Letshuoer Cadenza 12 Review

There have been a few IEMs from Letshuoer that I’ve enjoyed, but they’ve never produced anything quite like this. Coming off of the S12 to the Cadenza 12 is a massive jump, so I’m interested to see if Letshuoer can deliver that high-end IEM experience. An IEM from a brand like Letshuoer that’s priced at $2,299 is quite a rarity, so let’s see if the Cadenza is something special.

What You Get

• 9 * Eartips
• Stock Cable
• 2.5&3.5&4.4mm Connectors
• Cadenza Leather Earphone Case
• Accessories Box
• Cleaning Cloth
• Product Cards
• User Guide
• Warranty Card

Look & Feel

You might recognize the ergonomic shape from other IEMs, but it’s still hard to compare other models to the Cadenza’s unique look. The outside of the Cadenza’s casing is made using a hard titanium chassis, finished in a reflective silver surface. With this structure, the Cadenza prioritizes both durability and low density. It’s impressive that the Cadenza doesn’t have much weight to it with the build that it has. This is a great look for a pair of high-end IEMs, as it does a good job of looking the part while also being practical and comfortable.

Design

Underneath the Cadenza’s hard surface comes a flagship driver system from Letshuoer. They combine 12 different drivers with a six-way crossover and five acoustic bores. A majority of these drivers are made by Sonion, with mid-woofers, mid-tweeters, and super-tweeters. There’s also Knowles composite tweeter, and a 10mm dynamic unit that has an LSS Kevlar dome. These components are carefully organized, grouping them together in specific sets that are aligned to remove any possible phase issues. I used the Cadenza with an iFi Gryphon and a Fiio M11s, and it has a ton of drive. You can easily run these IEMs through any device, but I personally recommend 4.4mm balanced outputs.

Soundstage

While it took a little while for the soundstage to open up, the Cadenza eventually showed its full immersion. Its best attribute is its separation and distancing between each performance. You get a full sense of the space, and the sound elements are more articulate in communicating the specific origins of sounds. Sometimes it feels like the soundstage has a breath to it, and it makes anything coming out of the Cadenza engaging to listen to.

Plenty of room is offered here, and the layering helps give your tracks a whole new dimension. Its width extends far and it stretches well past the shell, but I never got that much height out of them. It’s far from a linear response though, as the spatial imaging offers great stereo depth and realism. If anything is missing from the top, the Cadenza more than makes up for it at the bottom, wrapping the stereo field around you so that you can perceive some sounds from outside of your headspace.

Low End

The bass of the Cadenza makes a strong impression on the sound signature. It blossoms from a deep foundation in the sub-bass and widens itself to form a significant body. Tonally, the frequencies don’t vibrate as much, but more than enough energy is provided in its powerful impact. These notes come down hard, and the timbre treats this response with great clarity and richness. The response stays in its lane, mainly operating in a specific zone of resistance, but it fills out every corner with engrossing detail.

Mids

As far as the mids go, this is a pretty smooth, moderately emphasized tone. It’s not a soft timbre, but all of the sound elements found here have a pretty neutral appearance. They are communicated through the sound signature with accuracy and precision, adding a roomy resonance that accentuates the breathability of the instruments. Everything comes across very realistically, showcasing natural qualities in your tracks. Like the bass, the mids have more of a bloom to their response, hitting transients at a medium pace. Sometimes you might wish that certain notes hit a little harder, but the Cadenza still communicates them with transparency.

Highs

There is an abundance of treble in these IEMs, and its emphasis won’t win over everybody. While the frequency content is given the most gain, their timbre is quite concentrated and flat. You won’t hear much texture up here, so you’re mostly getting genuine treble. As a result, the Cadenza doesn’t shy away from some harshness. Its effects are minimized, but you can still hear some piercing tones from time to time, especially when listening to classical pieces or piano tunes. Upper highs get smoothed out though, and it makes the frequency response a lot more digestible for those who might not like the more extended treble.

Summary

I don’t know what I was expecting from Letshuoer’s high-end, but the Cadenza 12 definitely went above and beyond. The impactful bass and immersive soundstage were my personal highlights, but the natural midrange and detailed highs also have something to offer as well. This sound signature is worthy of being in the premium camp of audiophile IEMs, especially with the great build and inner design it’s crafted with.

The Letshuoer Cadenza 12 is available at Audio46.