I loved the original S12 and at the time, it was my preferred planar option since it sounded decently well rounded with a stronger treble that came off as raw sounding which was either a positive or negative depending on the listener's treble preference. Eventually an updated S12 Pro came out with a slightly warmer tuning that attempted to appeal to those who didn’t like the S12 tuning. LETSHUOER ended up transitioning to the S15 which had an all new design both externally and internally with a new planar driver. The S15 covered their top and planar unit series and then their warm tuned S08 covered their entry level leaving the S12 and S12 Ultra as the middle tier Planar set in their S series lineup. The S12 2024 Edition is a limited release of 2024 units and attempts to be the best of the S12 series tuning wise. The S12 is using an 14.8mm Planar driver and comes in at $199.00 at the time of this writing but has an MSRP of 299.00
Quick shoutout to LETSHUOER for sending a unit out to check out and review. While I always appreciate the chance to test and review products sent in from manufacturers or dealers, it never affects the rating of my reviews.
Looks and fit
The S12 2024(2024 Edition/Version going forward) has an updated shell that goes for a polished black inner shell that has a high quality feel that also helps with comfort in the ear. The outer shell/faceplate uses a similarly smooth metal with a rose gold color. More gold than pink but I think it looks great with the black inner shell. The shell looks very similar to the OG S12 but just eyeballing the two, I do see that the nozzle is slightly wider and the vent port near the connector has changed from a circle to a rectangle shape. The filter on the nozzle looks different vs the OG S12 as well. The 2024 version feels higher quality but I do notice a fitment difference between the two with the same exact tips in my ears which makes no sense since both look to be the same shape. This might just be a possible weight or shell material difference. Because it fits my ears just a bit better, I have less seal issues and don’t need to use oversized tips to get a good seal.
Isolation and sound leakage
The S12 2024 has decent passive isolation. It blocks out enough outside noise. Like most vented IEMs, it does leak out some sound but this can be countered by simply lowering volume in quiet areas. Other than that, these do as well as other vented IEMs.
Packaging and accessories
The S12 2024 being a special edition goes a little above and beyond on the package and accessories. Though it’s all just cosmetic things like a keychain and little plate showing off that this is a special edition. As a reviewer, this set of extras is wasted on me since everything that isn’t the IEMs and case are stuffed away in my closet or storage boxes. However, it might appeal to those who buy the 2024 edition. The updated box is a little longer than the standard S12 series packaging and comes in a nice rose gold sleeve. Inside that is the main box that houses the little plaque thing and under that we get an array of tips which range from narrow and wide bore as well as some foam tips. We get their updated S15 style carrying case which I really like. We also get the IEM and color matched cable that have quick detach plugs to cover all balanced and unbalanced needs. Overall a good presentation and it comes with all the important things one would need from a set of IEMs.
Sound(overall)
These final impressions were done off the Eversolo DAC-Z8 connected to the SMSL SP400. This was all done using Audirvana Studio as the main audio player. These impressions are what the S12 2024 sounded like to my ears. This was also using the Spinfit W1 ear tips. Things like ear tip selection and DAC/amp selection will produce different results and impressions vs what my ears hear on my specific gear.
The S12 2024 has a similar tuning to the OG S12 but the physical changes to the nozzle filter and top vent port do make a noticeable tuning difference. The 2024 sounds mostly neutral-bright but with a dynamic sounding bass to my ears. The bass sounds fast but produces good tight bass impact/slam. It does sound pretty well controlled and does produce a little extra kick when it’s needed. The mids are neutral for the most part with just a bit of sharpness. This makes for detailed enough instruments that hangout in the midrange. The Vocals come in clear but they do exhibit a slightly metallic sound to the end tones of female vocals which was common for the OG S12 Planar units. This isn’t as noticeable and this sounds good enough but not quite natural for Vocals. The upper mids are sharp with a slight boost and it leans on the edge of what I find comfortable for long term listening fatigue. The treble is brighter but it does sound better controlled in this 2024 edition. Though only slightly, it lacks some of the strong raw sounding treble the OG S12 had. This unit sounds very much like my OG S12 but I do seem to prefer this unit more. It’s just the slight difference between this and the OG S12 that makes it a better modern tuning for my preferences today. I liked it back when the OG S12 came out and I have no complaints with the tuning on the S12 2024 Edition.
