Nice review. I hope they release this tuning in a less expensive version of the S12. I really want to try a planar because it seems like the driver type is able solve some of my common complaints like instruments on busy tracks sounding like they blur together.
Yes, that is a planar specialty especially on the S12. I also said the same on S15, I hope they make a cheaper version of this set. Not sure they will on either one
No, usually the opposite as generally if you average all the planars, they would have more treble and more fatigue. There are counter examples like Letshuoer S08
@@PaulWasabii thats really interesting! ill keep note of this in my so far unsuccessful search for a daily driver iem while my experience with iems is very limited, with over-ear headphones i have many dynamic and planar models, when i eq all headphones to the same target i almost always find the planar models to be least fatiguing easier to listen for longer periods of time. my only guess for this is that planar over ears may be generally less peaky/grainy in their innate response curve and maintain their frequency response at low to high volume/power linearly, while dynamic over-ears somehow maybe exert greater force/air-pressure in an concentrated area on the ear giving that "slammy" quality more often than planar over-ears do, even though i do tend to find that planar over-ears are more often faster in transient response (attack/decay) and can sometimes also have this slam characteristic as well - just my speculation so far, but generally i have more success with planar over-ears than dynamic over-ears of the same frequency response in long term use
Great review Paul. Wondering if there is any upside to moving to this from the Heyday? I like the Heyday and for example, like it a quite a bit better than the old S12 Pro for my ear.
The answer is usually don't give up the set you like for the one you don't know. Some of this is really ymmv as the planar drivers can vary in quality so there were S12 and S12 Pros that sounded better than others. S12 2024 is a slight refinement over Pro, but no chance I would say drop $200 to find out when you didn't care for Pro.
Not sure, but there is a large price gap depending on what you paid for the T10. Like most things in the community, you pay a lot for small improvements
Does every piece that sent to reviewers also numbered? If so then the limited 2024 pcs are reduced by the amount they sent to all the reviewers. Making it more limited 😅
Would something like the hydro or sm4 sound noticeably more natural in the vocals or are they pretty close with this new tuning? Thanks for the review as always paul
SM4 is one reference point, it is nearly proper Harman. If that sounds natural to you on your music library, stick with those Harman style sets. Those sets tend to do well on the female vocals and when you drop levels like S12 2024, people start to say the female vocals aren't as energetic. Or they listen at lower volume so it sounds more natural with less volume. Everything is relatively natural but it comes down to what people care about, female vocals, cymbals, drums, etc.
I think Fresh Reviews did the gaming aspects of it. I think alot of it was reducing the treble a bit, bullets don't overwhelm the sound. For music and at the price point, its very hard to beat a planar. The problem has been the brighter tuning.
Thanks for the detailed review. Were you using a DAP, dongle or desktop setup with the S12. My iPod Touch Gen 4 has been great with my single DD iems and also hybrids. I just got the S12 2024 and have the felling it needs more than the iPod. Do you have any suggestions for a good dongle? I've got a Dawn Pro, but to me it doesn't give me anything more than my Apple dongle.
Planars, especially the S12 style need some power and resolving amps. I use desktop dac/amps mostly so I can respond and take notes at my PC. My advice, don't chase dongles if you have Dawn Pro and don't notice any difference with Apple dongle. Sometimes the same happens with IEMs, people buy their first >$100 IEM and they complain it is no different than their budget model. Sometimes you just need time rather than going on a buying spree. Dawn Pro on 4.4 should be quite a bit of power but I also don't have it. It is a difficult part of the hobby, lots of money spent on small differences but hearing those differences comes with time
@@PaulWasabii Thanks, good advice. That was my plan with the S12, live with it as is for a while to first of all understand what planars are all about.
How much better is this than the Nicehck F1 Pro? I'm looking for an upgrade to my F1 pro, I love F1 pro and was looking for a hybrid which I haven't tried yet, is this better than hybrids at 250-350$ range?
Planars will sound different. Not radically different but planars are very good at some things, DD+BA can do other things better. As a planar fan, I would be fine with planars unless you want something bassy or really warm, like Binary Dynaquatro or Davinci. That style is harder to do on planar and easier with a couple DD. But S12 2024 is basically a better tuned, slightly better driver F1 Pro. You will pay a lot for something better but not really 2X better. Hybrids are nice and I like the Sonion drivers, but I pick up S12 more than hybrids until you get above that $300 price point.
@@PaulWasabii Thanks for the quick reply, which do you think is the direct upgrade to F1 pro at 300-350$ range? I only listen to Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Autechre, TTA etc, so purely electronic music with no vocals, detail, tech, speed and sound separation are the only things I care about, doesn't matter if it sounds unnatural. Also, are you gonna review the Aful P5+2?
Nope, driver is the same but the nozzle is a bit bigger. I have a modified S12 Pro here. But it hints that they changed a couple things to get the new tuning beyond adding a piece of foam.
I really hope they release this as a non-limited edition. It would be a shame to limit this tuning to 2024 units. I still prefer the S08 ever so slightly. But both of these are great in terms of technicals and details. I got mine as a super early preorder and don’t regret it one bit.
