LETSHUOER D13-Custom 13mm DLC Diaphragm Dynamic Driver In-Ear Earphone

INTRO


Letshuoer (antecedent Shuoer) is a brand based out of China that is great in producing innovative In-Ear monitor. The Letshuoer D13 is their IEM which packs in a 13mm DLC (diamond-like carbon) diaphragm, a High-performance Neodymium N52 and two interchangeable tuning nozzles. The Letshuoer D13 pleasantly surprised me with its performance especially considering its budget friendly price.



Disclaimer


I would like to thank my friend OB ODIO for loaning a unit for me. My opinions are unbiased, and I haven't been influenced or instructed to praise these IEMs. Every detail in this review is actual experience made by listening for hours everyday.



Specification


•Driver Type: 13mm dynamic driver with DLC (Diamond-like Carbon) diaphragm

•Driver construction: High-performance Neodymium N52

•Production process: CNC

•Capsule Material: Aluminium

•Frequency Response: 20-20kHz

•Sensitivity: 105±1dB

•Distortion: 0.16%±0.1

•Impedance: 16Ω

•2 interchangeable filters for mid-high and treble tuning

•Jack Connector: Choice of SE 3.5mm or BAL 4.4mm

•Cartridge Connection Type: 0.78 2pin

•Cable: 0.05mm * 216 high purity copper wire



Build and Comfort


The build is sturdy, and the design gives a more premium feel than expected in this price range. The earphones are lightweight, making them comfortable for extended use.
Finding the right fit is easy. The earphones stayed comfortably in place during various activities, making them suitable for daily use.



Sound Aspects



Source used :


Realme 9 Pro

Jcally AP7

Ibasso DC04 pro


This iems spend 40-50 hours of burn in before taking details of this review


Bass


Bass is the greatest aspect of this IEM where the sub bass has more prominent over the mid bass making some great rumbles in the low end. The sub bass makes dig deeper producing great satisfying rumbles while also maintaining a clear quality from the mid bass thus not overlapping each other. The mid bass is good but not overwhelm thus making the whole presentation well-bodied.


Midrange


Midrange is quite recessed while the vocals are made to appear upfront. The instruments like percussion and piano takes the backstage making it to sound thinner in texture making the vocals take the lead. The lower mids making a good presentation. The male vocals sounds with good tonal texture. The upper mids is the same as the lower mids where the female vocals can be more energetic causes shoutiness can be fatiguing sometimes. Nevertheless the realistic timbre of the instrument pleasantly present.



Treble


Treble is tamed, clean presentation, offering smooth dispersing decays. it is present enough to be heard with just the right amount of sparkle and shimmer adding more will just definitely enough. I can’t find any sibilance especially when paired with neutral sounding sources making a slight balanced sounding instead.



Technicalities


Just the right amount of good sense of space and width for soundstage. Not as tall and deep but I can’t find any consideration to complain about its overall staging.
Having enough clean separation. Detail retrieval can be better given the other aspects performing well it still literally good.



Conclusion


The Letshuoer D13 is a commendable option for budget-conscious consumers looking for a reliable pair of earphones. While it may not compete with premium models, it still stands out in its price
category, delivering a satisfying fun and engaging audio experience with a comfortable fit and durable build.

Build:
The D13 comes in a sturdy box, good graphics and no-nonsense details on the back. inside one finds the D13 with its all-metal build and cool rounded looks, underneath that is a typical Letshuoer case with the tips, a very nice cable and nozzles a set of two kinds they look similar to the Letshuoer singer nozzles, so they are probably interchangeable.
Build is very good and while the round shape is unique it is pretty small so it might fit most ears well. in comparison with the ARTTI T10 that has an identical shape the D13 is much smaller. despite being all metal they are not heavy and comfortable to me. Isolation was above average.

Sound:
THe Letshuoer D13 is a smooth V-shaped IEM.
Bass:
Lows present with a good amount of Bass impact Sub-Bass has a nice depth to it with a noticeable rumble and natural decay. Mid-Bass is more focused and speedier with good texture and details to both.
Mids:
Mids are tuned relaxed and warm with both male and female vocals even in their centered position. There is average separation and very good thickness to the mids in general. details are rich but smooth.
Treble:
The highs sound natural with decent air and sparkle but they are very safe and relaxed, treble sensitive will enjoy this, but I would have liked better energy up top. Still no harshness here just a safe upper tunning.
Soundstage:
While the staging is similar to listening in a small club, the positioning and overall imaging is accurate and doesn't fall apart on crowded recordings.

In conclusion: The Letshuoer D13 is a single dynamic with a warm smooth performance, for casual listening and for enjoying pop, jazz, hip-hop or even electronic it could be very enjoyable.

Which LETSHUOER set is right for you? ft. D13, S12 PRO & DZ4



Introduction

This week, since the LETSHUOER D13 is not a novelty and has already generated quite a buzz, I thought of creating an extensive comparative review among the 3 models that LETSHUOER sent me. Overall, they target an accessible segment for all consumers, all of these being IEMs priced around $100 USD.

Which of these 3 will be the king?


Video Review:

S12 PRO Review: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/letshuoer-s12-pro.26277/reviews#review-30948

DZ4 Review: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/letshuoer-dz4.26594/reviews#review-31317


Disclaimers:

• LETSHUOER kindly provided me with these products for an honest review.
  • You can find the S12 PRO here: https://letshuoer.net/products/lets...-ear-monitors-for-audiopiles-and-music-lovers
  • You can find the D13 here: https://letshuoer.net/products/letshuoer-d13-dlc-diaphragm-dynamic-driver-iem-moving-coil-headphones
  • You can find the DZ4 here: https://letshuoer.net/products/lets...ngle-passive-radiator-edc-hifi-in-ear-monitor
• Analysis over 5 days – Sessions of approximately 2 to 4 hours.
• All music is lossless (Qobuz > 16bit – 44.1kHz)
• Gear Used: IFI Zen Air Can (AMP) + Fiio E10K (DAC)
• LETSHUOER D13 was used only with its silver filter

LETSHUOER D13 Pics
(So you can witness the beautiful presentation, construction and accessories)














Brief summary of the 3 sets

Credits: Ian Fann

S12 PRO: Warm, slightly V-shaped signature with a good focus on subbass without sacrificing too much presence in the mids, and with highs that aren't overly bright, avoiding uncomfortable sibilance.

DZ4: Signature aiming for neutrality (similar to the new IEF neutral target). It's the least "musical" of the 3, focusing on giving more prominence to the mid frequencies (especially upper mids). Optimal highs for individuals sensitive to this frequency range.

D13: The S12 PRO’s son in terms of tonality, with a slightly lesser emphasis on subbass/bass, allowing voices and instruments to come forward, but with highs that are somewhat brighter, which might become fatiguing.


Scores (TL;DR for those who prefer a more concise format)

• Best to worst (left to right)
• More ">" indicates a greater difference
• "=" is used to indicate that the left and right sets are similar in a certain aspect
• “>=” indicates that two IEMs could be similar depending on the song

. Ergonomics: DZ4 >> S12 PRO = D13

. Driveability: D13 >> DZ4 >> S12 PRO

. Bass: S12 PRO > D13 > DZ4

. Mids (Male Vocals): D13 >= S12 PRO > DZ4

. Mids (Female Vocals): DZ4 >> S12 PRO = D13

. Mids (Instruments): S12 PRO > DZ4 > D13

. Treble: S12 PRO >> DZ4 > D13

. Imaging: S12 PRO >> D13 > DZ4

. Soundstage: DZ4 >= S12 PRO >> D13


Testing with different songs

*For the sake of simplicity, I will only mention a few songs and how they were reproduced by the different models I have tested*

"Five Magics" - Megadeth

S12 PRO: The tactile sensation it provides to both electric guitars and bass is astonishing; every note in the introduction can be easily distinguished. The drum kicks are quickly noticeable, precise, and well-controlled, along with the impact of cymbals which keep the hi-hats and crashes in check, both maintaining a high level of extension. When Dave Mustaine starts singing, the S12 PRO manages to prevent the instruments (especially the bass) from overshadowing the lead vocalist too much, although I must acknowledge that it's the signature that hides the lead singe the most.

DZ4: As soon as the song's lyrics begin, it's easy to notice that the bass is less present, allowing Mustaine to showcase his talent. Additionally, the attack and decay of the hi-hats are quicker compared to the S12 PRO, which has a greater amount of air. The electric guitars have a similar reproduction across the three models, but the DZ4 takes the lead here, representing them with more energy and managing to provide the most detail in each strum. The drum kicks are considerably attenuated compared to the S12 PRO and D13, and the same goes for the bass, which gets somewhat lost in the mix.

D13: Among the three, I feel that the D13 achieves the best balance in reproducing this song. The singer's voice articulates almost perfectly with the guitars, preventing them from interfering with each other. Meanwhile, the bass remains audible despite taking a backseat, and the cymbals have a reasonable impact, with the crashes being slightly piercing. The issue with the D13 is its representation of soundstage, and this is something you'll likely see me mention several times throughout my analysis, as it narrows down the space in which the songs are being played, causing the instruments to obstruct each other, thus losing clarity and details.


"Vivo Per Lei" - Andrea Bocelli



S12 PRO: The body and weight of both male and female voices are nearly equivalent, resulting in a beautiful duet in this case. As for instruments, the piano takes precedence until it stops playing. That's when the bass takes the lead role, while the drums set the rhythm and the strumming of the guitars also accompanies weakly. Fortunately, cymbals are pleasing to the ear along with good clarity during drum kicks.

DZ4: In this song where two voices of different genders sing in unison, something I had already noticed in my previous analysis of the DZ4 becomes apparent. The female vocals have more vividness in their reproduction, and when singing the chorus, Bocelli falls slightly behind. However, compared to the other two models, the DZ4 is focused on highlighting the vocals more than the instruments in the lower range. In the song's introduction, the piano asserts its authority and is adequately detailed, but after the first chorus, both the bass and the drums serve only as background, with the most notable being the impact of the drummer's sticks against the toms and snare drum. The reproduction of the highs is somewhat lacking, losing a bit of detail that the cymbals should provide.

D13: The experience is quite similar to what the S12 PRO offers, where his and her voices are balanced very well, with both taking the lead role. In this particular song, the instruments don't suffer as much from the D13's limited soundstage presentation and are easy to identify and differentiate. Also, with slightly less elevated bass, the guitar strumming sounds a bit clearer, although the definition of the piano is slightly worse than in the other two models. The impact of cymbals is just slightly brighter than in the S12 PRO but never becomes bothersome in this case.


"Swan Lake, Op. 20, TH. 12 / Act I: No. 2 Valse (Corps de Ballet)" - Tchaikovsky (Brightness test)



S12 PRO: Predominant reproduction of violins with sufficient texture for a semi-analytical listening experience, while cellos and double basses have good weight to avoid getting lost among other instruments. The winds are softer and delicate when they take the lead role. When both strings and winds come together, they articulate well, and in general, there are no issues with instrument separation. At higher volumes, the triangle at 2:15 might sound a bit bright and fatiguing for some, but at moderate to low volumes, it won't pose a problem for most listeners.

DZ4: Unlike the other two sets, the winds take on an impulsive character and match the violins while playing together around the 1:30 mark. This also indicates that the tactile sensation of the stringed instruments' notes is somewhat reduced. Cymbals have a quick decay, and the DZ4 manages to make the triangle at 2:15 sound as non-fatiguing as possible, sacrificing some microdynamics for a more soothing reproduction for the listener.

D13: Once again, the rendition of this piece is similar to the S12 PRO, but in this case, the compressed soundstage does significantly affect the orchestra, crowding the instruments together. It's still possible to discern between the different instruments being played, but the orchestra as a whole feels tight in one place, causing the sounds to come more from the center than the sides. However, the main issue in this song is that the highs become extremely fatiguing during the impact of the triangle. Furthermore, there is a loss of resolution in this domain since the D13 has the weakest extension in the highs. Apart from this, the strings have better bite than in the S12 PRO, making them more authoritative and resolute than the winds. Also, the timpani, being less powerful, allow other instruments to shine more.


"Miami" - Sonic (Hotline Miami EP)



S12 PRO: This song highlights how the S12 PRO has the best extension into the subbass region, excellently (even a bit viscerally) carrying the baseline with constant subbass notes while also clearly representing the drum kick. The cheerful synthetic sounds also don't tend to get lost, creating a good harmony within the whole ensemble.

DZ4: This model also provides good differentiation between the drum kick and the subbass bassline, with the latter having a bit more authority but not reaching the satisfying level offered by the S12 PRO and D13. However, electronic sounds steal the show in the DZ4; they come forward much more than in the other two IEMs and carry an extra energy that makes them very lively.

D13: In most EDM or similar songs, where the separation of instruments isn't as involved, the intimacy of the D13 is welcomed. It offers well-extended bass, nearly on par with the S12 PRO, and achieves a slightly better balance between subbass and synthetic sounds.










"Live After Death" (album) - Iron Maiden (Soundstage, Imaging & Instrument Separation test)



S12 PRO: A well-wide soundstage, effectively separating the two guitarists, though I feel that the drums could be slightly deeper in terms of placement – Imaging and instrument separation are top-notch. Each guitar has its side, then Bruce Dickinson is nicely centered, the bassist close to him, and the drummer feels somewhat behind both.

DZ4: The soundstage width is narrower than that of the S12 PRO, but it notably has more depth, making the drums sound closer to the occipital region – Imaging can get a bit congested in situations where the guitarists need to play the same notes together. It's also possible to lose focus on the bassist. Apart from that, the instrument locations are perceptible.

D13: The most intimate of them all, making the guitarists come too close to the lead vocalist. However, the drummer maintains reasonable depth – Because the soundstage is limited, the image is affected due to the clutter instruments face. The bassist is much more noticeable than in the DZ4, but there isn't proper differentiation between the left and right guitars.









Conclusion

There is a clear winner in this lineup, and it's the S12 PRO, justifying why it’s priced around $40 USD higher than its relatives. As I mentioned in my review of this set, the sound quality of the S12 PRO is quite astonishing to obtain for under $200 USD. In this analysis, it became clear to me that it is the most detailed and has the best imaging among the three sets I own from LETSHUOER, also demonstrating incredible fidelity in its bass and treble reproduction. It adapted perfectly to my favorite genres (heavy metal, EDM, and classical music), but I imagine it's an IEM capable of superbly reproducing any song that comes its way.



