Just a quick note:
Everything in this set is as described above I cannot see a weak point of this set - bass is as tight as can be, mids and vocal are great, soundstage is fair etc. You just need to buy this set as long as it is so cheap as it is.
I guess I always underestimate the effect of the mindset to the overall perception 
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Thanks for sharing! Glad your experience echoes others up to now - at least QC seems to be better than the Timeless 
Sounds like youâre describing the classic phenomenon of diminishing returns in this hobby. Is the Tea 5 times better than the Mele? No, since the change in listening experience versus money spent is not linear. Sad but thatâs the nature of the game - I feel your pain haha. Perhaps the nuanced differences in SQ will become apparent when youâre critically listening at home later.
I would say give it like a week or two of listening and burning in. Iâve heard that planar drivers benefit a lot of usage, so thereâs that aspect too. Plus brain burn-in haha.
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Haha, diminishing returns of the brains of those whoâve experienced tons of WOW factor from previous and earlier sets Iâd say 
Anticipation for this set must be high for you, especially after the few initial reports, but also so many times our minds get tricked into thinking âwhen dafuq is my set coming I CANT WAIT anymore!â = âthis set must be S tier.â I had a few sets like that before, Tea, MEST, Variations. But after a longer listening, the mindset will reset back to normal without the anticipation factor, and thatâs how Tea and MEST are now endgame.
More interesting for me tho: Did you notice the unique planar timbre right away?
(then again, you also had Timeless, so that might not be so special anymore)
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I usually get 2.5mm balanced, which isnât an option here. This gets me to my questions.
What connector are people getting?
How is the stock cable?
I am tempted to get the 4.4mm balanced and get an adapter, so I can use my 2.5mm connector on my BTR5. It is going to look silly, since the adapter and connector will be longer than the BTR5. If the stock cable is meh, then I wouldnât care, and just plan on using a different cable.
4.4mm for more juice.
If you need 2.5mm just get an adapter.
Stock cable is literally the best cable Iâve owned, competing against the Xinhs and NiceHCK cables I have⊠No kinks no tangle, pin-straight after unwrapping it from roadie wrap every time.
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Yes, I guess you are completely right, my mind would reset soon. Interesting part that only Tea got me into this immediate fall in love from IEMs. I would let you know later after few days how it ends up feeling.
Regarding the planar timbre - I did not have timeless in my ears at all, so only planars I heard are HE400i, HE400SE and Sundara. I guess there is some of this planar tightness, but it was not immediate feeling I had when I started to listen to them that they are very different in timbre from any DD based hybrid. My ears sucks though I think 
@John_W_Clark cable is best you could get. I got mine with 3.5mm since it fits all sources I have.
Also regarding the power requirements - definitely they take some more current than Tea. On hip dac on low gain I can get away easily from small channel imbalance on low pot settings I struggle with sometimes on louder tracks with Tea.
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i got 4.4mm too looks like a 2.5mm cable isnât/wonât be an option at least for the foreseeable future (based on shuoers responses to a 2.5mm option), it is a really nice stock cable if maybe a little plasticky, but iâm using a xinhs 4core graphene 2.5mm for btr5/on the go
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For 16 ohm impedance current delivery is more important than voltage, so if your source can power the S12 with 3.5mm it should be preferable as balanced have double the output impedance, but I donât know if thatâs going to be noticeable, especially as planars usually have flat impedance.
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Timeless and S12 have started the great age of planar IEMs. This is the future.
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oooo, thanks for the photo, that is a nice looking cable, and nice to get confirmation from others ( @pylaczynski and @Morphitsu )
I should get a desktop amp someday, but I live out of my laptop bag about 25% of the time, so a portable solution always seems like the right answer.
I definitely get @pylaczynski 's issue with not getting the wow factor. My first open back headphone were the SHP9500 and other than being a too bright, they were mostly amazing, because they were so much better than anything I had experience before. Despite having tried some more expensive headphones, it wasnât until the HE400se that I had another wow experience.
My love of the planar sound was what got me to jump at the Timeless. My dislike of the BA sound is likely what has kept me away from Teas, but I also know that both can be done right or wrong. I just think the floor price on planar drivers helps keeps some bad actors away.
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I have to guess Super Review is going to be doing a video on the S12 soon, since he has it a squig for it already, and up to 2k it is pretty close to the Timeless, which bodes well to me.
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That one is his pre-production unit (originally called Soloist 2).
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Very small update, but something I was looking for forever
I can actually lay on side of my head with this set on without extra pressure on tip that normally breaks the seal!
This is the wow factor I needed 
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Precogâs squig and impressions are out, and ofc he also mentions the difference between S12 and Timeless:
6/10 on his scale
(EJ07m got 6.4/10)
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Precog doesnât seem to like Shuoerâs sound signatures, like Crin! With Timeless and S12, everything touches on taste, but everything shows that S12 is technically better! For example, in my opinion, EJ 07m has a grade of 9.42 / 10 
!
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The highest score Precog ever given is 8.7/10, so 6/10 is actually pretty good in this chart loll
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It is a bit confusing with these subjective assessments of tonality. For example, Sony M9 has a better tonality than Monarch MK2. I havenât listened to them, but itâs hardly true. Only the assessment of technicality can be objective, and not always! 
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I donât know what kind of sorcery LETSHUOER has used, but I think Iâll get my S12 in 7 days from clicking the buy button (if delivery goes well today)!! Fastest delivery ever from China! Bests DHL lol. So yeah, youâve earned a loyal customer @shuoer ! Impressions to follow next week when Iâve had some time with it.
Edit: They are arriving today! So 6 days from order to delivery! Sadly Iâm going on vacation until next Tuesday 
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Seems stock is flyingâŠ
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I just did the picture repost thing to get the early bird price within 2 days of sharing it. But Iâm not buying silver. I guess that helps me make up my mind about it.
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