Hephaestus, son of Zeus and Hera, is the God of fire, blacksmiths, artisans, and much more. He is also the god of Volcanoes, creating a spewing flare within Italy. He holds with him the power of his hammer, anvil, tongs, and when needed, his powerful axe. DUNU, a Chinese headphone company focuses on creating affordable high-end headphones, each one relating to a Greek God or Goddess. It would only make sense that they would make one after the great Hephaestus. The DUNU DN-16, or Hephaes, offers listeners a creatively crafted design, warm inviting powerful sound, strong build, great comfort, and a huge bang for the buck.
Specifications
- Driver: Dynamic 9mm Driver
- Frequency Response: 10Hz – 20kHz
- Sensitivity: 105 +/- 2 dB
- Impedance: 16 ohms
In the Box
- DUNU DN-16 Headphones
- 10 Sets of Eartips
- Pair of Ear hooks
- Carrying Case
- Carrying Pouch
Design
Design: ★★★★★
Audio
The Hephaes have a really powerful, warm signature associated with them. The overall signature on these is a slight V-Shape with a much bigger emphasis on the bass. This doesn’t mean the mids are lost though.
Lows
The lows on these headphones are the main story with the Hephaes. They are powerful and warmer, just like Hephaestus. The lows are powerful and do dig pretty deep, but they tend to the more warm and sweet side of things. The bass is extremely smooth and really well rounded. The bass texture is really nicely done by DUNU and it gives plenty of impact, why wouldn’t we expect from Hephaestus anyways? The bass can become a little too much at times, but this is a rare occurrence though. The lows are really presented well on the Hephaes; relaxed and smooth.
Lows: ★★★★½
Mids
The mids on these headphones are balanced, but sound well recessed in comparison to the lows. The details are still there, but they can definitely use a pinch more clarity because I found myself searching for the details at times. Like the bass, the mids tend to go towards the warmer, smoother sides of things; just like Hephaestus. The Hephaes gives the vocals more of a darker feeling to them, which isn’t a bad thing, but it’s not a good thing either. The mids are full and lush, and are invitingly warm.
Mids: ★★★★
Highs
Leaning towards the crispy sides of things, the highs are a little forward in comparison to the mids. They still aren’t as loud as the lows though. In a way I felt that the highs decayed a little too quickly for my tastes and lack both details and clarity. I always felt like there was something missing in the treble, I just couldn’t put my finger on it. In some genres like pop and trance, they would be perfect; in others, they would just be bland and boring. Depending on what genres were handed to them, the Hephaes either did really great or just average.
Highs: ★★★½
Noise Isolation
The noise isolation is really great on these. They have a rated 26dB isolation, which is really good. These isolate well and can be sufficient in crowded areas like a train or bus. This way, you can dance to your music and not hear the people making remarks about you doing it.
Noise Isolation: ★★★★½
Microphonics
The microphonics aren’t that bad on these. They are audible when music is playing and can intrude. There is no clip included which would have been helpful to tame the microphonics. Wearing them over the ear really works wonders, and puts them at a livable level when you can only hear them when there is no music playing.
Microphonics: ★★★★
The Hephaes really take on a sound that would describe Hephaestus really well: warm, powerful, and articulate. The inviting warm presentation on these headphones really works well to create an enjoyable listening experience.
Audio: ★★★★½
Build
Now, when a pair of headphones is named after a Greek God, the pair of headphones better be durable and built with quality materials. The Hephaes definitely fit this description though. As stated before, the individual earpieces are composed of strong, top-notch metals. What else would you expect from the God of the blacksmiths? The housings are extremely durable and can probably survive a blast.
The only thing on these headphones that scares me the tiniest bit are the small strain reliefs. These strain reliefs don’t look to be that strong, or able to protect the cable as well. However, the rest of the build really makes me want to give DUNU the benefit of the doubt here.
The cables are not thick, but they are also not too thin either. They are at a really nice medium that allows the cable to be flexible as well as strong. I have yet to tangle the cable at all due to the built in cable winder that is conveniently placed right on the cable. It is extremely easy to use, and doesn’t ever get in the way. A really nice tool to add in; I wish ever pair of headphones had one of these.
The headphone jack is also very strong and durable. It sits at a nice 45 degree angle and like the cables is not only strong, but flexible as well. To complete the whole thing, the headphone jack is also gold plated which resists corrosion well.
The Hephaes come with not only one carrying case, but also a carrying pouch as well. These are very strong and thick like the headphones themselves. They look anything but cheap. When dealing with Gods, there is no cheap allowed.
The Hephaes come bundled with one carrying case and one carrying pouch.
Build: ★★★★½
Comfort
DUNU does whatever they can to make sure that these headphones are comfortable. Besides the 10 sets of ear tips they provide, they also have ear hooks that allow you to use the headphones when active. These are not the best to insert, and they are heavy, which is a bad thing. However, they aren’t so bad that they fell out of my small ears constantly. DUNU actually did a swell job ensuring that these headphones were comfortable to wear.
Comfort: ★★★★½
Value
OK, so let’s size these headphones up price wise to its competition. The Hephaes come at a pricy 93 dollars. Although this may seem expensive, they actually do match the pricing. The headphones offer a very unique signature that is supposed to be compared to headphones that cost much more. The signature of the DN-16s was actually modeled after the Sennheiser IE7. This signature may not be for everyone though. If the sound doesn’t get you through the door, then the design should. The flame design looks really flashy and beautiful. It is an art form in itself. The build quality of the Hephaes is top notch with the exception of the strain relief. Besides all that, the headphones are coupled with countless accessories.
Value: ★★★★½
Final Thoughts
When a company names a product after a Greek God, I always have to ask the question, does the product have the quality, looks, and build to have the honor of bestowing the name? In this case, it’s nothing short of a yes. The DUNU Hephaes are not only good enough to have the name; they basically are Hephaestus in headphone form. The warm, powerful signature, the flame design (no pun intended), and the strong build quality really all add together to form a mini Hephaestus; a Hephaes.
I’d like to Thank Rocky for the review sample so I can do the review.
Overall Score
Dunu DN-16 Hephaes
† All prices are in US currency.
This review was written by the iFans.com Review Team. Cumulative scores are rounded to the nearest half or full star.
This accessory, product, or app was received as a sample. Thanks Rocky for the product sample.