Dunu Falcon-C vs Final Audio E4000 Comparison Review

In the Box

Specifications

Design – Dunu Falcon-C vs Final Audio E4000 Comparison Review

Comfort and Fit

Both the Final Audio E4000 and the Dunu Facon-C earphones are comfortable, yet they have very different driver housing designs. The E4000 is light and small. It has a narrow, barrel-looking shape. As a result, it fits easily in the ear without gravity weighing it down much at all. On the other hand, the Falcon-C looks more like a typical in-ear monitor (IEM). It’s driver housing is bigger and is shaped sort of like the outer entry of the ear. As a result, it is heavier than the E4000. However, it feels quite light because the cable wraps behind the ear. On the other hand, the E4000’s cable can wrap behind the ear or hang straight down.

Upon listening to both side-by-side, it was clear they were both quite sound isolating. The E4000 perhaps had a bit more isolation because it could fit a little further into my ear.

Durability and Build 

Both the Final Audio E4000 and Dunu Falcon-C earphones have a number of features to ensure durability. For example, both earphones have detachable cables. However, I did  find the Falcon-C was more fussy connecting to the MMCX connection on the cable.It was harder to go in and based on my experience in the past, I know it is a little bit delicate going in. However, once it is in place, it is strong.

The Falcon-C has a liquid metal jacket housing which is three times stronger than stainless steel. As a result, it is a super strong housing. On the other hand, the Final Audio E4000 driver housing is made of aluminum. Therefore, it is strong but also ultra lightweight.

Sound – Dunu Falcon-C vs Final Audio E4000 Comparison Review

Low Frequencies

Both the Final Audio E4000 and the Dunu Falcon-C do a great job handling low frequencies. Both are able to fully express sub frequencies as well. As a result, they both feel beautifully extended in the low frequencies. The Falcon-C feels more emphasized in the lows. When I was listening to Jukebox the Ghost’s song, Everybody’s Lonely, the bass guitar and kick drum stood out. As a result, they were emotionally impactful, but a little uneven sounding compared to the adjacent low-mids. Conversely, the E4000 had the subby energy, but it felt more on par with the midrange so it had a more realistic, less character-driven sound.

Middle Frequencies

The song Skills Like This, by Guided by Voices was an excellent song to show the difference between both earphones’ midranges. The Dunu Falcon-C emphasized more of the high-mids. As a result, most of the electric guitars energy and definition came from its distortion. Additionally, the vocal sat forward in the mix. The Final Audio E4000, on the other hand, produced the full image of the guitar in an even way. As a result, the bigness and power of the guitar came by both the thickness in the mids as well as the detail in the high mids. The vocal sat more in with the guitar with the E4000.

High Frequencies.

The high frequencies are emphasized on the Dunu Falcon-C. Additionally, the Falcon-C has a wide dynamic range and a quick transient response over the entire frequency range. As a result, when  was listening to the song Annihilate by Trampled by Turtles, the transients of the strings and acoustic guitar were more noticeable than on the Final Audio E4000. On the other hand, the E4000 camptured the full complexity and harmonic information of all the strings. As a result, the each instrument had more of its own space and clarity (especially since the mandolin, fiddle, and acoustic guitar took up a lot of the same space frequency-wise). So overall, the highs had more movement in the Falcon-C (because of the wide dynamics) and more complexity in the E4000 (because of the even recreation of those frequencies).

Soundstage

The specific sound signature and character of the Dunu Falcon-C sort of made everything sit more forward in the sound field, so its sense of depth was more close to the ears. Additionally, its low and high frequency emphasis and extension created a good sense of height. The quickness of the transients also made the left-to-right imaging over-the-top and dramatic. As for the Final Audio E4000, the sense of depth was more realistic. Its left-to-right imaging was less dramatic, but its sense of height was still powerful and tall. This was evident, especially while listening to Hans Zimmer’s song Home (from the Dunkirk soundtrack).

Overview – Dunu Falcon-C vs Final Audio E4000 Comparison Review

Overall, Both the Dunu Falcon-C and the Final Audio E4000 are comfortable and built well. However, their sound signatures are quite different. The Falcon-C has more character, but has a little bit of a smiley face shape to its frequency response. Therefore, it is better for certain genres over others. It’s great for hip-hop, pop, and even singer songwriter stuff. It is less good with music that needs an even midrange. On the other hand, the E4000 has a good sense of realism and works with pretty much every genre. It colors the mix less, but still has a sense of musicality to it.

Both the Dunu Falcon-C and the Final Audio E4000 are available for the best price here:

Dunu Falcon-C at Audio 46

Dunu Falcon-C on Amazon

Final Audio E4000 at Audio 46

Final Audio E4000 on Amazon

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