
Net Weight: 30 g
Retail Price & Where to get
We would like to thank HiFiGo for sending this unit to us in exchange for a review. Dunu Alpha 3s are currently priced at $79.90
https://hifigo.com/products/dunu-alpha3
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005805565506.html?gatewayAdapt=4itemAdapt
https://www.amazon.com/HiFiGo-Alpha-Earbuds-Earphones-Certification/dp/B0CB2XRDML?th=1
Packaging & Accessories
The packaging is rather simple and comes with a medium-sized box in a sleeve. There are 3 pairs of each donut & full foam and a cleaning brush inside a sturdy carrying case which I think looks way better than those that came with Dunu Kima or Talos, still, they are all Dunu’s standard. The fit with foam is just nice except when I’m moving or doing something which nothing much can be done about. Overall, I have no complaints.
Gears Used & Source
Tidal via Windows 10 Pro -> Topping EX5
Apple Music via iPhone XS Max -> Apple dongle
Tidal / Apple Music via LG G7 -> with/without Hidizs S9 Pro / Ovidius B1
Apple Music via MacBook Pro
Songs list
Será Una Noche – Taquito Militar (Tango)
https://tidal.com/browse/track/11968729
https://music.apple.com/my/album/taquito-militar/350294393?i=350294403
Jean Frye Sidwell – I Left My Heart in San Francisco (Jazz)
https://tidal.com/browse/track/20452673
https://music.apple.com/us/album/i-left-my-heart-in-san-francisco-cross-cory/311944268?i=311944333
Sinne Eeg – We’ve Just Begun (Jazz)
https://tidal.com/browse/track/128215119
https://music.apple.com/my/album/weve-just-begun/1494993623?i=1494993624
Lingua Ignota – The Sacred Linament of Judgement (Neoclassical Darkwave / Avant-Folk)
https://tidal.com/browse/track/184963261
https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-sacred-linament-of-judgment/1570359456?i=1570359468
The Blue Nile – A Walk Across the Rooftops (Sophisti-Pop / Art Pop)
https://tidal.com/browse/track/71704719
https://music.apple.com/us/album/a-walk-across-the-rooftops/1618407503?i=1618407507
a-ha – Take on Me (Synthpop / New Wave)
https://tidal.com/browse/track/68673367
https://music.apple.com/us/album/take-on-me-2015-remastered-version/1037562339?i=1037562348
Model/Actriz – Crossing Guard (Industrial Rock / Noise Rock)
https://tidal.com/browse/track/277266391
https://music.apple.com/us/album/crossing-guard/1664269748?i=1664270067
Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy (Trip Hop)
https://tidal.com/browse/track/2876249
https://music.apple.com/my/album/unfinished-sympathy/816331899?i=816331921
Fear Before the March of Flames – My (F***king) Deer Hunter (Post-Hardcore)
https://tidal.com/browse/track/13184719
https://music.apple.com/us/album/my-f-king-deer-hunter/493654756?i=493655003
Between the Buried and Me – Extremophile Elite (Progressive Metal)
https://tidal.com/browse/track/23908366
https://music.apple.com/my/album/extremophile-elite/556662427?i=556663295
The Mars Volta – Roulette Dares (Progressive Rock)
https://tidal.com/browse/track/585115
https://music.apple.com/us/album/roulette-dares-the-haunt-of/1440736868?i=1440737125
Drake – One Dance (Pop Rap / Contemporary R&B)
https://tidal.com/browse/track/77690162
https://music.apple.com/my/album/one-dance-feat-wizkid-kyla/1440841363?i=1440841384
Additional details:
1. I don’t review earbuds, yet here is my first earbuds review ever.
2. I’m using donut foam for most of this review as I believe they provide better sonic enjoyment versus full foam and without foam to my ears. However, I find full foam to be equally satisfying at times while giving better isolation & comfort.
3. There are slight differences in tonal balance and technical performance between full, double, donut, and without foams. Comparisons and differences are mostly minor unless stated.
4. Earbuds don’t isolate well naturally, and naturally the objective of usage is different than IEMs.
5. Note that earbuds can be perceived as “colored” or “warm sounding” because of the effect of the foam which acts as a filter or “blanket” over the frequencies other than lacking isolation.
6. Because of the lack of the same tier earbuds for comparison, terms and definitions are relative to IEM, though, I’m reviewing an earbud, not IEM. Realistically, the rating is based on typical earbuds performance.
Signature & Presentation
To my ears, with the donut foam, the sound signature of Alpha 3 can be described as warm neutral for the lack of sub-bass and treble response while accentuating the mid-bass area. Pinna gain peaks at around 3kHz that’s gradually depressing towards both ends of the frequency spectrum with a smoother drop towards higher registers. The presentation is rather “forward” and “in-the-face” with extreme coherency across the board. The other type of foam that’s provided in the package is the common full foam which can alter the overall tonality to fuller sounding or perhaps to the warmer side of things.
Tonality
(Bass)
As expected with any earbud, the bass is overall thumpy and punchy than rumbly. Though, that doesn’t mean Alpha 3 doesn’t rumble at all. The lowest octave is almost muted due to its isolation issues just like most cases with earbuds, hence the bold forwardness of the bass presence on top of much-needed sub-bass volume nullifying a more correct tonal balance or perhaps an ideal bass response to me. The deficiency, however, is not up to the level where I would call the bass “wrong”, but it definitely leaves something to be desired.
