WATCH FULL REVIEW HERE: 

PRICE: $79 (PHP. 4,300)

PROS:

• One of the best value IEMs in the market
• Great accessory inclusions
• Superb build quality
• Bold and edgy aesthetics
• Well-done U-Shaped sound signature
• Great midrange timbre
• Good note weight
• Punchy bass
• Well-detailed but sibilant-free treble

CONS

• Not the most technical sounding set for the price
• Bass extension is lackluster
• Might be too warm for some people
• Upper midrange might be too much energy on the upper mids to treble
• Not the most comfy fit

WHO THIS SET IS FOR

• People who want the best value package under $100
• People who want a safe but fun sounding IEM
• People who want a bold and edgy aesthetic
• People who want great timbre

WHO THIS SET ISN’T FOR

• People looking for the most technical sounding IEM
• People who want a more subtle looking IEM
• People who want the most snug fitting IEM
• People who want a more engaging and deep bass presentation

RECOMMENDED GENRES

• Pop
• R&B
• Funk
• Jazz

SHORT REVIEW:

The Titan S2 is arguably one of the best value  budget sets to recommend right now. With it’s insanely good value accessorization, safe but fun tuning and an good level of technicalities, there’s much to love about the successor to the legendary Titan S. While it may not have entirely upgraded the sound of the Titan S and acts more like a different flavor, the S2 offers a different enough experience to show people the over 22 years of experience than Dunu has had in knowing what the market wants. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! 

FULL REVIEW:

How do you do sequels correctly? In movies and media, it’s when you expand the world, explore existing concepts, improve upon the characters and introduce new and compelling ideas. 

It’s not so different with in-ear monitors. You ensure you don’t alienate your audience while improving upon the shortcomings of the previous set and providing a fresh but improved experience. So why then do a lot of companies seem to not grasp how to do the “sequels” to IEMs?

Today, I wanna talk about an IEM that improves upon its predecessor in some ways, but shifts the experience in a way that may alienate those that loved the original. We’ll also be talking about what makes an IEM stand out from the extremely competitive portable audio market in 2024. Let’s talk about the Dunu Titan S2

DISCLAIMER: The Titan S2 was sent over by Dunu in exchange for my honest thoughts. All my thoughts and opinions are my own and I was not paid or compensated to say anything about the product. 

THE TITAN RISES AGAIN!

Dunu is a brand that many of you should be familiar with. As one of the oldest brands being established 2002, they’ve come out with many established sets over the years. One of these sets also happen to be one of the cheapest, named the Titan S. What makes the Titan S special is the fact that this came out during the peak of the Aria craze. Everyone and their mother wanted a piece of the pie. Some being successful while others fell into irrelevancy. Dunu’s Titan S was one of the sets that stood out for the reason that it shifted the focus on the upper frequencies and was even technically better than the Aria at the time. Personally, the Titan S was also my favorite out of the Aria clones and is arguably the only set to remain competitive at under $100 ‘til this day. This is a very high bar for the $79 Titan S2 to hurdle, so let’s talk about it!

UNBOXING

One of the biggest upgrades from the Titan S is the unboxing experience. You get a rather reminiscent box from the one that came in the Falcon Ultra and DaVinci with the same unboxing experience

Here is a full list of the inclusions:

• Dunu Titan S2
• Sleeved 2-pin modular cable
• 3 Pairs of Dunu Candy eartips
• 3 Pairs of Olive Grey Eartips
• 3 Pairs of Basic Red Silicone EArtips
• 5 pairs of Dunu S&S
• 4.4mm Modular Jack
• Carrying pouch
• Paperwork

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the best value IEM you can get in the market right now. That’s a big claim that I’m willing to bet my bottom dollar on because where can you find a $79 with a $30 cable and eartips worth almost $30. That’s $60 on the accessory department which leaves $40 for the IEM itself. If that’s not insanely good value, then I don’t know what is. 

It’s ain’t no cheap accessories either. These feature both the Dunu Candy and S&S tips which are both $12 each. And they’re expensive for a reason. The S&S is arguably one of the most versatile eartips in the market and the Candy offers superb stability, seal and a balanced sound. This is on top of the basic eartips, adaptor and large carrying case that are to be expected with Dunu’s offerings and you have yourself one of the best accessorized packages in the market today. 

Build & Fit

If you thought they did all that to cheap out on the build quality, that’s where you’re mistaken. The Dunu Titan S2 features a single high-rigidity dome with flexible suspension composite diaphragm, dual magnetic circuits and dual-chamber single dynamic driver housed in a high-dense chrome-plated alloy.