Hi, I want to buy an IEM and finalized 2 IEMs, S12 2024 and Ziigaat Arete, I don't have much preference as I am currently using QKZ HBB 20$ Iem, and planning to upgrade, my main purpose is mainly gaming and watching anime and bit of music listening. Please suggest one of these. Also I don't have any dac/amp. I will directly use them to my iphone using lightning to 3.5mm dongle and my macbook pro.
I would hesitate to jump from $20 to $200. It will probably sound the same or slightly different on your phone. I'd probably stick with the S12 Pro and save yourself $100.
Estrella is cool but its a lot of bass and treble. S12 2024 is more balanced for me. If you don't mind a lot of treble or looking for a lot of extension up top, Estrella is cool.
i got the s08 one day before this came out lol at least I'm happy with it and idk if I'd walk around with these in... I think the gold is wayyy too flashy
I mean all the S12 had fans. People who haven't liked the planar timbre on older sets will still like 2024. If you aren't sensitive to that, any of them will work
Can a limited edition also be a flagship? No. It’s one or the other. Too bad this is just a limited edition. Sounds like I would have pulled the trigger on it. Being a limited edition, is most probably sold out by now. Thanks for the review!
I don't think it will sell out that fast but maybe. I like your question though, and I hope they do make a non-limited edition which will become the flagship
Great review, definitely tempted to buy this set.
Sounds like it covers my genres pretty well. 😁 Excellent review!
As I said, if you are going metal, try different tips, smaller bore or EQ a tiny dip. I am picky but I also don't want to be fatigued in an hour
@@PaulWasabii Thank you. If this has a bit better treble than s12 pro, it's not going to be fatiguing for me and I'm gonna use final e tips.
Nice review. I hope they release this tuning in a less expensive version of the S12. I really want to try a planar because it seems like the driver type is able solve some of my common complaints like instruments on busy tracks sounding like they blur together.
Yes, that is a planar specialty especially on the S12. I also said the same on S15, I hope they make a cheaper version of this set. Not sure they will on either one
artti t10 is pretty much that
hi @paulwasabii ! do you tend to find in your experience, that planar iems are less fatiguing on the ears than dd and ba iems?
No, usually the opposite as generally if you average all the planars, they would have more treble and more fatigue. There are counter examples like Letshuoer S08
@@PaulWasabii thats really interesting! ill keep note of this in my so far unsuccessful search for a daily driver iem
while my experience with iems is very limited, with over-ear headphones i have many dynamic and planar models, when i eq all headphones to the same target i almost always find the planar models to be least fatiguing easier to listen for longer periods of time. my only guess for this is that planar over ears may be generally less peaky/grainy in their innate response curve and maintain their frequency response at low to high volume/power linearly, while dynamic over-ears somehow maybe exert greater force/air-pressure in an concentrated area on the ear giving that "slammy" quality more often than planar over-ears do, even though i do tend to find that planar over-ears are more often faster in transient response (attack/decay) and can sometimes also have this slam characteristic as well - just my speculation so far, but generally i have more success with planar over-ears than dynamic over-ears of the same frequency response in long term use
Great review Paul. Wondering if there is any upside to moving to this from the Heyday? I like the Heyday and for example, like it a quite a bit better than the old S12 Pro for my ear.
The answer is usually don't give up the set you like for the one you don't know. Some of this is really ymmv as the planar drivers can vary in quality so there were S12 and S12 Pros that sounded better than others. S12 2024 is a slight refinement over Pro, but no chance I would say drop $200 to find out when you didn't care for Pro.
@@PaulWasabii Sage advice, thanks Paul.
Thanks for the review. Always curious to know how the Artti T10 stacks up against these more expensive planars
Not sure, but there is a large price gap depending on what you paid for the T10. Like most things in the community, you pay a lot for small improvements
@@PaulWasabii thanks!
Does every piece that sent to reviewers also numbered? If so then the limited 2024 pcs are reduced by the amount they sent to all the reviewers. Making it more limited 😅
Nope, I actually pointed that out. My set has no serial number
My bad haven't watch the whole video cause still on the go. Gonna watch the full video later at home 👍🏻
Would something like the hydro or sm4 sound noticeably more natural in the vocals or are they pretty close with this new tuning? Thanks for the review as always paul
SM4 is one reference point, it is nearly proper Harman. If that sounds natural to you on your music library, stick with those Harman style sets. Those sets tend to do well on the female vocals and when you drop levels like S12 2024, people start to say the female vocals aren't as energetic. Or they listen at lower volume so it sounds more natural with less volume. Everything is relatively natural but it comes down to what people care about, female vocals, cymbals, drums, etc.
Just the video i was just looking for! This vs similar priced iems like the supermix 4 ? Looking for something for gaming and ofc music
I think Fresh Reviews did the gaming aspects of it. I think alot of it was reducing the treble a bit, bullets don't overwhelm the sound. For music and at the price point, its very hard to beat a planar. The problem has been the brighter tuning.