On the other hand, the DZ4 is the counterpart to the other two models analyzed, as they are more neutral IEMs, focused on vocals and instruments in the midrange, highly recommended for those who love genres with female voices as protagonists (lyric pop, opera, or even soloists like Adele in my case). Additionally, the more relaxed presentation of the highs could be a plus for some, although with a slight loss of details. The real drawback (at least for me) is that you'll have to forget about getting powerful bass with these IEMs.

At the beginning, I mentioned that the D13 aims to be a little S12 PRO, and I think it comes very close to achieving that. It adapts quite well to various genres, with EDM and melodic studio albums being its strong points, offering a more accurate representation of both male and female registers compared to the DZ4. However, its major issue is the soundstage it provides, causing live performances to sound overly compressed (other issues: lack of detail due to soundstage and strident highs).

I believe that if the prices of the D13 and DZ4 were a bit lower (around $50-70 USD), they would be strong rivals against the competition, allowing more people to experience the quality LETSHUOER has to offer in a more attractive consumer segment.

𝑳𝑬𝑻𝑺𝑯𝑼𝑶𝑬𝑹 𝑫13 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘: 𝑼𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕


|| 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 ||

Letshuoer Audio is one of the more common brands these past few months with back to back notable releases such as the S12, S12 Pro and the recent collaboration they did with Timmy Vangtan of GizAudio with the Galileo. After all of those products, there is one IEM that has been released in between, but hasn't gotten the same attention nor recognition of the masses.



Today we are reviewing the D13, LETSHUOER’s dynamic driver IEM priced around $95 therefore classifying as an under $100 contender. Equipped with only a 13mm DLC dynamic driver hence the name “D13'' and interchangeable nozzles. Some people may think that at this price point, it should’ve at least added another driver with how cheap hybrids are becoming, but I think a masterfully utilizing dynamic driver can still hold up to today’s standards.


|| 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 ||

I am in no way, shape, or form affiliated with the brands I review and do not give out preview privileges.

This set is sent in exchange for an honest review. There is no material or financial incentive for me to do this review and I guarantee no exchange has been done by both parties to influence or sway our opinions on this product.

My thoughts and opinions are of my own. My experience will entirely differ from everybody else. The contents of this review should not be considered factual as this hobby heavily leans on subjectivity. YMMV.

I don’t do rankings or tier lists as they can get outdated immediately as a reviewer can change their thoughts of a product to a certain extent. If you do want a recommendation then feel free to reach out so I can help out

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𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 LETSHUOER 𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆.

𝗢𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻, 𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗘𝗧𝗦𝗛𝗨𝗢𝗘𝗥 𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗦. 𝗜𝘃𝘆 𝗚𝗮𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁. 𝗜 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘁

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| 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 |

It comes with a black box with a render of the D13 earpiece with branding all over. LETSHUOER is really consistent with their packaging and design language of their box that is very evident in their other set on offer like the Galileo and the S12 Pro.




| 𝗨𝗻𝗯𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 |

Removing the initial cardboard cover reveals the main box with tasteful LETSHUOER branding on the ends of a corner of the box. Sliding the top cover reveals the IEMs earpieces encased in foam for shock protection.



Underneath the foam layer is a product catalog of LETSHUOER products and the included case and additional paperwork. Inside the case houses the remaining of the goodies included with the D13.

𝗜𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻:

Paperwork
LETSHUOER Product Catalog
LETSHUOER D13 ear pieces
4-core copper 2-pin cable
Black faux-leather hard-shell cylindrical case
A pair of silver nozzles(Balanced)
A pair of golden nozzles(Treble)
A set of LETSHUOER vocal ear tips (S/M/L)
A set of normal-bore ear tips (S/M/L)

The included case is really compact and small, making it a great case to actually use for lugging around the D13 unlike some other stock cases. LETSHUOER included their vocal ear tips included in a variety of their items which is a nice add. The D13 is offered in either 4.4mm or 3.5mm termination depending on your needs. The included cable behaves well, is light and isn’t memory-prone.



Pretty solid inclusions from LETSHUOER for the D13. Accessories are all high quality and are more than enough to get you going.


| 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 & 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 |

The D13 is built with high-quality metal which has a good balance with heft and lightness to feel nice and premium in the hand. The design of the D13 is quite unique and stands out against the rest of the competition that use the common IEM design and form.



The shape looks like the old SONY MDR EX1000ST released a few years back with its circular design that houses the driver and a cylindrical protrusion to place the 2-pin connector to and offers a universal fit. It comes in either black with red accents or that one we have today with blue and yellow accents.



The faceplate has this semi-circle engraving with a curved vent. Another set of vents is located in the nozzle and has the left or right indicator on the other side. There is branding on the bottom part of the ear piece. The nozzle protrudes a decent bit for a greater insertion depth with a lip to help the ear tip in place.

| 𝗜𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 |

The isolation of the D13 is average even with the vent pointing outwards. I am still usable in a pinch with commuting and all that but still doesn’t compare to actual ANC gear.

| 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁 |

These fit snugly in my ear and don't come loose when there is movement. It doesn’t sit as still as more custom-esque resin IEMs but it is usable for much longer compared to most of those. Occlusion effect isn’t as severe as other IEMs and pressure build-up is controlled well.



** 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗟𝗘𝗧𝗦𝗛𝗨𝗢𝗘𝗥 𝗩𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗶𝗽𝘀(𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹) | 𝗭𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗨𝟭 **


|| 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 ||

The sound of the D13 is what people of the hobby call warm neutral. It sounds really relaxed and non-fatiguing with quite tame treble. The D13 comes with interchangeable nozzles that alter the sound.



The silver nozzle from what I’ve experienced and the saw in the graphs of this release seems to offer less treble energy whilst not compromising the low-end performance. I prefer the gold one as that gives a more neutral or balanced sound by adding a little push on the highs.

| 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 |

Really efficient given that it only has a single dynamic driver. I found myself having enough volume on the gain I typically set with other budget single dynamic driver IEMs with no problem. Noise floor can be slightly audible if given a high enough gain and it also does transmit sound noise when your source is not grounded properly.

| 𝗕𝗮𝘀𝘀 |

Low-end performance of the D13 takes the lead with the mid bass being more forward than the sub bass. There is still a certain amount of rumble but not to the amount I prefer. Mid bass hits are hard and punchy with fast attacks along with immediate decay.

The mid bass of the D13 doesn’t seem to bleed, though this amount or quantity is less than the likes of the BLON x HBB Z300 for its more abundant sub bass or against Kiwi Ears Quartet’s mid bass quantity .


| 𝗠𝗶𝗱𝘀 |

Both male and female vocals of the D13 are warm and don't sound thin. Male vocals tend to be a bit more forward than their female counterparts. Air is below average, I find that vocals can feel “choked out” or whatever term to use to describe that.

Instruments have a good body and are also warm, though as they also have the cons of the vocals sounding like they lack air or do not extend to the higher extremities. Upper midrange shout doesn’t seem to be a problem though I heard a few reports from colleagues that they find this slightly shouty


| 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘀 |

Doesn’t sound fatiguing nor harsh, some say that the treble is quite tamed. Details are surprisingly competent but extension and transients are nothing to take note of. I find the treble-energy on the D13 a bit lacking, with it lacking sparkle. Nothing to report with the timbre, it sounds natural with no “metallic” sheen.


| 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 |

Staging is quite intimate, I prefer a more wider staging presentation but this doesn’t sound too intimate to be bothersome. Imaging and separation is quite competent, surprisingly.

I can easily pinpoint sound at their origin with ease. It may not be as analytical as other sets but it can hold itself up with things like gaming and analytical work in a pinch.


|| 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 ||

The D13 is a set that is quite relaxed and tamed. It can be a jack of all trades depending on your use case. The only downside of the D13 is that it doesn’t do anything to excel at and may want people to pick it with other options available sometimes even at a slightly cheaper price.



However, for those looking for something that the D13 can fit their description of, then I can fully recommend this IEM to them.


[| 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬 |]

https://letshuoer.net/.../letshuoer-d13-dlc-diaphragm...

(𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀. 𝗜 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗼𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝗽𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀)

July 26, 2023

LETSHUOER D13 - SIMPLICITY AND SMOOTHNESS​

The LETSHUOER D13 is an in-ear monitor featuring a single 13mm dynamic driver, housed in a compact and comfortable shell. This is my fourth LETSHUOER product review. The D13 came out somewhere in 2022, a little bit late to the party but will it still be a good option for 2023? With the rapid and constantly evolving Chi-Fi market, let's find out if this is still a good option for 2023.

DISCLAIMER:​

• I have no affiliation with LETSHUOER and have not received any monetary compensation during or after writing this review. Ivy Gao provided this unit to me in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
• As a non-professional reviewer, I aim to use simple terms that can be understood by both beginners and experts in the hobby.
• Please keep in mind that the opinions expressed in this review are subjective and based on my personal experience with the unit. I encourage you to try the product yourself to form your own opinion.

PACKAGING​

The unboxing experience of LETSHUOER always have that sleek, and sophisticated feel. The D13 is no exception. It also has a lot of good and quality accessories included in the package.





Here's what's inside the box:

• LETSHUOER D13 in-ear monitors.
• 4-core 3.5mm cable.
• 3 pairs of black-colored silicone ear tips.
• 3 pairs of translucent silicone ear tips.
• A black-colored faux-leather IEM case.
• An extra pair of tuning nozzles with gold-colored filters.
• A product catalogue booklet.
• Some cool looking paperworks.

BUILD QUALITY​

As for the build quality, the LETSHUOER D13 drivers are housed in a matte aluminum-alloy shell giving that lightweight, sturdy, smooth finish on the ends. The nozzles are very easy to change as you only need to unscrew the nozzles, as simple as that. Additionally, the LETSHUOER D13 features a flawless 2-pin port design that offers a secure and snug fit without any protrusion, distinguishing it from QDC-type ports.

The cables are soft and sturdy but these does not have modular options which are still okay for this price point. The stock ear tips are good as is, they are soft, comfortable, and not irritating to the ears. Lastly, the faux-leather case is very compact but the in-ear monitor fits well. It has a good curved finish so it fits comfortable inside your pockets.

SOUND​

The LETSHUOER D13 has a slight V-shaped signature. It has two tuning nozzles that doesn't have a stellar difference but I find the gold one more preferable for its focus on the treble side. The silver nozzle is kind of underwhelming in terms of brilliance.

LOWS
The LETSHUOER D13 showcases extended lows with a noticeable dominance on midbass, along with a modest depth in the sub-bass region. While it may not be overwhelmingly bass-heavy, the presence of the bass is definitely perceptible. If you prefer a greater emphasis on the bass, I'd stick with the silver nozzles. However, personally, I don't find any stellar differences between the two filters on the lower frequencies. Maybe because the perception of the silver filter's laid-back presentation contributes to the I find the gold filters more appealing as the silver nozzle feels somewhat too laid-back in comparison.

MIDS
The midrange of the LETSHUOER D13 exhibits a recessed quality that contributes to a smooth and euphonic sound. The vocals, particularly when using the silver nozzles, are laid-back, darker, and possess a richer tonality. However, the instruments take a recessed position in the silver filters. On the other hand, the gold filters maintain a recessed body in the midrange but offer more pronounced upper mids, resulting in improved instrument emphasis and improved clarity.

TREBLE
The LETSHUOER D13's filters have a significant impact on the higher frequencies, with more noticeable changes compared to the lows and lower midrange. Although both filters lack a considerable amount of openness, they still exhibit slight but distinct differences. With the gold filter, the sound from the upper mids to the treble range becomes crisper, more detailed, and cleaner. On the other hand, the silver filter offers a smoother and less offensive sound, albeit with lower resolution in the treble region. While I don't find the gold nozzle offensive, the silver nozzle doesn't align with my personal preferences. As someone who isn't particularly focused on treble, I find the silver nozzle's level of detail and air to be somewhat lackluster. Both filters don't exhibit harsh sibilance, and peaky resonance which is very outstanding.

TECHNICALITIES
The technicalities on the D13 is mostly on the average side. Then again, these are not a pair of critical in-ear monitors nor did they intend to sell as one. These are rather casual earphones meant to cater casual listeners. In any case, let's break down the technicalities further.

Soundstage: The soundstage is not very wide but it's not too compressed to the point vocals and instruments were struggling in a cramped narrow soundstage. However, the perception of space is quite limited.

Imaging: In terms of soundstage, if there is a lack of adequate space, imaging can be affected as well. The LETSHUOER D13 exhibits average imaging capabilities, managing to accurately locate vocals and instruments. However, it may struggle with accuracy, particularly on busier and complex tracks, occasionally resulting in a loss of details and resolution.

TEST TRACK​

CONCLUSION
​

Pros:

• Has interchangeable nozzles
• Fun sounding earphones
• Very smooth and natural tonality
• Amazing inclusions
• Gold nozzles are better sounding overall

Cons:

• Price-to-performance ratio
• Treble lack a bit of air and sparkle
• Subpar technicalities
• Could've added more options for the nozzles, the other one might be too bad you'll have to stick with the other one if you don't prefer the other
• Silver nozzles are too lacking in details

Even in 2023, the LETSHUOER D13 remains a viable option worth considering. However, I believe that in terms of both performance and affordability, there might be other options available that can rival the LETSHUOER D13. The price to performance ratio can likely be matched by alternative products on the highly dense and ever expanding Chi-fi market. The LETSHUOER D13 is something I wouldn't blindly buy, especially if I intend to spend more than a hundred dollars with this. Sure, it offers a sound profile that can satisfy the majority of consumers and delivers impressive audio quality. However, it is important to acknowledge that being a single dynamic driver IEM, it does have its limitations.

We in the audio enthusiasm sphere sometimes need some fun, relaxing and enjoyable listening sessions rather than some usual, serious audiophiliac critical listening to determine the best possible sound reproduction and appreciating both a high technical performance and a high fidelity experience from an earphone or headphone. To be honest, critical listening is an intensive mental process as we try to figure out everything about high fidelity and sound quality.

