Best Cable for Dunu SA6
The Studio SA6 (or just SA6) is a midrange IEM made by the manufacturer Dunu. The SA6 sells for around five-hundred fifty dollars and uses six balanced armature driver that cover different frequencies, as indicated by the name. We reviewed the SA6 and will be providing key insights about the device and competing devices. First, we dive into the best cable for Dunu SA6 before jumping into the review.
What is the Best Cable Dunu S6?
The SA6 ship with a stylish 8 Core, High Purity Furukawa Monocrystalline, Silver-Plated Copper Cable with patented Dunu quick switch modular plug system. The 8 core cable is strong and can withstand abuse. We tested several other cables with nominal difference to the clarity and quality of the audio and recommend you start with the Furukawa 8 core cable to determine if it suits your needs.
Dunu SA6 Review
The packaging of the Dunu SA6 includes:
- Each frequency is identified with the 2BA and with tuning
- Two different tuning switches
- 8 core high-purity Furukawa OCC silver-plated cable
Dunu SA6 Accessories
A decent assortment of accessories are included with the SA6 including a colorful box and pocket-size carrying case. A large selection of silicone ear tips are included with the standard purchase of the Dunu SA6. After trying the various silicone ear tips, we could not ascertain a demonstrable difference between various sizes nor colors.
The stock cable is silver-plated and 8-core braided OCC Furukawa cable that measures 1.2m. The cable uses 2-pin connectors for the headphone end. Meanwhile, the source-end features Dunu’s modular Plug System, which allows you to switch between the included 3.5mm single ended, 4.4mm balanced and 2.5mm balanced terminations.
Balanced Armatures Earphones
After many hours of testing different drivers, our acoustic engineers decided to use the Knowles-Sonion balanced armatures. Each frequency is identified with 2BA. With the tuning, you’ll enjoy powerful bass, natural mids and flexible highs.
SA6 Tuning Switches
We understand that you might want to customize your earphones so you will find two tuning switches included. Standard modes are more balanced in all three frequencies, while Atmospheric Immersion mode is more powerful and immersive. However, we found the custom switch more stable and easier to use.
SA6 Wood Faceplate
Each solid wood faceplate is hand-dipped with color ink. The result is a unique texture and color for each faceplate. Each product is hand-poured with UV Acrylic resin and displays a unique beauty that is rarely matched in similar fabrication.
SA6 Interchangeable Plugs
The multitude of accessories allow you to customize your experience with the Dunu SA6 device. Another accessory is the single-end plug of 3.5mm, one balanced plug of 2.5mm, and a balanced plug of 4.4mm. The patented Dunu technology ensures that it can be used with all devices on the market. You don’t need a converter or worry about compatibility given the breadth of the Dunu technology.
SA6 Comfort & Design
The SA6 offers great comfort and is the IEM I find the most comfortable to wear during long listening sessions. It’s larger than most IEMs and could be uncomfortable for those with smaller ears, like the Blessing 2. The chassis is extremely well-contoured and fits well on the ear. The additional ear tips allow users to modify the fit to provide maximum comfort for extended listening sessions.
The SA6’s build is strong and elegant. We found it akin to the Blessing 2 in that it uses a similar transparent resin shell to allow you visibility into the IEM components. Dunu uses beautiful pieces of solid, stabilized wood for the faceplates as eluded to above. The faceplates are hand-dipped into various colored ink to ensure that no two sets of SA6 headphones look the same.
Dunu SA6 Sound
The SA6 uses six balanced armature drivers for its driver configuration: two Sonion AcuPass Vented dual Woofers for bass frequencies and two Knowles custom midrange driver drivers. A Knowles custom dual tweeter driver is used for the treble frequencies. The combination of all 6 armature drivers allows the Dunu SA6 to stand apart from similar competitors in this competitive space.
SA6 Bass
The SA6 bass shelf is just under 150hz with a low response that we found warm with a pleasing depth. The bass region is well contoured to provide quality bass across various listening modalities. Dunu engineered a Atmospheric Immersion switch on the back of the SA6 to further boost your bass. The lack of dynamic driver reduced the overall bass impact but we found it well textured and balanced.
SA6 Mids
The SA6’s midrange is great, with rich overtones and a supple body. The SA6’s upper midrange is a lot more calm than others we tested by eliminating sharp tones. The pleasing linear tuning sounds more organic than anticipated allowing the instruments and vocals quite natural.
