Thanks for the detailed review.
Your comment on the soundstage issues of the Dusk in analogue mode are interesting. I have a B2D and always found the soundstage to be quite messy. A bit of playing around on Squiglink and with the resulting EQ that brings the B2D’s frequency response largely in line with that of the Dusk:Default the soundstage is much improved. There’s now quite defined instrument placement and symphonies are a much easier listen. The flipside is that some of the “detail” is lost, but it’s worth the trade off.
So I’ll hold off on a new purchase and enjoy the new life that the B2D has got.
Frequency response preferences are gonna vary greatly in the treble between listeners, so it makes sense that our subjective unpacking of things like “soundstage” would also vary greatly considering how reliant it is on treble response. Thanks for reading!
Hmm, I have much to ponder. I preordered the Dusk intending to listen with the DSP cable using the default preset, but if the digital artifacting is that audible, I’ll probably be too distracted to fully enjoy the earphone.
Thester you could’ve pinged me in a gazillion places, not sure why you did it here
Here ya go, tho!
Preamp: -3.4 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 21 Hz Gain 2.6 dB Q 0.300
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 21 Hz Gain 0.8 dB Q 2.800
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 410 Hz Gain 1.8 dB Q 0.800
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 1300 Hz Gain -1.2 dB Q 1.700
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 5700 Hz Gain -3.3 dB Q 5.000
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 7600 Hz Gain -2.0 dB Q 4.900
The dsp cable being bad actually unironically might be a good thing for the community. Hopefully people will realize they can just make the EQ adjustments the dsp does themselves on their phone or pc in mere minutes for a better listening experience. People will get to learn the wonders of PEQ. Crinacle has given us all the eq presets, so its really just downloading software then plug and play.
If only the Moondrop app wasn’t broken (based on everything I’ve read and watched). I don’t mind manually using Peace to input the presets, but that doesn’t help when I’m using my iPhone, which is what I’ll be using 90% of the time.
I must thank and congratulate Mr.(?) system for one of the best reviews I’ve ever read. It was highly informative and presented in what I felt was impartial based on his (her) stated preferences and biases.
I’ve been a “high-end” audio person for a couple of decades and have only recently gotten turned on to headphones after being urged to try them by friends, so I acquired a set of Hifiman HE1000SE planer magnetics. Now I’m getting excited about IEM’s, and the Dusk sounds like a potential choice. After reading this review I had no idea that IEM’s can use a DSP cable. Where can I learn more about DSP cable? Are their 3rd party versions of DSP cables that would be interchangeable or compatable with the Dusk?
I listen to my headphones connected to a Spark headphone amp, which in turn is connected to a dCS dac and dCS Network Bridge with music sourced from Audirvana, which doesn’t allow for DSP to be inserted into the music stream when using the Network Bridge. But would a DSP cable that pre-tunes the IEM work? So, does anyone know if there would be alternatives to the FreeDSP?
Also, are there any first-hand opinions on a comparison of the sound quality of an IEM to an over-the-ear phone leaving out the advantages of convenience or cost?
EQing Variations to DUSK DSP Default preset? Sure.
Preamp: -3.5 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 20 Hz Gain 2.4 dB Q 1.100
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 300 Hz Gain 3.6 dB Q 0.600
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 2400 Hz Gain -2 dB Q 0.600
As far as competitors who make similar products, afaik its mostly just Moondrop and Tanchjim, and both have similar software issues, if the community consensus is anything to go by. For that reason, I’d hold off on buying any of these even though (afaik) they would work out of yr current Audirvana/DCS system.
I would try to find a way to work the Qudelix 5k into the setup, as its the only external EQ device I’ve found to have amazing software and continuous software support. Hope this helps!
I would be very interested in how the Dusk Default tuning compares to the Mega5EST. The Mega5EST seem to graph very similarly. They are a bit more expensive, but might be an option for people who don’t want to deal with the DSP cable.
Thank you for these settings! Significantly better (and much simpler) than what I came up with. With it the B2D sound very natural and smooth to me. If it weren’t for the comfort issues (the fat nozzles) this could be it for me IEM-wise. As is, I’m really tempted by the Mega5-EST, but will hold that impulse back a couple of months and see how it shakes out.
I hope the idea of using DSP cable with supporting software to program an IEM or any type of phone for that matter continues to grow. I would think that DSP software transferred to a phone using a micro sd card or micro USB port is also feasable. Maybe it’s already being done?
Glad to hear it worked out for ya! I do really like Blessing 2: Dusk’s upper treble and that’s usually the hard part to get right, so it was a pretty easy EQ to do.
Mega5EST rules, but if you’re already happy with EQ its not necessary to upgrade. I did find it more comfy than any of the Blessing lineup (incl. B3 and DUSK) but that’s a very personal thing.