Quite the mouthful, but all that might as well have been left unsaid as the Titan S2 keeps the superb build quality of the original but spices up the design cues quite a bit. From the cyberpunk-esque smooth build to an edgy, expressive and shining finish that exudes the word “cool”. It’s  a bolder look compared to its predecessor, but this is exactly what I meant when I said that it improves from the older set. The Titan S2 looks more distinct, more vibrant and extravagant in every sense of the word. A little similar to Acoustune IEMs, but distinct enough.

However, one thing that was not improved was the fit. Just like the older Titan S, the Titan S2 has a comfortable but not-so-snug nor good sealing fit in the ear. Using the S&S tips  offered the best sound and comfort, which is a great thing as it comes with it, but the stock tips and all the other tips don’t really compliment the S2’s overall fit. I didn’t have any issues with discomfort, but it slid off my ears more times than I’d like. 

Another highlight of the Titan S2 is the cable. This bares close resemblance to their aftermarket Lyre Mini but switches it . This has got to be one of the best sleeved cables that I’ve ever tried. Most, if not, all sleeved cables I’ve tried prior were too heavy or too stiff to actually be used. This forces me to cable roll or to live with the discomfort of such a cable. I did not experience any of that with the stock cable as the sleeved section is lightweight and soft while the braided section is your usual cable material. And how can we not talk about the Q-Lock mini. Out of all the modular systems that I’ve tried, this is the best one. It combines stability by providing a screw lock while also being lightweight, sturdy and good looking. My only gripe with the cable is the braided section feels exactly like the kind of cable that gets stiff over a couple of months. I cannot confirm or deny this, but I am speaking from experience and experience tells me this material does not like oily faces. 

SOUND

Sound Signature

The Dunu Titan S2 features a warm U-Shaped sound signature with an almost equal distribution of the brightness and the warmth. You could almost call this V-Shaped if it wasn’t for the generous glide on both ends that doesn’t scoop out the mids like other V-Shaped sets. The highlight of this set is certainly the balance of good timbre and good clarity that is surprisingly difficult to find under $100 with this kind of tuning. 

Drivability

The Titan S2 is a relatively easy to drive set as per most in-ears, but benefits a lot from a cleaner and higher quality source. This could be due to the warmer nature of the Titan S2 allowing it to open up to better sources, but it scales really well regardless. The TItan S2 prefers a more neutral source, but I personally enjoyed a warmer source to have a really contrasting experience. 

Volume

One of the things I really appreciate about the Titan S2 is how well it also scales with volume. On lower volumes, it brings out the midrange in a really clean and open manner while keeping apt note weight and clarity. On medium to higher listening volumes, the bass tactility is improved without inducing too much upper midrange energy. This is further improved with a cleaner source as it smoothens treble sharpness while keeping the details and tightens the bass. 

Bass

One of the things that separated the Titan S from the competition was the tight and clean bass presentation that many just weren’t able to compete with. This had the effect of making the Titan S one of the best Aria-clone for those who want a leaner bass presentation from the competition. The Titan S2 on the other hand goes the opposite direction and brings the bass up to the levels of the competition. Maybe this was done in response to the criticisms of the Titan S being too bass shy for some people, but this undoubtedly made the Titan S2 a more versatile set in return. The bass presentation is more midbass over subbass which makes it a punchier, richer and more rounded listening experience. However, this warmth is also it’s biggest weakness as the bass isn’t as nuanced or tactile as I’d like. There’s a decent level of punchiness but the small intricacies in the midbass is a little too smooth for my liking. Thankfully there is no major bloat or mud, although it’s  getting there and will sound as such with the wrong eartip/source combo. You could attribute this to being “too slow” which is understandable, but I also think that they could’ve just boosted the subbass a little bit to really lean into the bassier sound. 

The track that really highlights the major difference between the OG and the sequel is the track Swallow by CASIOPEA. The entire self titled album had a near perfect playback with the Titan S2 due to the superb balance of warmth and brightness that plays really well with the tracklist. However, Swallow in particular highlights the thick midbass that brings out the lower licks of the basslines of the track. However, the same track also highlights the lack of nuances as during the same licks and just doesn’t sound are immersive and satisfying as I’d like. This is especially evident from 1:17 onwards with that crazy complex bass lick that goes low and high in short succession. 

