Наушники — Letshuoer Cadenza 12

The Cadenza 12 is a hybrid universal IEM made by Letshuoer, a Dongguan firm set up in 2016 and known for models ranging from the budget Tape to the S12. It is a hybrid design with twelve drivers per side in a titanium shell, and the name refers to the virtuoso solo passage in classical music. It was later revised in a 2024 version.

Key specs that matter

Each side combines one 10 mm dynamic driver with a Kevlar dome and eleven balanced armature drivers, seven from Knowles and four from Sonion, divided by a six-way crossover into five acoustic bores. The dynamic driver handles the bass, four Sonion units the midrange, a Knowles unit the treble and a Sonion super tweeter the top octaves. Sensitivity is 110 dB/mW, impedance is 16 ohms, distortion is below 1% and frequency response runs from 20 Hz to 30 kHz. Termination plugs of 2.5 mm, 3.5 mm and 4.4 mm are included.

Engineering and use context

Each set of drivers has its own acoustic bore, hand-cut to length, so the output of each group reaches the ear with correct timing and phase. The combination of crossover filters and acoustic tube lengths shapes the response, and Letshuoer chose each bore to suit the output of its own driver group. Balanced armatures are small and efficient, which allows eleven of them to share a shell with the dynamic driver, while the dynamic unit delivers the air movement needed for bass. The shell is machined from titanium, a light, low-density metal that resists scratches, and is finished with a mirror polish. It is mostly sealed, with a small pinhole vent for the dynamic driver. The stock cable uses 204 strands of 6N monocrystalline copper and silver in a hybrid weave, with modular plugs so the same cable serves single-ended and balanced sources. Stainless steel parts are made specifically for the model. The launch price was USD 2,299. The package includes nine sets of eartips, a leather case and a cleaning cloth. The 2024 version replaced the Kevlar dome with a silicone-surround dynamic driver and a five-way crossover. The shell surface is smooth, without bumps or ridges against the ear.

Pairing

The Cadenza 12 is easy to drive from phones and dongle DACs, but a low-output-impedance source keeps the multi-driver response accurate. The balanced plug suits desktop amplifiers and players with balanced outputs.

Alternatives

Letshuoer's S12 is the single-driver planar magnetic in-ear model of the brand.