LETSHUOER S12 Planar IEM
- Added by Infoseeker
- Create date
Purchased by my own money. Bought directly from LetShuoer's website LetShuoer.net. So no conflict of interest.
While I said no conflict of interest, I am a fan of their previous work of the EJ07. So I am a fan of the brand. I pre-ordered this iem quickly when it went up.
Bass:
Bass is both high shelved but lacks a sense of a wet rounded bass hit. I feel planar drivers, like BAs, will always be sensitive to some level of seal leak and need some kind of extra bass in compensation for it.
The bass rounded note hit tactility is quite polite. Might need to use foam tips for an extra seal.
EDIT: Using reverb-inducing ultra-thin silicone tips help make this iem's bass hit better and more tactile....Spinfit tips, specifically cp1025 models. Oh wait, I'm silly, the supplied soft black tips with the collapsible core achieve this too, but the soft black tips push the sizzle of the iem, into the sibilance region, so still a new problem.
Also I noticed bass behavior seems reflective of the source & filters. My warmer Qudelix gives a nicer bass, my ibasso dap when I use the filter behind Nuetron-player's DoP dsd128 mode also makes the bass much better on the Shuoer S12.
Moving on. Bass snap for Tom drums exhibit nice detail, that whipping sound tied with what I am guessing is in the 6kHz region for snap.
Mids:
Vocals are effortless and not forward sounding (nor lost in the mix). Really good positioning. Very organic/"right" feeling if that makes any sense.
The vocals are not the sweetest I heard. Among the cheaper iems, the Moondrop Aria still has better vocals (if only for the sake of just listening to sweet vocals).
The S12 vocals are specifically nice for their positioning in the stage.
Instruments initial attacks have good dynamic presence & are not getting masked. But like the bass before, there is a limit to how tactile things feel (including for the harmonics and overtones).
Nothing in the presentation feels overly forward feeling. Nor do things feel compressed like with iems with little contrast in their tonality's upper-mids region.
Treble:
Sizzle. Might need a peak removed for my ears, either that 8kHz peak or more likely the 15kHz one for the sizzle.
Coming back to my repeating about tactile feeling and metallic sense. The IEM's tonality probably has less gain in the 3kHz-6kHz lower treble regions. This iem doesn't have a lot of those metallic details.
Discussion:
As for the positives. There is something interesting of how it stereo pans left & right. It has a good gimmick of how it pans things into existence into the stage field. Similar gimmick to Final Audio stuff. Exceptional dynamics in that sense.
I mentioned about the bass, not tactile feeling somehow. And this iem might need more lower treble/upper mids before the 6kHz. I guess I am too used to V signatures iems lately?
This iem does not lack presence in those regions, just I feel that I would personally want more for myself. Where is becomes problem about those regions are how they contrast too much with what comes after; letting the last octave treble sizzle stand out.
Funny take, I late tried this iem with my Qudelix 5k Bluetooth transceiver. And streaming off YouTube. The Qudelix being a warm & dark-ish source & YouTube 15kHz cut-off makes the iem sizzle-less. Haha
Sounds great like this. (Earlier I was using my Ibasso DX300MAX SS dap.) Even the bass is better rounded, not sure if that is the Qudelix 5k is extra warm? Or when this Planar driver doesn't have to playback an airy sizzle then it behaves better powered in the bass?
Disclaimer: The extra tactile feeling in the presence region that I want, might be cursed for other people, and the S12 as is, could be defined as the more normal approach. So I am not saying this as a critique but lets put it as a subjective take.
My EQ addresses my subjective concerns.
Especially the piercing-sizzle late treble.
Pregain set at -6db.
The bass shelf doesn't actually reach +12 in the presentable range, but if you are worried, then set the pregain at -12db and move the frequency of the low-shelf up until 60Hz if you want more bass.
Other than the extra sizzle, do take notice that last octave sizzle I mentioned in the cons (more a concern for younger people?). That nocks a little of the grade for me.
And my subjective preferences critiques nocks it down again, but it may not be relevant for other people's takes. You can ignore if it is what you like.
Put Spinfits truly wireless tips (cp1025) for a different tip on the S12.
This seems to have worked out better. No idea if the TWS cp1025 are as upper-mids/lower-treble transparent as the other models.
More importantly:
Thin silicone tips like Spinfits CP1025, tips that do the bass reverb thing (Unlike foam tips), seem to give back a small step of bass tactility to the S12. Also a warm source.
Miscellaneous:
When taken out of the shipping parcel, it was wrapped in this cool branded bubble wrap!
Box pictures & unboxing steps:
Unboxed 1st view:
Fully disassembled:
Cable has a thick plastic sheathing that reminds me of the old Hibiscus iem cable. Other than the thick plastic sticky feeling, it behaves really well coiling.
2-pin cable. Red for Right. There is no extra dot to help with insertion orientation, but there is the ear-guiding ear hook wrapping that will give you the orientation via the only way to put them/wear them.
Supplied tips are nice and give a fit & seal. Especially the clear ones with the solid core.
Other two is some good dekoni style foam tips.
And a soft black silicone tip.
The black ones have a more softer core you can collapse easily squeezing. Not sure what their specialty is for. It's all one piece the core & the outside.
The iem:
The tuning air ports: One by the 2-pin connectors. You can see the careful holed-filter with control of how much air may pass the port.
Also note the notched nozzle lip for eartips to grab onto.
Another that faces inwards by the nozzle, that sits against your concha when donned. Will this get blocked?
The nozzle: With a filter plate:
How the iem looks worn:
Packaged with its cable color scheme, it's quite fashionable if you ask me.
While I said no conflict of interest, I am a fan of their previous work of the EJ07. So I am a fan of the brand. I pre-ordered this iem quickly when it went up.
