Dunu x GizAudio DaVinci – New Meta, New Benchmark under $300

Introduction:

Lovingly nicknamed the “Binky” on the GizAudio Discord server, the Dunu x GizAudio DaVinci is Timmy’s third and latest IEM collaboration. Given how successful Timmy’s previous collaborations were, when the DaVinci was announced as a collaboration with Dunu, it’s not surprise that this has been one of the hottest IEMs in the community as of late. The DaVinci is a 2 dynamic driver and 4 balanced armature IEM with a 5-way crossover priced at $299. This sort of driver and crossover configuration is usually only seen in IEMs that cost well above $500. And unlike most dual-DD configurations, each DD in this IEM gets its own crossover!

At the same time, the IEM community has been maturing over the past few years and there has been a push towards more accurately graphing IEM frequency responses and developing better target curves. Listener, over at heaphones.com, with the help of a friend and the type 5128 coupler, put out the JM-1 target which is quickly become the “new meta” in IEMs. Read more about that here: link. This target recognizes that previous targets like the Harman IEM curve were lacking a bit of warmth and were too bright to be neutral. And as of this writing, the DaVinci is one of the cheapest entry points to get an IEM that follows this curve.

How does it fare? Did Timmy pull off a hat trick with the Binky?

Where to Buy:

The Dunu x GizAudio DaVinci is available to purchase from Hifigo:

Hifigo

Amazon US

PROS:

• Very balanced tuning that is unlikely to offend – very natural sounding
• Rich vocals, both male and female
• Good techs
• Good imaging and separation
• Fun bass shelf
• Cheapest “new meta” IEM so far

CONS:

• The slow decay can sometimes lead to notes lingering a smidge too long (some may like this)
• Shell is a bit bulky

Build, Fit, Accessories:

What’s in the box: The Dunu x GizAudio DaVinci comes with the following:

• a nice, rigid, IEM case with ample space for the IEM, cable, and extras.
• an excellent cable with swappable terminations (3.5mm and 4.4mm included)
• copious eartips – seriously, there are enough types of eartips included to start a collection and it’s unlikely there isn’t a tip in here that won’t work for anyone

Build and fit: The build quality of the Dunu DaVinci is nothing short of excellent, as expected of Dunu. The resin shells are well built and seem to be quite durable. The natural looking, stabilized wood faceplates are gorgeous as well. As for comfort, your mileage may vary as the shells are on the slightly larger side and don’t have much in the way of contours or “wings” to allow for a more snug fit in the concha. They fit me fine, however, but as they are on the thicker side, they do stick out of my ears a bit. The nozzles on the DaVinci are also on the larger side – this didn’t cause any problems with fit for me, but I did struggle a little bit when swapping ear tips.

The cable included with the DaVinci might be one of my favorites – it has a semi-sticky/rubbery feel to it but isn’t memory prone. If you’re familiar with the SA6 line of IEMs from Dunu, you’ll have a good idea of what the DaVinci cable is like. The interchangeable termination on the DaVinci cable is probably the nicest of the entire Dunu cable line up.

Bass:

Admittedly, I have found myself becoming more of a bass-lover over time and given that the DaVinci has two dynamic drivers for the low end, I was super excited to hear the bass response. The DaVinci has a very healthy amount of bass and the tuning brings the low end into the forefront. Some reviewers have mentioned that the bass is excessive, but I would actually disagree. There is a good separation between the bass and the rest of the frequency response that keeps it tasteful, in terms of quantity for me. I do have one issue with the bass, however, which is that the bass on the DaVinci has a note decay that is a touch too slow for my tastes. Paired with the slight lack of transients, this lends to a somewhat woofer-ey character to the bass. It’s well extended into the subbass where it does rumble and has a very, very, good amount of heft, but the last leg of tactility just isn’t there and I wish it was just a bit more incisive and textured.

7/10

Mids:

The mid range on the DaVinci is very clean given the bass shelf that it has. Somehow, even though there is quite a bit of bass elevation that extends upwards well into the midbass region, there isn’t much in the way of bleed and the mids have a good amount of room to breathe. Vocals and instruments have a richness and richness to them that is quite satisfying and timbre is quite natural.

