So, I've spent a few hours comparing the Olina and the S12 now and I don't think I've found a single instance in which I prefer the Olina.
As has been pointed out, most especially by dharmasteve, these things do drums so much justice it's hard to even explain. Every hit is distinct and the cymbals have a shine and crispness that I haven't experienced since my Audio Technica ATH-AD900s back when I had a vinyl collection and tube amps. But then, they do the low end as much if not more justice then my Sennheiser HD-25 1 Mk. IIs. Like, the kick drum really kicks and the bass evokes a resonance that I can feel in my body. It's glorious.
I was just doing a bunch of A to B comparisons, playing sections of a song over and over and then switching to the other IEM and comparing. I listened to Deftones, Porcupine Tree, Big Thief, **** Buttons, Nine Inch Nails, Bon Iver, Tool and a fair bit more and in every instance the S12 won out. The last two comparisons were where I finally decided to call it quits and accept the fact that I'm probably not going to find a song in which I prefer the Olina: the beginning of "UFOF" by Big Thief and the beginning of "Flume" by Bon Iver.I had heard the Olina were good with acoustic stuff so I figured I'd it was time to put them in their wheel house. In the first instance I paid particular attention to the drums as played in the first 15 seconds. On the Olina they kind of melded together and were a little lost in the rest of the song. On the S12 they were distinct and clear, but in no way overpowering anything around them. For "Flume" the acoustic guitar was just so much more clear and resonant on the S12 it really wasn't even fair to continue. To me it felt like a knock out blow so that's where I stopped the comparison.
There was one song, "Piggy" by Nine Inch Nails, where I felt the snare hits had more oomph on the Olina but then the S12 revealed so much depth to each hit -- you could hear the damn chains rattle like your head was next to the drummer! -- that I instantly forgot that it didn't have quite as much punch. This was one of the only instances in which I felt I could give a slight edge to the Olina. There were moments during comparisons where I thought I heard a detail I hadn't noticed on the S12 while listening to the Olina, but switching back over instantly proved that I was wrong: I just hadn't been paying attention to that particular sound because the S12 was blowing my mind with other things. That's kind of the story over all though: the S12 is just fun as hell to listen. There were moments where I caught myself continuing to listen to a song because I was just so into it, something I realized wasn't happening with the Olina.
To get less technical, what I noticed every time upon the immediate switch was that the Olina felt darker and colder to me while the S12 was brighter and warmer. I don't know if I'm using those terms correctly, but those were the sensations that came to mind. The S12 had an appreciably bigger sound stage and gave the impression of being in a room with analog instruments, something I just didn't feel with the Olina.
I feel really weird bad mouthing the Olina because they are a really nice set of IEMs. I love their case and their look and for $100 they sound really, really good. I had a week with the Olinas before the S12s arrived and I was digging them so much I considered not opening the S12s. I thought I was totally satisfied. I'm glad my curiosity won out, though. I got the S12 for one $130, and to be honest for only $30 more it's not really a fair comparison. Now, it looks like Letshuoer is upping the MSRP on the S12 to $170 and that's where you might be able to start to make a value judgment concerning price to performance but honestly, even then, if you can afford the extra $70 it's not really a contest.
Let me say this to finish off: I am just a laymen and I would hardly call myself an audiophile. I'm at best audiophile adjacent, lol. I'm listening to FLAC files and 320 kbps mp3s through a lower end DAP, the FiiO X1 (to be replaced by the Sony NW-A55 tomorrow). Take my opinion with a grain of salt, and of course everyone's ears are different. But I just spent a few hours of my life shoving foam ear tips (the same Comply tips were used on both the Olina and the S12) into my ears over and over again like I was trying to achieve some kind of audio climax through half inch penetration, and I figured I might as well share my viewpoint if it helps someone out. I'm a guy who can't afford the latest and greatest and I had to choose between the S12 and the Olina for the IEM that will be with me for at least the next few years. The S12 won out handily, and I'm even more excited than I thought I would be because it's exactly the type of audio device that makes you want to re-listen to your entire collection, I don't think there is any higher praise than that.