And I'm no stranger on large dynamic drivers on IEMs as I owned some of them and already quite familiar on how these drivers performs depends on its implementation.

This is my actually 3rd product review from LETSHUOER. I have tested some of their products and all of them are hybrid drivers set-up. And this is my first time to experience a sound quality from their IEM with single driver set-up.



This is LETSHUOER D13, it has a single 13mm dynamic driver with high-grade neodymium magnet and a DLC diaphragm to deliver a clean response, faster transient speed and less distortion on its sound quality. The drivers are enclosed in a solid CNC-milled aluminium alloy shell chassis with matte finish. Its circular shaped, smooth contour shell chassis reminds me of some DUNU sets and also noted that it has a compartmentalised acoustic chamber to give the best possible isolation and also to eliminate unwanted acoustic resonance. The cavity base part of D13 has three vent holes and another larger vent hole at the faceplate area that functions to let escape some excess air pressure coming from its high performance dynamic driver that might cause some listening fatigue. The nozzles of D13 are of interchangeable design where you can unscrew it and replace it with another nozzle with a different tuning filter. The D13 has utilised a proven 2-pin connector as its interlocking mechanism for stable performance and seamless connectivity.



The well-thought design of its shell chassis really gives me an excellent fitting as it rests well in my lug holes with any discomfort. It properly sealed my lug holes as it isolates well from the external noises from outside.



The product packaging of LETSHUOER D13 is very impressive for its price. The contents were packed in a rectangular box and the inclusions are substantial in quantity with good quality accessories on it.



Here are the following accessories included inside:

■ a pair of LETSHUOER D13 IEMs

■ a 4-core monocrystalline copper cable with 3.5mm termination plug.

■ 3 pairs of black-coloured ear tips of different standard sizes ( small size has a wide bore, medium and large sizes have narrow bore)

■ 3 pairs of white-coloured, balanced-bore ear tips of different standard sizes.

■ a black-coloured oval shape faux-leather IEM case.

■ an extra pair of interchangeable nozzles with gold-coloured filters.

■ Product catalogue booklet

■ Some paperworks like warranty card, contact card, Q.C card and instruction manual.



Regarding its power amplification requirement, D13 is a very easy to drive set that it scales well on most sources. Even a smartphone or tablet with decent power output will amplify this one to have a good amplitude rating and it sounds very dynamic with a good full range.



To determine its sound profile, since it has two pairs of interchangeable nozzles with different implementations of dampeners on its filters, LETSHUOER D13 has two types of distinctive V-shaped sound signatures. The silver one has more prominent emphasis on low frequency while gold has more emphasis on upper-mids to the presence part of the treble region. All presentations of its midranges frequency are recessed on both nozzle filters.


LOWS/BASS:

The bass response of D13 is quite boosted as it has punchiness, impact and tactility will definitely please the ears of the adherent bassheads out there especially the silver tuning filter mode.

It has good reverberations and rumble sound as I played some sub bass-focus instruments like low tone bass guitar, octabass, synthesisers and drum machines. Mid bass is well-textured that more authoritative sound on bass guitars, bass kick drums and bass-baritones. Bass guitars have this weight and menacing sound on them while bass kicks have a thunderous and pounding sound. Then on bass-baritone vocals, it gives that dark and guttural sound qualities on these vocalists with the likes of Peter Steele, Barry White and Andrew Eldritch. It is observable that there are some instances of bass bleed on the silver tuning filter but on the gold tuning filter, it is rather tamed and controlled.



MIDRANGE:

Midrange on this one has a recessed presentation but it has this substantial warmth to add texture and note weight on vocals and instruments.

Male vocals have this heft, power and depth that will benefit most of its vocal types. Baritones seem to have richness of their vocal quality while countertenors have a fullness and fiery sound as I listen to Andreas Scholl and King Diamond (Yes indeed, he was somehow a countertenor as I listened to some Mercyful Fate albums lately). And tenors have brassy sound on them but on the gold tuning filter it added some spiciness and ringing especially on Luciano Pavarotti, Freddie Mercury and Robert Plant. Meanwhile on female vocals, the silver tuning filter benefits more on contralto as it gives a darker tone to have that chesty and husky sound on Annie Lennox and Tracy Chapman. The clarity and details on mezzo-sopranos and sopranos will improve further on gold tuning filter as it gives bit gleam and sense of openness as mezzo-sopranos like Sharon den Adel of Within Temptation and Dolores O'Riordan of The Cranberries have their recognisable vocal characteristic to have that smooth and velvety while on sopranos like Alison Krauss and Tarja Turunen have that silky and gleam to that angelic and hypnotic sound.

Instruments sound varies on the tuning filters as silver tuning filters give a more midrange and buttery sound on acoustic guitars and lustrous and more rounded sound on violins. while on gold tuning filters, it has a noticeable difference, it gives a crisper and bright sound on acoustic guitars while a more lively and more vibrant sound on violins. Brass like trumpets, horns and trombones have a slight difference on timbre characteristics that on silver filters, it gives a more dark, rounded and warmer sound while on gold filters, they sound more metallic, bright and more intense. On percussives, it gives more booming and rumbling sound on toms and timpanis on their attack on the silver tuning filters while snare drums fare better on gold tuning filters as it sounds sharper and precise. Pianos tones will also have some deviation on each tuning filter, a warmer and luscious on silver tuning filters while there's a sense of vivid and vibrant sound on gold tuning filters. Flutes and saxophones will benefit more on gold-coloured tuning filter as it gives them a sense of light and brilliance on them.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

There are two takes on how LETSHUOER D13 handles the treble registers. The silver filter tunings are smoother, linear and less offensive to the point that they skew down some amount of details and clarity which give me a congestion. On gold tuning filters, it does give some slight elevation on upper mids to the presence part of the treble region, it is clean, crisp and bright with tad sharper on details. At least, both tuning nozzles don't have an unwanted sibilance and gritty sound on its treble response.

Cymbals also have different sound characteristics on two nozzles with different tuning filters. The silver tuning filters give a bit of a dull and soughing sound while the gold ones have a shimmer and sizzle sound. Hi-hats sound the same on both nozzles as it retains its distinct short buzzing, chick sound. Both nozzles have only a meagre amount of treble air despite the gold tuning filters' slight improvement on clarity, more crisp and detail.



SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

Overall, it has an average to above average sound/speaker stage width, a decent height reach and excellent depth to give a more natural spatial headroom within my aural perception.

Imaging aspect on D13 is rather appealing for casual listening on how it was simple presented in a typical 2-channel stereo panning presentation where I was able to locate the placement of vocals and instruments on both sides of the channel. Separation is decent on how it gives an ample spacing of all instruments and vocals but the layering is somehow subpar on how it disorganised the frequency tonal layers of each instrument and vocals within the sonic canvas that will be an issue to more complex tracks like jazz and orchestra.

Coherency is excellent on how the huge dynamics drivers of the D13 performs well with handling transient speed and gradual decaying. It has a solid macro-dynamics at it show a solid note weight but a blunted and dull definition on micro-detail retrieval on silver tuning filters. The gold tuning filters improves a bit to give an edgier definition but its resolving capabilities are still lacking in my opinion

It has tonality that is quite natural but it is leaning towards more warmth to give a fun, cosy and engaging sound on silver filter while it has more balanced tonality on the gold tuning filters due to some added shimmer on the treble part.



PEER COMPARISONS:

SIMGOT EA500

● SIMGOT EA500 is way more cheaper but compared to D13, it has less quantity on inclusions. Like D13, it has a single dynamic driver albeit smaller in dimension sizes but has a DLC diaphragm and both of them are encapsulated in solid aluminium alloy shell chassis but EA500 mirror-finished surface will be more prone to scratches and a fingerprint magnet. It also has interchangeable tuning nozzles.

● EA500 has two types of interchangeable nozzles with tuning filters but both of them are leaning towards a U-shaped sound profile. The red one is more of typical Harmanish tuning while the black one is a modification of a Harman target curve with slight emphasis on the upper mids part to the brilliance part of the treble region. Compared to D13, the bass is rather tighter on EA500 but it has less recess on the midrange frequency. It has similar treble response but the black ring nozzle of EA500 is more prone to sibilance and it also has a bit more amount of treble air. EA500 red ring texture is tad leaner compared to D13 in all tuning configuration

● The technical capabilities between EA500 and D13, they have almost similar sound/speaker stage dimensions. Imaging, separation and layering capability are a bit better on EA500 as it has more concave presentation, better separation on instruments and more distinctive on its tonal layering. D13 fares better on macro-dynamics as it shows a more solid note weight and is even more rigid compare to EA500. Resolution are even similar on both devices.


To sum up my review on LETSHUOER D13. It really shows the versatility of LETSHUOER's tuning capability that even their entry-level models have a solid build quality and its tuning is somehow satisfying for people with different listening preferences. The D13 also has an uncommon feature which is a detachable nozzle with tuning filters that allow us to swap it with another included nozzle with a different tuning filter inside based on your sound profile preference. With its reasonable pricing, The LETSHUOER D13 will be an easy recommendation in my book if you want a tactile, warm and versatile tuning set despite that there are some sets from other brands that might eclipse this one but still I will still recommend this one without batting an eyelid.

You can still purchase the LETSHUOER D13 on their official site, please check the link below.


◆◆LETSHUOER D13 PRODUCT PAGE◆◆

And also checkout my other full reviews and first impressions on LETSHUOER products:


◆ LETSHUOER GALILEO

◆ LETSHUOER CADENZA 12

◆ LETSHUOER EJ09

◆ LETSHUOER CONDUCTOR

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: LETSHUOER D13
IMPEDANCE: 16Ω
SENSITIVITY: 105dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 20KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.25M
PIN TYPE: 2-PIN CONNECTORS
PLUG TYPE: 3.5MM, 2.5MM pLUG
DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER


Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*



P.S.

I am not affiliated to LETSHUOER nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to LETSHUOER for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate their generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.

Intro:
Letshuoer along with its planar IEM’s also launched its Budget Dynamic Driver IEM i.e D13.
Letshouer D13 features a specially designed custom 13mm larger than average Dynamic Driver. This driver has a DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) diaphragm and a powerful N52 magnetic along with Two tuning filters to change the sound according to your preference.




Disclaimer:
Letshuoer D13 was provided as a part of a review tour organized by HiFiGo in India. I have no monetary benefit with this review, neither I am influenced by anyone to write positive or negative about the pair. All thoughts are based on my usage with the pair for about 7 days. I am casual listener, just sharing my thoughts and opinion on these. If interested, you can check out more information on the HiFiGo website from the link below(non-affiliated).

https://hifigo.com/products/letshuoer-d13


Design & Specs:
D13 have a round shape with their new logo on the faceplate and the shell is an ergonomic and has a compact form factor. The shell is made of aluminum alloy using a high-precision CNC machining process making it solid and lightweight. The pair also has three vent holes next to the nozzle for air pressure management. D13 provides a super comfy listening experience for most users. It comes with Two tunning Nozzles with Silver Nozzle providing a Balanced and smooth sound signature and Gold Nozzle providing a tiny boost to the treble.



The single DD is a 13mm diamond-like carbon diaphragm with N52 neodymium magnets. The shells are relatively small for the size of the drivers they carry. These are very sensitive to use as these have an impedance of 16Ohms and sensitivity of 105dB. Coming to the frequency response is from 20Hz to 20kHz with a distortion of less than 0.16%. It comes with a 4-core monocrystalline copper cable with 0.78mm 2-pin connectors and gives the user choice between 3.5mm and 4.4mm termination options.




Power Requirements:
D13 is among the most efficient IEMs I’ve tried, it sounded fine out of a smartphone and a budget dongle will help with dynamics and depth. I’ve done most of my listening and testing with my Xduoo Link2 Bal.




Sound Impressions:
The moment you put these in your ears it’s evident these have a bassy and smooth tuning.

The bass on D13 is elevated and got a nice amount of rumble to it. Sub bass goes deep with mid-bass with a decent attack to it without interfering with the male vocals. It gives the overall sound a good body with rumbling sub-bass and complements hip-hop tracks with a deep-diving mid-bass response. The lower midrange is a little recessed and a little thin, but as soon as we transition into the upper mids, the presentation gets lively. Vocals have got a rich tone to them, female vocals sometimes sound a little sharp depending on the track. The soundstage on decent on these with average width but the height could’ve been better. The treble on these is fatigue-free and smooth but lacks airiness. Technicalities on these is below average with below-average speed and dynamics.



Letshuoer D13 vs Tripowin Olina SE
Both are among the best-sounding IEMs under $100 with different sound signatures. D13 is tuned to favor a bassy and smooth sound signature, and Olina SE is tuned more towards Neutral with bass-boost or Balanced tuning. With D13, you’re getting a solid budget IEM, which is very engaging and fun to listen to but Olina SE is ahead in terms of pretty much everything you can count on except bass thump and smoothness. If you want something that does everything right and sounds balanced with excellent details for the money you should go with Olina SE but, if you want something fun sounding with deep sub-bass and hours of fatigue-free listening sessions then D13 is what I’d prefer.

Letshuoer D13 vs Etymotic ER2XR
In terms of Sound, ER2XR is the BEST sounding sub $100 I ever owned and experienced, ER2XR has better clarity, resolution, tonal balance, and instrument separation with exceptional precision But the Comfort is the worst among anything you can put in your ears. In terms of sound, D13 presents a deeper sub-bass with more quantity and a wider stage and in terms of comfort, D13 is among the most comfortable IEMs out there.




Final Words:-
Letshuoer D13 is among the better-sounding pair under the $100 mark with excellent bass response and a tuning suited for long listening sessions. The larger-than-average 13mm DLC driver in the relatively small shell with tuning filters is a nice package. Being a solid package for the budget with solid tuning let down with subpar technicalities. I enjoyed my time with the pair and personally would recommend the set for those who want more of an audiophile basshead kind of tuning with excellent comfort. This makes the D13 an ideal choice for fast genres of music such as R&b, EDM, and Hip-Hop.