7/10

Treble:

Treble on the DaVinci is on the smoother, relaxed, and maybe even dark side. Overall details are present and I didn’t hear any offensive peaks. This makes for a very palatable listen and I have no issues with sibilance with the DaVinci. In fact, a bit more upper treble extension or elevation might not even hurt – interestingly, I felt the same about Timmy’s first collaboration IEM, the Galileo. I do think this is something that will appeal to many people, however.

7/10

Technicalities:

Resolution – Fairly decent, especially when taking into account the price. I don’t find myself missing details as much as details can sometimes feel “lost” in the commotion due to the lack of depth to the stage.

Soundstage – Stage is fairly large for an IEM with both good depth and width.

Imaging and Separation – Surprisingly good imaging and separation. Given the tuning, I was not expecting such clear imaging. Well-defined placement of instruments.

Dynamics – Dynamics is perhaps where the DaVinci struggles the most technically. DaVinci has sort of a slower note decay from the bass through the treble and this seems to detract from the overall dynamics. Notes linger longer than I’d like and this seems to have a detrimental effect on reducing perceived dynamics. I find myself wishing the notes decayed quicker and that there was more of a perceived difference between loud and soft instruments.

Transients – Decent. The initial attack on notes is somewhat pronounced but not as crisp or well defined as I personally like. Good for the price.

7/10

Comparisons:

Given the hype around the “new meta,” it only makes sense to compare the DaVinci to the two other IEMs that seem to be following this new meta most closely:

• Moondrop x Crinacle Dusk
  • Priced $70 more than the DaVinci, Crinacle’s latest IEM collaboration is possibly the closest competitor in terms of tuning and price. The Dusk, regardless of PEQ profile, is simply the more technically impressive IEM. It is more detailed, incisive, and dynamic than the DaVinci. However, in Analog mode, the Dusk falls short of the DaVinci in timbre and naturalness. When switching between the two, the Dusk (analog) sounds thin and a smidge too bright. The treble on the analog Dusk can also be a bit much, and while not sibilant or offensive, it can sound a bit unnatural. But swap over to the DSP cable (or EQ the Dusk to the DSP target) and the story changes. The Dusk pulls ahead in terms of naturalness, while retaining its technical prowess. While I do personally prefer the Dusk Standard DSP tuning to the tuning of the DaVinci, I can’t shake the feeling that the Dusk cheated, and more so, the DSP cable and Moondrop’s companion app are riddled with issues that I won’t go into in this review. If you’re fine with PEQ then the Dusk is the better IEM but with the Dusk in analog mode, I find myself grabbing the DaVinci more.
• HiSenior Mega5EST
  • The HiSenior Mega5EST other IEM in the “new meta” that is making waves recently despite it having been over a year since release. The Mega5EST is a tribrid IEM that follows a similar balanced/natural tuning with added warmth. Given that the Mega5EST is almost twice the price of the DaVinci, it’s not surprising that it’s also quite a bit more technical. This might be due to the electrostatic drivers used, but the Mega5EST is more detailed than the DaVinci. The Mega5EST is the more refined and objectively better IEM and I consider the Mega5EST to be the direct upgrade to the DaVinci.
  • However, where the DaVinci was a bit lacking in transient attack and dynamics, the Mega5EST does something very similar and I find myself wishing it was a bit more incisive. The tonality of the Mega5EST is practically impeccable, it’s just not a very attention grabbing IEM. Nonetheless, the Mega5EST is an excellent reference IEM and one that would serve well as an only IEM. The DaVinci has the added benefit of an elevated bass shelf to add a bit more excitement and comes in at half the price. This wasn’t a fair comparison to begin with given the price differential but the DaVinci does fare quite well here!

Conclusion:

For $299 and an on-sale price of $259, I’d be hard pressed to find an IEM I’d take over the Dunu x GizAudio DaVinci. I might have been a bit overly critical in my review due to the high expectations I had going into this but all things considered, the DaVinci is a fantastic value and is my top pick IEM under $300. While you aren’t going to get the most incisive listen or the most technically capable IEM, this is an IEM that will handle practically all music genres well with a bit of a bass boost to add a bit of fun to your listen. It’s an IEM that I can listen to for long sessions without fatigue or boredom and it gets my emphatic recommendation. Cheers, Timmy!