DUNU is one of the older chifi companies that I know of that managed to survive all the way into the “new world”, refreshing its old “DK” series lineup and further announcing the release of its newest halo product: the Luna.

I still have fond memories of the original DUNU Trident DN-12, one of my first encounters with the chifi hype train that I was also personally a part of. Of course, nearly ten years later I’ve since learnt a lot and changed my ways, but it’s still a nice memory to go back to knowing that at some point I, too, was once a bright-eyed, enthusiastic novice seeing the good in every set of headphones I listened to rather than the pedantic, jaded veteran that I am today.

The original DK-3001 was a DUNU IEM that I held to rather high regard, though it has been… quite a while since I last heard it (so long in fact, that it’s in my old measurements database but not in my new one). The DK-3001 Pro is a total overhaul sound-wise (I think?), though I unfortunately cannot confirm due to the rarity (or more accurately, the obscurity) of the original DK-3001. The DK-3001 Pro is just one step down the product lineup from the DK-4001, a model that used to be DUNU’s flagship until again, the Luna.

With the DK-3001 Pro and DK-4001 sporting the same driver setup and looking almost identical at a distance, it’s only appropriate that I have them reviewed both at the same time. How does the updated cult classic fare against the ex-flagship?