Oriveti bleqk Dynabird Review – Underachiever

Comparisons –

Oriveti OD100 ($69): TheOD100 offers a bit more coherence at the expense of overall range. The Dynabird sounds more contrasted and a bit more spacious. The bass is noticeably deeper reaching and it has a cleaner tone. The OD100 has less sub-bass pressure but a punchier mid-bass instead. While neither are especially balanced, the Dynabird does have a slight quality advantage. The midrange is more present on the OD100 making it slightly more balanced overall. To my ears, the OD100 is a touch more natural as it has a bit more body and warmth down low and a bit more extension up top.

By comparison, the Dynabird sounds more contrasted with a leaner note body and higher definition. The treble is similar in presence on both earphones. The Dynabird has a bit more crispness in the foreground while the OD100 has slightly more shimmer and air above. The Dynabird has a more focused, detailed lower treble while the OD100 provides a bit more background detail. The Dynabird has a slightly larger stage but neither impresses overly in this regard.

Moondrop Aria 2 ($89): The Aria 2 offers a metal shell and also modular cable with balanced connectivity at a lower price. Sonically, it is more balanced to boot. The Dynabird offers a bigger sub-bass and a cleaner mid-bass. If you really don’t like mid-bass bloom, the Dynabird’s greater sub-bass focus may suit. However, the Aria 2 has better driver quality with higher perceived dynamics and slam despite having less sub-bass. The Aria 2 also has better texturing. Moondrop does a great job at midrange tuning and this hasn’t been diluted on their budget model.

The Aria 2 has a more natural-sounding midrange than the Dynabird. It has better balance and body. The Dynabird is more laid-back so it will suit those sensitive to midrange intensity. However, beyond that, it doesn’t have any tonal or technical advantage over the Aria 2. While both lack strong treble extension, the Aria 2 is more linear to the same 7kHz cut-off. The Aria 2 has greater detail retrieval while the Dynabird is a bit crisper

AFUL MagicOne ($109): TheMagicOne for a slight price premium is a substantially more complete package to me. It is more comfortable and isolating and its sound is much more balanced. The Dynabird makes sense if you enjoy bass performance above all else. It is the bassier earphone and offers more slam at the bottom. The dynamic driver offers a more visceral impact. The MagicOne has respectable extension but is lighter-footed and a bit warmer in its approach. It is faster and more defined.

The midrange is more present on the MagicOne and lacks the odd timbral properties of the Dynabird. This is because it is more open through the upper-midrange. The MagicOne also has considerably better resolution and layering. This trend continues into the treble where the Dynabird offers a bit more lower-treble crunch but the MagicOne overall offers far better extension, dimension and layering making it a noticeably more insightful listen.

Verdict –

The Dynabird carries over a lot of the strengths of the OD100 and provides incremental upgrades in terms of tonality. This comes mostly in the form of its bass tuning which is noticeably cleaner and more powerful without becoming overbearing. In addition, the Dynabird offers a slightly more spacious stage. Treble is just on par with no obvious technical advantage, only a bit more definition in the lower-treble region. With that said, there has been some sacrifice to midrange timbre due to the Dynabird’s thinner, cooler presentation. The larger housings are also not quite so comfortable meaning overall, the Dynabird doesn’t do much to differentiate itself from its cheaper sibling.

It is also now in dangerous territory in terms of pricing, with notably more well-rounded options coming in at just a few dollars more. Overall, I was a little disappointed with the Dynabird especially given my otherwise highly positive long-standing experience with Oriveti as both a paying customer and reviewer. The Dynabird doesn’t inspire quite like their higher-end designs but does fill an interesting niche for those valuing a powerful sub-bassy tuning – which isn’t too common at such a low price. If you enjoy such a sound and an overall V-shaped tonality, the Dynabird delivers an engaging performance alongside strong build quality.

The Dynabird is available from Oriveti (International) for $99.99 USD at the time of writing. I am not affiliated with Oriveti and receive no earnings from purchases made through these links.

Track List – 

Billie Eilish – dont smile at me

Bob Seger – Night Moves

Courtney Barnett – Rae Street

Cream – Wheels of Fire

Dire Straits – Communique

Dirty Loops – Next To You

Eagles – Hotel California

Elton John – Honky Chateau

Fleetwood Mac – Rumours

H.E.R – I Used To Know Her

Jasen – BYE

John Mayer – Continuum

Kanye West – Ye

Missy Higgins – The Sound of White

Radiohead – OK Computer

TALA – ain’t leavin` without you

The Beatles – Abbey Road

The weeknd – After Hours

Vampire Weekend – Father of the Bride