DUNU Titan S2 Review

There have been a good crop of inexpensive IEMs that you can get for less than a hundred dollars. One of those is the DUNU Titan S, which acted as my personal set of IEMs for a while. DUNU now has the Titan S2, which looks to follow up on the original with upgrades to its design and tuning. Is it as good as the original?

What You Get

• Titan S2 IEMS
• 2-Pin cable
  • 3.5mm and 4.4mm adapter
• Four sets of S/M/L ear tips
• User Manual

Look & Feel

The Titan S2 goes for a bulkier shell deisgn from the original Titan S, but it provides a seccure fit that’s perfectly comfortable. Its high-density alloy material adds a lot to the rigidity of the housing, and the chrome finish is a great aesthetic compennt of this design. It reminds me of a more mechanical looking version of the Moondrop Kato. With this design, it surely feels like you’re getting more than what you paid for.

Design

Inside of the Titan S2 is a high-performance dynamic driver with a high-rigidity dome and a flexible surround suspension diaphragm. This configuration hopes to achieve an authetic frequency resposne with more percise transients. It also featurs an advanced acoustic core with an unusual dual magnetic circuit. These are both internal and external components that pertain to its low impedance. This makes it possible to drive the Titan S2 with vitually any common headphone jack.

Soundstage

I thought that the original Titan S had one of the best soundstages I’ve heard on an IEM for less than a hundred bucks. The Titan S2 doesn’t have that same level of wow factor but still has solid separation and width. There’s less depth here than the original had, making the sound field more linear. Stereo imaging feels accurate, and the scope is maintained, but the layers don’t come out as clearly. It lacks some of the dimensions that the Titan S brought, with less holographic tendencies. However, I was still able to enjoy the soundstage on a surface level, even if I thought the stereo field could have felt more spacious.

Low End

The low frequencies of the S2 combine thicker tones with the precision of the original Titan S well. There’s a more concentrated surface area of bass frequencies that offer a surprising level of finesse and body. It’s a very mid-bass-centric tone, lacking some extra growl from underneath, but always showcasing impact and transparency. Everything is pushed towards the front, which decreases some of the dynamic qualities of the low-end but increases its texture. This keeps the bass from sounding more punctual too, but it makes up for it with a fun, engrossing timbre that is hard not to enjoy.

Mids

With the level of energy the bass maintains, you’d think the sound signature would take a steady decrease in the midrange. That doesn’t happen with the Titan S2 though. I found most of the midrange frequencies to be surprisingly clean and full. The low-mids and upper-mids use the most emphasis, but the middle section maintains a clear body. You won’t get a ton of precision, but the mids highlight instruments with plenty of room. It balances the response in a much more articulate way than you might expect, with vocals standing just above you.

Highs

While the treble is somewhat reduced in terms of gain, it still leaves you with enough to chew on. There are bright qualities to it, but it’s more reserved compared to the original Titan S. You might prefer the sound of the Titan S2 over the original because of this, but I enjoy it almost the same way. Cymbals have a good clickiness to them, but the sizzle is lessened. It’s still kind of crisp though, which leads to some interesting coloration.

Summary

If the DUNU Titan S2 had a bit more depth in its soundstage, I would easily call this the best budget IEM you can get. Even regardless of it being only eigthy dollars, the DUNU Titan S2 could stand on its own above some heavy hitters. However, that’s one of the only characteristics I perfer from the original. The bass, mids, and even some of the treble is tuned better here for me, especially with the more thunderous bass and more defined midrange. Its also got a great design that’s very comfortable, plus you get a 4.4mm blanaced plug right in the box. While the soundstage is an important aspect of the sound for me, it’s hard to complain when the Titan S2 almost masters everything else.

The DUNU Titan S2 is available from HiFiGO and Linsoul.