Total Score: 8.12 out of 10

Enjoyment Score: 8 out of 10

PRICE: $1,999

PROS:

• Top of The Line (TOTL) overall experience
• Superb balance of technicalities and musicality
• Rich vocal tone and timbre
• Fantastic bass and treble shelf extension
• Detailed but non-fatiguing treble
• Versatile for many genres
• Solid titanium build quality
• Excellent seal and stability
• Great volume and power scaling

CONS:

• Not the most “engaging” or “exciting” sounding set to listen to
• Vocal warmth can get overwhelming at times
• Transient tactility is not the best in the price
• Extremely fragile aesthetics because of the full glossy finish
• Sturdy but stiff and microphonic cable
• Eartip inclusion is lackluster
• Mild air pressure build up

WHO THIS UNIT IS FOR:

• People looking for a proper TOTL experience
• People who want a safe but still very technically capable IEM
• People looking for a premium build and stable fit and seal

WHO THIS UNIT IS FOR:

• People who want a flagship IEM with a stronger “wow” factor
• People who don’t want an aesthetically fragile IEM
• People who want a fun sounding IEM

GENRES:

• Most genres work, but I personally really enjoy instrumental jazz and funk

SHORT REVIEW:

A flagship IEM from top to bottom, Letshuoer’s 2024 update of the Cadenza 12 stays true to what made the original so fascinating as a flagship IEM. It straddles the balance of musicality and technicalities to such a level that no other flagship I’ve heard. Topping it all off with a flagship experience from unboxing to build & fit and you might wonder what not to like. Besides the extremely versatile aesthetics, microphonic cable and occasionally sterile tuning, the main question you need to ask yourself is if you’re willing to deck out $2,000 for what the Cadenza 12 offers. RECOMMENDED WITH CAVEATS.

FULL REVIEW

Occasionally, a set comes at my doorstep that redefines my perspective on how good in-ear monitors can get. 2 years ago, this set was the Letshuoer Cadenza 12 as it was my first true top of the line in-ear monitor. I had a lot of expectations and they were exceeded greatly. 

After 2 years, however, I’ve heard far more expensive sets and just more sets in general to be able to reevaluate whether the Candeza 12 really was as special was it was. This time around, Letshuoer has revised a few things while keeping the fundamental idea of the Cadenza 12 in fact. Let’s see whether this $2,000 flagship Letshuoer IEM stands the test of my personal experience.

LET THERE BE SHUOER!

Letshuoer has been an integral brand in the rise of modern in-ear monitors. Sets like the Letshuoer S12, the EJ series, Galileo and their new-breed planars like the S08 and S15 have been the talk of the town for quite some time. The S12 in particular redefined what a budget planar could sound like and is still a highly sought-after product in the market. 

Through this, you can get an idea of their allure and the hype that surrounds the Cadenza 12. This was their flagship IEM. The set that defined the best of the best that they had to offer. So obviously, it had to be good. And it was, but not as mind blowing as I thought of initially. I expected an out of this world experience, but this set also introduced the idea of “diminishing returns” or the miniscule upgrades from extravagant costs. With that in mind, along with my improved understanding of value and what I find to be good, let’s talk about the Letshuoer Cadenza 12 starting with the unboxing experience. 

UNBOXING

If you were expecting an extravagant unboxing experience for $2,000, then you would be happy with the Cadenza 12’s unboxing experience. Premium silver package housed in a luxurious box that almost feels like it was taken from an expensive watch collection. 

Here’s a full list of the package:

• IEMs
• Modular Cable (3.5mm/4.4mm)
• Metal Plaque
• Eartips
• Carrying Case
• Paperwork

While not as “grand” as I thought it was 2 years ago, I can still appreciate the amount of effort that Letshuoer has put into the unboxing of the Cadenza 12. It’s such a fantastic device with a great experience to back it up. However, you also cannot deny that the lackluster eartip inclusion paired with a somewhat small case makes the quality of the accessories lack luster in comparison to other products. They also omitted the inclusion of a cleaning tool which is almost essential for a product like the Cadenza 12. But hey, Letshuoer is the only brand I know that ships their flagships with a titanium plaque of their product mascot. 

BUILD & FIT

As you might expect from a flagship IEM, you also get a crazy good build on the IEMs. Titanium chassis that is, contrary to its bulky appearance, is lightweight and does not feel like you’re lugging literal chunks of metal around your ears.

Internally, you have their special LSS Kevlar DD paired with Knowles and Sonion BA in a 12 driver, 6 way crossover configuration. 

