Introduction:
Those who entered the portable audio hobby within the past few years might not have much experience or knowledge of flathead earbuds. Today in-ear monitors and headphones hog most of the spotlight. But go back even 10 years and flathead earbuds were all the rage. Yuin with their PK and OK line of earbuds enjoyed relative popularity in the community and Venture Electronics had just gotten their legs under them, releasing the Monk, a flathead earbud that offered quality sound for under $5. The Monk would go on to catapult VE to success and kick off a cult following for their products (one of which happens to be my favorite portable audio transducer of all time – the Sun Copper). This was a time when companies like Apple were including earbuds (pre-earpods) with their phones and with their early iPods.
Unfortunately, somewhere along the line, the popularity of in-ear monitors began to eclipse the flathead earbud. Consumers favored the noise isolation and fit stability of in-ear monitors, and the once celebrated flathead earbud lost favor. This was unfortunate because flatheads offer a more open and wide soundstage and more natural timbre than IEMs – similar to open-back vs. closed back headphones.
Thankfully a staunch group of fans have kept the passion alive since then and DIY makers have experimented with the medium and flathead earbuds have survived to this day, albeit as a niche within a niche, only to be rediscovered not too long ago.
While well known Chi-fi companies like Moondrop have dabbled in the medium every now and then, most notable of which is the Moondrop Chaconne, flathead earbuds have remained fairly unknown among the everyday audiophile. Midway through 2022, flathead earbuds caught a second wind, with makers like Jim Park (maker of TGXEar) and RikudouGoku (maker of RikuBuds) gaining popularity and larger manufacturers doubling down and innovating in the form factor. A flathead renaissance of sorts has taken place! Fiio released the wildly popular FF3 and followed that up with a more refined FF5 model. Both of which I rate quite favorably and consider some of my favorite audio experiences to date.
When Dunu announced that they would be releasing a new earbud for $79 I couldn’t help but reach out to see if I could get my hands on a unit. I’ve long been a fan of Dunu, having owned every single model of the SA6 and I couldn’t help but wonder how their latest entry into the flathead market, the Alpha3, would fare.
Disclaimer: Many thanks to Hifigo for making this review possible and providing a review unit for me. I was not incentivized for a positive review and as a fan of flathead earbuds these thoughts are purely my own.
Where to Buy:
PROS:
- Very balanced tuning
- Relatively resolving
- Excellent fit
- Top tier build quality
- Great cable
- Above average technicalities
- Fun mid-bass punch
- Great instrument timbre
- Lush vocals
CONS:
- Bass is slightly rolled off – it does still rumble but subbass quantity might be a bit lacking for bassheads
- Treble is rolled off, which does keep it from being sibilant but does lack that last bit of air
- Can sometimes struggle and sound slightly congested with busy passages
WHO THIS IS FOR:
- Those looking for a very well balanced earbud with good detail retrieval
- Anyone looking to see what earbuds are capable of these days without breaking the bank
- Those looking for an open sound
- Timbreheads
- Anyone who finds IEMs too isolating
WHO THIS ISN’T FOR:
- Bassheads
- Those who spend most of their time in noisy environments and need isolation
- Those who are adverse to a brighter tuning
Build, Fit, Accessories:
What’s in the box: In typical Dunu fashion, you can expect a quality kit. Dunu’s new case (which is also found with the Falcon Ultra) is included and it is, by far, my favorite IEM/earbud case. Along with the buds come copious foam covers (these do alter the sound quite a bit, even more so than pads for headphones, so definitely try all of them)!
Build and fit: The Alpha3 is the best built flathead earbud I’ve handled. The all metal build is solid and well machined, and the attached cable is quite nice. It is a bell shaped shell with a simple, angular and almost mecha-inspired stem. It’s a very nicely fitting earbud and I don’t think many, except those with the smallest of ears, will have issues wearing them.
Overall Sound:
The Alpha3 is a very nicely tuned, slightly bright-neutral earbud with decent technicalities and excellent timbre. It’s not a technical monster by any means but it is above average in stage, imaging, and resolution. The tuning is one that many will appreciate!