Drake’s One Dance is an example of the maximum sub-bass replay that Alpha 3s are capable of without sounding too lacking. On the other hand, the intro bass drop in Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack that exhibits and requires a deeper sub-bass reach is where Alpha 3 hits its limit. Unless you want to listen while holding and pushing the earbuds towards your ears for full range effect, it is going to give what a typical earbud does typically; poor to “boxy” bass quality relative to IEM.
(Midrange)
The only thing that Alpha 3s do properly and well is the midrange. Vocal reproduction is arguably close to realism, be it male or female singers without the “thinness” that plagues plenty of neutral-style IEMs. There are no shrill or shouty-ness thanks to its appropriate lower treble quantity that evens out the peak for a smoother and crisp replay while giving good texture to the notes. Lower midrange to mid-bass is well-tuned so the vocal frequencies (especially female vocals) can take the main stage without being bassy, honky, or husky.
(Treble)
There’s no outright offensive characteristic to be reported, and though Alpha 3 may also be perceived as too smooth towards the top end yet there’s ample energy and “bite” to be interesting enough to my ears. Alpha 3’s treble is a little subdued compared to say, Truthear Hexa, but minus the boosted treble of Hexa, the overall tone and extension is pretty much about the same. I wouldn’t resist if anybody ever said Alpha 3 has little amount of clarity, given how high frequencies function within the realm of frequency response and to each HRTF. However, removing the foam or at least using the donut foam will improve the clarity by a good margin.
Overall, I think Alpha 3 is simply the best-tuned pair of earbuds I’ve listened to so far. I’d gladly recommend it just for the tuning alone, plus with a timbre that’s more palatable than most earbuds in the market.
Technicalities +
In terms of the intangibles, I’d consider Alpha 3 as simply good for general music playback. To be honest, I’m going to say that Alpha 3 is performing at the same level among IEMs from the same price bracket such as Truthear Hexa, if not slightly better.
Transient attack is not as sharp per se, yet fast enough to retrieve a good level of detailing up to micro details only with slightly lesser clarity on the nuances. The decay is natural, and the notes show little to no hints of smearing into one another, especially with the full foam. Instrument separation and positioning are distinguishable and fairly accurate while decently layered in the sense of depth.
Despite showing a good level of detail & separation, Alpha 3 might get a little congested on busy passages and fast tempo lines as heard in the first minute of Extremophile Elite by Between the Buried and Me. Though I don’t think it should be a real concern because it rarely happens throughout my huge playlist.
Imaging is not great yet not completely bad. It lacks the little essence to make it “pop” relative to its roll-off treble perhaps. It’s not vivid or thick. Soundstage-wise, it’s somewhat typical and not too dissimilar to many IEMs, except that it lacks depth because of its “forwardness” in projecting images.
One thing that I want to point out the most is its overall sense of dynamics. Alpha 3 seems to suffer from “flat dynamic syndrome” where its volume swing capacity is lacking when needed most. Be it macro or microdynamics, it relatively feels flatter compared to most IEMs, especially the Hexa. To give an example, horn attacks in We’ve Just Begun by Sinne Eeg require a good sense of dynamic shifts that is necessary to convey the big jazz group’s musical liveliness, yet it’s almost absent on Alpha 3.
All in all, I still believe the driver used in Alpha 3 is a good one only bottlenecked by the nature of the earbud itself, which is the form. And because of this, it’s difficult to show and see what the driver is truly capable of, especially for those who prefer IEMs.
Comparison
I’m not going to talk about any lower-price earbuds here because it would be an unfair comparison, and as you can see, I’ve been comparing Alpha 3 to Hexa from the start, so, please let me elaborate a little bit more.
It’s understandable if one said Alpha 3 sounded dull especially for the first timer, though I’m still going to say that it’s oddly resolving regardless of how little treble it seems to put out. In my opinion, there’s enough “snap” although not as boosted as Hexa. Heck, in an A/B test, I find the resolution is larger with better coherency than Hexa, only with a slightly different presentation in detail retrieval. And because of the boosted treble, musical nuances are easier to be perceived on the Hexa, though the note weight is thinner with a quality that’s grainier especially at a high loudness level. Hexa’s treble also can sound “compressed” which is commonly known as “BA timbre” while there’s no distortion whatsoever on Alpha 3.
Regarding which is the best pick, I wouldn’t be superior to the other either so it’s really up to your needs. While I like Hexa for the isolation and overall sonic qualities it delivers, I find Alpha 3 is similar if not more satisfying in a different fashion.
Synergy
With 105 dB sensitivity and 32 Ω impedance, it’s evident that Alpha 3 is easy to drive even with smartphones. Any neutral and transparent source will be a perfect combination, though, with a more capable amplifier, Alpha 3 shows a significant improvement in terms of soundstage depth & sense of dynamics. Its scaling ability also begs the question if Alpha 3 should be packed with swappable terminations for balanced output to give it more power.
Who Is It For?
It’s obvious that Alpha 3 is targeted to cater to earbuds connoisseurs and to those who’d want to experience a pair of earbuds for the first time without leaving bad impressions. While it’s different from IEMs in terms of overall presentation and usage, it’s able to retain almost every aspect of good quality audio reproduction. If you’re someone who’s looking for the utmost isolation & clarity combo, you’re looking at the wrong place.
Verdict & Conclusion
As with many earbuds out there, especially those expensive ones coming from the DIY community, I think the release of Alpha 3 is going to be special and perhaps to set a new standard in price-to-performance ratio within the realm of flatheads. It’s well-tuned plus Dunu’s high standard build quality and rich accessories, the price seems just right. With a performance that also can match a good IEM from the same price bracket (and maybe higher), it gets a recommendation with caution from me; so, know your needs.