Introduction

Letshuoer (aka Shuoer) is a Chinese Hi-Fi (aka Chi-Fi) brand known for its budget IEMs like Tape, Tape Pro, S12, and more… The D13 is their latest IEM which packs in a 13mm DLC (diamond-like carbon) diaphragm. I can, of course, try and sound more knowledgeable and geekier by listing down all the specs, but being my lazy self, I’m just pasting a screenshot of the specs which I grabbed from their website (https://letshuoer.net/products/letshuoer-d13-dlc-diaphragm-dynamic-driver-iem-moving-coil-headphones)



A quick disclaimer:

The LETSHUOER D13 I received was part of a review tour organized in my country by HifiGo. The unit was a loaner for an audition in exchange for my honest opinion based on my musical taste and audio gear. There has been no monetary transaction or influence (or pressure) to write anything positive (or negative) about the IEM. The views expressed in this write-up, are solely mine and are based on my usage of the IEM for a week or so as my daily driver. The IEM can be purchased from HifiGo here:

https://hifigo.com/products/letshuoer-d13



Build and Aesthetics:

The D13 is available in 2 colors, namely Blue and Black with the choice of either a 3.5mm SE or a 4.4mm Balanced termination. The IEM comes with 2 swappable nozzles/filters, which tweak the sound to either enhance the treble making it more detailed sounding, or smoothen the overall FR, resulting in a more balanced sound. There are 2 sets of silicon tips in 3 different sizes and a high-purity monocrystalline copper cable. LETSHUOER has included a leather pouch that looks and feels premium. All in all, for 120 USD, this is quite a good package, The unit I received was a blue color unit with a 3.5mm SE cable.



The D13 feels sturdy and is surprisingly light in terms of weight thanks to the CNC-milled aluminum shells. The stock cable is quite well-built and inspires confidence. The cable is quite supple and free of microphonics. I’d assume that most people will get a good fit with the stock ear tips. Personally, though, I prefer using soft silicon or memory foam tips and after my usual process of tip rolling, I chose to go with JVC Spiral Dots+ (EP-FX10). A quick check with both the filters/nozzles and I figured out that I prefer the balanced-sounding one, which is what I’ve used for the purpose of this review.

Sound Impressions

The best way to describe the D13 sound signature is that it lies somewhere in between a balanced sound and a slightly V-shaped sound. It has sufficient presence in the low end with a good amount of rumble and thump. There are no crazy extensions to create a sense of infinite depth, but the bass has good physicality and sufficient heft. The good thing is that the bass is well-controlled, hence it doesn’t bleed into other frequencies.

The mids on the D13 are quite organic given the overall tonality of the IEM. The mids are a tad bit recessed, but not too much. The vocals manage to stand out, without being overpowered by the bass and treble. The vocals are clean for the most part with good timbre. Notes have sufficient heft and linger around for just about the right time. There is nothing sensational or lackluster about the Mids. Don’t expect too much detail in this segment and you will be pleased by D13’s performance.



The treble section is relatively tame. There are no harsh spikes here. One can think of it as a safe tuning, especially from the perspective of the overall sound signature. There is sufficient air, but not much sparkle (at least with the balanced nozzle). The treble seems to be rolled off for the sake of tonal balance and coherence. This results in loss of microdetails, and could probably sound a little congested to airheads. The other filter seemed to add some sparkle and detail, but the notes (especially male vocals) tended to sound leaner, which wasn’t my preference. As mentioned earlier, I didn’t spend much time with the other filter because of my personal preference for warmth in the sound.

Technicalities-wise, the D13 is pretty good in terms of imaging and separation. The soundstage is intimate with minimal depth and the resolution is acceptable considering the price point.

Conclusion




The D13 is a fun-sounding IEM with the excellent build quality. Sonically it is somewhat laid back and comfortable. It is not too demanding in terms of power and can be driven quite easily by DAPs and dongles. These attributes make it an ideal candidate for a daily beater that can keep you entertained during commutes and during those laid-back listening sessions in the evening or night. Analytical listeners and airheads are likely to be disappointed, although occasional bass heads (and/or closet bass heads) and casual listeners are likely to be pleased by the performance of the D13.

Introduction

Letshuoer continues to move forward and is back with a new model in the slightly higher $100 range. This time it is an IEMS with a dynamic driver with a 13mm DLC diaphragm, created by the brand itself. As points to highlight, it has two mouthpieces to tune the sound and an original and very comfortable capsule design. As usual, the supplied cable is of high quality and can be chosen with SE 3.5mm and BAL 4.4mm plugs as standard. Of course, this should be the norm, as balanced outputs are very common nowadays and are becoming more and more popular, both for more power and for higher quality and better sound performance. Although, it is true that this new D13 needs little power to shine, as it has a high sensitivity and a low impedance of 16Ω.
In my opinion, the D13s are the dynamic alternative to the famous S12 planars, with an added sparkle in the bass and mid-high range, with the possibility of slightly tuning this area, thanks to the mouthpieces. Let's see why I think so.



Specifications

• Driver Type: 13mm dynamic driver with DLC (Diamond-like Carbon) diaphragm.
• Driver construction: High-performance Neodymium N52.
• Production process: CNC.
• Capsule Material: Aluminium.
• Frequency Response: 20-20kHz.
• Sensitivity: 105±1dB.
• Distortion: 0.16%±0.1.
• Impedance: 16Ω.
• 2 interchangeable filters for mid-high and treble tuning.
• Jack Connector: Choice of SE 3.5mm or BAL 4.4mm.
• Cartridge Connection Type: 0.78 2pin.
• Cable: 0.05mm * 216 high purity copper wire.

Packaging

The Letshuoer D13 comes in a dark, elongated box with contained dimensions and a size of 152x104x68mm. On the front side you can see a picture of a capsule. At the top left is the brand logo in grey letters. At the bottom left is the name of the model, in the same form. Finally, at the bottom right is the Hi-Res Audio logo. Behind it, still in grey letters, are the specifications in several languages, the brand name, the holographic warranty seal and the certifications that the product has. Once the cardboard is removed, the box is still black, with the brand name on the horizontal edge of the box. Once the lid is lifted, a catalogue of the brand's products appears and the capsules are encased in a large block of black foam. Underneath are instructions and several cards. Finally, there is the black, oval, zipped case, which contains the rest of the accessories. In a nutshell:

• The two D13 capsules.
• 1 x 0.05mm * 216 high purity copper wire, 4.4mm balanced 4.4mm plug and 2Pin 0.78mm connectors.
• 2 interchangeable gold plated nipples.
• 3 pairs of black silicone tips.
• 3 pairs of white silicone tips.
• 1 catalogue of the brand's products.
• Instruction manual.
• Product certificate.
• Warranty card.
• Warranty booklet.
• Zippered case.

The oval case has already become a brand classic. It is robust and very pleasant to carry. This is a welcome accessory, because other brands are moving away from this type of case and are using fabric pouches that do not fulfil their main function of protection. In addition, it has a small grid to store the mouthpieces safely. Otherwise, two sets of tips are enough, a good copper cable and the usual documentation. Quite acceptable.



Construction and Design

It may seem that the IEMS world has already seen a lot of shapes and I like the classic semi-custom shapes. But I consider myself open to any design that is effective. And Letshuoer has succeeded with the D13. The capsule is a wide aluminium disc, which can be chosen in two colours: dark grey and blue. Attached to it is a cylinder containing the 2Pin 0.78mm connection, inside a translucent plastic piece that protrudes from the inside of the cylinder to indicate, with a letter, the channel, as well as its red or blue colour. The inner side of the capsules has an elongated and inclined mouthpiece. It is basically a cylinder with two diameters, a central and smaller one, and another at the edge, which is the interchangeable mouthpiece. In the centre of this inner face there are already three holes, the central one being oval. On the edge of the disc, the brand name, model and "207" can be read in white letters. The outer face is not flat, but has a shallow disc of the same colour in the centre. On it are three red grooves in the shape of a semicircle, the length of which decreases as they approach the centre. And on it, a smiley smile-shaped indentation. It is certainly a design that may remind us of other IEMS, but the brand has given it a distinctive and differential touch.
The cable, on this occasion, is made up of 4 strands, a total of 216 wires of 0.05mm of high purity copper. Its colour is dark copper. The plug is classic 4.4mm gold plated, with a cylindrical cover, with the brand name written around it in white letters. It has a raised ring for a better grip. Its colour matches the capsule. The splitter piece is a simple cylinder, just like the 2Pin connectors, which only have a lowered ring and a plastic disc in the same colour as the one containing the 2Pin sockets of the capsules. It has a transparent plastic coating to shape the cable over the ear. Finally, the pin is a small but effective translucent plastic cylinder.
As mentioned before, the mouthpieces are interchangeable and are screwed into the body of the IEMS. There are 2, one has a golden grille, which produces a higher pitch. The other one is silver-plated and the sound it produces is more nuanced, with more bass.
All in all, a good, elegant and very, very effective design.



Adjustment and Ergonomics

Previously, I have highlighted the efficiency of the design and this is something that is noticeable in both fit and ergonomics. The capsules are medium sized and fit very well. Once inserted, they protrude very little and the cable fits nicely behind the ears. The nozzles have a very well designed inclination and fit my ear canals without any problems. The insertion can be medium, but also shallow. The capsule parts do not rub against my ears and remain floating, although very static. The assembly they form with the over-ear cable allows for minimal rotation, the fit is durable and the weight is very low, despite being made of metal. A great design for a great fit and better ergonomics.



Sound

Profile

The profile of the D13 has a slight tendency towards a tiny w, which can be more projected, depending on the mouthpiece used. The gold mouthpiece subtly lowers the bass, emancipates the high-mids at 2kHz and raises the treble slightly to end up with the silver filter in the air region. Initially, as a bass lover, I usually use the bass filters and, at first, I liked them very much. On the other hand, my initial feeling with the gold filter was that I found it a bit uncontrolled. So I did all the burning with the silver filter. But when it was over, I went back to the gold filter and found that the tuning was more complete and balanced. With the bass filter the profile is smooth, perhaps too smooth, from the mids onwards. Totally safe, but with little brightness. The return to the gold mouthpiece brought light, better detail, sparkle, while the loss of bass is negligible, considering that the Letshuoer D13s with their 13mm DLC filter are a real powerhouse in the low end. I don't consider them for bass-heads, but they have an unabashed power not without quality and great technical skills. What amounts to a great modern dynamic driver, with a touch of excitement and fun in the low end.
For the following impressions I have focused on the gold mouthpiece.



Bass

It is undeniable that the Letshuoer D13s are enjoyable from the low end. The moment the LFOs are reproduced, one realises the power of this driver to execute the lower range. Its vibrant texture and roughness stand out, so that these waves become perceptible to our ears. That's right, the D13's bass is the kind you feel on the skin of your inner ear, while its texture advances through the ear canal, until the thump explodes against your eardrums. The sub-bass is like a persistent whisper, whose rumble never ceases, it is at the audible and sensory limit, generating an abyssal depth, full, natural and organic. I still maintain that bass should be reproduced by dynamic drivers and the D13s are the paradigm of this statement.
After the emphasis on the sub-bass, the mid-bass is adequate, the zone progresses gently descending towards the mids, making the range full, without losing density and keeping the transition clean. Technically remarkable, the speed of execution accelerates with the passage of frequencies, gaining agility as it approaches the central range. The punch becomes more concise, sensory transcendence is lost, dryness is gained and the decay is more ephemeral. However, the texture is still recognisable throughout the range and it is something that adds naturalness and an organic/analogue feel that elevates the overall appeal of the zone, comparatively speaking against other similarly priced IEMS. All in all, the D13's bass is the culprit in keeping them in my ears for a long time, aided by their great ergonomics. The intonation, timbre, texture, power, loudness and technical qualities of the bass, bring the D13s into my personal enjoyment zone in a very appropriate way, bringing a smile to my face and elevating the listening pleasure of my electronic music collection. They have hit the nail on the head.



Mids

If there is one thing I like almost as much as the bass, it is the midrange. That's why I can't conceive of a good sound if there is no representation of the midrange. But in reality, all ranges are important, because I don't see a music without detail and brilliance as logical either. It is clear that if one wants to emphasise a band, it is possible. But the tricky thing is to find a balance over the whole audible range. Not that the D13 is a paradigm of such balance or flatness, but it is not far from an acceptable profile in this respect, but with more than just nuance. The bass is a testament to this, and so are the mids. If we look at the D13's graphs, it moves around a 10dB variation between 20Hz and 10kHz, the range where most musical information is concentrated. Is that a lot? Quantitatively yes, but audibly not really. In no case is it an unbalanced or polarised profile, but rather the D13s have a smooth, harmonious curve, which can be varied with precision thanks to the filters. One adds sparkle by adding a little pinna gain and first treble, the other smoothes this part out and subtly excites the bass. The balance is won or lost depending on the audience. In my opinion, I could define tuning as a set of sensations and a boost in some key frequencies can be a success. And so it has been here. Following in the footsteps of an exemplary profile like the S12, Letshuoer wanted to follow the pattern by means of a much more traditional sound, as produced by a dynamic driver and to take on the technical capability, thanks to new generations of materials, that make it possible for this type of driver not to lose out to new technologies. Where it is possible, a little more sauce has been added, and where it is not, nothing. This is how the mids are described. The transition between the bass and the midrange is smooth, without haste but without pause. The sinking is relative, if the music presents bass, its more stellar presence can send the vocals into the background. This is where the enhanced technique of a large dynamic driver serves to recover detail and achieve a shared presentation, rather than a diluted mix. In this sense, the coexistence is respectful, even though everyone knows who the big brother is, it's a good family and whenever possible, the little ones in the house will be highlighted. And this happens when the music is more focused, with less bass. The vocal range has a remarkable representation, both nuances and details can be perceived. There is no disdain or disregard for the central range, only that its presence does not have the presence of the deeper bass. And, in fact, this only happens occasionally in the first half, because in the second half, the protagonism returns, but in a controlled way. I would like to say that the chosen excitation point is critical and I know that in other headphones it has failed. Here I can safely say that it has been a success, so the choice has been a wise one. The result is a measured emphasis, which can be chosen by the user, to add vibrancy, clarity, excitement, sparkle, brightness, brilliance and clarity. But you can also choose calm and restraint to gain control and dissipate harshness. I'll stick with sparkle - who would have thought it! And I applaud the way it combines a range that varies from soft to excited, but never lacking in information, vivacity, colour and, why not, naturalness. Clearly there may be a favouring of female vocals and guitars, but there is enough fullness to swell the male voices. And, as I said before, there is technical quality to enrich both instruments and voices, as well as adding texture.
To conclude, I would say that the midrange is not fundamental, but it is not a secondary range either, and it also has a playfulness that allows a well thought out dressing, that allows correcting aspects or enhancing them, depending on the music you want to listen to.



