Closer Examination

While LETSHUOER is mostly known for its catalog of in-ear monitors, a look at its Aliexpress page reveals it also ships standalone upgrade cables. The cable that shipped with the EJ07M was plenty decent, but competes against modular cables at the price point now. With the less expensive S12, expectations on the cable front are not as high. That mindset helps since the stock cable is one of the stiffer ones I have used to date, but works well enough in practice. You need to choose between a 3.5 mm singled-ended TRS or 4.4 mm balanced TRRS plug depending on your source, and I have the former. The cable uses silver-plated copper conductors and comes in two thick strands in a silver/gray color. The plug housings adopting this gunmetal gray finish works well thus, with "Shuoer" branding on the source side. There is the expected splitter a little over halfway down, and it is accompanied by a clear plastic cable cinch that barely works in practice. The other end consists of pre-formed, stiff ear hooks with plastic sheathing over the cables. Each of the two strands has a 0.78 mm 2-pin connector, with clear or red plastic inserts distinguishing the left and right channels respectively. The cable is slightly microphonic and highly contingent on the pre-formed ear hooks working well for you, so this isn't my favorite cable overall; it could justifiably be replaced by an upgrade cable.


The LETSHUOER S12 comes in two color options—nebula gray (gunmetal) and this frosted silver I have here. The gunmetal gray finish appears to either be more popular or harder to manufacturer, or a combination of both given how often it is out of stock. But both are effectively manufactured by using 5-axis CNC-machined aluminium alloy shells. Two of these machined pieces are glued together, and each of the pieces is given a beaded finish with some edges chamfered around the cable connector. I appreciate LETSHUOER sticking with metal shells in a day and age where resin is less expensive and more common.


We now get a closer look at the shells and effective face plates, which are more a show of the CNC machining than any artistic design. I suppose you could see the combination of the beaded aluminium alloy with the lightly brushed and highly reflective chamfered edges. The shells are also smooth to the touch and highly resistant to fingerprints, grease, and wax, making them all the more conducive for this application. As we will see on the next page, the highly rounded nature and smaller size also make for an ergonomic fit in the ear concha. A look from the side reveals the opening for the cable connectors, which is slightly inset into the shells. There is also venting right below, with a single larger hole in the shell providing access to multiple smaller vents beneath. The model name, what could be the serial number, and "L" and "R" markings for the left and right channels are etched into the top side, with another vent on the inner surface touching the concha. Since the LETSHUOER S12 comes with no pre-installed ear tips, we already get a good look at the integrated metal nozzle that is slightly shorter than average and has a retaining lip on the end. We also see a pre-installed metal filter to prevent contaminants from entering the acoustic chamber.


Fitting the different ear tips is trivial, and that notch on the nozzle holds them in place. Seen above are the two types of silicone tips, and the foam tips that come with the LETSHUOER S12, all in size M and installed on these IEMs. Just make sure you go around the tips to ensure they are not in at an angle. Note that the widest point is ~5.5 mm at the notch, and the silicone tips were much simpler to fit compared to the foam ones. The gray bore tips are also slightly more tapered than the black bore ones, in addition to being softer. Try out the various different tips and sizes, and keep in mind that it's not necessary for both ear canals to have the best seal with the same set or size, either.


Regardless of which tips you go with, the next step is to connect the cable by carefully identifying the matching channels and orienting the ear hooks around your ear when connecting the IEMs. Doing so is extremely simple since you just push the male ends into the female ones on the IEMs, at which point I did realize the housing on the cable side actually did jut out ever so slightly to take advantage of that recessed connector on the IEMs after all. The round housing on the cable may not seem a great match with the rectangular IEM cutout, but I do like the overall aesthetics more than I originally thought. Now simply connect to the source using the right-angled 3.5 mm TRS connector on the other end of the cable, assuming you went with the same cable as mine, or get a source with a 4.4 mm output, such as the iFi GO blu (or use adapters) if with the other cable option. I know there are many who prefer using IEMs throughout, but I like to use over-ear headphones when sitting down and IEMs on the go. I paired the LETSHUOER S12 with all the tested portable DAC/amps to date and personally like the cleaner profile and handy EQ options of the Qudelix-5K as the source, in turn paired to my phone or laptop.