Bass:
Bass is both high shelved but lacks a sense of a wet rounded bass hit. I feel planar drivers, like BAs, will always be sensitive to some level of seal leak and need some kind of extra bass in compensation for it.
The bass rounded note hit tactility is quite polite. Might need to use foam tips for an extra seal.
EDIT: Using reverb-inducing ultra-thin silicone tips help make this iem's bass hit better and more tactile....Spinfit tips, specifically cp1025 models. Oh wait, I'm silly, the supplied soft black tips with the collapsible core achieve this too, but the soft black tips push the sizzle of the iem, into the sibilance region, so still a new problem.
Also I noticed bass behavior seems reflective of the source & filters. My warmer Qudelix gives a nicer bass, my ibasso dap when I use the filter behind Nuetron-player's DoP dsd128 mode also makes the bass much better on the Shuoer S12.
Moving on. Bass snap for Tom drums exhibit nice detail, that whipping sound tied with what I am guessing is in the 6kHz region for snap.
Mids:
Vocals are effortless and not forward sounding (nor lost in the mix). Really good positioning. Very organic/"right" feeling if that makes any sense.
The vocals are not the sweetest I heard. Among the cheaper iems, the Moondrop Aria still has better vocals (if only for the sake of just listening to sweet vocals).
The S12 vocals are specifically nice for their positioning in the stage.
Instruments initial attacks have good dynamic presence & are not getting masked. But like the bass before, there is a limit to how tactile things feel (including for the harmonics and overtones).
Nothing in the presentation feels overly forward feeling. Nor do things feel compressed like with iems with little contrast in their tonality's upper-mids region.
Treble:
Sizzle. Might need a peak removed for my ears, either that 8kHz peak or more likely the 15kHz one for the sizzle.
Coming back to my repeating about tactile feeling and metallic sense. The IEM's tonality probably has less gain in the 3kHz-6kHz lower treble regions. This iem doesn't have a lot of those metallic details.
Discussion:
As for the positives. There is something interesting of how it stereo pans left & right. It has a good gimmick of how it pans things into existence into the stage field. Similar gimmick to Final Audio stuff. Exceptional dynamics in that sense.
I mentioned about the bass, not tactile feeling somehow. And this iem might need more lower treble/upper mids before the 6kHz. I guess I am too used to V signatures iems lately?
This iem does not lack presence in those regions, just I feel that I would personally want more for myself. Where is becomes problem about those regions are how they contrast too much with what comes after; letting the last octave treble sizzle stand out.
Funny take, I late tried this iem with my Qudelix 5k Bluetooth transceiver. And streaming off YouTube. The Qudelix being a warm & dark-ish source & YouTube 15kHz cut-off makes the iem sizzle-less. Haha
Sounds great like this. (Earlier I was using my Ibasso DX300MAX SS dap.) Even the bass is better rounded, not sure if that is the Qudelix 5k is extra warm? Or when this Planar driver doesn't have to playback an airy sizzle then it behaves better powered in the bass?
Disclaimer: The extra tactile feeling in the presence region that I want, might be cursed for other people, and the S12 as is, could be defined as the more normal approach. So I am not saying this as a critique but lets put it as a subjective take.
My EQ addresses my subjective concerns.
Especially the piercing-sizzle late treble.
The bass shelf doesn't actually reach +12 in the presentable range, but if you are worried, then set the pregain at -12db and move the frequency of the low-shelf up until 60Hz if you want more bass.
Other than the extra sizzle, do take notice that last octave sizzle I mentioned in the cons (more a concern for younger people?). That nocks a little of the grade for me.
And my subjective preferences critiques nocks it down again, but it may not be relevant for other people's takes. You can ignore if it is what you like.
Put Spinfits truly wireless tips (cp1025) for a different tip on the S12.
This seems to have worked out better. No idea if the TWS cp1025 are as upper-mids/lower-treble transparent as the other models.
More importantly:
Thin silicone tips like Spinfits CP1025, tips that do the bass reverb thing (Unlike foam tips), seem to give back a small step of bass tactility to the S12. Also a warm source.
Miscellaneous:
When taken out of the shipping parcel, it was wrapped in this cool branded bubble wrap!
Box pictures & unboxing steps:
Unboxed 1st view:
Fully disassembled:
Cable has a thick plastic sheathing that reminds me of the old Hibiscus iem cable. Other than the thick plastic sticky feeling, it behaves really well coiling.
2-pin cable. Red for Right. There is no extra dot to help with insertion orientation, but there is the ear-guiding ear hook wrapping that will give you the orientation via the only way to put them/wear them.
Supplied tips are nice and give a fit & seal. Especially the clear ones with the solid core.
Other two is some good dekoni style foam tips.
And a soft black silicone tip.
The black ones have a more softer core you can collapse easily squeezing. Not sure what their specialty is for. It's all one piece the core & the outside.
The iem:
The tuning air ports: One by the 2-pin connectors. You can see the careful holed-filter with control of how much air may pass the port.
Also note the notched nozzle lip for eartips to grab onto.
Another that faces inwards by the nozzle, that sits against your concha when donned. Will this get blocked?
The nozzle: With a filter plate:
How the iem looks worn:
Packaged with its cable color scheme, it's quite fashionable if you ask me.
Attachments
Infoseeker
It's possible they soldered one side of that cable wrong. Making the dot useless, cause one side pins are reversed.
carliber1
Okay, I will give other known good cables a go at it and see what gives. Again, thank you.
I already knew that the dots must be oriented equally.
But what baffled me, and forced me to rely on listening through trials,
was whether to the backside Or frontside of the IEM together
-it makes a difference with my KZ AS10 and KZ ZS6, one way sounds balanced while the other way has more low-end and is slightly less detailed.