I think we’re on the right path. It’s eminently clear there’s interest in this kind of product, its just the brands haven’t nailed the implementation. Fingers crossed for Qudelix to get into the cable game, as they already have the software chops. Would love a Qudelix 2-pin cable with DAC inside to house the chosen EQ.
It is funny to see the audiophile space catch up to where consumer audio (Apple, Samsung) and pro audio (Kali, Genelec, RME) have been for years now in using DSP to make better-sounding products. This is why I don’t get the “Dusk 2 is using DSP as a crutch!!” line of pushback Dusk 2 has received.
That being said, the software experience becomes just as crucial to the product as comfort, and sound quality when DSP is added. For example, my JDS Labs Element III has 2-band PEQ as effectively a very fancy bass + treble tone control. I never use this feature since it’s a pain to menu dive to adjust the tone controls every time I plug in a different headphone, and it only works with the USB input. The app not being available period on iOS, and the bug you identified are dealbreakers for me with Dusk 2.
My warm take is that less is more when it comes to exposing DSP to end-users. A well-implemented bass and treble tone control would be more useful than parametric EQ (PEQ) for normal people, e.g. what if you liked the default Dusk preset but only wanted more treble to compensate for your hearing loss and didn’t know how to accomplish this with PEQ? It’s a lot easier to screw things up than make things better if you don’t know what you’re doing with EQ.
Thank you very much for the effort, but i was hoping you (since you have heard both) could give a subjective comparison. I’ve compared them on squig, but i’m not a reviewer who has heard hundreds of IEMs, so all i got from that was “pretty similar”. I’ve got very wrong impressions from graphs in the past, so i’m trying to not pay too much attention to them (i’d actually argue that graphs are incredibly misleading for normal people, but that’s a topic for a different thread).
EQ is cool and all, but it’s also very impractical. Putting it in a cable is definitely an improvement, but as far is i know you can’t connect USB-C headphones to a Playstation or Nintendo Switch.
Ah, gotcha. I tend not to give many “subjective” impressions online unless explicitly asked because I think it’s actually more confusing than measurements (and I think most of the subjective stuff is contained in FR anyway)
That being said, in terms of how they subjectively impress upon me (DUSK DSP Default vs Mega5EST) I’d say they’re pretty similar. Mega5EST’s bass was a little more impactful, but also not quite as well-integrated with the mids in a “timbre cohesion” sense, which is kinda visible in the tuning.
I marginally preferred DUSK’s approach to stage as it was a little less close to my face & more natural (perhaps visible in the slight elevation around 3-5kHz on Mega5).
Mega5EST was marginally more “detailed,” but I think that’s just because it had a bit more treble in the 8-12kHz region.
Thanks, that is indeed very helpful! Sounds like they are close enough that i wouldn’t be missing much going with either, so i will probably decide based on connector
@listener you are making this harder than I thought . Based on your glowing Mega5est review i was about to cancel my Dusk 2 order and get the Mega5est instead. i used a Free DSP cable with my B2D and never had a problem so maybe i’d be better off with the Dusk 2 and the extra $200 in my pocket. I figured even with the default DSP the mega5 would be far superior, but sounds like they are about even. Assuming im ok with the Free DSP cable, I’m guessing you’d say go with dusk 2?
Honestly, if you’re happy with the Blessing 2 Dusk + DSP cable, I’d say don’t even bother with any of these and save yourself even more money.
I still prefer an equalized IEM to any of these, and I’m not confident there’d be a benefit to buying DUSK 2 + DSP when you can just equalize the Blessing 2: Dusk to a similar response.
Thanks so much for the response! I was just using it without DSP because i use the mic and usbc on my phone, and already sold the B2D.
I ended up canceling the dusk and getting the MEGA5EST. I’d like to just be able to use them on different devices with a 3.5. also I much prefer the design and what you said about comfort and accessories really factored in too. finally, i like that they went to the effort to get an amazing tuning via analog and your write-ups had a big impact on me. They did it the “right” way and I appreciate that.
anyway thanks again! really appreciate your excellent write ups and response to my question.
out of curiosity if you did tweak and EQ the MEGA5EST, what would you do? I still have the Free DSP cable (and peace on my PC) although I assume MEGA5EST + FREE DSP is your nightmare
No problem! As far as what I’d address on Mega5EST, not sure the ideal would be using FreeDSP because my ideal preset would include a boost around 425Hz and ~2500Hz.
Otherwise I’d reshape the eargain a bit, and sweep the treble manually and kill any excess energy between 10-15kHz and call it a day.
I compared B2 Dusk to Dusk DSP today with the EQ values you gave above here and for me there’s still something worthwhile between them though not worth a large expense. I’m selling my B2D so that the new Dusk will end up being about $100 more and I feel that’s a worthwhile cost for the difference for me. The bass and treble have some aspects I prefer and believe could ABX.
