Dunu 242- This is Lit!
‼️DISCLAIMER:
This was sent by Dunu in exchange for my honest opinion and take. For transparency, I will both affiliate link and non-affiliate link included at the end, but it is entirely up to you if you want to support me. Having said that, I am aware of my biases and take this review with a grain of salt.
I did a video review so you check out my full video review here:
https://youtu.be/gSZiAObNni8
⚜️WHAT’S IN THE BOX?
As usual from Dunu, they splurge you with nice and usable accessories! the box is a standard DUNU size box. Inside you get:
• nice and sturdy carrying case. The typical Dunu case
• lots of eartips. I mean, lots of. It includes the SNS eartips and the candy eartips
• a nice braided cable with interchangeable termination of 3.5 and 4.4
⚜️BUILD , COMFORT anmd SPECS
Price is $350. This features a 2 dynamic driver, 4 balanced armatures and 2 micro planars. The shell is similar to The Da Vinci Shell, which is made of resin. the Faceplate is similar to the 142, only that this is red. the patterns change depending on how light hits it, with the numbers "242" in silver. Very fiery to look at
Comfort is decent. I did not have any concerns with it getting out of seal even when practicing playing the drums. it has some mild fins that sits in ears nicely.
⚜️SETUP:
-Shanling M3X, M3 Plus, FiiO JM21 using UAPP, Hiby and stock player
-tip rollling is important here because there is a peak past 10k that mnay either gets boosted depending on what eartips you use. In this review, I am using a low profile eartips from NF Audio, which for me makes the treble, a little bit manageable.I also tried using DIvinus Velvet and has a similar effect.
⚜️SOUND PROFILE
The tonality of the 242 can be described as near neutral with some coloration in bass and treble. There is some emphasis in treble air. I thought i would hear more details and nuance in the bass,but it seems like there isn't really a lot of impact l.
Even if it features 2 DDs, these are definelty not for bassheads. The bass presentation is almost close to neutral. altough Ialso think there is good balance in both subbass and midbass. It seems like there is no dominant frequency in the lower region. Both subbass and midbass are even and represents well on how they are recorded. In track "a dreamer" by IU, I thought the kick drums were well felt and that the overall bass had good impact without sounding muddy.
Mids are presented forward with great intimacy whilst sounding open at the same time. Instruments sound natural and organic. I really like how smooth they sound and how almost realistic the presentation is. They have this velvety quality to vocals and they never sounded clinical.
Treble can be a hit or miss. These have good air. But it also makes cymbals sound a bit artificial, depending on source and eartips. They still have good tonal balance and this is probably just a nitpick since I am playing drums. It is interesting to note that when I use my electric drums, the cymabls sounded fine and there were not timbral inaccuracies, but when listening to music, I do hear that there is some boost in the upper treble every so slightly.
Technicalitites are decent for the price. There is good imaging and stereo separation. The sense of openness really does help with stereo accuracy. it gives you that "hifi" experience which is a bit short lived when I realize that it changes a bit of the cymbal timbre. interestingly, it only happens when listening to music, and not when I'm playing my electric drums. I still think that there is good realism to the sound and that the sense of width really helps a lot.
❤️PROS
-good tonal balance
-mids are soulful and vocals sounds amazing
-no shout in the upper mids
💢CONS
-treble might be too forward
-not for bassheads
-bass could use more energy
⚜️SCORING
-Please be reminded that my scoring is always based on its price range.
TUNING - 2.5
BASS - 2.5
MIDS - 3
TREBLE - 2.5
TECHS - 2.5
SCORE = 12, A rank
Check my scoring here :
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15WhgCgiMzWfF3ccgB8SK5-Cg7m87kpIShtxsyg2u-AI/edit?usp=sharing
⚜️GRAB SCORE:
This is easy, I just rate the set whether I would grab them for listening. Very subjective.
0️⃣- I will never touch this again
1️⃣- I grab if I remember
2️⃣- Can be part of my rotation
3️⃣- I break my rotation and grab this one today
4️⃣- F**k rotation, I’ll listen to these for the whole week
5️⃣- Im selling everything, I will only listen to these haha.
💥GRAB SCORE: 3
⚜️COMPARISONS
142
As I have mentioned in my 142 review, both have different tonalities in a way that, the 142 has a more cleaner mids, more fun in the bass, and has more treble sparkle. The 242 on the other hand, has a more neutral approach in the overall balance. The bass does not have much impact, but the mids are more forward and treble is less peaky. I think the 142 has better value because thery are cheaper, but chooese the 242 if you want a more mature sound.
Aful Performer 8
They have a similar tonality and surprisingly graphs really close as well. The 242 will have a more natural timber and will have a more organic sounding mids. The P8 will sound more neutral but the treble peaks might not be for everyone. Choose the P8 if you want a brighter tonality, and choose the 242 if you want a more balannced sound.
Aful Performer 5+2
Again, the tuning of 242 is very close to Aful's house sound. In this comparison, the 242 and the 5+2 also share a similar configuration. For me, the 5+2 still presents the upper treble livelier to the point that it actually changes cymbal timbre. A lot of people seem to like it and you can choose the 5+2 if you want an airy treble presentation. he bass of the 5+2 also sounds fuller. Choose the 242 if you want more natural sounding treble and a more neutral approach.
Ziigat Horizon
Also sharing the same driver configuration. The Horizon sounds cleaner in the mids and a bit more forward treble presentation. It is like a bright neutral in tone. Choose the 242 if you want a more organic, mid forward presentation. Pick the horizon if you want a cleaner and more clinical sound.
🤔FINAL THOUGHTS
I enjoyed listening and reviewin this set. Even if it did not each an S rank for me, I stilll think this is a very good sounding set. Since one of my criteria is price, cheaper sets usually end up getting better scores.
But it's not to say the 242 sounds bad. In fact, these might be better compared to more expensive sets. If you think you like neutral with a little bit of coloration, the 242 is the closest sound you can get at around $500
Just like Nezha who is mischievous and courageous, the 242 embodies the character of being playful yet nuanced. The 242 will give you that sense of breaking boundaries of preference in pursuit of ultimate sonic performance.
Now that's lit.
==========================
WHERE TO BUY: non affiliate links
⚜️MY LIBRARY:
I grew up listening to 90’s music. Alternative, punk-rock, screamo, rap, Philippine OPM, Anime songs, JPOP, KPOP, metal, reggae and a lot more.
The artists I regularly listen to are:
⭐Rock-Alternative-Metal
Incubus, 311, BMTH, Matchbox 20, The Goo Goo Dolls, Paramore, Polyphia, The Calling,, Babymetal, Metallica, Slipknot, Bon Jovi, Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, Red Hot, Green day,
⭐OPM(Original Pinoy Music):
E-heads, Slapshock, Parokya, Urbanddub, Up Dharma Down, Bamboo, IV of spade, Kamikazee, Rivermaya
⭐POP:
IU, Yoasobi, Yorushika, Milet, Reona, Maroon 5, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Taylor, Dua Lipa, Oliva Rodrigo, Billie Eilish
⭐OTHERS:
Carpenters, Micheal Learns to Rock, Celine Dion, Bob Marley, Sitti, Daft Punk, Pink Floyed, Earth wind and fire, Amber rubarth, Sia, Yosi Horikawa
I listen to more, but I can’t just list them all here.haha. Just giving you an idea on what I listen.
Thanks for reaching here. Hope you enjoyed reading. :)
