The Letshuoer S12 PRO has been a popular IEM for several years. It has a huge 14.8mm planar magnetic driver and delivers especially good bass performance. The housing is made of metal and is compact and comfortable. There is a high-quality cable supplied with exchangeable termination connectors.
The EM6L is the “new kid on the block”, priced a bit below the S12 PRO’s current retail price. It has a total of five drivers per side: One dynamic driver (DD) and four balanced armature drivers (BA). The 8mm dynamic driver handles the bass and lower mids. It’s similar to the larger drivers of the EA1000 and EA2000). The upper mids are handled by a pair of balanced armature drivers, and do is the treble. There’s a three-way crossover.
The EM6L’s housing is very light and comfortable. It’s mostly made of resin and has a CNC-processed faceplate. The passive noise isolation is superb.
LETSHUOER S12 PRO SPECIFICATIONS
- Driver: 14.8mm planar-magnetic driver
- Impedance: 16Ω±1Ω
- Sensitivity: 102dB
- Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20KHz
- Distortion: 0.5% ±0.1%
- Connector IEM: 0.78 dual pin
- Cable termination: 2.5mm / 3.5mm / 4.4mm swappable
- Cable: 392-strands silver plated monocrystalline copper
- Chassis material: Aluminum alloy
- Machining process: 5-Axis CNC
Price when reviewed: 135 USD
SIMGOT EM6L SPECIFICATIONS
- Drivers: 1 dynamic and 2 pairs of balanced armatures per side (1DD+4BA)
- Dynamic Driver: High-performance polymer composite diaphragm & dual-cavity driver
- Impedance: 26Ω±15%(@1kHz)
- Sensitivity: 119dB/Vrms(@1kHz)
- Frequency Response Range: 8Hz-40kHz
- Shell Material: High-precision 3D-printed resin
- Earphone Connector: Recessed 2 pin 0.78mm
- Cable: Detachable Silver-Plated OFC with 3.5mm termination
Price when reviewed: 110 USD
- Price on Amazon: Simgot EM6L
- Price on Linsoul: Simgot EM6L
COMPARISONS
I used two amps: The RME ADI-2 DAC FS as a DAC/amp and the Sparkos Gemini hybrid tube amp with the RME as a source.
Georgia Lee by Tom Waits
The S12 PRO renders Tom Waits’ voice with lots of texture. All the ambient sounds and details are presented clearly, a coherent and balanced delivery.
The EM6L is also very good. However, it sounds more polite in the mids. The S12 PRO gives the vocals more weight and body. The imaging is more pinpointed with the EM6L.
Graceful Touch by Tord Gustavsen Trio
This piano trio piece sounds very good with the S12 PRO, the bass is full-bodied and has lots of texture and definition. The piano is very crisp and clear, with an upfront character. The soundstage and imaging are very good.
The EM6L sounds warmer and a bit more organic, with stronger bass. It’s very well defined, albeit not as textured-sounding as the S12 PRO.
Merciful by S. Endresen and N.P.Molvær
This very short, slow female vocal-oriented jazz track sounds good with the S12 PRO, but there is a slight dryness to the vocals with the RME. It’s not an issue with the Gemini amp. The singer’s voice is very textured, and it balances on the right side of sibilance.
The EM6L has a warmer tonality with a slightly more organic-sounding timbre.
Midnight City by M83
The S12 PRO handles the complexity of this track well. The bass is very satisfying, laying a foundation for the rest of the music without too much dominance. However, again, there’s this slight dryness with the RME amp but not the Gemini. The separation of instruments is good, but the treble can be a bit rough.
The EM6L also performs well. However, I think the S12 PRO handles this “wall of sound” track in a better way, it has slightly better separation, and there’s something about the balance between the instruments that must sound more right.
Sit Down Stand Up by Radiohead
With the S12 PRO, everything is nicely balanced. The bass is especially impressive. It’s very tight, and there’s a lot of texture. Vocals and percussion are quite crisp, occasionally bordering on sibilance.
Again, the EM6L sounds a bit more organic and has a warmer midrange. The dryer textures of the S12 PRO are replaced by a rounder way of delivering detail. Imaging is great on both, but the EM6L has a blacker background.
Terminal 7 by Tomasz Stanko Quintet
The percussion is very snappy with the S12 PRO. The trumpet has lots of nuance and texture. The bass is felt as an inspiring force rather than stealing the show. Imaging is good. Cymbals might sound a tad splashy when paired with the RME ADI-2 DAC FS, but not with the Sparkos Gemini.
The EM6L has great imaging and sounds very snappy. The tonality is slightly warmer than the S12 PRO, and the bass is a little bit fuller.
Tide of Trepidation by EST
Again, S12 PRO has an impressive bass performance. It’s not overpoweringly massive, it’s just there. Like a solid foundation for the rest of the music. Well-defined and powerful. The piano is very crisp and clear. I like the S12 PRO, especially the piano in general.