Mids

I want to say that this is the highlight of the set, but that would be undermining the thick but clean bass presentation and the crisp, detailed and well extended treble. Nonetheless, the midrange of the Titan S2 is great. Right out of the bat, you’ll notice that the Titan S2 has a slightly colored lower midrange that might come across a little too warm for some people, but I personally found that it perfectly complemented the energetic upper midrange that still kept the midrange from sounding distant. There’s a nice level of thickness in the note weight while keeping an open, clean and nuanced midrange that is impressive considering the tuning of the Titan S2. However, the warmth and energy in the upper midrange takes its tool on more complex or bassier tracks as the lower mids tends to get left behind and lacks detail and nuances. It’s not a problem if you listen to simpler and cleaner tracks, but something that you might find problematic for rock and metal. The upper midrange energy might also be problematic for some, but should feel right at home for those who has had the opportunity to use the Titan S. It’s  not as focused on the upper midrange as the Titan S, but there’s a lot of energy to bring out the nuances and details in this region. 

The perfect showcase of the superb midrange timbre is on the track “Love Moves in Mysterious Ways” by Nina with the life-like presentation of each instrument. The smoothness of the bass also aids in making the song a very smooth and soothing listen along with Nina’s clean vocals. However, the warmth  takes over on some parts of the track “Through The Fire” by Chakra Khan where bass guitar to the lower octave instruments thicken the overall sound and makes some notes a little bit soft in definition and makes the overall listen more lush than nuanced. 

Treble

Once the highlight of the OG, now plays the complimentary part. And play the part it did. The treble of the Titan S2 keeps the bright, energetic and snappy sound while refining it to a level where it compliments the mids and the bass really well. It perfectly transitions from the upper mids with near perfect harmony while rounding it off with a solid level of extension in the upper treble. My only gripe would be that, due to the warmth, there are instances where the detailed are veiled and smoothened out too much. The extension also feels a little forced on some tracks, but is generally acceptable for most tracks. Like in the upper mids, there’s a lot of energy in this are that people sensitive to this region might find a little problematic. It’s not sharp or sibilant in any way, but it can  get a little too hot on some tracks. 

The track Get Lucky by Daft Punk is another really good track (and so is the entire RAM album) to playback with the Titan S, but I want to specifically highlight the crisp treble that perfectly compliments the warmth and gives the much needed upper midrange and treble energy from the thick and rich low end of this track. It balances it in such a way that it doesn’t overly emphasize the upper frequencies to compliment, but provides just the right amount of energy. However, people who prefer a lot of details and sharpness in the treble might find that the TItan S2 lost the energy that the OG TItan S provided. It’s still a respectable amount of brightness, but  toned down thanks to the emphasis in the low end. 

Technicalities

This is the least impressive aspect of the TItan S2 which is understandable but is also one of my biggest critiques about it. While all-in-all it’s a technically competent set without any major flaws, there are far more technical sets in this price range that achieves what the Titan S2 does. First, separation and layering is somewhat hampered by the amount of warmth in the low end. This gives it a smooth and lush listening experience but struggles on more complex tracks. Imaging and headstage were also decent, but they were more in your head and less holographic than I’d wish. And lastly, both dynamics and resolving ability is perfectly average overall. I don’t think the TItan S2 not being as technical as other stand out sets is necessarily a massive concern, but $79 is a rather steep price in today’s market and those who are looking for a technically capable set may have to look elsewhere. 

COMPARISONS

vs Dunu Titan S

One of the most important question that people have is whether the Titan S2 is an improvement from the Titan S. The answer is unfortunately not so black and white. While some aspects of the Titan S were outright improved like the package, the lack of low end impact and the potentially fatiguing upper frequencies, the Titan S2 isn’t a direct upgrade as it presents the sound in a completely different way. From a somewhat DF-style Harman-neutral tuning to something closer to those that it fought against with a warmer, bassier and tamer sound. It’s also not more technical and in some cases is even less technical than the original Titan S due to the added warmth. If you were to ask me, it’s not made for those who are looking for a refined version of the original Titan S, but for those who wanted more low end and more accessories. 

vs Simgot EA500LM

Arguably one of the most appropriate comparisons as the reputation of the Titan S seemed to preceded the EA500LM, the Titan S2 shifts the focus from being a technical marvel to a musical master. This, in turn, leaves the EA500LM the more technical, more energetic and cleaner sounding set overall. The Dunu Titan S2 has better timbre and a less fatiguing overall sound, but arguably the biggest reason to opt for one is whether inclusions matter to you or not. The EA500LM has a very barebones package while the Titan S2 is class leading. 