Bass:
Midbass is the star of the show here and might I say, the midbass punch is quite excellent. Unfortunately the bass does roll off compared to IEMs. That said, bass does not disappear in the lowest registers but subbass quantity will be reminiscent of other flathead earbuds or most open-back headphones.
Mids:
Mids on the Alpha3 are great. Both male and female vocals have a good amount of body and lushness without any offensive dips or peaks, with female vocals a bit more forward in the mix, but not offensively so. Good amount of clarity in the mids. Instruments sound crisp and clear. For the most part, flathead earbuds do mids very well and the Alpha3 is no exception.
Treble:
The treble on the Alpha3 is more lower-and-mid-treble focused with a bit of upper treble roll off. There’s a good amount of sparkle but not as much air as I’d like. The overall tuning of the treble region is slightly bright but pleasant and smooth. Percussive hits sound natural to me as do most brass and woodwind instruments. There is enough bite to give life to violins but not so much as to make it sibilant. If one were to be excessively critical, it does lack that last bit of air that would make this stand out even more, but at $79, it’s hard to count this as a fault.
Technicalities:
Details and Resolution:
Details and resolution on the Alpha3 are above average for flathead earbuds and quite good compared to similarly priced IEMs. I’d say that they probably are on par with what one might expect from a $300 IEM. I’ve always contended that flathead earbuds are a great value proposition – one can generally expect better sound quality for the price than would be found in IEMs or headphones. And for the price of the Alpha3, you would be hard-pressed to find an IEM that can compete in sheer detail retrieval.
Soundstage, Imaging, and Separation:
Due to the openness of the transducer type (they are completely open as with all flatheads), soundstage will be quite large compared to what one might expect coming from IEMs. However, in comparison to other flathead earbuds, stage is average to slightly above average in size. Stage is wider than it is deep. Imaging and separation are decent as well but it can struggle and start to sound congested with busy passages. Switching to thinner foams does help with this, but this also comes at the expense of increasing brightness and decreasing warmth for those who might be sensitive to treble and/or upper mids.
Dynamics, transients, and decay:
Transients on the Alpha3 are very nice – the initial attack on notes is crisp and well defined. Note decay is on the quicker side but not too quick and this helps keep the sound clean and precise while not being too clinical. Dynamics, however, are about average for flathead earbuds – nothing too standout here, and this, I suspect is why it can sound a bit congested with too many instrumental and vocal lines playing at the same time and I suspect better differentiation in volume would help separate instruments and alleviate some of the congestion. Nonetheless, at $79, it is already much more dynamic than most IEMs available.
Timbre:
Timbre is excellent. Most earbuds I have tried are more natural sounding to my ear than most IEMs. The Alpha3 is no exception to this – vocals and instruments sound correct to my ear. Nothing sounds glaringly wrong to me.
Conclusion:
The Dunu Alpha3 is an excellent offering and a worthy addition to the flathead earbud pantheon. It’s something that I can wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who is, by default, considering an IEM or a headphone and does not need sound occlusion. No, it’s not the best earbud I’ve heard, that title still belongs to the Venture Electronics Sun Copper, let alone many models I have heard from DIY makers, but those are all more expensive. With it’s unparalleled build quality, versatile sound signature, and decent technicalities, the Alpha3 is a new benchmark and one I’d recommend over almost anything else under $100 given one is open to trying something that isn’t an IEM or a headphone.
As a huge fan of flathead earbuds, I have greatly enjoyed supporting the DIYers and smaller companies that have been keeping the medium alive. But at the same time, it’s great to see larger manufacturers re-entering the fray, innovating, pushing boundaries, and introducing a larger audience to flatheads that might never have discovered them otherwise! Kudos to Dunu for knocking it out of the park and I’m excited to see other manufacturers follow up. (From what I have heard, Moondrop and Fiio are both planning releases later this year so stay tuned.) Most of all, it’s great to see interest in flathead earbuds pick back up again!
