Dunu Vulkan 2 IEMs Review – Explosion Of Sound And Colour
Dunu Vulkan 2 is a $359 USD pair of IEM In-Ear Monitor Earphones with an advanced 8-Driver Hybrid Architecture, featuring 2 Dynamic Drivers and 6 Balanced Armature drivers, an advanced 4-Way Crossover filtering with Dual Physical and Dual electronic Filtering, and CNC Machined Aerospace Grade Aluminium shells. Today we will review the Dunu Vulkan 2 and also compare it with similarly priced IEMs we recently explored including MoonDrop x ddHiFi Surface 2 (279 USD), Xenns Mangird Top Pro (449 USD) and Yanyin Canon Pro (399 USD).
Introduction
Dunu is a company that’s welcome back to the Audiophile-Heaven review archives, as I actually enjoyed their products a lot back in the day, and they’ve always created some amazing IEMs. Dunu started as a subsidiary creating IEMs for FiiO, but they quickly became their own company, creating earphones that far surpassed the markets at the time of their release. Vulkan 2 is a living proof that I’ve missed them as I never heard the original, so this review will focus more on Vulkan 2 itself rather than on how it compares to the original vulkan.
As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, and using the purchase links in my reviews helps me maintain this website and Youtube Channel. Huge thanks to Dunu Topsound for providing us with the sample for this review.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4md3YTr
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_olrFVl6
Build Quality – Design
Dunu has always been a company to brag about their products, and Vulkan 2 gets a lot of publicity, including praise for their Dual Dynamic Driver + 6 Balanced Armature setup, per side. This revamped architecture uses custom Knowles Dual BA for mids, independent dynamic drivers for ultra-low and low frequencies, and a Quad BA setup for Treble and Ultra High frequencies.
Dunu also mentions that those Dual dynamic Drivers have a 10mm + 8mm size configuration, and the shells of the Vulkan 2 are precision milled with a champagne gold color, and a matte silky shell built to last a lifetime. We have a premium-grade stock cable, and Catch-Hold MMCX connectors, with a Q-Lock Mini interchangeable system for the jack connector as Dunu Vulkan 2 works with all connector types usually found in IEMs.
For the geek in you and the geek in me, Dunu vulkan 2 comes with a net weight of 8 grams per side, which is on the medium end of this, but they have a rather unusual 35 OHM impedance. With a high SPL of 113 dB/ mW, Dunu Vulkan 2 should be easy to drive, and they also have a 4-Core cable with high purity silver-played single crystal copper built. This cable is 1.2 meters long, and Dunu Vulkan 2 has a 1-year official warranty.
Fit – Subjective Usage
I started reviewing Vulkan 2 by immediately replacing the default eartips, as the default ones do not offer a proper feat and seal. Using ddHifi ST-35, which is a very cheap upgrade, but significant one, I am getting an excellent comfort, Vulkan 2 is made of metal, but hose shells feel comfortable in my ears, ergonomic and fit well, and the whole weight of the IEM is distributed evenly between the ear hooks and eartips.
Dunu Vulkan 2 is not very heavy despite being made of metal, and the cable is free of serious kinks, flexible, but reliable and premium. Passive noise isolation is a comfortable 15dB to 20 dB, and with music playing you don’t really hear anything that’s happening on the outside, plus they leak very little. With no driver flex and no void, Dunu Vulkan 2 feels premium, balanced and the wearing comfort is great.
Although as we will see down below, Dunu Vulcan 2 is not sensitive to the source very much, they are incredibly sensitive to eartip quality and signature, and compared to the vast majority of IEMs, Vulka2 is far more dependent on the eartips you’re using. My rule of thumb is reviewing the IEMs with the default eartips, or if the sound is not great, fitting or seal does not work for me, using ddHiFi, a widely available, affordable eartip set, is the preferred choice. To be fair, I usually try to use ST-35 with all IEMS, but sometimes the default ones are so good that I forget to install ST-35.