While I do love the premium look, I absolutely dislike pure glossy IEMs like the Cadenza 12 because they’re so easy to scratch and ruin. You have to treat this thing like a prince on his deathbed to make sure that you maintain its sparkly appearance. 

Fit isn’t that spectacular either, but mostly due to its size. If you have larger ears, the contoured shaped and aggressive wings might make this the best fitting IEM you’ve ever worn. However, don’t expect it to be a comfortable fit if you have small ears as its size is just massive thanks to its 12 driver configuration. 

Unfortunately for me, this also has mild ear pressure build up that somewhat ruins the experience. However, this is a part of the Cadenza 12’s revision that was clearly improved as I did not feel it as much as I did with the old version. 

The trend for these half braided half corded cable is something that is a hit or miss and the Cadenza 12 falls closer to the latter side, unfortunately. The cable is crazy stiff and, despite feeling very durable, does not feel very comfortable. 

At the very least, the interface like the jack and y-split are very premium feeling and effective. The jack uses the best kind of modular system (the screw style) and is pretty easy to replace. A bit rough around the edges (or should I say sharp) but nothing too serious. 

SOUND

Sound Signature

The Cadenza 12’s sound signature is this beautiful mix of warm and bright with a thick, bodied and rich low end while maintaining a crisp top end with fantastic details and extension. But arguably the best thing that the Cadenza 12 has is its fantastic timbre for how technically capable it is. We’ll talk more about that in its own section. 

Source Pairing

The Cadenza 12 is a very easy to drive IEM with 110dB of sensitivity and 16ohms of sensitivity. However, this is one of the few IEMs that I came across that needs clean output. It sounds decent on a decent source, but pairing this with a higher quality, cleaner and more neutral source brings out the nuances in music far better than a more colored or skewed source. 

Volume Scaling:

The Cadenza 12’s warm-bright sound signature allows for it to be cranked up pretty high, but not overly so as the treble tends to intrude with the bass sounding a little bit woofy depending on the track. Ideally, you want to listen to the Cadenza 12 in mid to high volumes. Lower volume listening is not something I particularly enjoyed with the Cadenza 12 as it sounded a little dull. 

Bass

Probably the one aspect of the Cadenza 12 that I’d call “mediocre” for the price. While the quality is superb and has great balance, one of the best I’ve heard for the price, texture and nuance is a bit lacking and, for subbass lovers, the quantity of the bass is clearly lacking. It’s not such a big deal that it kills the set, but the Cadenza 12 is not for those who are looking for a detailed, nuanced bass. 

A track like New Kid in Town by The Eagles comes to mind during my testing as the bass guitar paired with the kick drum doesn’t sound as rich as I’ve heard in other sets. It’s present and it’s well-defined, but there’s this layer of smoothness that I wish was just a tad bit more tactile. 

Mids

The midrange is quite special on this set, however. Normally, I expect brighter leaning IEMs to leave the lower mids a bit distant and lean. However, my favorite sets find a way to be bright and have a superb midrange timbre. The Cadenza 12 is exactly like that and with the added bonus of a musical timbre in the lower frequencies of the midrange that creates such a lush, engaging and full-bodied listening experience. However, the issues that started in the bass when it comes to texture bleeds into the midrange. It’s not quite as tactile of an experience listening to the low frequency instruments and vocals of music that presents the aforementioned elements with emphasis. Upper mids are a little better, but doesn’t have that level of energy that I usually look for in IEMs. Keep in mind that I am quite shout tolerant, so this may skew my perspective a bit. But as for low ear gain IEMs go, the upper mids of the Cadenza 12 is inoffensive, clean and well-defined. Just lacks the bite and energy that I personally like.

A track like belief by John Mayer exemplifies this as not only do John Mayer’s vocals sound a bit rounded and lacking tactility, but the bass tends to bloat into the midrange and smears over John Mayer’s vocals. His vocals are still present and still has a good amount of detail over it, but it just lacks that impact I usually expect from this track. That bass guitar does sound quite delicious, though.

Treble

Probably the highlight of the Cadenza 12, even 2 years back, is the treble. While it’s not a “treblehead” IEM and honestly disappointed me the first time I listened to this, it’s still such a fantastic treble presentation that redefined what good treble sounded like. The Cadenza 12 new version further emphasizes just how good the treble is, but tones it down a bit. It’s not as energetic or crisp as the old Cadenza, but it’s still one of the best treble that I’ve heard in a flagship IEM. Extension is so good while keeping an inoffensive tone that makes it such a great set to listen to tracks with a lot of treble emphasis. However, like in the upper mids, I do with that there was a little bit more energy to the Cadenza 12. It’s well-defined and detailed, but doesn’t have that energy that I look for in a treble-centric set. 

