Listened to my modded S12s for the first time in a while today and I find myself surprised, once again, at the level of performance you can get out of these things. I mean, stock they’re already a great deal, IMO, but with a couple simple mods (for me some tuning foam in the nozzle and mesh to tune the bass port on the driver) you end up with an IEM that’s very competitive with MUCH more expensive sets. I would put my modded S12s up there at the performance level of the mid-fi tribrids and such. Everytime I step away from these for a bit, I’m always surprised at just how good they sound when I come back. Not to mention the fact that they’re ridiculously comfortable. I can easily sleep, even on my side, with these in.
They’re just an incredible value for the money. Pick up a pair of these used for like $100 or new for like $120 or whatever they are this week, spend $10 or so on modding supplies, invest 20 to 30 minutes of your time and you’re off to the races. The other cool thing is that these two mods allow you to tune the performance to your liking. I got the basic idea for the bass port mod from Michael Bruce’s video on his TOTL mod (I already had the tuning foam in my nozzles), but ultimately I preferred my bass tuned a bit differently than he suggests and with the nozzle you can use any number of methods (tuning foam, grills/mesh, micropore tape, TOTL method, etc) to achieve your desired sound. Together these mods take the S12 from one of the best sub-$200 values to an IEM that competes in much higher territory. I just felt compelled to post something about it since it puts a smile on my face everytime I hear what my S12s have become.
Speaking of tips - is anyone aware of Azla Crystal eartips for IEMs in 3pair packs available in EU? It only appears as being available in 3pair packs for TWS version or on Amazon japan and Azla.kr store where along with shipping it ends up being like 42$…
In regards to HS18 - I hate them as well for their flimsiness
And in regards to clarion - very good promo on Orange audio store on AliExpress, 3 pairs for around 5$!
I ordered my crystal on hifigo (or linsoul? I don’t remember) with other stuff. Those tips are quite hard to get, but not as hard as those that are only available throughy Amazon JP.
Case is I don’t know which size I would need and this is why 3 size pack is what I want. Azla Xelastecs M are just too large for me for MEST to be very comfortable, but they at least keep the seal. MS would be my guess, but it is too expensive for me to try out blind
see I feel like I am in the minority here but I much prefer multi size set vs a 3 pack of the same size for 2 reasons. The first is that I don’t know what size will work with what IEM so its nice having options, especially if you have multiple IEMs. The 2nd is that silicone tips last forever so I dont need 2 more. If I ever damage or break a pair then I will get the 3 pack in that size
Here’s a graphs of the ISN EST50 and Sound Rhyme DTE500. These were measured with Dekoni Bulletz. Take these extremely lightly as I’m still learning and could have goofed up. Only got the coupler a few days ago and these are my first measurements with it. My Legato graph seemed to line up pretty accurately though.
It’s interesting because I feel by looking at them I get confirmation bias. For the EST50 I’d say yes but, on the DTE500 something seems wonky about it and I can’t see where in the graph it would come from.
Moderate v shaped tuning. The tuning foam in the nozzle smooths out the treble and moves the pinnia gain rise up higher in the frequency range so it deals with that shouty edge the stock S12s can be prone to. The bass port mod increases the mid bass punch a touch and increases the sub bass rumble significantly, but you can tune that and the tightness and weight to your liking. Retuning the bass port and bringing that upper mid/lower treble shout and glare to heel had the added advantage of taking an already quite detailed set and improving overall clarity. The bass port tuning I have worked out also increased the note weight and definition a bit, too. Overall, you end up with a pair of IEMs that’s still quite v shaped, but much more refined and clear with a low end that digs deeper, punches harder, and is tighter and more articulate, mids that have just a touch more weight, body, and clarity, and treble that remains extended and detailed but without some of the peakiness that can add a bit of stridency, after-ringing/excess splash on cymbals and such. The mods take the good foundation laid by Letshuoer and builds it up to the next level.
I can’t say it’s particularly because of the upper treble as a whole though I’m really liking it. It’s got a nice smooth fatigue free tuning that plays well with lower quality recordings. So far it’s almost earned it’s way into a place a my Dark Knights Table.