Soundstage/Imaging
Soundstage width and depth are balanced and about average for IEMs. I don’t have much to say since nothing sounds unique or strange. Imaging was spot on for the balanced soundstage. It was easy to pick out specific instruments and positions in busy tracks.
Sensitivity/Drivability
The S12 2024 version does like a little power to get the volume up to my preferred level. Most modern dongles with 200mW or more will provide more than enough power for the 2024 version. There is a noticeable difference between this and OG S12 in terms of required power for volume. This could come down to possibly different cables but with the same tips, I do find a difference needed to get the same volume.
Stock cable
The stock cable looks a lot like the stock cable that came with the S12 and S12 Pro. This time it’s a dark brown cable with small hints of silver wire weaved in. The furniture on the y split and the 2 pin connectors have the same shiny rose gold color as the 2024 faceplates. The cable is stiff but flexible enough that it doesn’t tangle up easily. I like the stock cable and with the swappable plugs, it makes it easy to adapt to any audio source. I would leave the stock cable alone unless you prefer a different color or cable design.
IEM comparisons
LETSHUOER S12
I mostly mentioned the differences in my “Sound Impression” section above but I’ll summarize the differences here quickly. The bass is better controlled and a tiny bit less punchy compared to the OG S12. The 2024 has a better mid and vocal presentation with the OG S12 sounding noticeably more metallic/artificial. The upper mids sound close on both but the new 2024 edition just doesn’t sound quite as sibilant. The treble is noticeably more sharp and metallic sounding on the OG S12 vs the new 2024 version. Raw is usually the keyword I use to describe it, but something in design differences with the new nozzle filter and possibly the top vent design change might be the reason the 2024 sounds tighter and detailed without sounding splashy and rough like the OG S12 upper treble.
LETSHUOER S15
I’m mostly gonna copy my notes from the S15 review but a little has changed since there is small but noticeable refinement to the tuning of the S12 2024 Edition vs the OG S12.
“The S12 sounds a little brighter and just a bit more raw in the treble tuning. Now compared to the S15 and even some of the alternated S12 variants, it’s quite obvious their planar designs and tuning choices have heavily evolved. The S15 easily leads the pack in both tuning competency and detail retrieval. The lows sound tighter and hit harder on the S15, the mids are detailed and sound refined. The vocals are cleaner and less metallic over the S12. The upper mids are a little better balanced on the S15 and lack sibilance issues to my ears. Finally the treble is still super sharp and fast but it sounds less “raw” and more detailed vs the S12. The gap is slightly smaller with this 2024 S12 but the S15 still sounds more detailed regardless. Staging is a little better balanced on the S15 as well. Both are good IEMs but I feel the S15 is just a great example of R&D at LETSHUOER continuing to hone their planar lineup in an attempt to make the ultimate all rounder planar.”
Amping Combinations
Moondrop MoonRiver 2 Ti
Since I do most of my listening for reviews at work, I tend to use the MR2 Ti as my main source from my Macbook Pro. The MR2 Ti is a slightly warmer source and it pairs well with the S12 2024. The bass has a warmer sound which also blends into the mids giving this a more relaxed listen. The Vocals do sound a hair more natural and the upper mids do sound more controlled and less sharp which might help with those who might find this teetering on the edge of being sibilant. The treble is still sharp but sounds a hair slower which helps give it that overall warmer sound. Overall a great pairing and I preferred this combo.
Eversolo DAC-Z8/SMSL SP400
As mentioned in my sound impressions, this is the main stack I used for my overall impressions of the S12 2024 Edition. While this stack usually brings out the best audio performance from IEMs, I honestly had no issues getting really good performance out of the Moondrop MR2 Ti which is my dongle benchmark for most reviews. It won’t hurt to feed the S12 2024 Edition a good source but it’s not needed to appreciate the tuning.
Overall thoughts
I liked the OG S12 and I like this new S12 2024 Anniversary Edition. Now there is only the slightest tuning difference but it’s just enough that I do prefer this over the OG S12. This is a “greatest hit” of the S12 series and I think this is my preferred version. This is a special edition and since it’s a limited production release, I think it’s worth the recommendation if you want the updated shell material and color scheme, a slight refinement to the tuning(a result of the nozzle filter and top vent change), all the goodies that let you know that you have the special version of the S12, then this is worth a shot. If you didn’t like the OG S12 when it launched, I don’t believe this version will change anyone's mind. Good job to the team at LETSHUOER as usual and I look forward to their future products including one my favorite IEMs that has been updated by their engineering team. Thanks for reading!!
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