Letshuoer (Shuoer) - S12 Ultra

For me it’s a mix of the feel of the build quality along with generally higher resolution and better separation of instruments as you go up in price (to a point). Other than that tuning is largely the difference and you could easily prefer a $300 IEM with your tuning style to a $1000 one with a different signature. I just got the s12 ultra used for $120 and compared it to my $1000 monarch mk4 and honestly it’s tough to justify keeping the monarch. The resolution and separation on the s12 are pretty impressive, the bass hits more to my liking as well… then I compared to my old apple ear buds and there is a clear difference in resolution even though to me the apple buds still sound pretty dang good. Other ppl will have better explanations I’m sure and it’s debatable what resolution means to people in this hobby. Either way In today’s market, $50-300 can get you some incredible sounding IEMs

I love them, it’s about perfect tuning for me, I add a bass shelf to all planar IEMs and headphones I’ve had and I don’t need to with this one. Kick drums hit really nice as well and I’m not wanting for any details in the mids or treble, it’s really quite great IMO. I like it better than the astral and s12 ultra I have in right now

NO! They're not "flat" at all (I have the T10 and S12 Ultra).

You should go for something smooth yet technically detailed like the S12 Ultra.

I recently picked up the S12U and while it seems to have a lot of bass detail, and good bass in general, the treble was slightly lacking. Especially on the detail side. So what IEM would you recommend under 200 USD with really good treble detail?

S12's are one of my favorites.. but once you get the S15's its all over.

From a business standpoint of view, Letshuoer is pandering to the larger market. The original S12 was a unique release that pleased many trebleheads. But knowing that the market is filled with bass-heavy sets (as demanded by the market), Letshuoer must stay competitive by releasing their own sets to compete with the bass-hungry options, or die out. Which each iteration of the S12, the treble that made the S12 famous is continuously scaled back, with it's bass cranked up. I personally own the S12 Pro. At the time, I demo'd the S12 OG and 2024 edition. OG was too shrilling for my liking, and the 2024 edition was too expensive for a slightly warmer version of the S12 Pro. It seems that the Ultra is an even warmer version of the 2024. Will Letshuoer release a S12 Max next year that are planar bass cannons? I agree with u/The_Only_Egg, Letshuoer has definitely milked the shit out of the S12. I doubt the S12 Ultra will be able to relive the (short-lived) glory days of the S12 OG and S12 Pro. 2024 and Ultra are such far deviations of the S12 OG and Pro that Letshuoer should just come up with a completely different SKU for the Ultra.

If you want an alrounder the Juzear Defiant has good bass and treble and with tip rolling can adjust the sound well. Sales time it can be have a good price. There is a worry about QC issues on these in the community though but if you get from Amazon it can be returned easily and based on reviews on the UK site the failure rate is low  The letshuoer s12 ultra is a more refined version of the s12 2024 with smoother treble.  The explorer has deeper bass then the defiant  but I only had limited time trying these and didn't tip roll to get the best sound for my ears so I found the vocals a bit recessed. Though the community like these alot. It's a warmer and relaxing listen than the Defiant. 

I am not sure that Dunu is good for metal music. Yes the bass is nice and punchy, but the high frequencies are quite pronounced which is not good for metal. It is a V shape IEM. By the way, I like them, but not for metal music. I am using a Letshouer S12 Ultra for heavy metal music and I think that they are good for it ( Of course not a lot of bass but fast and punchy). Planning to buy a TSMR Armor.

Unfortunately I missed out on the 2024 edition and didn't really want to pay for their markup, so these were a welcome release. I received mine a few days ago and wow what a difference from the OGs! The originals had a bit too much edge on some tracks, but the ultras glide through anything I've thrown at them so far. Sometimes I miss the extra zing in orchestral or edm but overall prefer the more comfortable and versatile experience of the ultra. The included dongle was alright, but I did end up swapping to the jm20 max for more volume headroom. The quality of the cable, modular connections etc all feel really good and I'm very happy with it for the price.

S12 ultra is in transit but from the reviews and ChatGPT a bit different and I personally liked the planner sound

