This and That:
Less cool but more convenient carrying case than the other Titan IEMs.
Designed to be easily worn with the cables around the ears (definitely an advantage over the other Titan IEMs). Straight down is possible, too.
Plastic instead of metal shells.
Fortunately no fabric coating on the cable unlike Titan 1. Cable not as supple though (bit springy).
Sound:
I'm using low impedance sources as well as the largest included silicone tips with a red stem.
Tonality:
Just like all other DUNU Titan in-ears, the 1es's Ti-coated dynamic driver is front-vented with the vent sitting in a location where it is likely to be blocked or partially covered depending on one's ear geometry and of course the fit; this has a major influence on bass quantity.
The Titan 1es has got diffuse-field flat lows if the vent is fully open, whereas they increase to ca. 13 dB in the sub-bass if the vent is fully blocked.
In my ears, that vent is blocked, although not fully but just somewhat, resulting in an audibly bassier but not bass-heavy sound.
What I'm hearing in my ears is a lift of around 7 dB in the upper bass and somewhat more below. No roll-off towards the sub-bass. It stays nicely out of the midrange as well.
The central mids are somewhat lifted, causing a somewhat more intimate, mid-forward vocal presentation. They're slightly tinny and hollow sounding though (due to a lift in the middle highs), but otherwise relatively free from colouration. The area around 2/3 kHz (upper mids/presence range) is somewhat less present in comparison, however ultimately not recessed but at neutral quantity.
Between 5 and 7 kHz, one can hear a distinct peak. Above that, the level is in the background in the upper highs and super treble.
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As a result, the timbre and tonal balance seem clearly off; the 1es just doesn't sound right but weird and exhausting as well as unnatural and metallic. The forward midrange together with that peak in the central treble just sound ugly and off, also leading to exhaustion and listening fatigue.
The regular Titan 1 sounds generally brighter and has got elevated middle highs as well, however its distribution of that brightness is much better and it isn't as forward around 5 to 7 kHz as the Titan 1es, wherefore the Titan 1 has got the clearly superior general and midrange timbre and sound better in the highs, although arguably also too bright and somewhat sharp (whereas the 1es just sounds generally off).
Therefore I see the Titan 1es as a totally unnecessary product, especially since the FiiO EX1 exists which is said to be similar to the Titan 1 but costs less, and only a bit more than the weird Titan 1es.
Resolution:
The titanium-coated driver inside fails to disappoint and performs really well, just like the other Titan series in-ears. The general technical performance also makes me think that the driver that is used in the 1es is the same one that is also used in the other Titan series in-ears.
The sound and bass feels nimble, quick as well as controlled lacks any slowness or muddiness.
The bass is fast, clean and detailed. There is no slowness and the decay as well as attack are quick and controlled. The bass is definitely among that of the better/best single dynamic driver in-ears.
The details in the mids are good but just like on the Titan 1, I find them to lack the last edge of refinement to be perfectly detailed compared to the lows and highs.
The treble features clean note separation and details.
So yeah, good technical performance with screwed up timbre.
Soundstage:
The Titan 1es doesn't a soundstage that is as immersive and open sounding as that of the Titan 1 but the presented room is nonetheless not small either and ultimately still quite open and large, making it larger than average and somewhat exceed the space inside of my head and between my ears.In terms of openness, I even see it somewhat above the Titan 3 and Titan 5 that don’t have a small but rather averagely sized soundstage.
Instrument separation and placement are precise and clean.
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In Comparison with other single Dynamic Driver In-Ears with Ti-coated Drievrs:
DUNU Titan 1:
Bass quantity of both in-ears is about comparable with the Titan 1 being a bit fuller in the midbass, but on both in-ears, that depends on how much the vents are blocked.
While the mids of the Titan 1es are a bit forward, those of the Titan 1 appear a bit distant. In terms of midrange timbre though, the Titan 1 is audibly ahead and sounds realistic whereas the Titan 1es is somewhat off.
The Titan 1 is generally brighter sounding in the treble but more even and lacks that distinct 5 to 7 kHz peak of the Titan 1es.
When it comes to technical qualities, I don’t really see a clear winner and would say that both are pretty much identical. Both have got an identically precise and quick bass along with a cleanly separated treble and the only area where the Titan 1 is slightly ahead is the midrange that sounds a little more refined in direct comparison.
Regarding soundstage, the Titan 1es’s isn’t even that much smaller but it is of course ultimately smaller while separation and placement are similar.
Fidue A65:
In terms of tonality, the Fidue has got somewhat less overall bass quantity and less sub-bass extension but sounds a bit warmer and darker overall. But like DUNU's Titan series in-ears, its bass quantity can skyrocket if the front cavity vent is completely blocked, which can happen depending on individual ear geometry.
In the mids, the DUNU is audibly more present although the Fidue’s vocal range isn’t recessed by any means either. Midrange timbre is superior on the slightly dark sounding Fidue.
The A65 sounds (so much) more even, natural and realistic in the treble.
On the technical side of things, both are almost on par: the A65 has got an identically good bass quality for a dynamic driver in-ear with identical attack speed and control but a slightly less quick decay that adds the impression of a bit more body to the sound without making it appear soft.
In the mids, I see the Fidue as being a little more refined, just as I did when I compared it to the original DUNU Titan 1. In the upper treble, the Titan 1es decays pretty much correctly to my ears whereas the Fidue decays slightly too quickly.
In terms of soundstage, the presentation of both in-ears is quite different: the DUNU’s is large and open whereas the Fidue’s is quite small and intimate. It doesn’t sound any congested at all though, but is rather impressively precisely separated and clean for a dynamic driver and places instruments very accurately on the imaginary stage, making it sound just as precise as the DUNU’s stage that has however got more air between instruments because of its larger size while none of the in-ears’ soundstages sounds any blurry or foggy.
Conclusion:
Great technical performance; weird and exhausting timbre.