Treble

This is not a classic high end and I like that. The D13s move away from a V-curve and towards the S12s' planar approach of adding flatness to the treble and stretching it gently. The dynamic driver may not hold up to the new technology, but it does achieve a very full and natural representation of the treble. First, they start from a comfortable elevation that adds security, without losing presence. And again I repeat, at the right point. And if not, that's what filters are for. Second, there is no control zone as such. So there is no frequency clipping, but a more realistic exposure. This is how you get a measured, but also fuller brightness. The high notes are not ultra-fine, but have a certain body, but with an excitement that can range from pleasant to vivid. Again, the level of information is very important: by presenting a smoother range, information is not omitted and the result is more realistic, even organic and sparkling. Third, the descending exposure helps to limit sibilance. Either that, or the Silver filter, for sensitive ears in this respect. Lastly, the air zone is where the driver's limit can be glimpsed. But hey, it's not so bad! In summary, I think that the treble is quite enjoyable, it has the quality that the rest of the ranges possess and the necessary extension to represent the music with clarity, realism, detail and harmonic capacity, generating a pleasant timbre and very close to the target.



Soundstage, Separation

I could define the D13 scene as quite pleasant. I don't feel it is average, though not spectacular either. The splashy details bring the elements closer together, but there is a noticeable level of depth and laterality. There isn't an out-of-head feel, nor is there too surrounding. But there is enough air to generate a realistic, calm, detached image with just enough of a dispersion-to-order ratio to sound appealing, natural and moderately expansive. All this is aided by a good technical level to offer significant resolution and definition, allowing for fine notes and details, and a sensitive space between them. In this way, separation is appreciable and any hint of congestion is removed, offering an orderly, natural, but not too pronounced or focused positioning. The D13s are effective in this respect, nothing superior, but they offer a little more than you might ask of them for their price range.



Comparisons

Letshuoer S12

I don't have a reference curve on my SquigLink website. But I think I already commented in the S12 review, that their frequency response would be very close to that reference. Perhaps my preferred curve would be somewhat flatter. However, I also came to the conclusion that despite my preference for that curve, the S12s had room for improvement. And, to some extent, the D13s bring some of those improvements. First, the loudness and quality of the dynamic bass. I still prefer the timbre, colour and texture coming from the classic drivers. It is also true that they have less mid-bass, adding cleanness to the first half of the sound. Another plus is that sparkle in the mid-highs, which gives it more brightness and luminosity, as well as "fooling" the listener with a bit more explicit detail. Finally, where the DDs don't reach is in the high end, and it's here that the extension into the air zone outperforms a well tuned and stretched dynamic driver. As I mentioned in the treble section of the S13, the best thing is that its tuning in this area is similar and achieving this should not have been easy, when in fact the result is very good.
On a physical level it seems that the S12s are slightly heavier than the D13s. Their cable is thicker and silver plated. The D13's cable is made of copper and is thinner. The ergonomics, while not bad on the S12s, are superior on the D13s. The S12s sit more in the pavilion. But both the subtly lighter weight and the smaller, rounder shape make the D13s fit my morphology better.
Let's leave the graphical considerations aside and return to my sonic perceptions. For the comparison I used the gold filter on the D13s. The bass of the S12s feels bigger, more present and extended into the midrange. The D13s, more focused on the sub-bass, release mass and feel more uncluttered. In the S12s the bass is heavier, also fuller. But I prefer the D13's agility, colour and texture.
In the mid-range the differences are large with the gold filter, while they even out with the silver filter. But going back to the gold reference, the first impression is that the D13s have more light and clarity, giving a feeling of greater separation, even detail. The sound is calmer, more relaxed in the S12s, the low-mids have more body and also more density. The mids are thinner in the D13s and especially the upper mids. The excitation of this area is noticeable in the D13s, which can be smoothed out by changing the filter. It is clear that the timbre changes and individual taste will tip the balance one way or the other.
There are also differences in the treble. The sonority is different, although the initial presentation is similar. Then, the execution, the timbre, the decay do the rest. This is where the S12s show their power, although they are also more present in the higher areas. They also improve the sensation of air.
Neither of the two IEMS are detail specialists. The resolution of the S12 is good, but the D13s also generate a good sense of definition, which can be fictitious because of their more excited tuning. But there are those details that come from that better clarity. At the stage level it is somewhat similar, the denser sound of the S12s offers a bigger wall, a wider sound in general. Their oval image has more height and spreads better laterally. The D13s, with their better clarity, seem to present a less cohesive sound and with more gap between notes, improving the sense of separation and darker background.
The S12s are still good, but the D13s are a dynamic alternative that doesn't lag behind them for less money, being much easier to move, with better ergonomics and a performance that can be superior in some areas. A great job.



Conclusion

I think the Letshuoer D13 had a very difficult job to do: to be the successor of the acclaimed S12. And I must admit that the brand has done it very well. In my opinion, the D13s have superior ergonomics, are lighter in weight and add a couple of filters that tone down the sound at two critical points, in order to reach a wider audience. My guess is that to ensure some success, the D13s don't deviate much from the smooth w-curve set by the S12s and I think they have based their tuning on them, albeit with a couple of tweaks: one is more subtle and the other a little more pronounced. Overall, they have achieved a great low end, more emphasised in the sub-bass, adding more cleanliness in the lower range and a smoother, finer transition. With the dynamic driver, they have gained in texture and sound pressure during the strike. The sound is thinner in the mids, also brighter, giving a greater sense of clarity and liveliness. The timbre is thus more natural/organic, but still on the natural/organic side. In the upper range the work is very good and you can tell that Letshuoer wanted to stretch the dynamic driver as if it were the S12s. He has not succeeded, it is clear that the planar driver has more range in this respect. But the tuning is also very good, quite linear, with a full representation, without control zone, but well measured and without losing that soft but present character. In this way the treble is realistic and extended. It is not a prodigy in detail, resolution, scene, positioning and other technical and representational issues, but it has nothing to envy to the direct competition. Finally, it has great sensitivity and combined with the great fun factor, versatility, ergonomics and weight, it is a very, very appreciable IEMS for everyday use. All in all, I think they are very attractive all-rounders, whichever way you look at them.



Sources Used During the Analysis

• TempoTec Variations V6.
• Hidizs AP80 PRO-X Red Copper Limited Edition.
• Burson Audio Playmate.
• xDuoo XD05 BAL.
• Earmen Colibri.

Ratings

• Construction and Design: 88
• Adjustment/Ergonomics: 92
• Accessories: 73
• Bass: 90
• Mids: 88
• Treble: 85
• Separation: 84
• Soundstage: 80
• Quality/Price: 93

Purchase Link



You can read the full review in Spanish here

Introduction
Letshuoer (erstwhile Shuoer) is a brand based out of China that is known for several of it’s IEMs. D13 is their latest Single DD Offering. I personally own their S12 which uses a planer driver and I am very impressed by the sound it delivers given the price. So when I heard about the D13 having Single Dynamic Driver, I was very curious to try it and I am lucky to have received it for audition. Who doesn’t love a Single DD IEM afterall

First things First
This unit of LETSHUOER D13 has been provided to me as part of the review circle by the team of HifiGo. I am not a professional reviewer and following are my personal impressions of the D13 based on my listening preferences, choice of music and source gear used. I have not been paid or influenced, in any way, to write anything for or against the same.
If you are interested in purchasing the IEM, you may go ahead and buy it from HifiGo here (not an affiliated link)

Specs

• 13mm Single Dynamic Driver
• Swappable tuning ear nozzle
• High-quality DLC(Diamond Like Carbon) diaphragm
• Compact and Ergonomic CNC machined ear shells
• 0.78mm dual-pin connectors
• High-purity monocrystalline copper cable
• Impedance: 16Ω
• Sensitivity: 105dB
• THD+N: 0.16%
• Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz
• Termination: 3.5mm/4.4mm

Design & Build Quality
The overall build quality is very good on the D13 and given its price tag of $120, it looks and feels rather premium. The shells are nice and round and offer very good fit and ergonomics. I personally like the Blue color better, which is also the colour of the unit I received for purpose of this review. The supplied cable and is again of very good quality and is very flexible and supple. For the price, they certainly offer a very positive first impression in terms of overall design, build quality and stock inclusions.

Sound Impressions
Prima facie, the sound on the D13 is almost U or mild V shaped. There’s emphasis on the low end and the bass is more prominent. The sub-bass does go deep and there’s good amount of rumble however it stays clean and doesn’t bleed or overlaps other frequencies.

The Mid-Range on the D13 is unique and could appear forward or recessed basis the genre of music being played. I prefer listening to more Pop Music and while the vocals sound clear, they don’t seem to complement the low end at times. Overall the mid-section is clean and has enough warmth, however it’s not the highlight of the show and may not satisfy mids lovers.

Treble section, in my opinion, is where D13 can be a hit or miss given what you prefer. I find the treble on D13 rather safely tuned and does not provide good amount of extension or air. Perhaps this is done to ensure there’s no sibilance, and there’s none, however I feel the details in treble section are being sacrificed due to it. The interchangeable nozzle does help in bringing out some sparkle and energy in the treble section and I think it’s a very good inclusion considering the overall tuning of the IEM.

The soundstage and imaging on D13 are average but nothing that one would want to complain about at this price point.

Conclusion
I think D13 is perfect daily driver for people who want overall fun sound, but without worrying about technicalities or source gear pairing etc. It sounds good out of most DAPs as well as Mobile Phones and does not need any extra power to shine. At the price, the build quality and comfort that D13 offers is very good. In the end sound is subjective and that’s what makes this hobby interesting, however I would easily recommend D13 to anyone looking for an IEM that you want to throw in your backpack for anytime listening.

INTRODUCTION:

Shuoer, the brand based out of China is started by an audio engineer who previously worked in the MNC’s like Panasonic. He later decided to use his creative ideas to innovate his own product by his own company. That's how the brand got its establishment. The brand is well expertise in the audio field and has launched many high end audiophile IEMs. The D13 is their latest mid tier offering equipped with a 13mm DD and in this review let’s check out how good it is.



SPECIFICATIONS:

Sensitivity: 105±1 db

Impedance: 160

Connector: 0.78 2pin

Frequency response: 20-20kHz

Jack: 3.5mm/4.4mm

Diaphragm material: DLC 1 Diamond- Like Carbon

Driver diameter: 13mm

Filters: Swappable treble tuning nozzles

Stock cable: 0.0Smm l 216 strands of high purity copper

DISCLAIMER:

This unit has been provided to me as a part of a review circle organised by the team HiFiGo. The whole views are based on my observations and pairing with it hence it might differ from person to person.

If you are interested in purchasing this item then please go ahead with this unaffiliated link: D13

DESIGN AND FIT:

The D13 adopts a circular design profile with interchangeable screw filters. They are available in blue and grey colour which is matt finished providing a premium look. The design is ergonomic enough to provide a secure fit and seal to the ears.

The stock cable is pretty good and does have that supple texture to it. It has good weight thus providing a nice premium feel on the hands. The stock tips do provide great isolation from the surrounding noises. They also provide a nice faux leather case which feels compact and has precise space for storing the IEM and the tips.



SOUND:

The sound profile of the D13 is more on the U shaped profile with more emphasis over the bass section. The mid range feels slightly neglected but the vocals however are presented well forward enough. The treble feels tamed out but done in a good manner and the sound changes after filter treatment. The technical aspects however are just average in my testing and will be discussed in detail in the following sections.

FILTERS:

The whole impressions are based on the Gold Filters which seemed to be much better when compared to the Stock Silver Filter. The gold filter presents more detailed sound with enhanced separation, better treble response and even better low end separation.

BASS:

The bass in the D13 is the prominent aspect where the sub bass has been given more importance over the mid bass section making some prominent rumbles in the low end section. The sub bass does dig deeper producing some nice satisfying rumbles while also maintaining a clear distinction from the mid bass thus not overlapping each other. The mid bass is on the right quantity too but I felt a little more mid bass presence thus making the whole presentation fuller and bodied and thankfully the D13 does respond to the EQ pretty well and with my Q3 bass boost option they do sound fuller.

The technical aspects in the bass section are pretty neat with clean and nice separation overall. The sub bass and mid bass have clear distinction thus the overall presentation felt pretty clean. The bass texture is on point with realistic timbre to the kick drums and bass guitars.

MID RANGE:

The mid range in the D13 is recessed while the vocals are made to appear upfront thus representing a forward presentation. The instruments however take the back stage making the percussion instruments and the piano notes to sound duller and thinner in terms of texture. The lower mid section has a nice body while it could have been better if the mid bass is thicker. The male vocals sound with a realistic tone and give the presentation a prime focus. The upper mid section is the same as the lower mids where the female vocals are made to appear upfront and sometimes too much forward nature causes a slight fatigue while the instruments are pushed back. However the tone and the instrument timbre appeared to be realistic and natural. The track separation and the detail retrieval in the mid section are average. The sense of space and the layering is done well.



TREBLE:

The treble in the D13 is tuned to be modest where the extension is pretty limited thus the detail retrieval is not going to be the superior aspect while the overall presentation is better. They sound smoother but yet have that rich engaging factor. The brilliance is made to appear pretty clean and presentable. The brightness is adequate making the presentation more vivid and open.

The cymbal crashes have pretty precise attack and decay thus the notes don’t appear thinner or lacking in terms of splash. The timbre appears to be realistic thus giving a nice realistic experience. The presence of air in the treble section is pretty good thus representing an average sense of space and good separation overall. The sibilance is kept under control making the longer listening sessions a peaceful one. If the extension has been not limited the treble section could have been even better by delivering some impressive details.