Thanks for the detailed review. Were you using a DAP, dongle or desktop setup with the S12. My iPod Touch Gen 4 has been great with my single DD iems and also hybrids. I just got the S12 2024 and have the felling it needs more than the iPod. Do you have any suggestions for a good dongle? I've got a Dawn Pro, but to me it doesn't give me anything more than my Apple dongle.
Planars, especially the S12 style need some power and resolving amps. I use desktop dac/amps mostly so I can respond and take notes at my PC. My advice, don't chase dongles if you have Dawn Pro and don't notice any difference with Apple dongle. Sometimes the same happens with IEMs, people buy their first >$100 IEM and they complain it is no different than their budget model. Sometimes you just need time rather than going on a buying spree. Dawn Pro on 4.4 should be quite a bit of power but I also don't have it. It is a difficult part of the hobby, lots of money spent on small differences but hearing those differences comes with time
@@PaulWasabii Thanks, good advice. That was my plan with the S12, live with it as is for a while to first of all understand what planars are all about.
How much better is this than the Nicehck F1 Pro? I'm looking for an upgrade to my F1 pro, I love F1 pro and was looking for a hybrid which I haven't tried yet, is this better than hybrids at 250-350$ range?
Planars will sound different. Not radically different but planars are very good at some things, DD+BA can do other things better. As a planar fan, I would be fine with planars unless you want something bassy or really warm, like Binary Dynaquatro or Davinci. That style is harder to do on planar and easier with a couple DD. But S12 2024 is basically a better tuned, slightly better driver F1 Pro. You will pay a lot for something better but not really 2X better. Hybrids are nice and I like the Sonion drivers, but I pick up S12 more than hybrids until you get above that $300 price point.
@@PaulWasabii Thanks for the quick reply, which do you think is the direct upgrade to F1 pro at 300-350$ range? I only listen to Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Autechre, TTA etc, so purely electronic music with no vocals, detail, tech, speed and sound separation are the only things I care about, doesn't matter if it sounds unnatural. Also, are you gonna review the Aful P5+2?
Do you happen to have your S12 Pro unit to compare still ?
Nope, driver is the same but the nozzle is a bit bigger. I have a modified S12 Pro here. But it hints that they changed a couple things to get the new tuning beyond adding a piece of foam.
I really hope they release this as a non-limited edition. It would be a shame to limit this tuning to 2024 units.
I still prefer the S08 ever so slightly. But both of these are great in terms of technicals and details.
I got mine as a super early preorder and don’t regret it one bit.
@@Deletehead, in that case, I'll just stick with my S08.
Interesting. The S08 and S12 targets are quite different. As long as you found the one that works for you.
@@PaulWasabiiOh! And thanks as always for a great and thorough review.
Hi, I want to buy an IEM and finalized 2 IEMs, S12 2024 and Ziigaat Arete, I don't have much preference as I am currently using QKZ HBB 20$ Iem, and planning to upgrade, my main purpose is mainly gaming and watching anime and bit of music listening. Please suggest one of these. Also I don't have any dac/amp. I will directly use them to my iphone using lightning to 3.5mm dongle and my macbook pro.
I would hesitate to jump from $20 to $200. It will probably sound the same or slightly different on your phone. I'd probably stick with the S12 Pro and save yourself $100.
hi, how is it compared to estrella? and which one do you prefer?
Estrella is cool but its a lot of bass and treble. S12 2024 is more balanced for me. If you don't mind a lot of treble or looking for a lot of extension up top, Estrella is cool.
@@PaulWasabii got it, thanks for your reply!
The packaging of the anniversary s12 seems so opulent. The reviews seems really good of the anniversary S12
Yes, they got it right
i got the s08 one day before this came out lol
at least I'm happy with it and idk if I'd walk around with these in... I think the gold is wayyy too flashy
Also very different sets in sound
Is there a non-gold version?
Nope, but HBB said it was quite close to the Z12 version.
is it good for heavy metals and hard rock?
It is, there aren't many sets as technically capable at this price point and it still has plenty of bass.
❤
Limited edition? That kinda sucks since I can't afford it rn. Whatever then, I just wont buy it lmao
Ill be waiting for an upgraded S08 for now then
Not clear to me if they will sell out or not. 2024 units might take a while
Better than there own S15? - isn’t that supposed to be a better (new gen) driver than that used in the S12?…
Yes, but they borked the tuning on S15 and price too high
From the graph I'd say 2024 sounds exactly like the Pro version.
Pro is slightly better I think
Honestly the green FR looks much better.
I mean all the S12 had fans. People who haven't liked the planar timbre on older sets will still like 2024. If you aren't sensitive to that, any of them will work
Can a limited edition also be a flagship? No. It’s one or the other. Too bad this is just a limited edition. Sounds like I would have pulled the trigger on it. Being a limited edition, is most probably sold out by now. Thanks for the review!
I don't think it will sell out that fast but maybe. I like your question though, and I hope they do make a non-limited edition which will become the flagship
This is nowhere near sold out yet as it just came out
Got mine a week ago and it was mid 350's edition number.
Still available on UK amazon
I think it's sold out, unfortunately. 😔
Reverend Dr. Thomas,
✝️ The Vegan Vicar 🌱
It’s still in stock from Letshuoer themselves. At least as I write this comment.