it has 1DD 8BA 4EST 1BCD, its pretty far from explorer 2 but it does have sprinkles of glitter 
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Explorer “Ultimate” Lol
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On a different note, the Sound Rhyme SP01 is a hidden gem with 3 tuning nozzles for different preferences.
I said I’d be back with a comparison between these three, so here it is!
I had all of these on my desk at once during their respective AudioGeek EU tours: the CraftEars Omnium ($2.7k), Letshuoer Cadenza 12 ($2k), and Dunu Glacier ($1.4k), all driven with using my Chord Mojo, Qudelix 5k, and Topping G5. (specs in the table below).
The Cadenza 12’s tuning is great - offering exceptional clarity, smoothness, and midbass punch. It presents vocals more intimately and with greater weight than the Omnium or Glacier. Detail retrieval and stereo separation are outstanding, with strings, vocals, and cymbals rendered with precision. Cymbals come slightly forward in the mix. However, it’s not a subbass monster and doesn’t quite scratch that itch for me. When listening to metal, the double bass is well articulated, but some might find the overall presentation too relaxed. The C12 isn’t forgiving of poor recordings - you hear the noise floor clearly, though this transparency provides an excellent sense of space.
The Glacier definitely delivers on subbass rumble with better treble decay than the others - cymbal strikes sustain more naturally, less “tss tss.” While its bass feels even more rumbly than the C12, it’s less controlled and can be somewhat boomy. The mids are noticeably thinner. It’s fun with e.g. pop, electropop and hip-hop. It’s like turning the Binary Acoustics Chopin tuning up to 11 with more visceral bass and air. The metal build is premium but a bit heavy.
The Omnium strikes an excellent balance between the two, offering better subbass extension than the C12 while maintaining better midrange presence than the Glacier. Its razor-sharp bass reproduction and excellent separation throughout the frequency range make it stand out. Despite having large shells, I found them the most comfortable of the three, as the longer stems prevent the body from contacting other parts of my ear.
After comparing all three directly, I preferred the Omnium’s tuning for its versatility and technical performance, though the C12 excels with vocal presentations and the Glacier delivers the most fun, bass-heavy experience. Ominum would be my pick of the three (sadly, the most expensive 
), but I can see all three suiting particular preferences.
I have to say though, the competition from sets under 1k USD is really tough! I’ve been really enjoying things like Kiwi Ears Punch ($400), IO Volare ($600), and TSMR Shock ($600), and they bring a lot to the table for a fraction of the price.
| Specification | CraftEars Omnium | Letshuoer Cadenza 12 | Dunu Glacier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver Units | 1 x 9.2 mm dynamic driver + 1 x 10 mm planar magnetic driver + 5 balanced armature drivers | 1 x 10 mm LCS Kevlar dynamic driver + 11 balanced armature drivers (7 Sonion + 4 Knowles) | 1 DD + 4 BA + 4 EST (9 total drivers) |
| Crossover | 6-way | 6-way | 4-way |
| Sensitivity | Not provided | 110 dB/mW (±1%) | 109 dB/mW (@ 1kHz) |
| Impedance | 12 Ω ±0.8 Ω (10 Hz-20 kHz) | 16 Ω ±1% | 43 Ω at 1 kHz |
| Cost (USD) | $2700 | $2000 | $1350 |
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The Omnium is a really great set. I would choose that one of these three too, but as you say it is also clearly the most expensive of the three. The price doesn’t decide what’s best for everyone, but at least in this particular instance I would be willing to pay the premium😅
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@Jaytiss selling off some of your favorites! May I ask what you’re saving up for, and/or what you have already that’s keeping you satisfied? Or aiming for some headphones as you mention in the reddit post? Curious to know more! 
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Probably reinvesting in iems, I use Sierra open a lot. New Aful flagship and 7th Ascoutics Rowan look fantastic.
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The way you highlight each IEM’s character makes it easy to see why the Omnium stands out. Crazy how the sub-$1k sets are catching up—exciting times for the hobby!
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Hello guys, I made my second review since i had the pleasure of joining the AudioGeek tours. a true blessing for a student like me to get to listen to some banger IEMs during my student time. This one is for the Cadenza 12 and Spoiler: Its a love story.
The virtuoso - Cadenza 12
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I’ve had the I/O Volare ($600) generously on loan from a friend, @Ultra_Bithalver . It has 1 DD, 4 BAs, and 4 ESTs, with a sensitivity of 121dB/Vrms and impedance of 4.8Ω at 1kHz.
