Letshuoer (Shuoer) - S12

I'm on a similar boat, but I'd dare to say that they sound lifeless to me. I do own the wu heyday and other half a dozen non planar iems and, honestly, I need to sell the s12s. The source doesn't matter, being it a desk amp or a usb dongle, they sound thin, weak and way too bright.

I got these a few months back and they are my new daily. Love them

Truthear Hexa might be good but I personally recommend the Letshuoer S12

I have both of these and they have basically complete opposite sound signatures. The MagicOne isn't bright. It's more midrange focused, slightly warm (but not bassy) and quite soft-sounding. It also has very good imaging despite not having fairly subdued treble. The S12 on the other hand is v-shaped with quite a lot of bass, which is very clean because of the planar driver, and a *lot* of treble. Overall it's very bright and highly resolving, but can get a bit fatiguing after a while. The MagicOne is very relaxing and neutral-sounding without being boring. The only reason it's not in my top 5 IEMs is that it's unvented, so can have some issues with air pressure in the ear canals. It's my 3rd unvented IEM and out of the 3, it's the least problematic. I find it generally comfortable, but I wouldn't use it walking around outside, as that would most likely cause issues with the seal leading to constant channel imbalances (which is what I've found with the other 2). On a graph, the MagicOne looks fairly similar to the Truthear Hexa, but the Hexa is simultaneously more of a boring-neutral sound, a bit peaky in the treble and lacking in bass incisiveness. The MagicOne is much smoother sounding, but it has a very noticeable "softness" to its timbre that isn't unpleasant, but does make it sound more coloured. The Hexa isn't a bright IEM either, but it's more incisive in the treble than the MagicOne is. If you're specifically looking for bright, the Moondrop Stellaris is like the S12 with flat bass, and sounds a bit more resolving. This is the one to get if you want a resolution beast and don't care about anything else. But it's far too bright for most people. Another good bright IEM is the Simgot EA500 (the original, not the LM), but again it's a bit too bright for most people, though more balanced than the Stellaris. It's also doesn't have any planar timbre, so it sounds a bit more organic and correct for acoustic music, but it's still a very fast and resolving driver for a dynamic. It has excellent soundstage and imaging. The Moondrop LAN is perhaps a more sensible all-rounder bright-neutral option that's bright without pushing it into fatiguing territory, although it doesn't get close to the technicalities of the Stellaris or EA500.

Happy it helped! I think pro gamers double up to block out crowd noise haha. I'm just thinking of CS pros, so my knowledge on that is limited. >Drivers, what are the pros and cons of single, dual, hybrid, etc.? I'll give the **pros** for each first. So the most common driver for IEMs out there is the balanced armature (BA) driver. It was the first major alternative to dynamic driver (DD), and allowed makers to put multiple drivers into a small form factor like the IEM. Each driver than concentrate on a specific frequency range instead, given the manufactured cared enough to put enough crossovers and tune them. Otherwise you have a bunch of drivers doing the exact same thing, defeating the purpose of having a multi-driver setup. These days it's hard to find an IEM without BA involved. Hybrids typically refer to a combination of BA and DD. One *seemingly* weakness of the BA design is its bass. Actual "weakness" is interesting and not an actual auditory weakness: [/u/oratory1990 made a great post about it](https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/comments/nk243a/comment/gzdlw80/). DD is far more forgiving, so you can have it handle the bass while the BAs handle the rest. Tribrids are usually DD, BA, and electrostatic (EST) drivers. EST on paper is very accurate which translates to great detail retrieval. DD for bass, BA for mids, and EST for highs. More recently we have quadbrids. Uncommon so multiple flavors. Usually begins with the tribrid, then adds bone conduction (BC), piezo (PZT), etc. All have their quirks in terms of sound, but I wonder if that's inherent to the drivers themselves or not. The outlier is planar magnetic drivers. On paper planars are extremely fast, can reproduce the entire spectrum very well. These days they're typically packaged in tribrid and quadbrid flavors. Of course there are other driver combos, but these are the most common. Now, the **cons** of each. In terms of sound? Nothing. There are fantastic IEMs for every driver configuration out there. 64Audio U12T is all-BA, Sony IER-Z1R is a hybrid, ThieAudio Monarch Mk. II is a tribrid, and ThieAudio Origin is a quadbrid. I think it has less to do with what kind of drivers and more to do with how the manufacture designed/tuned it. Also it depends on your preference of sound. In terms of fit? All BA tend to have few fit issues because the drivers are tiny. Hybrid/tribrid/quadbrids can have fitment issues due to the large DD--some of the most uncomfortable IEMs feature the DD (IER-Z1R, Monarch Series, etc.) Planars are large, too. Single DD IEMs tend not to have fitment issues, either. Price is an issue. EST and planar drivers are more expensive, and it reflects in the price. **Original post category examples:** Not a comprehensive list, just rattling off the top of my head. - neutral tuning: Etymotic ER4XR/ER4SR, Hidition NT6 - mild-V/U+V/U tuning: Sony IER-Z1R, ThieAudio Monarch Mk. III, Symphonium Crimson, UM MEST Mk. II - bassheads: Sony IER-Z1R, FatFreq Maestro SE, FatFreq Grand Maestro - trebleheads: Letshuoer S12 (I think people don't like "spicy" sounds...)