Sound Quality
Pairings – To test the new Dunu Vulkan 2 IEMs, I have paired them with a selection of sources, including Rose Technics RT-5000, Dethonray Clarinet, iBasso DX340, Lotoo PAW GT2, FiiO K17, FiiO QX13, Singxer SA-1 V2 driven by FiiO K15, and TempoTec March V. Dunu Vulkan 2 is not sensitive to the source quality or the source background noise, which is partly helped by the somewhat high impedance for a pair of IEMs at 35 OHMs. They scale a bit with the source, but compared to the vast majority of IEMs, Dunu vulkan2 is one of the least sensitive IEMs when it comes to the source quality. Dunu Vulkan 2 can eat a TON of power, at times more than full-sized headphones, to get loud. It has outstanding control at high volumes, very low distortion, and it seems to sound better if enjoyed loud.
Overall Signature – Dunu Vulkan 2 felt at first really bright and rolled off in the bass, because the default eartips do not offer a strong seal and good fitting. Once I fitted them with ddhifi ST-35 the sound signature is U-shaped towards neutral, there’s quite a bit of sub bass that is evident and audible with most music styles, but the treble is bright and balanced, and Vulca2 has a rather strong voicing and separation between instruments, with a vivid layering and crisp resolution. This being said, the signature is much closer to neutral-vocal than U-Shaped because the bass is not quite enhanced enough to make up for the treble peaking boost.
Bass – Starting from the low, Dunu Vulcan 2nd generation is a rather neutral IEM with just a tiny bit of extra oomph above what would be absolute neutrality, enough for it to lay in between the realm of U-Shaped and pure neutral tunings. Vulka 2 has a rather quick, snappy bass, it is better suited for technical music styles, technical death metal, fast EDM, and it sounds rather detailed, technical, fast with a short decay and not a lot of extra meat on them bones.
Midrange – The middle is where the magic lies with Vulkan2, it is incredibly detailed, vocally enthusiastic and balanced for a high resolution, the same way FiiO FT7 is, it reveals information that is missed and hidden even by many flagships, feeling and sounding highly technical and yet with a rich texture that gives realism to female voices, pianos and guitars. Vulka2 is best for female-led music, and it can brighten up a song a big, emphasizing emotion over warmth, male voices are subdued while female voices are enhanced and given strength. The upper midrange is stronger than the lower midrange, and the whole presentation is rich, vivid and alive.
Treble – There are quite a few peaking points in the treble, with clear enhancements for the whole 11 kHz – 15 kHz as Vulkan 2 is a rather brilliant and happy sounding pair of IEMs. There’s a strong separation between the treble and the midrange, although the treble itself has less richness and less technical resolution than the otherwise extraordinary midrange. There’s a strong sense of air and width in the upper range of the Vulkan2.
PRaT / Textures / Dynamic – Dunu made the Vulkan 2 with a collection of drivers, and each one of them has a slightly different decay speed, attack and texture, but as a sum, all of them are fast and technical, bass has a short, precise decay and snappy attack, creating a technical low-end, while the midrange is smoother, richer and sounds more musical. With a bright, precise and fast treble, Dunu Vulkan 2 sounds really crisp and a bit dry even in the treble. This technical sound works really well if you want to notice every single little detail, in EDM, Metal, Pop and Dubstep, and I see Vulkan 2 working well for classical too thanks to its upper midrange emphasis. It sounds dynamic and not compressed, expanding a bit on the dynamic range of each song, especially those with a lead female voice, or brighter sounding instruments.
Volume Control – Dunu Vulkan 2 sounds best at higher volumes, the louder you go, the better it gets. This indicates that the drivers used are of an excellent quality, it has a high headroom, could be EQ’ed for more bass, if you wanted, but as I always, I recommend purchasing something that you’d like at default settings not investing then changing what you have. Overall, Dunu kept their excellent quality as always and Vulkan 2 is living proof of that.
Soundstage – If you like a natural-wide sound, you’ll like the Vulkan 2, as it sounds really holographic, wide and open. It has the tendency of emphasizing the width a bit, creating a natural depth, but as it has a neutral-ish bass, it never sounds very deep. Layering is great though, and instrument separation in particular is very good. Vulkan 2 is a great IEM if you want a brighter, more crisp sound, and a brilliant, open soundstage in the higher registers naturally comes with this.