The Volare has a warm neutral signature with safe upper treble/air. Though not the U or V-shaped tuning I typically prefer, it delivers a very satisfying listening experience. The mid-bass has excellent kick and attack, initially suggesting a dark tuning, but the mids come through clean and slightly forward. Vocals are intimate (a bit like the Cadenza 12) with good body.
The treble is well-executed but lacks some upper-treble air and sparkle. I might prefer more sub-bass extension, but the overall balance is excellent – warm, full, and smooth with snappy bass that’s well-integrated with the forward mids.
Interestingly, the Volare doesn’t graph like it sounds – measurements would suggest less mid-bass than my ears perceive. The bass has nice fast attack rather than big physical impact.
Fit is great, isolation average. Pretty easy to drive, but current hungry so avoid high output impedance sources unless you’re trying to mess with the tuning of the IEMs. I used my Qudelix 5k and Topping G5.
This one is easy to recommended for those looking for a warm neutral signature with excellent mids presence and satisfying bass with a safe upper-treble tuning. I could see it being a one-and-done kind of set for a lot of people!
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Let Shuoer DX1
About Me:
I am a drummer. But, wait, it’s worse than you think; when I listen to music, I listen to primarily, and care most about, …the drums. This is my main focus when I audition hifi gear. I listen to the drums, then the bass guitar, then guitar guitars, then synths/pianos, etc., and vocals last. I’m telling you this as it really colours my view of gear. I care about staging and imaging a lot, because, done well, it sounds like I’m sitting in front of the drum kit. How punchy/tactile gear is is another aspect of sound I find very engaging as if you are sitting in front of a drum kit, you can feel it. If I refer to how accurate or not timbre is, I am really focussing on the timbre of snare drums, cymbals, toms, etc… So, if I rate a piece of gear, it is likely because it reproduces drums well. Although I have an ear for if vocals sound off, this aspect of music gets the least of my focus. Please bare this in mind when reading my impressions of the below gear.
Secondly, I studied sound engineering at university. Why does this matter? Well, it doesn’t does it? However, it does mean that I have a preference for “studio neutral” tunings and am very familiar with how instruments should sound. For me, the most “correct” sounding IEM I have heard is Let Shuoer’s Cadenza 12. I like other tunings, but my preference is for studio neutral. Do I have any hearing quirks? I don’t know, but I don’t think I do. My preference for neutral tunings is because they sound “correct”, i.e., more natural/true to life. So I likely have a-typical hearing. I listen fairly loud (in the high 80 bB range) and, although love all music, listen mostly to prog rock/good metal. I have included screenshots of the tracks from my test playlist for reference.
Thirdly, I have lots of tips, but don’t really tip roll. I do all of my listening with bog-standard Amazon foam tips as I find them to fit me well, be comfortable and sound good with most IEMs. I have lots of different tips, but I tend to only roll tips if I have a lot of time on my hands or my standard foams don’t fit; and even then, I usually just pick a different shape/size Comply set. So, almost all of my listening is done with narrow bore foam tips.
Lastly, I am a headphone/speaker guy. I’m not even sure this is relevant, but I feel that I am always drawn to presentations that are out in front of me and spacious-sounding. So while I may critique gear for staging in a certain way, it may just be my bias for headphone/speaker presentations.
My Gear:
FLAC / WAV / Qobuz > Node Nano > SU-1 / U2 Pro > Exogal Comet+ / Mojo / Onix XM10 / Hiby R4 > Taurus mk. II / WA6 / LD mk. II / LB B4-X / Earman Eagle
I do most of my listening on my desktop rig. This overkill for many of the IEMs I have auditioned, but outside of a synergy issue, I find that using my desktop chain really allows me to hear what an IEM/headphone is truly capable of as there’s no shortage of power or resolution.
This is my primary chain - FLAC / WAV / Qobuz > Node Nano > SU-1 > Exogal Comet+ > Taurus mk. II
For IEMs, I justify whether they’re going to stay or not based on their performance on my DAP. This has been the Hiby R4 since it’s release, but I am in the process of auditioning Onix’s XM10.
My impressions of Let Shuoer’s DX1:
I am lucky enough to have been sent this by Let Shuoer - so thank you allowing me to listen to this!
So, I don’t think this one is for me, but I think it has many strengths, and so it could be for you. This is the most capable single DD I have heard and, in my opinion, it punches way above it’s weight in terms of technical performance.