I went from the Timeless to the S12 to the Artti T10 and I honestly prefer the T10 for metal. They're all very similar, but luckily I like the cheapest one the best.

i'll second this, they're like a slightly better sounding letshuoer s12 at half the price

Of this list, my pick would be the S12 Pros. They can do the ethereal and detailed sound for things like small ensemble jazz or classical and then crank it up to 10 for harder metal and rock styles with equal aplomb. The S12 series have been my favorite ever since the introduction of the OG S12s which quickly replaced my OG Timeless. In the years since I've owned or tried most of the major players in the planar market and they have remained my favorite single planar until you get to the CFA Supermoons.

I just got my second iems. Letshuoer s12, which i got for 95€ on sale. i expected them to have more bass, sometimes it is just not present, at other times it is decent. Overall i'm happy with their quality so far, they are great addition to my KZ's & ATH-MSR7b's, both on the bassy side. It's the first head/earphones that i own to not tire my ears in busy songs, especially with more trebbles. They sound fine with cx31993 dac, but there is no problem with driving them by phone alone. No hiss, no noise from the normal source. I used EQ by oratory1990, in some songs it helps a lot, in other i prefer the natural tuning. At some point i will change the tips & maybe cable. I'm looking for more EQ presets for powerAMP 10 band. If someone has good personal presets, let me know.

UPDATE : next day they started playing even better. I lowered the preamp in EQ and now instead of 30% of volume i'm running it on 65-70%. More power helps a lot. Listening to more bassy songs and it's a lot better than it was yesterday. My guess is that the foamtips get more adjusted to my shape. Cables & speakers warming up is bordering on audio-voodoo, but let's say they settled in better. They are definitely my favourite go-to earphones now and i barely feel them in my ears even eith largest foamtips. İ may actually prefer them over my ath-msr7b's at the moment. At some point i will try to find a dac/amp i could use for both. Maybe a dap. But i'm happy with them and excited for morr potential in the future.

ofc, but imho it's not worth 35Eur difference. i can always mod them later for that money.

Yeah, s08 & z12 were my go-to's but s08 were the same price & z12 are twice as expensive for whatever reason. 200€ before sales on ali, none available locally. And i heard s12 (especially pro's, which just have a foam filter over s12) can be tuned to s08, so i decided to go the cheapest route.

Me and my mate got into iems around the same time. I got CCA hydro, he got s12, we were both disappointed with the s12. I don't understand how they are so often reccomended.

A cheaper IEM being my most favorite? No. No cheap IEM cam come close to the expensive sets I have, but I do rotate through most of my collection over time. There is no comparison between listening to music on my Diva or my Glacier to any of my cheaper sets though, the gap is pretty significant. But, if you would ask me to choose a single cheap set and get rid of everything else, it would be the Letshuoer S12.

-1 for mp145. I have mp145, letshuoer s12 and Supermix4, and I would rate them: S12>Supermix4>mp145. S12 is foam modded to tame treble.

I have the OG Letshuoer S12 and also the MP143. They have a very similar sound signature. I think perhaps a tad more bass with the MP143. I think the S12 is a tad more comfortable to wear. Andy (the Dongle king) seems to like the Letshuoer S12 2024 limited a lot. He also liked the MP145 and this year named the MP143 the successor to the 145 in the under $100 category. Never owned a Tinhifi but they have a good reputation.

