Thanks to IEM Tour Group Europe and Jon at Letshuoer UK for the chance to hear the Letshuoer S12 Ultra, the latest iteration of the classic single planar IEM, retailing for $170 USD.
The original S12 was my first IEM in the hobby, and it impressed me with its deep, fast bass and exciting treble, coming from my Hifiman Ananda headphones. The S12 Ultra feels like a natural successor. It keeps that fun, dynamic character that leans warm/bassy: full-bodied mids, deep bass thump and rumble, complemented by treble with just enough excitement without crossing the line. Vocals sound clear and natural, and the bass feels fast and well-controlled, even if it doesnât deliver the last word in impact/physicality. It isnât a particularly airy set compared to something like the Ziigaat Horizon, but the treble is well-balanced and brings enough emphasis to keep things interesting.
The small shells have a premium feel, and the bronze/brown finish looks good. I do wish manufacturers would stop with the iPhone naming conventions though, nobody needs a S12 Pro Max Ultra. At 16 ohms and 101 dB/mW, theyâre reasonably easy to drive; they powered fine from my KZ BT earhooks and scaled up nicely with the Topping G5.
At this price point, the S12 Ultra is a strong contender â a well-balanced unit that gives a genuine taste of what higher-priced IEMs can do. I think it would impress newcomers to the hobby, just like the OG did for me. Iâm curious to hear the new Letshuoer Astralis though, maybe itâll make the Ultra obsolete.
Itâs just one comparative data point. Presuming the same rig was used <1k is dam close. Of course, itâs not the whole auditory picture but FR is meaningful and comparable if not completely accurate. The same error âshouldâ exist with both measurements. Definitely ignore >10k though. Way too much variability in the non-lab grade devices even for comparison.
Looking to see if anyone can provide some insight⌠I have a DAC that I connect to my phone. When I plug certain iems in 4.4 I get this annoying static background sound. I noticed that if I turn my phone to airplane mode that static goes away. Iâm guessing itâs some type of interference Iâm experiencing but want to know how this problem could be solved without having to turn on airplane mode
Thats the type of stuff I would expect from a hybrid/pure tube amp, not a solid state based one which is weird. You tried with other sources to see if you get the same with those?
Itâs the cayin ru3. It seems to only happen when plugged in to the 4.4 balanced. I have the tempotec v1 and that static does not occur, but the ru3 balance has a lot more power.
I do not believe this is a factor here. But im not sure why it is happening. Have you tried disabling mobile data, bluetooth, wifi or nfc only? And then all? To narrow it down what is helping since airplane mode turns off all of that.
Iâll def try to go one by one. I did purchase this used so was not sure if it could just be a faulty unit someone wanted to discard. Iâll also try different USB c cord to see if that changes anything.
I have had the same issue with some dongles, HIBY FC6, Cayin RU6 and a few more I dont recall name off. And everytime it got silent when phone was in airplane mode, except on my iPhone as it pings now and then even if its in airplane mode.
My write up and photos from Copenhagen Watercooler meet last weekend, I posted it on head-fi but add a link here. Always awesome to meet up with people that have the same interest in audio.
Hi everyone, My first time posting to the general iem thread.
needed a quick poll result on what everyone thinks of the following.
The poll is for cable connectors, Letâs keep in mind some basic material science before the poll.
The common iem connectors use gold plated tellurium copper, Gold isnât a very good conductor but it can withstand oxidation better than copper, despite which Iâve seen gold connectors become bad over time (possibly thin layer of electroplating),
Rhodium is probably the best against oxidation but a little worse than gold in conduction.
Silver is the best at conduction but it is the worst in oxidation.
With that in mind,
I know that some of you would want no cable in box saying you would rather have your own cable. But this is just a poll for data collectionâs sake.
Hypothetically, if you were a summit-fi iem buyer⌠would you have
Silver connectors, male and female
Good old Gold plated Tellurium Copper Connectors
Rhodium Connectors
Donât care, let me enjoy my music
0voters
also it goes without saying, if silver route, the cables will also be either pure silver, silver palladium and whatnot.
14 people have voted,
the 4th option, Donât care, let me enjoy my music is technically the same option as the Gold plated Tellurium Copper connectors since they are the standard connectors, which means the Tellurium copper is preferred by 78% of the voters that translates to almost 8 in 10 people prefer the usual connectors.
I have a few more polls Iâd like for some data collection.
Now, for my next poll
Iems and cables in boxâŚ
I want iem only, I can get a cable/ have my own cable
Cable in box, must complement the iem visually
Treasure Find amazing cable (may not complement the iem visually)
0voters
What kind of cable do you like, regardless of budget?
Visually Good looking cable (behaves bad, the sheath is terrible, has an impedance over 1.5 or 2ohms could potentially affect low impedance iems sound signature)
Well behaved cable, good braiding (can be complex) has a durable sheath, looks and sounds ok
Thicc cables (doesnât probably fit in your iem puck and makes your iem look smol) (behaves good, sounds excellent due to high conductivity from conductor surface area)
Normal Cable bruh
Thin, Lightweight Durable cable (could potentially sound bad due to less conductor surface area)
Coaxial cables (i dont like braids)
Paracorded Cable (I like cable cloth and can fry the frays)
I just told you, I donât want cables, Just give me my iem.
0voters
DIY iem question
Recessed 0.78mm 2-pin socket
Flat 0.78mm 2-pin socket
QDC Connector Gang (dust shroud/cap protects from weather and potential oxidation relatively) and compatible with the regular 0.78mm 2-pin connectors
The cable should visually complement the IEM, but also match the sound signature and bring out the potential of the IEM. Very often the cable only matches visually, because it is technically not suitable for the IEM in the box. It is very strange when a flagship for 2000+ dollars has a bad/unsuitable for this IEM and everyone has to draw their own conclusions about the engineering of the company to which they pay a bag of money. I think this is a kind of masochism among audiophiles - to give 2000-4000 dollars for an IEM and then another 2000 dollars for a cable. This part of the hobby is called âsnake milkâ, but it can be called âa trip to the madhouseâ
âThe Kimber KS 1036 has identical electrical performance as my ultra cheap (but well built) Amazon cables. Testing was performed way outside of audible range and still no difference was found. In the lengths used, use of silver does nothing for signal transmission with such high impedances.â
Funny how that happens, Dom. I just know that when I compare cables, there are very subtle differences in tonality, which has nothing to do with electrical performance. That said, I would never be stupid enough to spend 4 grand on a cable! But that is just me. For interconnects, I use Mogami cables.
. (I might remember wrongâ
).
For interconnects, I use Mogami cables.