Shun/ShoonTH is fairly new to the earbud scene and this is their first attempt at the crowded budget ≤$10USD price range. Let’s find out how it fares against other buds.
P.S. I was sent a demo unit from them. As always, take everything I say with a bucket of salt.
Build:
Comes with clear Sennheiser MX760/ Beyerdynamic DP100 shells! Not your typical MX500 type! It's a brave new world! Seriously, earbud manufacturers should experiment with other shell types in the budget range. Other than the Qians, there’s the one that has PK shells on the EMX500 AliExpress page (confusing, I know). YOU GUYS, THERE ARE OTHER TYPES OF SHELLS! And I know a lot of people who prefer smaller shells *wink wink*.
They also come with white cables. Simple, nice and sturdy. Reminds me of those Apple EarPods and those that come with Monks and Hi-z buds for their simplicity and durability. COMES WITH A CHIN SLIDER! Y3S!
Packaging is subpar with a plastic ziplock and my unit comes with no foams. But that’s ok. Hey it’s $10. And I feel like the sound will be too muffled with even some donut foams. Oh, I’m getting ahead of myself.
Sound:
As stated above, I prefer em without foams. Even though I have elephant ears, the foamless mx760/dp100 shells somehow have nice fit on me conchas. The unit has been burned-in for more than the recommended 50 hours.
Chain:
PC > Chord Mojo > Schiit Magni 2 playing songs from Spotify. Oh no, lossy.Playlist:
Link: https://open.spotify.com/user/12145528379/playlist/0idNpezdgSSnUWMcexc8p9?si=bwu-ObZaQ_yG3I8cimWTCg
James Blake - Limit To Your Love
Ohio Players - Sweet Sticky Thing
Hanna - Stranger
Blondie - Heart of Glass - Remix
Belle Epoque - Miss Broadway
M & O - House
The Seshen - Oblivion
Sonic Youth - Teen Age Riot
Golden Rules - Never Die (feat. Yasiin Bey)
PREP - Cheapest Flight
Bass:
Bass is enough. There’s depth to keep things thumping but not a lot of quantity to satisfy bassheads. There’s thickness on the mid-upper-bass that makes the whole signature sound warm. Fast attack and clean texture.
Mids:
The upper bass hump carries on to the lower mids to give vocals some bodayyy. T H I C C. The thiccness makes it a bit unforgiving to poorly-recorded songs just like Belle Epoque’s Miss Broadway listed above.
Treble:
Early treble roll-off which gives the sound a non-fatiguing , some would say veiled nature and makes the soundstage a bit intimate. Cymbals and other percussives are a bit recessed.
Comparisons:
VE Monk+ w/o foams:
Also not for bassheads. The extra hump on the midbass makes songs like Ohio Players’ Sweet Sticky Thing more enjoyable with the Shunbuds. Mids on the monks are a bit more recessed on the Monks. Brighter trebs on the Monks make it more fatiguing to listen to when coming from the Shunbuds.
TY Hi-Z HP-32 w/ thick foams:
More quantity and extension on the bass with the Hi-z’s. Mids are more recessed on the Hi-z’s. Cymbals take a backseat with the Shunbuds. The clap thing on The Seshen’s Oblivion is a bit glaring with Hi-z’s heightened treble.
Vido w/ thin VE Monk foams:
More quantity and extension on Vido’s bass. Vido's upper bass emphasis makes it sound a bit warmer and slower. Vido’s mids are clearer in comparison. Details and bells and whistles are more upfront.
EMX500 w/ green cables & full foams:
More quantity and extension than the Shunbuds. Mids are about as warm. As with Vido’s case, mids are clearer and the more balanced tuning of EMX500 makes the overall sound presented in a more coherent way.
Conclusion:
Everything about Shun/ShoonTH’s attempt to infiltrate the very crowded ≤$10USD price range is looking good. It’s a departure from convention; from its shells to the kind of sound it wants to present i.e. warm and non-fatiguing.
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