Letshuoer S12. They made like no fun at all.

I have supermix4 and quintet, can't say about others but for me I pick quintet from those two.. Edit: I forgot to add I also have s12 old/ori ones not the new pro one.

I'd argue with a bit of eq and a higher listening volume the s12 can be pretty fun. I have the s12 pro which is supposed to have slightly more bass and smoother treble, and they're my favorite V-shaped iems, but when I made my friend try them he said he heard just treble, until I raised the volume up a bit. Sure they're not for everybody, but I guess it's easy to look past them before discovering their actual potential

used to spend thousands on audio gear. Not worth it ultimately. Yes, I absolutely loved my Focal Utopia, but I enjoy my HD660S and cheaper IEMs just as much. My recommendation is to buy a selection of cheaper IEMs, it will help you discover sound signatures, as well as what fits you best. The LetShuoer S12 and other planar IEMs like NiceHCK F1, Artti T10 are crazy value for the level of sound quality. Refer to [https://squig.link/](https://squig.link/) for frequency curves.

Thanks for the clarification. Super helpful reviews - recently got a hexa since my S12's been having issues, but I find its imaging weird when distinguishing footsteps approaching from front compared to behind. Might return it and give one of your recs a shot. G1's out of stock on Amazon rn though, unfortunately.

Fair tbh. My least favorites have been the S12 and Waner and those are some of the most lauded sets out there. These definitely aren’t for everyone

My ears are small too, after trying multiple iems, this is what I think are some comfortable iems for small ears which i have owned. Sub $20 - Get Truthear Gate over salnotes zero Sub $150 - S12, ie200 Sub $200 - Meze alba (Most comfortable iem i have ever tried) Sub $600 - Symphonium meteor, ie600 Kilobuck - 64 audio

Yes, no need to EQ anymore they have tamed the treble, amazing set can even compete upto like $300 - $350, still you can get a S12 for less than $120 and EQ it.

+1 more for MP145. I couldn't get the S12 (Z12 in my case) to stay sealed. Multiple tips of foam and silicone, it would always move if I stopped pressing them into my ears. They're just too small for my ears. I sold the Z12 and bought the MP145 and love the sound they have, especially when paired with the Divinus Velvet Wide Bore tips.

I hope you won’t find offence in me referring to your age, but I’ve noticed that quite a lot of the ‘older’ IEM reviewers like a bright sound, and many of them also like the planars, likely due to natural hearing degradation in the upper frequencies. So I’d look at the S12 or the T10 to start. For higher end stuff, maybe the Dita Project M would be a good fit, but honestly I’d recommend starting with a $100 set, as there’s so many variable to preferences in IEM that it’s risky getting an expensive one from the get go. I can’t suggest many bright IEMs as I prefer the complete opposite tonality :) My personal favourite is the Yanyin Mahina at the moment. But anyway, I’d definitely learn to use Auto-EQ to learn what your tastes are exactly, and try try out the signature of different IEMs. Also, investing in decent tips (stock ones are usually mediocre) is essential, my vote goes to Spinfits

I’ve tried the s12, Melody, and Aether. Aether was the best and most balanced of the three. It’s got the most current planar driver tech. There should be more sets coming out that use that particular driver. No idea when the s16 is coming out, but I’m looking forward to it

I got the SM4 at release as a supposed upgrade to my trusty S12s. Bought into the hype and indeed they proved to be a nice set. But after the honeymoon phase subsided I grabbed my S12 again a couple weeks ago and they blew me away. Have an entirely renewed appreciation for the Letshuoers. Nothing against de SM4, they're a proper set, especially for the pricepoint. It probably should be near the top of one's list when they're looking for a quality IEM in that range. It's just that I like the S12 better. What the SM4 has going for it I think are technicalities like soundstage and presentation. It definitely got that immersive sound going on. The S12 still beat them in terms of resolution and that happens the be what I dig most in an IEM. It may also just be that I like the S12's frequency response. Long story short, yes I think SM4 punch above their weight in terms of technicalities, but at the end of the day preferences is paramount.