Comparisons
Dunu Vulkan 2 vs Xens Mangird Top Pro (359 USD vs 449 USD) – Top Pro is an IEM I just reviewed, made in the more traditional Resin style rather than the full metallic style of the Vulka2. Between them, Top Pro feels more comfortable for long hours of wear, in cold weather, while in warmer weather, the metallic shell of Vulkan 2 dissipates the heat a bit better. Both are free of void, driver flex and both come with nice hard transport cases. Both are great choice for your future IEMs for sure from a constructional perspective, down to the modular cables with a balanced connector. Sonically, Top Pro sounds more natural, with a lower coloration, it is just very honest, straight and clean, while Vulkan 2 is much richer, more enjoyable, smoother, more technically revealing in the midrange, has a more dry treble, more neutral bass. Overall, Top Pro is a more balanced pair of IEMS, while Vulkan 2 sounds more special, more magical, more detailed and more crisp. Both are outstanding Earphones, but I prefer the Vulkan 2 for most female-led songs, and Top Pro for bass-heavy songs.
Dunu Vulkan 2 vs Moondrop x ddHifi Surface 2 (359 USD vs 279 USD) – Surface 2 also comes with a high-end cable, both IEMS are free of void, driver flex, both come with hard transport cases, but Surface 2 is remarkably easier to drive, and can be paired with lower power sources, while Vulkan 2 is harder to drive, less sensitive to source quality, but requires more power. Sonically, Surface 2 is much bassier, warmer, bloomier, bloofier, and has more oomph and impact. Vulkan 2 sounds really bright, sharp and neutral compared to the Surface 2, both IEMS are technically capable, but the details, layers and information that Vulkan 2 reveals in the midrange is much more crisp, it is a far more detailed pair of IEMs that really brings forward the finer nuances in music and creates a vivid, lively image, while Surface 2 is a much better basshead pair of IEMs.
Dunu Vulkan 2 vs Yanyin Canon Pro (359 USD vs 399 USD) – Starting with the build, both IEMS are comfortable, similar weight, Canon Pro is made of resin, but in actual practice both are similar, good cable for both, a nice hard transport case, and while Canon Pro is easy to drive, vulkan 2 is very hard to drive and control properly. Sonically, I really was enthusiastic about the Canon Pro while reviewing it and even now I like it a lot. They are similar in resolution, but Canon Pro is much warmer, brings forward male voices, has a less dry, smoother sound in the treble, longer bass decay, more oomph in the low-end and less impact there. Vulkan 2 is far brighter, more revealing in the midrange, sounds more open, more colored, but pulls male voices towards the background while pushing female voices, and brighter, more open sounding instruments to the foreground.
Value and Conclusion
Dunu created the Vulkan 2 to be vocal, competitive, neutral, technical, includes a high-end cable, and made a comfortable pair of IEMS that can easily fight flagships in a higher price range, although the one thing they did not include is a ddHifi ST-35 which I find is essential for enjoying the Vulkan 2 IEMs. Once you use more adequate eartips that improve the fitting, comfort and seal of the Vulkan 2, it transforms to being a better pair of IEMs, sounding more revealing, having a better resolution and improved than the average of IEMs in the 399 USD price range.
At the end of the day, Dunu Vulkan 2 is truly special, if you love female voices, if you want a bright, rich, open sounding pair of IEM Earphones, if you want a brighter, more open sound that emphasizes musicality, richness and makes all styles technical, rich and at the same time musical. It is a fully recommended IEM and I love listening to ACG, Pop, but also rock and metal with the Vulkan 2.
PROs
- Exceptional comfort
- Outstanding technical resolution and richness in the midrange
- Superb overall price performance ratio
- Liquid, pleasing midrange
- Tight, neutral, fast bass that’s great for technical music styles
- Beautiful and tight, with reliable shells
- Enjoyable at high volumes
- Great control at high volumes with very little distortion and a low THD
Cons
- Default eartips are not great, needs ddHiFi ST-35 or your favorite tips for a proper fit
- Comes alive loud, not quite as enjoyable at quiet volumes
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4md3YTr
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_olrFVl6
--- Please remember to stay safe, and always have fun while listening to music!---
- If you have a dime to spare, please donate, and help us! It would make the day brighter for me and my wife-
Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
--- Contact Us ---