The EM6L has a bit more bass quantity and slightly better imaging. I do, however, find the S12 PRO hard to beat here. There is not a huge difference, though; they are both great.
Young Vivaldi RV 813 I. Allegro by Ensemble Modo Antiquo
The strings have a lot of articulation, texture, and bite with the S12 PRO. There’s good separation of instruments, and the presentation is quite forward.
The EM6L has basically the same qualities but presents the music in a rounder and more organic fashion, still with excellent separation and detail.
Jambi by Tool
Starting with the EM6L, the intro is pretty massive, and the bass is full and very present. The electric guitars are full of texture. Vocals are clear but not very upfront. Separation and imaging is great.
The S12 PRO sounds relatively similar. A bit less bassy, the male vocals are more upfront, and the treble is sharper in some areas, making the vocals sometimes become a bit sibilant. Imaging and separation aren’t as strong as with the EM6L.
Almost Like The Blues by Leonard Cohen
Again, the bass is a bit more powerful with the EM6L. The vocals are present and organic-sounding. With the S12 PRO, the vocals sound a bit flatter, and the imaging isn’t as good as on the EM6L.
Black Crow by Cassandra Wilson
The EM6L showcases excellent imaging capabilities. Again, the bass is on the stronger side, and Wilson’s vocals are clear and quite organic-sounding.
The S12 PRO has slightly less bass, but it is tighter, with better definition and texture. The vocals are nice but not quite as good as with the EM6L, nor is the imaging.
WRAPPING IT UP
Sound Signature
They are not very differently tuned, with a strong bass, elevated highs, and relatively less presence in the mids. However, the EM6L stays closer to the Harman 2019 curve. The main difference lies in the treble.
Treble
They both have an elevated treble, but as mentioned, their frequency responses in the upper regions are quite different. It depends a lot on the track which IEM sounds more energetic, because they highlight different frequencies in the upper regions.
With the S12 PRO, there are sometimes tendencies to sibilance, and occasionally I can find it a bit splashy. However, this depends on the amplifier. With some solid-state amps, the S12 PRO can sound a bit too dry, but with the Rebel Amp and especially the Sparkos Gemini hybrid tube amp, the treble is quite liquid and mostly very nice.
The EM6L is more even sounding in the upper regions, it is not prone to sibilance and sounds less dry, even though it too benefits from a warmer sounding amp/source.
For the most part, I find both the EM6L and the S12 PRO to present a similarly good amount of detail and both have good treble articulation.
Midrange
The midrange is detailed and has lots of texture with the S12 PRO. It can, as with the treble, sound a bit dry with certain amps.
The EM6L has a little bit more warmth and offers slightly more organic character to the mids. It is still quite clear and detailed but does not have the same amount of texture as the S12 PRO.
Bass
In terms of quantity, the bass is powerful with both, but without stealing the show. They both have fantastic bass quality.
The S12 PRO definitely impresses with excellent definition and a very textured presentation. It is never bloomy or bloated. It’s always tight.
The EM6L is not far behind. The bass is both well controlled and powerful, but not quite as tight as the S12 PRO. It has more energy in the lowest octaves and can sometimes become a bit bloomy.
Soundstage and Imaging
The soundstage of the S12 PRO is quite open, and the imaging is pretty good for this price range. The EM6L does, however, have superior imaging capabilities, with a blacker background and better separation of instruments.
Detail, Dynamics and Timbre
They are both detailed and dynamic sounding. The EM6L does, however, more often than not, come out as more dynamic sounding, especially in the bass. The S12 PRO, on the other hand, often offers a bit more explicit detail. It’s a bit rawer, more articulate. The EM6L excels more on macro-dynamics, the S12 PRO more on micro-dynamics. However, we are not talking about big differences.
In terms of timbre, the S12 PRO is a bit on the dry side. It depends a lot on the amp, but there’s always going to be a hint of that dryness. The positive side of that tonality is that it gives the midrange an extremely revealing texture.
Even though I would not call it especially warm-sounding, the EM6L, when compared to the S12 PRO, comes off as having a warmer and more organic timbre. It has a bit more rounded presentation, yet still retains a high amount of detail.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, while both the Letshouer S12 PRO and the Simgot EM6L have a sound signature with elevated bass and treble, they showcase different strengths.
The S12 PRO delivers a tighter bass and crisper midrange, albeit occasionally verging on sibilance in the treble. On the other hand, the EM6L offers a fuller bass, slightly warmer midrange, and a more balanced treble without significant sibilance.
The EM6L has got great macro-dynamics, particularly in the bass, while the S12 PRO excels in explicit detail and micro-dynamics. The S12 PRO leans towards a drier, more textured sound, while the EM6L provides a slightly warmer and more organic timbre.
When it comes down to my personal preference between these two, it depends a lot on the music I listen to. However, I more often than not prefer the EM6L, mostly because of the more even sounding treble and a timbre that feels more natural.
- Buy on Amazon: Simgot EM6L
- Buy on Linsoul: Simgot EM6L
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