DUNU Arashi Headphone Review

Sometimes you can put on a pair of headphones, take a listen and instantly think “wow” – because there is literally no other word to describe the sound. This is what happened to me when I first heard DUNU’s new Arashi planar magnetic design. Wow, just wow!

DUNU is a Chinese brand that is gaining popularity among audiophiles for its excellent in-ear monitor offerings, including the Davinci, Titan S, and more. This is the brand’s first planar magnetic design, which, although expensive, still proves to be excellent value for money.

Up Close

The Arashi is a little short of a work of art, with its solid manganese steel and aluminium alloy chassis, and leatherette suspension headband that distributes the weight so well. This is particularly important because the product is quite heavy at 500g, but the designers have done an excellent job of making it sit comfortably on the head without any wearer fatigue at all. In fact, I was able to wear these phones for seven hours continuously without any pinching at the crown of my head.

The stock earpads feature a leather outer ring and cloth fabric for the inner ring that rests on the wearer’s face, making them quite breathable and plush. Even when wearing my spectacles, the clamping force is just enough to keep the headphones on securely without causing discomfort. The earcups don’t swivel fully, but there’s enough give for the Arashi to fit most heads without any issues. The earpads are removable, locking into place with a twist mechanism that’s much easier than a lot of the clip-on types seen in other headphones.

The package contains two OCC copper cables, with 4-pin XLR and 6.35mm terminations, respectively. These are a touch long at 3 metres each, so for those using the Arashi as part of a desktop setup, you’ll have to cable-manage them a little. Regardless, they’re very well made with acoustically inert, non-microphonic fabric sheathing and carbon fibre and stainless steel Y-splitters.

Inside each ear cup is a 100mm planar magnetic driver that sports a wrinkle-resistant multi-layer composite diaphragm and a multi-sided magnetic circuit matrix, which is said to be very efficient. Sensitivity is claimed to be 97dB with a 26-ohm impedance, meaning you can drive the Arashi from a beefy portable DAC/headphone amp or digital audio player. However, things really start sounding good with a good quality headphone amp, in my opinion. One factor to consider is that, because many DAPs now only have 4.4mm sockets, you may need to cable-swap if the DUNU only comes with a 6.35mm termination out of the box.

The manufacturer sells a matching amplifier for this pair of headphones, called the v53 Desktop Amplifier; DUNU actually collaborated with niuniu Audio to produce this. Unfortunately, we didn’t have one to hand, so instead paired it with the powerful Luxsin X9 desktop DAC/headphone amplifier that we recently reviewed. I predominantly used the 4-pin XLR cable during testing for a balanced connection.

The Listening

The most striking thing about this pair of headphones is its powerful bass. Most planar magnetic designs tend to have a rather linear bass response compared to dynamic drivers, which doesn’t quite cut it for bass-heavy songs that require slam and texture. But this has a subtle low end boost that makes for more impact, and can summon up a rather satisfying rumble.

Listening to Streets by Doja Cat, I had to pause for a moment to process the fact that I was listening to planar headphones, rather than a closed-back dynamic design. Muse’s Hysteria is an excellent test track with powerful bass guitar work that underpins the whole song, and the Arashi imparted this with ease. Whether the song requires super-precise handling of a complex bassline or just big, thumping bass, the DUNU is in its element. With James Blake’s Limit to Your Love, the sub-bass sounds absolutely insane – skip to 55 seconds in to get to the good stuff!

As you would expect from a good planar magnetic design, the midband is clear and detailed, with fantastic separation. The live version of Hotel California by The Eagles is an audiophile favourite that’s been used in countless hi-fi demonstrations since it came out several decades ago. With the Arashi, you can pick each instrument apart – be it the guitars, drums or the crowd at the start of the song – with forensic precision.

From the classic rock era of the mid-1970s comes Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams. It’s a recording that showcases the midband and treble regions of this headphone brilliantly. The cymbal crash at the start of the song is usually enough to tell me whether I’m going to enjoy a pair of headphones or not, and I loved the lustrous brightness here.

However, for people who are more sensitive to sibilance and bright treble, this can all be a bit too much. There’s certainly a slight emphasis on higher frequencies, which means the Arashi does come across as a pair of rather energetic headphones. If you’re not impressed by the sound out of the box, I’d recommend tweaking your EQ settings to get a slightly smoother sound.

Playing TOOL’s Chocolate Chip Trip is a great test of the soundstage and imaging accuracy of the Arashi. With the multitude of percussion, electronic beeps and more, you can clearly hear the left/right separation and how precisely each instrument is placed in the mix. You get a clean, open and controlled sound that lays everything in the mix on a plate for the listener to sample, instead of hiding it under a cloth.

The Verdict

DUNU has come out of the gates swinging hard with the Arashi – it’s very impressive to see what this brand’s first attempt at designing premium planar magnetic headphones has resulted in. Despite its weight, it’s incredibly comfortable and sounds excellent. The only real downside is the price, but if we’re comparing it to other, similarly expensive top-tier planar designs, then this is one of the best options around.

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