This is the place to discuss all things LETSHOUER S12 and the collab with Z Reviews, the Z12. HiFiGO was kind enough to send over the Z12, and we have an S12 here that was dropped off by a LETSHOUER rep (thanks!).
(at the moment I don’t have an S12 link).
These are essentially identical, except that the Z12 seems to have more bass. So for the bassheads out there, that would be the one to go with, even though I find the S12 to already have a good amount of bass as is.
I find both of them to be generally solid for the price, with a few tuning quirks. So just… keep in mind that the following are my nitpicks.
I would prefer the bass shelf to be a bit more distinct on both, and while it rises up nicely into the sub-bass on the Z12, because it’s not particularly distinct, it tends to bloat a bit. They both have a touch of that upper bass thickness going on, which some may not like. And yes, the upper mids can also come through a bit hot and glaring at times, but the level here is about on par with other ‘well-tuned’ IEMs. So if you’re fine with those you’ll be fine with these.
For ‘technicalities’, they’re both… acceptable - I don’t hear much difference between the two on that front. The Timeless is still more incisive though, with better clarity for trailing ends of tones. So if you’re looking for the more technical planar IEM, I’d still go for that one.
At the same time, these are both reasonably versatile and work for a wide range of music - like the stuff that doesn’t fully token the lower frequencies will still sound sufficiently ‘full’ and engaging. So, despite a couple of gripes I’m going to recommend them both, even if personally I’d go for the SeeAudio Yume Midnight or Moondrop Kato instead.
I think also some may have noted how minimal this difference is, and sure it’s tough to say all that much was done for the ‘collab’ aspect of the Z12… but at the end of the day I don’t know if we should care. It’s another flavor of an already solid option.
% with your opinion here.