[Full Comparison/Review](https://youtu.be/B1DqoqBSsqQ) ***vs OG S12/PRO/2024, SUPERMIX4, DEFIANT*** S12 ULTRA Ranked: [JAY's IEM Ranking List](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZHVib50XFQW4up3SwOZUTbI-hZB6Ir5LX6XnZblIM6o/edit?usp=sharing) S12 ULTRA Graphed [Here](https://jaysaudio.github.io/index.html?share=Harman_2019,S12_ULTRA) \--- **OVERALL SOUND:** Dynamic, sub-bass focused, smooth with a slight treble emphasis. Slight v-shape. * The smoothest S12 letshuoer have made so far * Bass is rumbly and deep with a satisfying impact and slam, full, bassy, but quick enough to not mud the mids * Vocals aren't buried and pop out enough in the mix - although 1.5K peak might be a bit sudden and sharp on tracks with less low-end in the mix to cover the peak. As long as you're not blasting these you won't have an issue with any vocal shout, but you might run into some on tracks with no bass * Treble is well-extended and has the S12 airy house sound to them but without being overly sharp and bright due to the uppermids cut, and 8-15K treble dip * Enough transients for a contrasty and fun sound, but smooth enough to not be fatiguing * The bassiest and least energetic out of all the S12s - feels the most refined **Volume Scaling/Genre Rec:** * Recommend listening volume is around 65-70dbs with R&B, rock, pop, indie, acoustics, classical * Can be fatiguing on more energetic POP/KPOP/JPOP (turn down to 60dbs) due to the vocal peak at 1.5K + the treble * Mid-volume set **Technical Performance:** * Competitive, but not price leading or punching above its value * Good transients, imaging, bass texture, and treble detail * Less detailed vs OG S12, SUPERMIX4 - around the same as S12 2024 and SIMGOT EG280 **Build & Fit:** * Average size, slightly shallow fit, same size as other S12 iems * I have average size ears and found it a bit shallow - had to step up a size in tips but aside from that pretty comfy overall (use wide tips) * Around 5.8mm nozzle size including outer ring **Accessories & Packaging (see 3rd pic):** * "Mocha" matte metal finish with color matching brown/silver cable * Comes with interchangeable 3.5/4.4mm, and black round case (screwing it on is a bit annoying since you have to line it up perfectly, but it's light, compact, and sturdy) * x1 set of regular white silicone tips, and x1 set of black wider silicone tips * Solid unboxing/accessories at its price, no complaints **Final Ranking & Recommendation:** Mid-volume (65-70 dbs) * Tonality: 7-7.5/10 * Tech: 6-6.5/10 * Overall: 6.5/10 **RECOMMENDED (don't crank these)** The S12 Ultra is fun, dynamic, bassy with enough air and transients to hold up in the technical department. If you found the previous S12s or planars to be too bright and energetic, then the Ultras might just change your perception this time around since - I guess you could say - it has a more "musical" approach to planars. Even though value wise the S12 Ultra isn't going to outcompete some cheaper planars like the ARTTI T10, NICEHCK F1 PRO, or KEFINE KLANAR, or even its younger brother the S12/PRO - it is however more musical, dynamic, but also smoother and more refined in the playback... So for those who aren't chasing insane details - the S12 Ultra is one of the few planars that I actually enjoy listening to outside of solely for reviewing (but just don't blast these).

**Merry Xmas ya'll!** Here's a quick list of the best IEMs I've heard that **came out** in 2025. Full video breakdown [here](https://youtu.be/jnNvbrCh8Yg). IEM Ranking List [here](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZHVib50XFQW4up3SwOZUTbI-hZB6Ir5LX6XnZblIM6o/edit?usp=sharing). \--------------------------------------------------------------------- **Under $25 (Sales Included)** * TangZu Waner 2 (Balanced/Clean) * Tanchjim Bunny/Zero Ultima DSP/3.5 (Balanced/All-Rounder) * HM: KZ Duonic (Bassy All-Rounder/Sub-bass focused) * HM: GK Kunten (Bassy All-Rounder) * HM: Kiwiears Belle (Warm/Bassy/Thick/Smooth) **Under $50 (Sales Included)** * 7Hz Elua Ultra (All-Rounder/Dynamic/Slight V) * KZ Zenith (Balanced/Clean/Smooth) * HM: Truthear x Crinacle Zero Blue 2 with 5 Ohm Adapter (Basshead) **Under $125 (Sales Included)** * Simgot EG280 (All-Rounder/Bright Leaning/Vocal Forward) * Tanchjim Fission (Neutral/Balanced/Smooth) * Kiwiears Airoso (Warm/Airy) * Kefine Quatio (Bassy/Dynamic/Versatile) * HM: JUZEAR Defiant (All-Rounder/Slight V/QC issues) * HM: Kiwiears Etude (Bouncy Bass/Scaling/Bone Conduction Drivers) * HM: 7Hz Diablo (Warm/Bassy/Thick/Dark) * HM: 7Hz Divine (Clean/Balanced) **Under $200** **(Sales Included)** * LETSHUOER S12 ULTRA (All-Rounder/Slight V/Bassy) * Crinear DayBreak/EPZ P50 (Balanced/Smooth/Vanilla) * Kiwiears Aether (Balanced/Airy) * Ziigaat Lush (Balanced/Warm Leaning/Scaling) * MYER CK2V (Bright/Sparkly) * HM: Punch Audio Portazo (Basshead) **Under $300 (Sales Included)** * Kiwiears Astral (All-Rounder/Slight V) * EPZ K9 (All-Rounder/Fuller-Less Shouty Harman 2019) * Softears Volume S (Balanced/Warm) * Ziigaat Crescent (Warm/Sparkly) * Punch Audio Martilo (Basshead) * Kiwiears Orchestra 2 (Neutral/Vocal Forward) * Yanyin Canon Pro/YU9 Que (Neutral/Smooth/Scaling) * HM: Kiwiears Septet (Bright/Airy) * HM: Tanchjim Force (Vocal forward/Clean) * HM: Juzear Defiant (Smooth/Scaling/Mid-Range) * HM: Dunu 142 (All-Rounder/Slight-V/Sharper Kiwiears Astral) **Under $500 (Sales Included)** * Thieaudio Hype 4 MK2 (Bright/Energetic/Clean) * Xenns Tea Pro SE (Balanced/Natural) * Xenns Top Pro (Balanced/Clean/Sparkly) * NICEHCK ROCKIES (Balanced/Full/Airy) * Ziigaat Luna (Warm/Airy) * Ziigaat Arcanis (Vocal Sauce/Mid-Range Scaling) * HM: HiSenior MEGA 7 (Balanced/Smooth/Neutral) **Under $2000** * Thieaudio Monarch MK4 (Clean All-Rounder/Bassy with Switch) * Thieaudio Valhalla (All-Rounder/Dynamic/Bassy) * LETSHUOER MYSTIC 8 (Neutral/Bright/Airy) * Softears RSV MK2 (Bassy All-Rounder/V-Shape) * FIIO FX17 (Warm All Rounder) * HM: AFUL DAWN-X (Sub-bass/Smooth/Scaling) * HM: BGVP SOLOMON (Bright/Slight V)