TECHNICALITIES:

STAGING: The staging in the D13 is on the average side where both the width and the height seems to be pretty restricted. The depth sensation however feels slightly bigger due to that bigger sub bass. The overall presentation felt pretty good but could have been big enough for representing a grandeur presentation.

IMAGING AND LAYERING: These aspects also seem to be on the average side. Since the staging is not on the bigger side the imaging tends to be slightly average when it comes to busy tracks while the clear distinction between different depth of notes seems to be clustered out making the layering to be on the average side. The transient response felt good with nice dynamic transitions.

VERDICT:

D13, the latest offering from the house of Shuoer is a well executed package which inclines towards delivering impressive dynamic range and a realistic experience. The D13 is equipped with a 13mm DLC coated diaphragm Dynamic Driver delivering some impressive bass response, realistic mid section and a non fatiguing treble.

The design is pretty great with a circular profile. Adopting screw type interchangeable filters to deliver different sound profiles gives this IEM an edge in this price segment. The 2 pin connection is a big boon for this D13 since MMCX is always problematic.

Coming to the sound, they are pretty great in terms of bass response with more sub bass emphasis thus providing some nice rumbles in the low end. Has a clear distinction between the sub and mid bass section making the clarity and separation superior while the texture too feels pretty nice. The mid section feels recessed but the vocals are made upfront providing a sensation of forwardness. The treble being modest provides a nice soothing listen overall with adequate brightness and open nature to the sound. The tonality being natural and timbre being realistic they provide a solid sound for the price however the staging and the detail retrieval are average for the price. The staging is not expansive making the presentation slightly constricted and the details are not that impressive.

Overall as a package this D13 does make a great impact in the market. Solid dynamic sound with great accessories makes this IEM one of the value for money products in this segment and the DYNAMICS SPEAKS for the existence of this D13 in the market.

LETSHUOER D13



Foreword

1. This unit was sent to me by HiFiGo for review purposes. Check it out at https://hifigo.com/collections/new-arrival/products/letshuoer-d13
2. At the point of this article, my D13 has undergone over 200 hours of burn in and approximately 80 hours of actual listening
3. I don't do measurements, I just describe what I hear, from my own POV
4. I don't use EQ
5. The entirety of my impressions was done with the LETSHUOER D13 Foam Tips
6. Ultimately, my reviews are purely subjective and biased to my personal preference in sound

The Build

D13 offers somewhat unique designed shells which suggests Steampunk theme. It is made of CNC machined aluminum enclosures. Thankfully the metal shells are designed to be amply ergonomic especially on the inner side and I did not feel any discomfort due to unsavory edges. In fact I will say that D13 is among some of the most comfortable metal shelled IEMs I have used so far. Credit to LETSHUOER for this subtle yet welcoming engineering feat.

D13 uses traditional DLC single dynamic drivers sized 13mm. Hence the name, D13. With 16 Ohm of impedance and 105dB of sensitivity, D13 obviously designed to be an easy to drive unit from the get go.

To complement the overall neat design, D13 comes with proper set of companion accessories. Most prominent being the handcrafted 4 cores/216 strands of Monocrystalline Copper Cable with premium and sturdy finishing. There’s also simple yet practical carrying case for the array of silicone tips and the IEM itself. The highlight of D13, swappable nozzle filters. Two set of nozzles offered, of which I will describe in details later.

Equipment Used

• Xiaomi Mi 9T (3.5mm SE and USB Port)
• Sony Xperia X Compact (3.5mm SE and USB Port)
• Windows 10 with Native USB Drivers
• HiBy Audio Player USB Exclusive Mode with FLAC files
• CEntrance DACport HD
• Cayin RU6
• Ovidius B1
• NotByVE Avani
• VE Megatron
• MUSE HiFi M1
• MUSE HiFi M3

Timbre, Tonality & Dynamics:
D13 offers something I would regard as soft U curve tuning. Definitely not a neutral sounding IEM by a longshot. The pronounced elevation of lower frequencies are prominent. The Mids, depending on what genre of music being played, will appear slightly recessed. The high frequencies being mildly tamed in favor of smoother energy and vibe.

The general theme of D13 sound, properly controlled dynamics that offers mature and clean sound with admirable balance of vibrancy that does not sound overly euphonic like most DD based V tuned IEMs. It is fun sounding as it is neat at the same time – I really appreciate this balance which in turn will offer big sound that is spacious and open.

Perhaps, one element that impresses me the most is how well controlled attack and decays being presented. Always clean and resolved – with believable speed and dispersal. Dynamic extensions are not exactly far reaching as some others, but it is not exactly rolled off either – for they appear to be mild in presentation. With highly resolving sources, there’s ample micro details to suggest the depth of extensions – especially on the lower frequencies which offers deep and dense Sub-Bass responses. Even the highs will reveal ample micro details despite not as pronounced

Tonal wise, D13 is assuredly organic and natural sounding. No unsavory or unrealistic metallic element that I can hear of – some may even regard D13 as “warm” especially if the user is used to bright sounding unit. Otherwise, I think the overall timbre and tonality is faithfully realistic despite the coloration of lower frequencies and mild suppression of Mids

Mids
As noted with the other LETSHUOER IEM that I have tested, D13 carries similar Mids signature to LETSHUOER Z12. Despite being U curved tuned, I find the Mids to be present enough not to sound outright recessed. Largely depending on the genre of music being played. For example, with the Bluegrass of Alison Krauss or Modern Jazz of Diana Krall/Sinne Eeg, the Mids presentation were actually properly forward sounding – I did not feel that it was recessed at all. The tonality and texture of Mids being rich and dense, natural with good clarity and resolution.

However, when listening to Pop/Indie/Metal/Rock music, then I feel that the Mids are less forward.

The staging of instruments offered smooth edged attack, with enough energy to emit something that is natural sounding – like the piano tones being “warm” yet believable – the saxophone deep and chesty.

Perhaps the point to criticize, at times I feel that the Mids placement may sound slightly “lower” on imaging, as if I am standing taller than the singers in the songs.

Vocals wise, D13 must be commended for projecting natural output be it males or females. Perhaps a slight hint of coloration due to the “warming” effect on upper Mids – which I suspect will appeal to some.

Treble
Smooth is the general theme for D13 Treble. Clean edged, polished attack with equally smooth dispersing decays. It does not offer lengthy decays, but it is present enough to be heard with just the right amount of sparkle and shimmer. I can’t find any element of sibilance or pinna glare especially when paired with natural and neutral sounding partners. Treble being organic enough to not sound unnaturally metallic or plasticky.

The only caveat that I can think of, if I am going to be critical on this – I wish there’s a bit more air with the flow of Treble transition between upper Mids to lower Treble – it may appear slightly clustered. This is evident on complex composition like Sinne Eeg recordings.

Most important to note, D13 Treble presentation ultimately depends on which nozzle filters being used. The stock nozzles will exhibit the nature as described above – generally favoring smoothness over edgy attack/decays. But when the secondary nozzles swapped in, then it was evident to me, a bit more of Treble sparkle, shimmer and energy revealed. Now D13 would appear a bit more appealing to those preferring brighter presentation. The caveat, it will also sound less smooth as compared to the “warmer” stock nozzles.

Bass
D13 Bass can be described as well balanced. The Mid-Bass being strong but tidy and well behaved – never attempting to overcome anything within the frequencies. Even more impressive is the Sub-Bass presentation. D13 offers deep and far reaching Bass extensions. I dare say that D13 will even satisfy the need of most Bassheads, perhaps not as prominent as LETSHUOER Z12 (which I regard as outright Basshead IEM).

The presentation of Sub-Bass is perhaps the one element of lower frequency of D13 that I find myself enjoying the most. For one, D13 offers the sort of seismic sensations that is felt as it is heard. The reverb of drum machines or twang of cellos – all properly audible and present. It does not matter which type of Bass I am looking at, be it electronic, strings or percussion Bass, they all sounded satisfyingly rich and dense. With just the right amount of body mass and density. At times I can even feel the texture being as great as higher end devices – simply admirable.

For this reasons, I find D13 completely at home for listening to the likes of Russian Circles, Pelican, KRAFTWERK, Kitaro, Controlled Bleeding or any music that offers myriad of rich Bass mastering. Perhaps the Bass responses can be a bit too strong for when listening to modern Jazz or Bluegrass, but even then it does not really bother me much because despite the larger than neutral presentation, Bass remained clean and disciplined for the most part



Technicalities
D13 offers good sense of space and width for soundstage. Perhaps not as tall but I can’t find any reason to complain about the overall staging. In fact being In Ear Monitor, this is a common issues for many. For D13 to sound big and open, it is already something that I regard as a very positive output.

Technically, D13 is a very well behaved unit with clean separation lines, not exactly razor edged nor does it appear blurry even when the output being largely warmish organic. Surprisingly, D13 also seems to exhibit very good handling of Macro and Micro details – thanks to the clean overall resolution.

What I do find interesting, D13 does not seem to be a very holographic unit with spatial positioning. Yes the imaging is clean and clear, but the positioning is decidedly more of traditional Left/Right orientation. This I believe has a lot to do with the native design of single Dynamic Drivers. Obvious to me, multiple driver IEMs will offer better spatial staging. So in this regard, D13 is not suited for gaming or immersive movie watching. But keep it for music, then D13 will be one worthy device to use.

Speed and resolution of D13 also being quite admirable. Despite being warmish sounding unit (with stock filters), D13 does not falter with overall transparency and resolution. And the most interesting bit, D13 seems to be quite forgiving as well with less than stellar recordings – it resolve enough details but somehow manage to dampen recording artifacts – this I find very evident when listening to Lo-Fi Black Metal recordings of the 90s.

Lastly, D13 will be quite resistant to sounding congested or muddy. In fact I would say the speed will handle anything I throw at it. Complex Jazz or outright speedy music, D13 handles them all with proper agility and finesse.

Scalability
D13 is SUPER easy to drive. Straight out of my weak Sony Xperia X Compact, I am already getting great sound with rich dynamics. It gets even better as when paired with more competent partners. Scalability of D13 is nothing short of impressive. Even when pushed with 4.7 Vrms of VE Megatron, D13 does not get shouty or unnaturally edgy – the expanse of dynamics gets a bit more of headroom with richer density. Same goes with my favorite DAC/Amps of CEntrance DACport HD which pumped out 775 mW of power at 4.1 Vrms.

It must be noted though, being low impedance and highly sensitive, D13 will pick up audible floor noises from either Ovidius B1 or VE Megatron.



Final Words
Frankly, LETSHUOER D13 does not offer the sort of sound signature that I would normally favor. I prefer flatter neutral sound. However, the indulgence of music ultimately is for the pleasure of listening – and in this regard, D13 is one unit that fits the bill perfectly. D13 is fun yet articulate, resolving and technically competent. It has ample maturity for critical listening as it is for casual sessions.

The ability to easily swap nozzles makes D13 a truly versatile IEM – smooth or more energetic, just swap them nozzles and it would be hard not to like any one of them – depending on the moods of the listener.

Worth to mention also, D13 can be worn for long period of hours. The ergonomic design is very thoughtful of human ear cavities – I truly appreciate that. Lastly, D13 will sound great with almost any source partners, versatile yet scalable. Overall, for the asking price, D13 offered positives that harbor very minor cons (most of them subjective to preferences).

INTRODUCTION AND DISCLAIMER:
The Letshuoer D13 is an in-ear monitor (IEM) which uses a 13mm diamond-like carbon dynamic driver. The D13 also features two different sets of swappable tuning nozzles. The D13 retails for $113 at HiFiGo, which sent me a unit in exchange for my impressions.

SOURCES:
I have used the D13 with the following sources:

Qudelix 5K
Moondrop Dawn

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES:




The Letshuoer D13 comes in a black cardboard box with a black slipcover. The front of the slipcover features a picture of the D13. The rear of the slipcover features technical specifications for the D13 in what I believe are Mandarin, Cantonese, English, and Japanese. Letshuoer’s corporate contact information is also listed on the back of the slipcover.

The D13 uses a detachable 2-pin cable. My review unit came with a 4.4mm balanced cable, but a 3.5mm single-ended cable is also available.


The D13 includes a faux-leather black zippered semi-rigid carry case with embossed Letshuoer branding and an internal mesh pocket.


The D13 includes two sets of silicone eartips (S, M, L). The clear-and-black set of eartips is shorter and wider in shape than the all-black set.

In terms of documentation, the D13 includes a manual, a warranty registration card, a product catalog, a quality control pass chit, and a card featuring quick response codes that link to Letshuoer’s social media profiles.

BUILD QUALITY AND DESIGN:

The Letshuoer D13 has aluminum alloy housings with a rounded form factor reminiscent of Dunu’s DK series IEMs. The faceplate features a single slim arc-shaped vent and three arc-shaped recessions radiating outwards in a half-circle arrangement. The recessed arcs are filled in with bright yellow paint, which would not have been my first choice to pair with the metallic cobalt housings. “LETSHOUER D13-XXX” is printed in white on the back face of both the left and right housings, where “XXX” is the unit serial number.

There are circular resin plugs on the inner face of the 2-pin connector housing which are embossed with “L” and “R” indicators. The plugs are flush with the surface of the housing. The left side plug is blue and the right side plug is red, matching the resin endcaps of the included 2-pin cable. This is a subtle but impressive example of attention to detail in the D13’s design.

There are three small round vents on the inner face of the housing at the base of the nozzle. The nozzles are forward-swept and feature extruded lips for eartip retention. The two sets of tuning nozzles are distinguished by differently colored mesh covers.

The included 2-pin cable is wrapped in a quad-braid below the Y-split and double-helix patterns above the Y-split. The wire used in the cable’s construction is gorgeous and evokes a comparison to expensive aftermarket cables.


The cable jack has a straight form factor. There is a knurled band on the jack. “LETSHUOER” is printed in white towards the top of the jack housing. There is strain relief above the jack housing but none at the Y-split. The cable has pre-formed earguides without memory wire and an acrylic chin-adjustment choker. The cable microphonics are minor to non-existent even without the use of the choker.

