Both Final Audio and DUNU have released impressive earphones over the years. Their products have often struck me as unique, most notably Final Audio’s single balanced armature drivers and DUNU’s hybrid drivers. MajorHiFi has never compared earphones from the two before. It is my pleasure to take a closer look at them today and see how the different drivers perform when compared side-by-side. This is the Final Audio F7200 vs DUNU DK-3001 comparison review.

Final Audio F7200 vs DUNU DK-3001 Comparison Review

Specifications

In the Box

Design

Final Audio F7200

At first glance, the most notable features of the F7200 are the silver, braided cable (which has an MMCX connector) and the stainless steel driver housings. The style is classy and elegant. I look down at the ear pieces and notice that the “L” and “R” marks are VERY hard to see. But alas, I finally found them at the base of the plastic coating below the connector. I place the earphones in my ears and they fit well. They are lightweight and small. They hang down, although ear hooks are provided in the box for those that appreciate extra security.

DUNU DK-3001

Picking up the DK-3001, I first notice the housings feel heavier than the F72000. The ear pieces are bigger and as I place them in my ears, they are cold to the touch. These earphones are designed to hook over the ear and they do a better job of feeling secure right away. As I’ve noted in other reviews and comparisons, the ear tips provided with DUNU earphones don’t fit my ears. They are tips made by Comply, though, and therefore there are other sizes available. I steal the tips from the F7200 because they also use Comply tips. The DK-3001 then are able to seal in my ear canals and fit well.

Sound

Now, I’ll give each pair a listen and see how the sounds compare. Here is my stream of consciousness.

Final Audio F7200

Wow! What a soundstage! Overall, the frequency response tends to lean upward toward the high frequencies. While the low-frequencies are balanced, in context they feel too polite compared to the midrange and high frequencies. There seems to be a boost around 6kHz-8kHz. This boost makes vocals sit lower in the mix than I’d expect. These earphones really don’t work well with hip-hop, pop, or electronic music, but I like them on country and folk/rock.

The high frequencies are very clear sounding which contributes to its impressive sound stage. The midrange is nice as well. It is smooth and warm, although I notice a cut somewhere around 400Hz.

DUNU DK-3001

Right away, I notice a bigger low-end overall. While it is a bit cloudy, much like the Shure SE series, it is thick and more effective emotionally than the F7200. There is a broad boost in the low end centering around 100Hz.

The earphones are dynamic and respond well to classical music builds. It’s lower impedance produces a louder volume. The midrange also feels fuller with a boost around both 200Hz and 5kHz. Other than these boosts, the midrange is flatter than the F7200.

While the soundstage isn’t as impressive as the F7200, it has accurate top to bottom imaging. Because of its extended frequency response, going up to 40kHz, the sound has a lot of air which gives an interesting sweetness to every genre.

Overview

Especially for just $30 more, I choose the DUNU DK-3001 as my favorite earphone of the two. While the Final Audio F7200 has a lot of interesting characteristics, I see it as more of a mere color in what should be a palette of sound signatures, perhaps if you are an in-ear collector. On the other hand, the DUNU DK-3001 is more versatile and is more satisfying for a wider variety of genres. The low frequencies have more energy and give a fuller feeling to my music.

Both earphones are available for the best price here:

Final Audio F7200 at Audio 46

Final Audio F7200 on Amazon

DUNU DK-3001 at Audio 46

DUNU DK-3001 on Amazon

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