Preamp: -1.3 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 20 Hz Gain 1.3 dB Q 0.600
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 330 Hz Gain -1.0 dB Q 2.000
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 490 Hz Gain 0.6 dB Q 3.000
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 2200 Hz Gain 1.0 dB Q 2.800
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 3100 Hz Gain -4.0 dB Q 0.300
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 3200 Hz Gain -1.2 dB Q 4.400
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 6000 Hz Gain -1.5 dB Q 5.000
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 14000 Hz Gain -4.0 dB Q 1.300
Didn’t bother with the stuff above 6kHz too much, as that’ll likely change dramatically based on the listener. Hope that works out for yr friend, though!
Been testing out the Dusk DSP cable and it seems like the audio glitch might be sample rate-dependent; I was able to hear the same artifact on the drumstick clicks with the default 16-bit 44.1kHz sample rate, but manually increasing the sample rate to 32-bit 384kHz causes it to disappear.
Hey sorry to tack on here but I’m having an issue and I’ve googled it for an hour. Today, Moondrop released an iOS app, so I quickly downloaded it to my phone and iPad. Tried using it with my Mays and now the DSP cable is not even recognized as a USB device and I’ve walked around at work plugging it into anything with a USB-C port and it is completely dead. This happened the day I got the Mays, but it started working again the next day. I have their APK installed on my Android DAP, and it generally works on that device (but ONLY if I’m hot spotting to my phone’s data connection, it won’t work at my company wifi) and now that can’t see them either. I REALLY like these IEM’s but the combination of the absolute garbage software and the incredibly spotty performance of their cable, I’m pretty turned off from Moondrop forever. It’s clear they don’t give a sh*t about their products once they’ve been sold.
I tried the new iOS app with the DSP cable, and the cable still alive. The app does not detect the cable (AKA I cannot modify the EQ values), but the iPhone does detect the cable as a headphone.
Not sure what caused your cable to die, but I cannot reproduce your issue on an iPhone 15 Pro Max.
I agree with you regarding Moondrop and their after-sales service. My Dusk has developed cracks in the 2pin connector within 2 months of use and Moondrop did not care as long as the IEMs still functions as normal…
Wha both of you guys have experienced is what should normally be fully covered by the manufacturer warranty. I recommend continuing to push back on Moondrop, insisting on a replacement or refund.
ACHTUNG! ALLES TURISTEN UND NON TEKNISCHEN LOOKENSPEEPERS! DAS KOMPUTERMASCHINE IST NICHT FÜR DER GEFINGERPOKEN UND MITTENGRABEN! ODERWISE IST EASY TO SCHNAPPEN DER SPRINGENWERK, BLOWENFUSEN UND POPPENCORKEN MIT SPITZENSPARKEN. IST NICHT FÜR GEWERKEN BEI DUMMKOPFEN. DER RUBBERNECKEN SIGHTSEEREN KEEPEN DAS COTTONPICKEN HÄNDER IN DAS POCKETS MUSS. ZO RELAXEN UND WATSCHEN DER BLINKENLICHTEN.
Actually, I like the analog cable performance better. With a quality DAC-amp, there’s more dynamic drive, better detail retrieval, and more natural and organic timbres. With the DSP cable, the timbres sound a little bleached, there’s less detail, and PRaT suffers.
The review above does not say what DAC-amp was used when evaluating the analog performance. I tried it with the iBasso DC4 Pro, Earmen Sparrow, Earmen Tr-amp, iBasso DC-Elite, and the iBasso D16/PB5 combo. The Dusk scales very well and with the latter two in particular, the improvements above were not subtle. With the over-the-top D16/PB5 combo, it was massive. So, if you have a quality DAC-amp, buy with confidence. Per Crinacle, this IEM even without the DSP cable is a step forward from the Blessing 2: Dusk
I actually love my Dusk. I listen mostly on a Shanling UP5, through a balanced Hart Audio cable. I also use my Schiit stack (Jotunheim2, Modius) when I’m at my desk. It’s a well-rounded experience. I can listen for hours without fatigue. I actually find it a more rewarding experience than my DCA Noire, especially when using the Shanling ET3 CD transport, where the DCAs can get a little hot in the top end.
I do like the DSP cable for when I’m out walking the dogs, or for simplicity when I’m at work.
That said, my cat has chewed through my Dusk DSP cable. I get that it’s basically just a rebranded FreeDSP, with Dusk presets loaded, but I don’t know if I can get the Dusk presets if I just get a replacement DSP cable.
I’m also interested in possible alternatives. It seems the market is mostly usb-c to 3mm adapters, which aren’t what I’m looking for.