When I first plugged DX1 in, it was immediately apparent that I hadn’t previously heard an IEM like it. It was a familiar track I was listening to, Haken’s ‘Eyes of Ebony’, and the vocal was so clearly out in front of the rest of the mix. This shocked me as Haken are a prog metal outfit that allow space for all of the instruments to shine, and, I’d argue, as good as Ross Jennings is, are not a vocal-centric band - it’s just one of the many instruments contributing to the overall performance. But listening to this track on DX1, the vocals were so clear and almost separate from the rest of the instruments, it caught me off guard! The rest of the mix sounded like it was one step back from the vocals.
When looking at a squig of the DX1, you can see that the pinna gain region is ever so slightly elevated. This is in large part responsible for the forward vocals. There were other benefits to the slight elevation in this region and that was that bass guitars were more carved out of the mix; they’re tonality/character came through a lot more clearly. There was also a real weight to bass guitars that came through the mix. Snare drum hits had a real snap to them too. Drums all sounded quite tactile and full.
As you may have already guessed, if you have read the ‘About Me’ section above, I listen to drums first, then bass, then guitar, etc., and vocals last. So this vocal-centric tuning is pretty much the only reason why I would say that DX1 isn’t for me.
However, the drivers in DX1 are Let Shuoer’s newest creation and they are very capable. Imaging, separation, and frequency extension are all excellent. These drivers didn’t break a sweat even during busy passages. Because of this, I was somewhat in awe of this IEM and wished to see what they could do so I attenuated the 1-3k region by 1 dB and BAM, it set the vocals back into the mix where I prefer them to be. This tweak to the tuning didn’t harm any of it’s technical ability, but it did lose some of the “special sauce” of this IEM. It wasn’t quite as engaging with the EQ; snares weren’t as snappy, the drums weren’t as tactile…
In summary, this is an impressive IEM. It has slightly elevated, satisfying bass. It is somewhat mid-forward, but in a very inoffensive/beneficial manner. The treble is smooth and detailed. It stages well, images great and can resolve busy passages with ease. Apart from the vocal-forward presentation, it otherwise comes across as a well-balanced tuning.
I know my tastes are an outlier, given my penchant for drum-focussed listening. I also know that most people tend to listen to vocals as the primary focus of their music. I’d wager that most people listening to DX1 would see strengths where I see weaknesses and love this IEM.
I hopes someone finds what I’ve written useful.
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Thanks for sharing this. And is that a buckling spring keyboard I see?
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Indeed! An M122 
It’s one of the boards I use for work.
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A bit of an off-topic but not really? Speaking of IEMs, I have decided today to let go my pair of Simgot EA500 and give it to my father, whose birthday is gonna be next week. This is my way of me showing thank you and appreciation to whatever he did for me , for my mom and for my brothers in order to have a life despite not being perfect, at least we’re living well.
I hope he can enjoy that set for I don’t use it anymore, and I really cannot go back to it since I have the Pilgrims and the Volume S right now, and those those are astronomically better than the EA500.
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Hiby 10th Anni bundle…
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Is $650 for used UM Mest (OG) in perfect condition reasonable price in this day and age? I only see different MK2s offers for a reference. I’m targeting my first kilobuck and used market is messing with my price perception.
Hi, I would say $450. Personally I think there are much better IEMs at that price and lower today. The tuning of MEST OG is not holding up, and it is essentially a prototype. I would at minimum look for MK2 if you have to have a MEST.
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No. Get a used MK2 or other IEM. Otherwise the price is somewhere around $400 at best.
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No wories we all have our listening habits. Like how I listen primary for strings and brass because I grew up around them and the mild V shape with 3ish dB linier slope to 1khz with a 7dB pinna gain(basically a warmish squished DF) is how I hear correct likely due to how my classrooms and multi purpose halls sounded and that became my default room gain in my mind.
DX1 for the breef time I had demoing it was very impressive. The special sause of haveing that dry upper bass reverb that you get from brass bodies in general is really surprising. Usually that part is either super THICC or recessed to the point where you only hear the upper harmonics but not the main body.
While I like it alot I can see the issue that being a tight dry and slightly bright sounding iem its not for alot of people but I am grateful they made it anyways.
Its interesting that you say Eyes of Ebony doesnt have vocal forwardness. Granted Im using the SRH1840 so maybe the more DF tuned headphone would push the vocals all the way above the instruments but the singers vocals clearly louder and more well defined than the electric guitars which is surprising since they take up about the sameish frequencies. But this goes to show both the person and the source(Im using a Fiio K9 pro AKM which is a slightly warmish but thin and precise) can affect the perceved hearing.
Personally of the recent canjam the DX1 and Emiment Ears Emerald are the only 2 iems Im looking forward to potentially adding to my collection.
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