vs Kefine Delci

Two seemingly similar sets in idea but with contrasting results. The Delci is a bassier, warmer, deeper and thicker sounding IEM compared to the Titan S2 but the Titan S2s upper midrange to treble presentation sounds considerably smoother, cleaner and more consistent than the Delci. The mids are similar on the two, but the Delci somehow sounds cleaner while the Titan S2 has a thicker and richer sounding midrange. If we’re talking coherency alone, the Titan S2 has it in the bag. However, the Delci’s bass is really what takes the cake between the two sets as the Delci’s has a deep reaching, impactful and punchy bass with a lot of tactility. This is where the two separate and where I think the choice ends up being about whether you want a tactile, deep and rich listening experience or a well-balanced and coherent listening experience. 

vs Letshuoer D13

While initially an odd comparison, this goes to show the one trick pony that the D13 is and how it still dominates for one particular reason. Firstly, the Titan S2 has a considerably better tonal balance than the D13 while also having a cleaner and smoother overall sound. The mids sound more natural on the D13 and the treble has better details while remaining smooth and well extended. However, the D13 still has the considerably better bass extension, tactility, impact and balance from subbass to midbass. Up to this day, I haven’t found a set that could compete bass wise to the D13 and the closest has been the previously mentioned Kefine Delci. But regardless, the Titan S2 is still the better overall set in my opinion.

vs Oriveti Dynabird

While it may be a newer release, the Dynabird screams old-school with it’s aggressive v-shaped tuning, particularly on the upper mids. This makes the Titan S2 the better set in terms of tonal balance. The Titan S2 also has a smoother treble and a richer and more natural sounding midrange overall. The Dynabird on the other hand has better extension and impact and has better separation and details, particularly in the treble. The Dynabird is a complete contrast to the warmer, more tonally balanced Titan S2 and acts as a antithesis of the fun and balanced of the later. 

vs Simgot EW200

I was debating between the Q5 and the EW200 to compare with the Titan S2, but the warmer nature of the EW200 lead me to choose that instead. Surprisingly, the EW200 is the more technical set between the two with a cleaner, better defined and more dynamic sounding set altogether. The Titan S2 on the other hand has a more relaxed and less “offensive” overall sound that makes the Titan S2 potentially the better option for people sensitive to an aggressively technical sound. But for nearly half the price, that’s an impressive feat from the EW200. 

vs Dunu Falcon Ultra

To top it all off, let’s compare it to the IEM that I said that if you didn’t have the money for to get the TItan S2 instead. And while it’s true to a certain extent, I also want to clarify that the Titan S2 is not a direct replacement to the Falcon Ultra. The Falcon Ultra is still the superior set in almost every single way due to the considerably more refined sound that is both more technical and cleaner sounding overall. However, the two share a resemblance in terms of its tonality and I can’t deny the fact that the Titan S2 can be a budget solution for those who enjoyed the sound of the Falcon Ultra and want something cheaper for their daily travels. 

CONCLUSION

So, did Dunu make the right decision to shift the tuning philosophy of the Titan S2? Did they make the perfect sequel from the legendary Titan S? I’d say yes and no. 

Fundamentally speaking, the Titan S2 is a very safe and generally appealing set from Dunu that stays true to many of their sets. The Falcon Ultra, the DaVinci, even the SA6 MKII were all sets that were exceptionally good but were fundamentally safe sets that doesn’t really aim to break the market. The SA6 MKII would be the closest to do that and arguably did break the market with its insane value proposition, but it stayed true to the SA6 identity of being the peak of modern Dunu and they had to do something  to stand out. 

What the Titan S2 is not is a stand out set. Well, maybe besides the accessories as this is arguably the best accessorized budget IEM by far. TRN Conch and Zhulinniao Qingluan Z4 were both well-accessorized, but not as good as this. You’re essentially paying for $30 worth of accessories which leaves you with $50 for the IEM itself. That’s an insane proposition. 

But that’s also where the problem lies, in my opinion. The Titan S2 doesn’t really do much for the market in terms of its sound. It’s the safe, Harman-neutral style with good bass energy, clean and smooth mids and an energetic but safe treble presentation. Safe isn’t bad, but $79 has become a steep price for sets to just be safe. You have sets like the Simgot family of EA and EW IEMs as well EPZs recent offerings breaking the meaning of good sound value. 

But I still think the Dunu Titan S2 exists for a good reason. In the past, I struggled thinking of the perfect starter or safe IEM to recommend. Most sets are either too edgy or tonally borked to recommend comfortably or just offers way to little for the end user. The Titan S2 is an entire package. Great eartips, great cases, solid build quality from IEM to cable and a very safe and enjoyable sound for most if not all people to enjoy for only $79. And that’s where I raise the glass to Dunu for creating the perfect budget IEM. 

Thank you for reading my full review on the Dunu Titan S2. If you would like to order one, you may use the non-affiliated link below: https://www.dunu-topsound.com/product-page/titan-s2