SA6 Highs
The Dunu SA6 treble area is warm with exceptional tuning. A critical listen did reveal overt emphasis around 7k that moderate affected instrument timbre. Guitars and percussions sounded slightly bright and tinny with a little bite. All in all, the treble range was good that easily reached into registers north of 10k.
Dunu SA6 Dynamic Driver
I previously noted that the SA6 lacks a dynamic driver, which means it will not deliver a strong bass punch. Similarly, without a dynamic driver did not appear to adversely affect the lows during a critical listen. The Dunu engineers made this an obvious competitive advantage over similar units. The tacticity in upper registers can be felt across various music sampled.
SA6 Resolution
The SA6 is a great choice for image clarity and detail retrieval, especially considering its price. The SA6 provides a clear and stable image of music across the frequency range. Vocals and instruments are well-structured and vocals remain textured even in busy song sections. In short, the SA6 is a better IEM than all others we tested at this price range and on par with competing Campfire and Sennheiser models at twice the cost.
Dunu SA6 Soundstage
The SA6’s soundstage presentation is very intimate. It can work with a small stage, but it creates an adequately spacious listening environment due to its instrument separation. In addition, the SA6 is able to delineate sound’s directionality and location with a good left-right localization.
We found that the SA6 can distinguish between different layers of instrument and vocal lines by extending them each their unique space. The SA6 keeps up with an IEM while providing adequate spatial orientation without being cluttered.
Dunu Comparisons
Dunu SA6 vs Moondrop Blessing 2
Many people have adopted the Moondrop Blessing2 (1DD+4BA) as their default recommendation for price and value. The Dunu SA6 is aiming to compete for that spot and did well in our tests.
In terms of comfort, build quality, and accessories, the Dunu Studio SA6 outpaces the Moondrop across various points. The craftsmanship of the Dunu IEM makes Blessing2 look inexpensive with a thick, uncomfortable nozzle.
The Moondrop Blessing2 has exceptional sound quality and rich dynamics. The Dunu Studio SA6 has superior bass slam, punch and articulation. The Blessing2 midrange has a clarity-focused sound but suffered from sharp tones and thin lower-mids. The Dunu SA6 offers superior body and tones to vocals with pleasing tones., The Blessing2 has slightly better imaging, but the Studio SA6 is better at instrument separation. All in all, our preference for the investment is the Dunu Studio SA6 over the Moondrop Blessing2
Dunu SA6 vs Moondrop S8
The overall aesthetic of the SA6 offers a compelling wood face versus the clear aesthetic of the S8. The signature of the Dunu SA6 and the Moondrop S8 are quite similar. We found the S8 to have a deeper bass punch more note heft while the SA6 had better treble energy and favorable mids allowing guitars to stand a little taller. Both can be found for similar price-points aligning the value proposition closer than other reviews.
Dunu SA6 vs. Thieaudio Monarch MKII
Much like the Dunu SA6, the Thieaudio Monarch MKII IEM is beautiful and feels premium. After testing out the Monarch, we instantly noticed how much larger they feel versus similar IEMs. We felt the oversized chassis made it challenging to wear for extended periods of time for members of our team. It may not be a dealbreaker but keep the size of the Monarch in mind as you perform further research. The various sizes of silicone and foam ear tips allows for extra comfort when testing the Monarch. In the end, we found the overall sound clarity and comfort of the SA6 superior over the Monarch.
SA6 Conclusion
We believe the Dunu SA6 to be a great IEM for under a grand. Given the fact it is almost half that price, the value to quality quotient is very high despite a few limitations of the device.
FAQ: Dunu SA6 & More
Is Dunu SA6 Good?
The DUNU SA6 is a great choice for comfort. I love how the molded shells fit into my ears, much like an in-ear monitor. They are comfortable and provide excellent noise isolation and overall quality sound characteristics.
Is Dunu SA6 Good for Listening to Music?
The faceplates are made from beautiful pieces of solid, stabilized wood. They are then dipped with ink in varying colors. This results in every pair of SA6 headphones being unique. The SA6 headphones are comfortable and I find it the IEM I can wear for long listening sessions.
Is Dunu SA6 Reliable?
The Dunu SA6 is a balanced IEM and one of the most popular in the sub-$600 price range. It is difficult to find a better IEM in this price range. This is an excellent value for money and highly recommended by people who want a balanced performance with great tuning.
Is Dunu SA6 Comfortable?
The SA6 offers great comfort and is the IEM I find the most comfortable to wear during long listening sessions. It’s smaller than the Moondrop Blessing 2 and could be uncomfortable for those with exceptionally small ears.