Pros:
- Shells have great build quality
- Smooth sounding
- Lively mids
Cons:
- Stiff and sticky stock cable
- Mediocre isolation
- Below average instrument separation
- Top end lacks extension
Introduction:
BGVP is a company from China that produces portable audio gears including in-ear monitors and earbuds. They have released quite a lot of IEMs already with different driver configurations. The DN3, which currently retails for 75 USD, is the third iteration in their DN series of IEMs. The Philippine circle of reviewers received one unit of the DN3 provided by BGVP as a part of their international tour.
Specifications:
Driver units: 1 10 mm dynamic, beryllium coated diaphragm + 1 HEVK balanced armature
Impedance: 19 ohms
Sensitivity: 109 dB
Frequency response range: 10 Hz - 40 kHz
Source:
Poco X3 paired with iBasso DC03 and Shanling UA1
Test tracks:
Africano - Earth Wind and Fire
Dark Necessities - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Gurenge - Lisa
The Chain - Fleetwood Mac
Monsters - All Time Low
Ours - Taylor Swift
Stay - Mayday Parade
Snuff - Slipknot
Yesterday Once More - Carpenters
So Slow - Freestyle
Aurora Sunrise - Franco
Attention - Pentatonix
Blue Bird - Ikimono-gakari
You're Still The One - Shania Twain
Anyone Who Knows What Love Is(Will Understand) - Irma Thomas
Salamin - Slapshock
AOV - Slipknot
Hey Jude - The Beatles
The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson
...and a lot more.
Unboxing and Accessories:
The DN3 comes in a medium sized flat box that is sleeved. Upon removing the sleeve and the lid, you will see the DN3 earphones, 3 pairs of "bass" eartips that has a normal bore size, 3 pairs of "vocal" eartips that has a wider bore, and a single pair of foam tips. Also inside is a smaller box that contains the cable with a velcro strap, a drawstring pouch, and underneath it are the instruction manual, QC pass certificate, and warranty card.
Build:
The shells are made of metal and feels solid and slightly heavier than average. The faceplates have this parallel lines design that is similar to the Hifiman Ananda. On the upper part of the faceplates there is a single vent, and the faceplate on the right side sports the BGVP logo. At the rear side there is another vent near the nozzle. The nozzle of the DN3 is fairly long, it has a lip to hold eartips in place, and equipped with a metal filter.
The cable is a very basic 2 core 5N OCC silver plated. It is lightweight although it is quite stiff, and the rubber insulation feels sticky and it seems that it won't take long before it breaks. The male MMCX connectors are made of metal with color coded side indicators. The splitter, chin slider, and the L-type 3.5mm gold plated plug are all made of hard rubber.
Now let's get to the sound.
Lows:
The lows are placed at just the right spot. Subbass has good depth, but the slam and rumble are not that powerful, with a decay that is tight and quick. Midbass punch is a bit soft and slightly on the thin side. That being said, the lows have enough substance and doesn't feel insufficient at all.
Overall, the lows of the DN3 have a decent impact. It doesn't reach basshead territories but still it provides a pleasing element in each track.
Mids:
The mids sit at the center of the mix. It is forward, but doesn't make you feel that the voices are obtrusive unlike other IEMs with the same presentation. Both male and female vocals have good clarity and have the same moderate amount of thickness, but there is a very slight boost in the upper section.
Overall, the mids are the most dominant section in the sound of the DN3. It has that nice forwardness, and while there is a peak in the upper mids region, it does not become aggressive or shouty.
Highs:
The highs take a small step back here and sound smooth. It is positioned slightly farther than the lows, and has an adequate presence in each track. The reach is slightly below average which results in some tiny details being lost in the mix in some tracks. The decay, on the other hand, has moderate length.
Overall, the DN3's highs are tailored for those who wants to listen for extended periods of time without feeling fatigued, but it could use a tiny bit more push so that every detail in each track can still be appreciated.
Soundstage and Imaging:
The stage of the DN3 has a slightly below average expansion, with the height expanding more than the width. Imaging can sometimes get a bit blurry especially when a number of instruments start playing simultaneously. Layering and instrument separation is slightly below average as well and occasionally feels congested.
Conclusion:
In this price range, there are not much IEMs that excels in the midrange department. Most sound warm, V-shaped, or just balanced, but it's nice to see that BGVP decided to go the other way. All things considered, including some shortcomings in the sound, BGVP ticked a lot of checkboxes for the DN3. The shells are sturdy and well designed and it has a sound signature that is quite rare in this price range. Although I should say that the cable they used is a bit underwhelming and could use some improvements should they do another iteration in their DN series of IEMs.
Tags:
In-Ear Monitors