COMFORT, FIT, AND ISOLATION:

The Letshouer D13 is intended to be worn cable-up. The earpieces have a moderate insertion depth. I found the D13 to be exceptionally comfortable. Secureness of fit is average and the housings required occasional readjustment. I did not experience any driver flex with the D13. Isolation is very poor.

MEASUREMENTS:
My measurements of the Letshuoer D13 can be found on my expanding squig.link database:

https://bedrock.squig.link/index.html?share=Letshuoer_D13_(Silver)

https://bedrock.squig.link/index.html?share=Letshuoer_D13_(Gold)

SOUND:
The following sound impressions were taken with the silver nozzle filters.

The Letshuoer D13 has a U-shaped sound signature.

The D13’s bass tuning is highly reminiscent of the Moondrop Aria. Like the Aria, the D13’s bass is most elevated in the sub-bass region and gently decreases in emphasis all the way through the mid-bass region. The D13’s bass is clean and clear-sounding while retaining some mid-bass presence. There are moderate amounts of rumble and impact. Sub-bass extension is very good. Bass texture and detail retrieval are above average for the D13’s price point. I did find myself wanting more bass from the D13. Thankfully, the driver is highly capable and responds well to equalization (EQ).

The D13’s lower midrange is quite recessed. Some midrange instrumentation, such as analog percussion and electric guitars, can come across as a bit thin-sounding as a result. The D13’s pinna gain region is centered just past 2 kHz, which is earlier than I prefer. While not sibilant, both male and female vocals are overly forward and somewhat shouty to my ears. Harsh male vocals are appropriately abrasive and surprisingly intelligible. Female vocals sound realistic if overemphasized. The presence region is well-controlled and overall midrange clarity is excellent. Midrange timbre is very natural-sounding.

The D13 has a prominent lower treble peak. Treble-sensitive listeners may want to consider using foam eartips to dampen this peak, though will come at a cost to upper treble extension. Detail retrieval is average. Treble transient delivery is realistic and not overly splashy. Upper treble extension is fair. Interestingly, the D13 has a more natural-sounding timbre than the Moondrop Aria. The Aria, while having slightly superior detail retrieval, seems to have an overabundance of upper treble, which creates an artificial-sounding sheen. The D13’s soundstage and imaging are average. Instrument separation is slightly above average.

AMPLIFICATION REQUIREMENTS AND SOURCE PAIRING:
The Letshuoer D13 is easy to drive. I did not notice hiss with either of my devices.

CLOSING WORDS:

The Letshuoer D13 is a respectable offering at its price point but does little to stand out from the array of comparably priced and similarly competent IEMs on the market today. Bassheads comfortable with EQ and sticklers for timbre may want to take a closer look.

The Letshuoer D13 can be purchased below:

https://hifigo.com/products/letshuoer-d13

Intro
Letshuoer is a company that was founded in August 2016.They are specialised in making in ear monitors for stage use but they do have in ear monitors for audiophiles as well. They were called Shuoer previously and I am very sure a lot of audiophiles are familiar with this model Tape Pro that is using an electrostatic dynamic driver.
This is my 2nd experience with Letshuoer and it’s safe to say I have had a rather positive experience with them till to date. I liked the S12 and let’s see if I will like the D13 as well?
D13 is a single dynamic driver IEM with replaceable tuning nozzle.

Packaging
With the past unboxing experience from S12, I have had a very positive unboxing experience and D13 doesn’t let me down either. The overall presentation is very premium despite the asking price, faux leather carrying case, D13 itself, and the iem cable with the termination of your choice either 3.5 or 4.4 balanced.

Build/Comfort
Build quality is very good. The overall chassis of the IEM is aluminium and fairly lightweight. The shape is also quite ergonomic and I have no problem using them for a long period of time and no discomfort throughout.



Source
Macbook Air M2 -> Kaei HP100 -> Letshuoer D13 (4.4)
Macbook Air M2 -> Letshuoer D13 (4.4 -> 3.5)
Macbook Air M2 -> Dunu DTC 500 -> Letshuoer D13 (4.4)
Tempotec V6 -> Letshuoer D13 (4.4)

Sound (Stock cable and eartips with Gold colour nozzle - Single layer filter)
D13 sounds very balanced to my ears with a gold colored nozzle. The default nozzle is the silver colored nozzle and I have checked with the Letshuoer’s rep and confirmed that the default nozzle has a double layer of filter vs single on the gold. What that means is that the silver nozzle will have a more energetic presentation and also slightly boosted low end, at least that is what I heard, whereas the gold nozzle will be a more balanced and smoother treble.

D13’s sound presentation is neutral and slightly bright to my ears, that is if it’s on the default silver nozzle, however on the gold colored nozzle, the top end energy is slightly toned down and that naturally contributes to a slightly boosted low end.

Bass

• D13’s bass response is clean and tight,right amount of quantity but doesn’t skimp on quality, some may perceive this is bass light, but the amount is just right for me
• Bass is speedy and it has no problem keeping up on complex track such as Slipknot’s People = crap, i have had experience with other IEM where they have slower bass and it will then be what you perceived as muddy,i have no such experience on D13
• Sub bass rumble is there when it’s called for, definitely nowhere near basshead level, nonetheless, it is still very enjoyable and i honestly don’t find the bass lacking at all
• Bass has got good texture and never once sound bloated

Mids

• Vocal positioning is in between slightly recessed and forward,i personally find that this kind of positioning is the sweet spot for me (Source does affect this as well, Kaei’s HP100 does pushes the vocal slightly forward but not the point where it's in your face)
• Both male and female vocal has got good texture to it and never once it sounded thin
• Female vocal sounded very sweet especially Lana Del Rey’s, very enticing
• Lower mids has got plenty of details and moving to upper mids,the upper mids doesn’t get hot as this is the range where most people are sensitive

Treble

• Treble on D13 has rather good extension but never harsh or sibilant even when you crank the volume up
• For those who are sensitive to treble, you may switch to the gold nozzle like i did, i’m not really sensitive to treble but i just find that using the gold nozzle presents a more balanced and smoother sound
• It has got good amount of air and sparkles despite on the silver nozzle
• Generally the treble presentation is fairly good and never once i felt fatigue even when i’m listening to it for several hours
• Very good detail retrieval for the asking price as well

Soundstage/Imaging

• Soundstage is fairly average, nothing exceptional,not too wide nor too in your head
• Imaging is quite good,instruments can be pinpointed easily and very good separation during complex track as well, but then again, this is a 107$ product and you should not have the expectation where it will have similar performance as a 200$ IEM,something’s gotta give right?

Driveability

• D13 is very easy to drive, and i personally find that it is quite sensitive with source, for me, it works well with a slightly warm source or neutral source
• Of course, it can be driven of an Apple Dongle as well
• As you feed it with slightly more power, it does sound a little bit more controlled, but generally, a mid tier dongle is more than enough to extract its performance, heck even Macbook Air M2’s internal DAC is good enough

Final Thoughts
What is exciting is that ChiFi is moving so fast and rapidly and hitting consumers with new products almost on a monthly basis, at least from my observation. Where exactly does D13 position themselves among the competitors? They pull themself ahead of the competitors by offering a swappable nozzle to fine tune the treble response based on the user’s preference, not to mention at a price point where it’s considered as affordable with a high price performance ratio. Although not really a new thing, take BQEYZ’s Autumn for example, it does offer several swappable nozzles which alters the bass response but the price is significantly higher than D13.
I personally think that D13 is being overshadowed by many other brands with their rapid releases, and it definitely deserves some attention as they are really a good set. I have no problem recommending them to anyone who’s looking to spend 119$ on an IEM.

*D13 is sent over by Letshuoer F.O.C in exchange for this review. I received no monetary compensation nor i am under any influence by Letshuoer to produce this review

If you are interested in getting a pair, head over their store to grab one now!
Letshuoer’s D13 - Official Webstore - Non affiliated

The Letshuoer D13 have been sent to me by Letshuoer in exchange for the publication of this review, they have not made any specific requests, although I will leave a non-affiliate link to the official page of the D13 below.
This means that, as always, I will do my best to be as unbiased as possible in the review of these IEMs, always reminding you that these IEMs have not actually cost me anything.

The Letshuoer D13 official page is here: https://letshuoer.net/products/letshuoer-d13-dlc-diaphragm-dynamic-driver-iem-moving-coil-headphones



Intro…

Letshuoer, previously known as Shuoer, are a company that have been around for quite a while, at least as far as the world of IEMs time frame is concerned, with a few models that have gained a lot of popularity. One of my favourite daily drivers is the Letshuoer S12, a planar magnetic set of IEMs that I am very fond of.

The D13 is a dynamic driver set, featuring a 13mm DLC diaphragm, which comes with two sets of nozzles featuring two filter types that create slight changes to the overall tuning of the IEMs.

At the time of this review, the IEMs cost around 115€, although there is a sale that drops them to around 105€.

That means that, while they are not in the ultra-cheap budget category, they are still reasonably priced IEMs.



Presentation…

Presented in a nice modern box, the contents are similar to those included with the S12 that I have received previously.

Other than the IEMs, we get a nice cable which is available either as a 3.5mm unbalanced or a 4.4mm balanced (the latter being the one I have received), 6 sets of silicone tips (in two types), a storage/transport case which is the same as the one included with the S12 but with a different text on top, the additional set of nozzles, the usual warranty card and a Letshuoer product manual.

There is nothing included that is extraordinary but at the same time, the contents are plenty for a set of IEMs in this price range, at least in my opinion.



Build and aesthetics…

Starting with the IEMs, the build quality looks to be of very good quality and the aestheitcs are something that I find very pleasurable (of course, this is a totally personal opinion).

The shape of the IEMs is a break from the norm, using a round shell with the connection point located on top. The shape is not unique, as there are other manufacturers that have used similar shapes in the past, but the overall design and aesthetics give it a very original look. Available in black or blue, I have the black version which is actually a very dark gunmetal grey, something that I am quite fond of, making the red highlights stand out without looking out of place.

As far as comfort, I personally find them very comfortable, with the shells fitting nicely inside my ear and no hot spots developing even after long listening sessions.

The included cable is thinner than the one included with the S12, something that I also prefer, in a dark brown colour sporting hardware that matches the finish of the IEMs.

I have absolutely no complaints with regards to build, aesthetics or comfort, although two of these three will vary from one person to the next.



Sound…

NOTE: as always, all tracks are clickable links to reference the mentioned track in the streaming service of your choice.

As I mentioned, the D13 includes two nozzles, one with a gold filter and the other with a silver filter. The differences in sound between the two are not huge but they are noticeable, here is what they look like in comparison to my personal preference target:



As you can see on the graph, the silver filter adds some more presence in the low end, while dropping the 2kHz presence a little, the rest is almost identical. Now, anyone who has followed my reviews will guess that I prefer the nozzles with the gold filters… and I do.

I find the gold filters to have a little more clarity to them, still with plenty of bass (maybe a little too much at times) for my tastes, making the overall sound more impressive in my opinion. I have spent time with both sets of nozzles, yet my overall feeling when using the silver nozzles was that things are just a little duller and not quite as defined.

So, my following thoughts are based on using the nozzles with gold filters, together with the dark grey silicone tips that come included.

In the low ranges, there is plenty of presence, with the bass being the main focus of this set, and in my opinion, what it does the best. Playing the usual test track, “Chameleon” by Trentemoller, when the main bass kicks in at 0:31, it is quite a “wow” moment, especially upon first listen. I do find that at 0:47, when bass increases even more, it can get a little overpowering for me but then again, the track itself is rather overpowering.

Testing the subbass with something a little more sane, like “Royals” by Lorde, there is a nice rumble that I don’t find overpowering. I have mentioned before that the subbass in “Royals” is a little “loose” (for lack of a better word) and the D13 certainly don’t make it any worse.

Focusing more on the midbass, listening to “Sun is Shining”, I find the bass to be clean and articulate, making a good job of this specific track and resulting in a pleasant listen. With another common test track of mine, “No Sanctuary Here”, I find that there is a little too much midbass for my taste but it is clean and articulate, making the track still enjoyable, even if a little overly boosted in these ranges.

With “Black Muse”, here I do find that the bass is not quite as detailed as it should be, yet I am coming to realize that this track seems to be a difficult one for IEMs to get right, at least as far as what I consider “right”. “New Life” is another track that I felt had too much in the low end but in general, for such a bass orientated set of IEMs, I must say that I found myself enjoying more often than not.

Moving into the lower mids, the presence drops quite a bit, through the center of the mids also, and this helps keep the low end clean and tidy. The mids can seem to be further back than I appreciate (even more so with the Silver filters), yet they are not absent, it is just the kind of V tuning that these IEMs are going for. An example of this would be “Back It Up”, where vocals could do with a little more presence.

When playing acapella tracks, such as “These Bones”, vocals are warm and articulate, in fact, “These Bones” sounds pretty good on the D13! With Nellie McKay in “I Concentrate On You”, I did find her voice to not be quite as lively as I would like it to be.

That brings us to the upper mids, where the 2kHz presence works hard to bring vocals and the likes further forwards, avoiding them being too far back in the mix. The D13 don’t do a terrible job in this regard but they don’t do an excellent job either.

In some tracks, such as “Back It Up” that I already mentioned, I get the feeling that vocals are not quite present enough, where on other tracks, such as “All Eyez On Me”, I find the opposite to be true, it is just a little too harsh in the upper mids.

I feel that this is due to the 2kHz rise being a little too much and rolling off a little too soon. If the presence wasn’t quite as boosted and was extended a little more towards the 3kHz mark before dropping, then it would maybe be a little more balanced.

One thing I will say is that, when a track is recorded in a way that matches the tuning of the D13, such as “Don’t Start Now” by Dua Lipa, it sounds pretty great. In fact, I would say that these IEMs are best suited to modern music recorded like “Don’t Start Now”, as they seem to work great for it. I would even venture to say that, for modern pop, I would need to think long and hard about choosing the Dusk over these (the Dusk being my default pick for modern pop).

Moving into the upper ranges, some harshness can again present itself on occasions but only sporadically. In general the upper treble is decent and sibilance is also avoided quite well. Listening to “Code Cool”, sibilance is tamed but is not dulled, which is a good thing.

