The DUNU DK3001BD is a welcome departure from a lot of similarly tuned IEMs released lately, and also different from DUNU's own recent releases that go more neutral/bright or neutral w/bass shelf. I found the DUNU SA6 MK2, the DUNU Kima, Kima Classic, Titan S2, and the SA6 EST to be more formulaic than I prefer, with some even confusing me on what the goal was. The current IEM flagship—the DUNU Glacier—seemed interesting at the Shenzhen show and at least made me want to try it more before I could conclude one way or the other. But none of these compare to how interesting the DK3001BD is, and I totally understand why DUNU chose it to be the debut product it was announcing at the show. Reception there was mixed, some clearly thought it was lacking in bass, others were grooving along to the sub-bass beats playing, some felt it was overly bright, others adored it to the point of wanting to purchase on the spot. Needless to say, the DUNU DK3001BD is going to be divisive. This is a specialist set that works amazingly to get your brain dancing, with a highly impactful subwoofer-like effect complemented with good detail retrieval and a generally wide + deep soundstage too.

Yet, what surprised me more was the midrange. It's one of the cleanest mids in any set of IEMs regardless of price, and the precise imaging combined with how well the DK3001BD handles complex recordings merits a mention here. The notes may feel lean and analytical, which again can be what you are looking for, but there is some bite added via the lower treble energy which works well for string instruments in particular. I would say the DK3001BD is certainly a set more for instruments over vocals, albeit some minor EQ work can shift it to better suit different music libraries. It's hard to compare to other sets as a result, simply because there really isn't much else which sounds similar. I'll also bring up the attention to detail DUNU has paid here by designing the faceplate to have a cyberpunk style to better match the brain dance theme, yet it isn't as wild as even DUNU's own Titan S/S2. In fact, behind that faceplate lies an extremely clean aesthetic with white aluminium shells given a durable and smooth ceramic coating, just like how that sub-bass gives way to the clean mids thereafter. The accessories complement the IEMs very well too, including the premium cable and case that match the shells, and the wide selection of ear tips adding to the value proposition. Obviously this isn't a set for everyone given the tuning, so I have to recommend people try it out in person. There may well be a 2-pin version out by then, if not even a sale to discount the price from the $500 MSRP. I personally liked it, especially since it tried something different and achieved it well. As such, I am giving the DUNU DK3001BD a conditional recommendation.