Take a track like Killing Time by Magdalena Bay. This track and the entire Imaginal Disk album was such a trip to listen to on the Cadenza 12 because of its warm-bright tonality that perfectly compliments the very complex album. The treble in particular is such a highlight as the cymbals and hi hats in the track has such a crisp yet inoffensive quality that makes it so addicting to listen to. However, it does lack the energy that this track usually has in exchange for a thicker low end that works on some segments, but can tend to sound a little overwhelming on other segments. Particularly, towards the start where the bass can overpower the vocals. Nearing towards the end, in the climax of the song, is where the Cadenza 12’s technical ability shines. 

TECHNICALITIES

Speaking of technicalities, this is arguably the highlight of the Cadenza 12. For its slightly warm tuning, its technical ability is exceptional. I want to talk about the entirety of the Imaginal Disk album for this as I really cannot pinpoint a single track that defines how good the Cadenza 12 sounds. From the complex instrumentation of Killing Time to the slower, more intimate moments of tracks like Cry for Me and Love is Everywhere, The Cadenza 12 just somehow finds the perfect balance of good tonality and exceptional separation and layering. The one aspect of the Cadenza 12 that just isn’t as competitive for the price is headstage and stage depth. It’s more immersive and in your head rather than expansive and wide. That’s usually the norm for in-ears, so I wouldn’t really say that it’s such a big turn off. 

COMPARISON

Let me try to do something different here. Since I don’t really have a lot of TOTL experience on IEMs, I want to do an overview of just how big the jump of $2,000 is compared to midrange and semi flagship IEMs.

I want to first talk about the IEM that I’d argue comes very close to matching the Cadenza 12 in graph, but has some quirks that makes this IEM a little inferior. 7th Acoustics Supernova is a set that I would have fallen in love deeper with if it wasn’t for it’s little quirks (air pressure build up). Tonally, both sets have a fantastic warm-bright timbre with the Supernova’s tonality being some of the best I’ve heard in any all-BA set. However, the limitations of a weaker bass attack and a more dynamic sound on the Cadenza 12 still puts it above the Supernova in that regard. However, do I think that the Cadenza 12 outright beats the Supernova that is 3 times cheaper? No, but it does justify those with deeper pockets to do so. 

Next is another midrange set with a knack of technical ability and brightness, the Dunu DK3001BD. This 2024’s best IEM of mine is something that I ended up loving the more I listened to, but understood its flaws more. Compared to the far more expensive Cadenza 12, the DK3001BD is capable of matching its technical prowess, particularly the separation and layering ability. However, the Dk3001BD’s biggest weakness is its lackluster and occasionally metallic timbre. The planar-BA-DD hybrid creates a timbre limitation that makes it difficult for the DK3001BD to really topple over the $2,000 beast. But once again, is it really 5 times worse than the Cadenza 12? Absolutely not. But the overall package of the Cadenza 12’s technical yet bodied sound is what makes it worth $2,000. 

Why I compared those two specific IEMs to the Cadenza 12 is because both those IEMs feature things that the Cadenza 12 does both pretty well but doesn’t specialize in. The DK3001BD is insanely technical and the Supernova has superb timbre and tonality. Both sets are cheaper than the Cadenza 12, but the Cadenza 12 does what both do pretty well. 

CONCLUSION

This leads me to my conclusion on whether the Cadenza 12 is truly worthy of being a flagship. And to that, I’d say that it isn’t. At least, in my eyes it’s an IEM that can be very safe to recommend to people with deep pockets and want an IEM that they can listen to any time with anything. 

However, I’ve always believed that flagship IEMs are supposed to be exceptionally special IEMs with quirks that separate it from the pack. Flagships like the Melodic Artification Alter Ego with its crazy dynamic range, or the Elysian Annihilator with its near perfect tonal balance. The Cadenza 12 is one that played it safe while providing a very satisfying experience. 

Does that mean that the Cadenza 12 isn’t worth $2,000? It all depends on your perspective. Are you willing to cop $2,000 on an IEM that can do all things decently, but doesn’t specialize in being good at one thing? Then yes, enjoy your shiny titanium IEM with impeccable build, clean and rich tone and amazing technical ability. 

Thank you for reading my full review on the Letshuoer Cadenza 12 (2024). 

Non-affiliate link: https://letshuoer.net/products/letshuoer-cadenza-flagship-12-hybrid-drivers-in-ear-headphones