Details are not spectacular, making smaller details in the background difficult to appreciate, although I don’t really think that these are IEMs that are designed for fixating on tiny details. For example, in the track “All You Love (Turned To Passion)”, the tonality of the guitar and vocals I find quite nice, along with the majority of what is happening in the foreground, yet those tiny details that depend on the reverb etc. during the intro, they are not quite there, even when focusing on them.

Soundstage is about average for a set of IEMs, nothing groundbreaking in this regard, with an image placement that is good but is also not excellent. I don’t really have any complaints here but I don’t really have any praise either.



As I have been mentioning lately, the above is a graph of the isolation of the D13 in comparison to Zero Isolation (grey dotted line). They are not the most isolating of IEMs but are not terrible either, sort of around average, which is to be expected with the rear vents. You can compare these to other IEMs by following the link at the end of this review.



Conclusion…

The D13 are another set of IEMs that bring some fun to the table for a reasonable price. The build is good, the aesthetics and comfort are great (both in my opinion of course) and the overall sound signature is something that works well for a lot of music.

They put plenty of emphasis on the bass region without overdoing it, at least not with the majority of music, and I find that they make for a very pleasant listen with EDM, modern pop and other similarly produced music.

They are not a set of IEMs that I would choose to focus on details and pick apart recordings, more something that I would pick for being on the move or while doing other things that involve focus elsewhere. Paired with a BT receiver, such as the Go Blu in my case, I find that they are a great pick for doing chores that involve moving around and enjoying music without dissecting it.

I also wouldn’t pick them for acoustic music, which a lot of my listening is, I think they are more of a “Friday afternoon” set

I think Letshuoer are working hard to improve and bring quality with their latest releases and the D13 is another good effort that is around the 100€ mark. There are a couple of other models of theirs that I would like to get to try and I’ll be interested to see what else they bring forward in the near future.

(As always, this review is also available in Spanish on www.achoreviews.com and on www.youtube.com/achoreviews)

All FR measurements of IEMs can be viewed and compared on achoreviews.squig.link

All isolation measurements of IEMs can be found on achoreviews.squig.link/isolation

Review Of The LETSHUOER D13​

Introduction​

The company LETSHUOER hails from China and It is a very reputable entity in audio business. When it comes to their products, S12 and Ej07M, they are one of their best IEMs releases by LETSHUOER. They have also collaborated with Bad Guy Good Audio Review and released Kinda Lava. But today I’ll be reviewing their latest release the LETSHUOER D13.

Disclaimer​

*Thanks to HiFiGo team as this unit tour has been arranged by HiFiGo, lovely people. And as mentioned in all of my reviews, same goes with this one too and that is, each and every thoughts below mentioned are my personal own thoughts and they are not fiddled with any outside influences. The following link is where you can go and own one for yourself :-

https://hifigo.com/products/letshuoer-d13

*I will be referring these IEMs to as 'D13' for the rest of the review.
*And at last I will only be reviewing the D13 on the basis of their performance, I do not care what these are made of or packaged with when newly purchased unless it affects the sound in any sense what so ever.

Specification​

The D13 has a single DD configuration. It is a big 13mm diamond like carbon diaphragm mated with N52 neodymium magnets. The impedance is 16 ohms and sensitivity of 105dB with distortion of 0.16%. The frequency response is from 20Hz to 20kHz. These also features swappable treble tuning nozzles, which will be talked about in details later.

Sound​

The sound signature of D13 is mild V-Shape. The bass is more emphasized in the sub bass. The mid range is a little up front sound very clean. Coming to the treble, the treble is a little weak with details and it doesn’t sound extended in the mix. Over all the sound has good amount of bass and vocals being forward in the mix with clean presentation.

Treble​

Okay so the treble is where I find this IEM’s weak points. The treble sounds not good with extension. The treble has okay details but doesn’t sound so distinct. Every element of the ix sounds very clustered, it feels like they have no room to breath. When it comes to the high octaves of female vocals they are limited to their own space and doesn’t sound complete. Coming to he male vocals, they sound okay to me but I resent the presentation of vocals in this region. Coming to the instruments, especially the cymbal crashes or snare hits, the cymbal crashes are toned down and the snare hits are very weak. In the over all performance, the treble is weak by it’s own limitation, though still have a presence in the mix.

Mid Range​

The mid range is also not so quite perfect, yes there weight in the vocals and instruments, they sound a little warm but not pleasant. The upper mid range has a lot of energy, especially in the vocals, they are very forward in the mix but becomes very shouty, same with the instruments, they becomes hot and sibilant. The low mid range is a little recessed and sounds a little hollow as well, though I feel the reason being the vocals to not sound pleasant or warm is due to this recess lower mid range. Although this doesn’t mean they sound bad or wrong, if the they sound lean, they sounds detailed and clean. In the overall performance in this region, the mid range sounds energetic as well as shouty.

Bass​

Now when it comes to bass, the bass is where this IEM shines the best. The bass is punchy as well as slams greatly. There is thump and sounds deep as well. And even after these characteristics, the bass still is controlled very well. The bass emphasis is more over sub bass region and the extension is nicely done here, though doesn’t require for the emphasis as it suffice everything about a bass response. the mid bass can bleed a little bit into the lower mid range though doesn’t negatively impact the mix. The bass is really well done on these, feels like bass cannon. Though the bass texture is not quite right and the rumble feels slightly lacking, as these have sub bass emphasis. The over all presentation of bass is very well done and sounds controlled, even though they are slammy, thumpy and punchy.

Technical Performance​

Coming to the technical performance, the D13 is average most of all in performing, the soundstage is not wide enough, the imaging is quite blunt and separation is not good. The resolution and detail retrieval is quite okay but the speed is again not that okay.

Soundstage, Sound Imaging & Separation​

The 3d holographic image is decent but it is not wide and sounds intimate and notoriously bad. The imaging is not quite sharp and the separation is really not good. There is really difficulty pin pointing the elements sounding coming from all directions.

Speed & Resolution​

The resolution and the detail retrieval are not so revealing but sounds clean though. The details aren’t rich with information. The attack or decay of notes is really not that fast in response and sounds slow. The dynamic range of instruments and vocals is really not so levelled and balanced.

Sound Impression Based On The Tuning Nozzles ​

There are two types of tuning nozzles with different filter and they don't quite make a lot of difference in over all sound performance, So they are :-

Silver/White Tuning Nozzle​

So with the silver/white nozzle, the upper mid range is toned down when compared with the gold/yellow nozzle, although a little bit of forward presentation is lost with details. But the bass becomes more prominent and sounds solid. Due to the declination of the upper mid range, the vocals sounds a little less shouty and more resilient with peaky and lean sounding.

Gold/Yellow Tuning Nozzle​

With the gold/yellow nozzle,, there is more change towards the upper mid range and sounds a little more open and forward costing less offensive sound and sounds shouty. Though the bass sounds a little more controlled. Though the mid range sounds lacking note weight and sounds leaner.

Conclusion​

To conclude this review, The D13 is really made for bass heads who also like a little bit of vocals which would be hip-hop, R&B and pop listeners. yes i can definitely recommend them but for critical listeners or who loves balanced tuning I would rather ask them to try S12 than these D13. Although if you're lucky to try these, I suggest you too give a thorough listen.

Sources And Tracks Used​

Sources​

Apple iPhone XS Max
LG G8X
iPad (4th generation)
Apple Dongle Dac
Shanling UA1 Pro
iFi HIPDAC
Venture Electronics Megatron
Apple Lossless
UAPP
Localy stored Flac and Wav Files

Tracks​

Curtis Mayfield - Pusherman
Earth, Wind & Fire - September
Earth, Wind & Fire - Let's Groove
Boston - More Than A Feeling
Fleetwood Mac - Everywhere(Remastered)
Toto - Africa
The Police - Every Breath You Take
George Benson - Affirmation
Daft Punk - Doin' It Right
Daft Punk - Derezzed
Daft Punk - Tron Legacy (End Titles)
GOJIRA - Amazonia
The Mars Volta - Inertiatic ESP
Fergie - Glamorous
50 Cent - In Da Club
Jay Z - Holy Grail
Erbes - Lies
Nitti Gritti - The Loud
Juelz - Inferno

Disclaimer/s:

• LETSHUOER sent this unit to me in an exchange for an honest, unbiased review.. Rest assured that this review will be free from any bias/es as much as possible.
• The following remarks and observations shall be made and owned only by me.
• No monetary compensation is/was involved before, during, and after the period of creation of this review.
• Your mileage may (and always, will) vary.

Burn-in time: 5-10 hours per day, 5 days.


Source/s used:

• Hidizs AP80
• VE MEGATRON USB DAC
• Zishan U1 USB DAC (AKM Variant)
• Cyberdrive Feather DAC
• Non-HiFi smartphone (realme 5i, Samsung Galaxy On7)
• Local Files via Foobar and Roon, YouTube Music, Deezer, and Qobuz with UAPP.

IEM/Earbud/Setup configuration: Stock large widebore eartips, stock cable, any form of EQ or MSEB off, 40-60% volume, both high and low gain, with and without extra amplification. All filters were used and evaluated.


(For this review, I will be using the preinstalled nozzle as the basis of the overall sound. After that, I will list the differences of the additional nozzle when compared to the neutral filter.)

Sound signature:

• When using the preinstalled filter, the LETSHUOER D13 presents itself in an energetic, mild-v-shaped sound signature with an emphasis on bass and upper mids. However, The D13’s sound, particularly on its technicalities and decays are well done and clean, which makes it different from the usual v-shaped sound signature.

Lows:

• The lows are excellent for its price and may be the star of the show here in this IEM in terms of its quantity, neatness and decay. It really goes and digs deep whenever the track needs it. Its bass despite being controlled, has a great amount of depth and impact on the tracks needs that extra punch. Its subbass is dominant over the midbass and did its best not to bleed into other frequencies.The decay and attack here is fast and above average because it does not linger too much. LE SSERAFIM’s “FEARLESS” sounds engaging and clean here whenever the bass hits hard. Same goes with Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” despite the track’s nature of presenting a distorted bass, particularly on the last part of the track. I’d call these a “basshead” IEM because of how it delivered an elevated, good quality bass for what it's worth.

Mids:

• The mids are slightly recessed here in terms of presence, but the good thing is it still sounds clear, engaging, and alive. It is free from any bloat or bleed that makes some IEMs muddy sometimes. As a result, the mids here are clean, versatile and detailed. Lower mids still has that very good note weight and are very evident on Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith’s tracks. Upper mids here are clear, elevated, and sparkly. Instances of peaks will be experienced here when listened with some tracks that are known to be recorded as “bright” like Red Velvet’s “Feel My Rhythm” or Ellie Goulding’s “Burn”. However, I wouldn’t call it sibilant because it doesn’t sound abnormally sibilant on my test tracks that aren’t sibilant even if that track is “poorly recorded” (e.g. Chasing Pavements by Adele or Stan by Eminem). Overall, the D13’s mids here are very good in terms of quality because it still sounds clean despite it not being the highlight of this IEM.

Highs:

• The treble here in the D13 is well-extended, but not as elevated as the upper mids. Cymbals here are not exaggerated and render a good amount of realism in my test tracks. It exhibits average levels of air and clarity. Detail retrieval here is above average and has the same level of quality as what the NF Audio NM2 has as you can hear the nuances or microdetails fairly easily.

Soundstage, Imaging, and separation:

• The soundstage here in the D13 is average in terms of size with above-average expansion, but it did make up for its immersiveness. It sounds like you’re in the room or place where it is recorded or performed, with a little bit of imagination. It also has more height than width which helps to give the impression of that “immersiveness”. Separation here is above average and really good due to its clean and crisp sound presentation even on busy tracks. It does not do “magic” however as it will render poor separation when the track is poorly mastered or has poor separation as well. Imaging is also affected here in return as you can hear the positions of the vocals and instruments precisely.

LETSHUOER D13 with the Gold-meshed (“treble”) nozzle installed:

• The overall sound is nearly the same compared to the stock nozzle preinstalled with some adjustments. The lows are now less deeper and lesser in quantity. Lower mids seem not to be affected by the change, upper mids are much more elevated when compared to the preinstalled filter, making it more airy, sparkly, and also introduces more peaks. Treble is also more airy here in this filter. The rest are more or less the same in a good way.

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Pros:

• Energetic, well-done mild v-shaped sound signature.
• Crisp, clear sound quality.
• Very good bass in terms of quality.
• Fast bass in terms of attack and decay despite it goes deep whenever needed.
• Clear, bloat-free mids.
• Well extended treble presentation.
• Above-average technicalities for its price, particularly on the separation.
• Versatile, interchangeable nozzles.
• Very easy to be driven to its full potential.
• Fatigue-free fit and comfort.
• Enticing yet minimalist packaging (subjective).
• Decent set of accessories and build quality.

Cons:

• Instances of upper mids peak may be experienced on very sibilant tracks.
• The “treble” nozzle do not make a huge difference compared to the preinstalled nozzle (subjective)
• The additional nozzle filters do not have a metal piece or a case for them to be screwed or placed in when not in use to avoid misplacement.

The LETSHUOER D13 is one of those IEMs that reminds everyone including me and my past self that aiming for the fun, v-shaped sound signature isn’t bad at all - as long as you do it well, particularly on the technical performance. The D13 sure does have that deep, meaty bass that will satisfy not only bassheads but also those people who seek an all-rounder, clean and crisp sound which also means that I recommend this IEM for those people with the aforementioned criterias. Also, this is very, very easy to be driven to its full potential and does not need too many complications just to sound good, which is hobbyist-friendly if you ask me!


Pairing recommendation/s:

• Source: The D13 is very easy to be driven to its full potential because of its low impedance (16 ohms) even if it shows a fair amount of sensitivity (105dB). A smartphone would be just fine, but I recommend using a dongle (even the cheapest ones like ugreen if you don’t have an LG V/G series smartphone) for better dynamics and finer upper mids presentation. Warmer or neutral source also pairs better with this IEM.
• Eartips: The stock eartips are more than enough for most of the time and very comfortable. However, you can always use your preferred aftermarket eartips.

Thank you for reading!

Non-affiliated link here!: https://letshuoer.net/products/letshuoer-d13-dlc-diaphragm-dynamic-driver-iem-moving-coil-headphones