Been hoping for a thread like this. Here is a collection of my early impressions of the Zen Pro.
The Dunu Zen Pro are excellent. Natural, bodied, balanced, impeccably technical & detailed, non-fatiguing, beautiful timbre-- they're probably just on the "technical over emotive" side of the spectrum but not enough for me to feel anything is lacking. Imaging is top tier...staging is not massive but everything is very well placed. Mids are even-keeled & clear, bass is excellent..all in all the balance across the spectrum is wonderful. Very satisfied with this purchase and very happy it comes with one of Dunu's modular cable so I could just throw a 4.4 connector on it.
I’m selling them short actually the Zen Pro are insanely good. As a rule the IEMs I gravitate towards aren't defined by their technical chops and I often wind up explaining myself in terms like "well I prefer timbre over tecnhnicalities anyway". The Zen Pro is remarkable in its ability to provide both bodied, natural DD timbre as well as, not just technicalities that "get the job done" but mind-blowing technicalities. I had no idea a single DD in IEMs could image & stage like this-- it's so deep and vividly and precise. Vocals are un-veiled, sibilance free and naturally seductive-- and the FR is smooth from top to bottom. No fatigue, no peaks or pressure points. I've never heard a single DD this consistently good across the FR. Top all of that off with magnificent single DD coherence and it's and incredible package.
On the whole these are some of the most perfectly balanced, exceedingly technical, bodied, dynamic, clear, detailed & spacious IEMs I've ever heard-- and the timbre is excellent. I never fully understood the appeal of neutral tuning until I heard these-- they are just so fun, engaging & satisfying to listen to and yet effortlessly technical, transparent and precise in their presentation. I often classify IEMs as veering more towards an analytic (technical, detailed, precise) sound vs. a more fun & emotional sound. The Zen Pro strike as perfect a balance between those two qualities as any I have heard-- there is no excess and everything is presented perfectly. In fact it's only as I sit here writing this that it occurs to me that the name "Zen" is perfectly apt for these IEMs. Stage is not massive but fathomlessly deep and so detailed. Imaging is superb. The Zen Pro is technical enough to satisfy those who usually pursue BA driven sets and the timbre is natural, thick and engaging enough for those of us who usually default towards DD sound for this very reason. I was a little worried about bass given what I'd read but through the Shanling M8 the bass is beyond excellent. These could very well top both Isabellae & the Duo as the best overall IEM release of 2021 for me.
Compared to the Isabellae-- one area where Zen Pro does shine above Isa is in the treble-- it has better extension and sparkle up top. Bass is about equal in quality, but tuned differently. It's not really fair to say that Zen Pro has a better tonal balance because I think that the goals were different with each IEM. Isa was never meant to be balanced across the FR-- it's about warmth and intimacy in the mid-range and it pulls this off marvelously. Zen Pro is more about balance and technicalities and it also pulls this off marvelously. I don't think it's really fair to say one is better than the other as they're like two fine but distinct wines. Zen Pro isolates better and is probably a better choice for a versatile all rounder. It doesn't romance me like Isa does however.
Compared to the FD7 Zen Pro has a better tonal balance than the FD7 for me. I know some have described FD7 as "warm and bassy" but for me it was not that at all-- it achieved a tremendous amount of resolution up top but it achieved that by selling the low end short to my ears. Zen Pro does not have this problem-- it is very balanced and while there's certainly not a bass/lower mid emphasis or anything there is certainly nothing lacking there to my ears. The only ding in Zen Pro's armour for me so far is that it appears to be a little source sensitive. The upper mids as has been mentioned straddle the line of being a bit too energetic-- they sound great-- perfect even-- through my M8, quite good through my Macbook Pro but through my AK SR25ii the top end is a bit more aggressive. YMMV and all that.