LETSHUOER S08 Planar Review

LETSHUOER S08 Planar Review – Best in Class

LETSHUOER’s most recent S08 planar IEM showcases a bespoke 13mm planar diaphragm driver of the fourth generation, with LETSHUOER being actively involved in the development stages.

The LETSHUOER S08 integrates the aesthetic of the numeral “8” into its panel design, showcasing a bold yet sleek look.

The CNC precision-machined metal earphone casing is both elegant and minimalistic. It comes in black and silver variations to cater to diverse aesthetic tastes.

LETSHUOER Planar earphones employ an advanced nanoscopic magnetron sputtering technique to apply copper material onto the planar driver of S08. This process ensures exceptional stability and durability, resulting in enhanced sound performance with improved resolution and texture of high frequencies.

The nanoscale magnetron sputtering technology applies a layer of voice coil to the diaphragm, along with the standard single-layer voice coil circuits found in traditional drivers. As a result, the HiFi earbud driver diaphragm in the S08 model features a dual-layer coil circuit. This design offers advantages such as improved control over diaphragm vibration, lower resonance frequency, decreased distortion from diaphragm resonance, and a boost in overall transient response speed.

LETSHUOER assumed responsibility for the customization of the S08 driver unit by implementing a PTR elastic film surround at the edge of the diaphragm’s voice coil. This enhancement resulted in improved extensibility and stability, effectively optimizing the low-frequency performance. As a result, the bass depth was significantly enhanced, leading to a much tighter bass presentation.

A high-quality cable was chosen to enhance the functionality of the earphone components and avoid any constraints on the transducers. Comprising 4 cores of 30-strands 0.05mm silver-plated copper, the cable offers effective transmission capabilities, enhanced musical intricacies, and a more immersive spatial experience. Additionally, it features interchangeable 3.5mm and 4.4mm plugs with a twist-lock mechanism for increased durability and dependability, simplifying the process of connecting to various source devices.

Unboxing

Specs

I would like to thank LETSHUOER for providing me with the review sample of the S08 Planar IEM.

Sound

The LETSHUOER S08 got a pleasant and musical presentation, with a balanced tonality that I would describe as being slightly warm to neutral. The first thing that struck me upon first listening was the overall balance, transparency, and clarity.

Lows

The bass region on the LETSHUOER S08 sounds to me as though it’s adequately contoured. It’s got a well-defined bass shelf under 150hz, that for my tastes and preferences sits at just the right level, offering some warmth and depth for the bass region.

Now, if there was one thing that particularly stood out to me from the S08’s bass region, it was that although the lows were very present, they didn’t deliver much of an impact, which is unsurprising given that the S08 does feature a planar driver. Aside from that, though, I enjoyed the S08’s bass response; it was remarkably articulate for an IEM in his price bracket, and it was still properly textured.

Mids

The midrange on the LETSHUOER S08 is fantastic, with a rich body and lush overtones. The S08 has an upper midrange that instead feels cooled down a touch, but it still has a good presence. Overall, it’s a delightful and linear midrange tuning that feels organic and keeps vocals and instruments like pianos sounding very natural.

The SA08 mids are in line with the overall signature which is an organic blend of reference. It’s very balanced with no particular emphasis in the range, except maybe for slight vocal emphasis.

The S08 does slightly redeem itself as it retains some of the tactility in the upper registers. Listening to instruments like acoustic guitars you can get a feel for the attack of strings being plucked, and percussive instruments will also have the distinct snap that follows a strike.

For detail retrieval and overall image clarity, the S08 delivers outstanding performance for its price bracket. Throughout the entire frequency range, the LETSHUOER S08 produces a stable and pristine image of the music, with vocal and instrument lines remaining well-textured and structured even during busy passages. I feel as though in this regard the S08 is well ahead of the other IEMs I’ve tried in this price bracket.

Highs

The treble on the LETSHUOER S08 is very refined with excellent extension and it’s also very natural sounding with no overly done emphasis. The S08 has therefore good air and the resolution is quite impressive at this price point. Just like its mids, the SA08 treble is exciting and engaging but smooth at all times a rare and very enjoyable combination.

The treble on the LETSHUOER S08 is for the most part quite warm, though I did find it to be just ever so slightly uneven. To me, it sounded as though there was a bit of an emphasis between 6-10K. Thankfully, this was fairly subtle, it didn’t introduce any sibilance, and it didn’t make the S08 fatiguing in any way. However, I did find that certain instruments’ timbre could feel slightly off as a result.

Listening to electric guitars, for example, it did feel as though some of their upper harmonics were somewhat unnaturally brightened, and in turn, they sounded a bit tinnier. Similarly, there were certain percussive instruments like snare drums which had a more pronounced bite, or cymbals which had a more present sizzle.

Technicalities

For its soundstage presentation, I’d describe the LETSHUOER S08’s as being pretty intimate. Despite the small stage it has to work with, though, it creates a decently spacious listening atmosphere with its instrument separation and imaging.

All the frequency bands work harmoniously in sync and this contributes to the layering and imaging properties of the S08.

The LETSHUOER S08 has pretty good left-right localization and seemingly no gaps that might break the soundstage, which allows it to easily delineate the position and directionality of sound. Then as for its layering, the S08 is adept at distinguishing the different vocal and instrument lines in the mix, giving them their own defined space within the stage.

Sum-Up

In my opinion, the LETSHUOER S08 unquestionably establishes a benchmark for in-ear monitors priced below $100 due to its exceptional sound quality. Given its impressive tonal balance and technical capabilities, I highly recommend the LETSHUOER S08 as a fantastic earphone that is worth trying out.