S12 2024 Anniversary Edition

If you want an all ‘rounder, the Mangird Tea Pro is the best option in your price range. That said, even with dozens of IEMs, from budget to summit-fi sets, I run the EM6L 90% of the time. The Tea Pro is markedly better when it comes to media consumption, but the EM6L is no slouch there either, being somewhat mid-forward, but with excellent bass and treble and very strong imaging for a budget set. Whatever you choose, it’s best to avoid sets with emphasized lower frequencies as it will narrow staging and impact the clarity of your mids. Upper mids and treble are where most gaming cues live and is thus the most important area of the frequency range for gaming — hence why the EM6L is such a good option at its price. Other sets I’ve run for games that I’ve also thoroughly enjoyed; Thieaudio Hype 4, Crinicle Dusk, Xenns Top Pro, Meze Alba, Truthear Blue and Blue 2, Letshuoer S08 and S12 2024.

Depends on the IEM. For my current rotation: for hip hop, EDM, and some modern metal, I go for bassier sets like the Thieaudio Origin, Monarch MKIV, Jupiter, Hype 4, Mega5est Bass+, etc., Classic rock, hard rock, 90s alternative and grunge, I run sets like the Pilgrim Noire, Letshuoer S08, Top Pro, Meze Alba, or Dusk. Classical, instrumental, acoustic, Aful Performer8, Top Pro, or S12 2024 Anniversary Edition. For gaming, either the Simgot EM6L, Top Pro, or Truthear Blue 2. There are qualities I like about each set. There are a few "all 'rounders" I'm happy to take with me when I travel -- if I had to give up my collection, these are probably the sets I would keep. Top Pro has definitely become one of those. Anything that balances sound and comfort is on that list. Alba is another, surprisingly.

My assumption is the Ultra was a repackaged S12 Anniversary edition, and that looks like the case. At the very least, I'm glad they "reissued" the set, as it was the best of the S12 lineup and compliments the S08 very well. Letshuoer has really nailed the DD-like timbre with some of their recent planars.

I think they were paying attention to what Michael Bruce/Shortbus was doing with the Glamdring mod and changed their tuning philosophy. The S08 was basically a mini Glamdring, without the collab attached, and the 2024 felt like a very natural progression from that. I hope they continue down that road. At the very least, I know Michael Bruce is happy now that he can work on his own projects now and stop taking mod requests from anyone that tracks him down.

If price isn't an issue: **Hi-fi/summit-fi** Fir Audio Rn6 (Xenon technically has more bass, but the Rn6 is a better set all around) FatFreq Grand Maestro Canpur CP622B Nightjar Singularity Penon Impact Empire Ears Raven 64 Audio Volur (not the most popular set on this list, but stellar soundstage on this set) Sony IER-Z1R (fit can be an issue for some, was for me, demo first if you can) **Midfi/lower Hi-fi** Thieaudio Origin Thieaudio MKIV (Rumble switch on) Punch Audio Martilo Penon x Effect Audio Archangel Penon 10th Anniversary Penon Rival Kiwi Ears x HBB Punch (Martilo is the better set between these two) FatFreq Scarlett Mini (requires EQ) FatFreq Maestro Mini Hisenior Mega5est Bass+ (find and use TimmyT916's/DucBloke's EQ) **Lower Midfi/budget** FatFreq x HBB Deuce Thieaudio Hype 4 (with EQ) Crinicle Dusk (with EQ) QKZ x HBB Khan (bass-forward out of the box, *requires* EQ to clean up some issues with the tuning) **Honorable mention** If you can find one of Michael Bruce's Glamdring mods, may not be the most forward bass, but some of the best tonality you can find for the price. Or, pick up a Lesthuoer S12 Ultra or S12 2024 edition and add a bass shelf -- the S12/S15 drivers can handle a massive amount of abuse in the lower frequencies, especially.

I own some of those $1200 IEMs, and I use none of them for gaming. Many of them make poor gaming sets, with a few exceptions. The IEMs I have used most often are the Simgot EM6L, Supermix 4, Crinicle Zero Blue/Blue 2, Thieaudio Hype 4, Xenns Tea and Top Pro, Meze Alba, and Letshuoer S08 & S12 Anniversary. The one I recommend most is the EM6L. It has consistently been my go-to for competitive gaming most of the time. Coincidentally, it's one of the cheapest sets in my rotation. Unfortunately, recency bias often often plays a major role in what is recommended in the community, which is why you don't see it as often in these types of recommendation threads, but a good tuning remains good forever -- which means many budget sets may be getting more attention recently, but they haven't necessarily dethroned the EM6L. The most critical areas of the frequency range for gaming is the upper mids and treble. The EM6L excels in these areas, offering great detail and clarity, with enough bass extension and emphasis to round out the tuning, but without losing detail in the mids. Imaging and soundstage is solid for an IEM, and they're comfortable enough for long periods of time, with the exception that the nozzle can be challenging for users with smaller ear canals. The other sets I often fall back on for immersive/single-player gaming is the Letshuoer S08. Up from there, the Hype 4; both are warm and fun, with the Hype 4 providing stronger bass performance, albeit typical Thieaudio "rounded" bass, and not as incisive as the S08's faster, more immediate planar slam. On the higher-priced midfi side, as mentioned above, the Hype 4 is one of my go-tos for immersive games, and the Top Pro is my competitive set of choice. It is like the Tea Pro, but with more controlled lower frequencies, and better detail and clarity. The Tea Pro is often recommended for gaming, the Top Pro improves on that tuning. It doesn't quite hit Volur-levels of "holographic" soundstage and imaging, but it is an exceptional set for its price. TL;DR: do not spend more than $500-$600 on a gaming IEM, and to be honest I wouldn't even recommend spending that much. I have dozens of IEMs in my collection, and my favorite gaming sets are on the budget side. Do I still use the Top Pro and Hype 4? Yes, but not as often as the EM6L and S08, and you could get by using the former for every use case -- I just like the S08 enough that I enjoy weaving it into my day-to-day as much as possible.