Yeah, I’ve tried them both. When I bought my current IEMs (Moondrop Kato) a couple of years ago, I tried the Aria, the IE200, CCA CRA+, and the S12. The IE200 were the most comfortable, but they come with an awful cable and sounded worse than everything else I tried besides the CRA+. The Aria were more comfortable than anything else I tried besides the IE200, including the Kato that I ended up keeping and sounded better than everything except the Kato.

So I have owned the s12, currently own MP145 & MP143, S12 is super duper bright and might be confused for being overly technical but I found it can be overly fatiguing and the bass response does not even compare. Meanwhile mP145, you can get it much bassier on the red nozzle but the quality of the bass is not quite as weighty and objectively can't compete as the Tri uses a Dynamic driver for the bass despite measuring bass light and the treble on 145 can come across metallic and tinny whereas it's super smooth on the Tri i3 MK3, MP143 on the other hand is the closest in terms of cohesiveness with solid bass response, not as fatiguing upper treble as 145 and quite solid, and the nozzle options are solid too. I would say the Tri i3 takes the cake with treble and overall tonality, amazing accessories and tips but the mp143 does offer 3 different sound profiles with the nozzle system despite having worse accessories.

I have S08 , and they are pretty amazing. Warm tuning, easy to listen to. S12 I tried but was bit harsh to my ears given the treble. S15 is supposed to be good, though haven’t heard them yet. Their price have also dropped recently so you can check them out.

For around that price, for balanced i guess Check the truthear nova. as for neutral, i mean, if you really want a neutral sound, the Dunu Kima 2 is pretty neutral, but check them well, as a neutral sound usually comes with some adjustments in the sound that people often dont enjoy for music. Now, if you dont want an specially neutral sound, the S12 works fine but remember that it is planar and that it also has a bit foward treble area, so you should not be too sensitive to treble and have a decent dac to power them. if you want something less treble foward, check the Kefine klanar. those arent strictly neutral, but wont be too colored in the sound eirher.

DaVinci and B3 have similar price/performance, just different tuning styles. B3 wins hands-down on detail retrieval and clarity, while DaVinci runs circle around B3 when it comes to (sub) bass. I tried Monarch Mk2 for about 30 minutes and did not like it. The nozzles are enormous, very uncomfortable. Sound quality... is ok? Monarch didn't sound any more detailed than B3 - I couldn't really hear the praised macrodynamic. Tuning style is definitely more pleasant and ordinary. The bad fit really distracted me from enjoying it. Moondrop Kato and Truthear Timeless have similar level of technical performance - quite close to B3. Personally prefer Kato's more balanced signature. Hexa is a cheaper alternative, but it might sound a bit too neutral and thus boring (not necessarily a bad thing, easily fixable with EQ) Planar IEMs sound harsh on the treble, especially the S12 (I disliked it). I don't understand the hype around Truthear Nova and Simgot Supermix 4. I think the latter is fine for the price, about the same P/P as Kato; but Nova is just so blurry, subpar detail retrieval even when its bass is pretty light. Other IEMs under $150 are not interesting enough to me.

I also have S12 and APP2 (and also some other stuff, since I am gear-junkie audiophile) and I like the APP2 more. Sound signature is a matter of taste, but the S12 is heavily v-shaped with elevated treble, whereas the APP2 is a warm-neutral with a tasteful little bass boost. It sounds way better than the S12 And the S12 has not a good fit, the APP2 is the most comfortable and secure fit I have experienced in an IEM (and I have tried a lot). And that does not even factor in the amazing ANC and portability of the APP2. My Thieaudio Oracle sounds better than the APP2, but costs twice the price (and definitely does not sound double as good) and is not wireless and does not have ANC

For technicalities i would look at planar, such as Tangzu Wu Heyday, its better than S12 and accessories are very nice. Tbh im currently cannot decide between them and Aful P5+2. Aful is probably better and more expensive but Heyday is like glued to my pocket 😵‍💫

Depends on tuning, S12 are IMO, leaps and bounds ahead of the APP2 (I have both and some others) while being cheaper. Even the S12 2024 which I also own is cheaper and the fancier limited version of the S12, tho I had to EQ the non-2024 S12s to a tuning of my liking. The APP2 have a safe, easy to like tuning. Cheaper planars can likely beat them at 120ish USD, other hybrid configurations with Dynamic Drivers (such as on the APP2) will be a kinda substantial upgrade past 200-250ish USD