LETSHUOER D13 Review: Ideal Entry-Level Fun Sounding DD IEM

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First Impression

I have had a very positive unboxing experience. The overall quality of D13 is very good given its price tag of $119 USD. LETSHUOER D13 comes with custom 13mm diamond-like carbon (DLC) dynamic driver, swappable treble nozzle filter, and the detachable 0.78mm 2-pin high purity copper cable. The swappable filters are available for further tuning the overall sound.

Those who enjoy dynamic IEMs know that large drivers have significant effect on improving the soundstage and dynamics. D13 is one unit that fits the bill perfectly and would be a good choice for many beginner audiophiles. The LETSHUOER D13, to my ears, delivers an energetic sound signature, though the bass might be a bit too much for me, but full of vibe. D13 offers great details and nice resolution. Also is SUPER easy to drive.

At that price, I find it one of the ideal entry-level DD IEM that you can get if your intention is to get a nice dynamic IEM. Without further ado, let’s check out the sound quality of D13.

D13 Dynamic IEM

Accessories

Swappable Nozzle Filters

Great Build Quality

Sound Impressions

LETSHUOER D13 features large dynamic driver, diamond-like carbon (DLC) diaphragm, low impedance yet highly sensitive, aluminum chassis, and 4 vent holes. Letshuoer has developed a custom 13mm dynamic driver, let’s see what sound would this DD present.

D13 caters more towards pop music. D13’s bass response is clean and tight and has got good texture. The mid presentation is nice, vocal sounds smooth. The treble presentation is average and some may find the sound a little bit hard and just not bright enough. However, D13 has got above-average technicalities for its price, particularly on the soundstage and resolution. D13 has wide soundstage, good vocal and excellent separation. D13’s nozzle filters are available for further tuning the overall sound. The silver nozzle's tuning (double layer filter) will present a textured treble, whereas the gold nozzle (single layer filter) will offer a more balanced and smoother vocal sound. Personally, I prefer the single layer filter. The swappable filter design is just fun for me, allowing the micro tuning of the overall sound.

D13’s Impedance is 16Ω and its sensitivity is 105db ± 1db, which means that this IEM is super easy to drive. Just simply pairing D13 with your phone or with any nice budget dongle, you will be able to get a exceptional sound with rich dynamics.

I’ve done most of my listening and testing with the gold nozzle filter (single layer filter) and with the following sets:

D13+HiBy FC4

Sad that nowadays many phones don’t have any earphone interface and if you are a loyal wired earphone user, you will have to get some extra dongles. The D13 + FC4 combo is a good HiFi set at its price range. FC4 has enough power to feed D13 and I love using this set to listen to the female vocal. FC4 itself sounds sweet, and with D13’s good smooth vocal presentation, you can just hear a very enticing sound. D13 performs great in dealing with the instrumental detail, which can be clearly perceived. Its instrumental and vocal match is well controlled in a balanced range and the D13 can bring you that pop music vibe.

D13+iFi GO blu

The combo of small portable Bluetooth DAC/Amp + wired headphones may be the best on the go option for many audiophiles. I have been using the D13+GO blu combo recently. The GO Blu doesn't have that “digital” sound, its vocal position is more forward, and when paring with D13 to listen to pop music, you can easily perceive a clearer vocal and a better image. The pop music vibe of D13 is somewhat enhanced when driven by GO blu, which turns into a perfect combo when listening to Kpop music. D13 has got a small compact body, and with the right eartips you can get a nice passive noise cancellation.

D13+ HiBy R5 (Gen. 2)

HiBy R5 (Gen 2) is recently one of the most popular music players. In my opinion, the R5 gen 2 is an excellent pick of its price class boasting class A headphone amplifier, which delivers an outstanding audio performance. The D13+ HiBy R5 (Gen 2) set did surprise me. It works best with high gain and Class A mode turned on, providing richer details, a wider and more natural soundstage, more layering, a significantly enhanced dynamic response, and there is an accurate reproduction of some complex tracks. However, it is still a bit difficult for this set to handle live classical music. After all, D13 is biased towards pop music.

D13+XD05 Bal

The XD05 Bal can perfectly drive D13 and can deliver the full sound quality of this single DD IEM. This combo can be used for long time without causing fatigue. XD05 Bal paired with D13 delivers a balanced, relaxed and natural sound. The inclusiveness of D13’s sound is maximized under this combination. I think D13’ s sound is fun for beginners. There are thousands of HiFi equipment, and the most important thing is to find out your best suit.

Comparison

D13 retails for 119 USD, S12 for 149 USD. The S12 was released earlier than the D13, I think both have their own features. S12 delivers a smooth and fun sound, and have to feed it with slightly more power. D13 has a more energetic sound and is super easy to drive. If you would like to get a taste of planar driver, S12 is a good choice among all these planar IEMs. If you prefer dynamic sound, go for D13.

Conclusion

LETSHUOER is a Chinese earphone manufacturer. The brand is well known in the audio field and LETSHUOER has released many nice IEMs. I am very sure a lot of audiophiles are familiar with their Tape Pro and planar IEM S12. There is currently an avalanche of earphones on the market and we have thousands of choices in different price ranges. The headphone manufacturers have to fight in a highly competitive ChiFi market. LETSHUOER did a good job and I have no problem recommending D13 to anyone who’s looking for a dynamic IEM at this price range. Hope you find this review helpful!

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