LETSHUOER CADENZA 4 featuring LR-NEBULA CABLE: Smooth, Inoffensive Neutrally Tuned One
“Music is like a dream. One that I cannot hear.”
~~Ludwig Van Beethoven, German composer and pianist
LETSHUOER AUDIO as an audio company will always deliver a high quality product from their entry-level up to the TOTL- flagship model range with some of their products that still resonate with the audio community. The EJ07 and S12 PRO are the epitome of their excellence as an audio company on how these particular models somehow truly influences the state of the audio market.
What I have here that will be featured on this review article is their latest product, The LETSHUOER CADENZA 4. This model is supposedly an affordable version of their TOTL - flagship model, CADENZA 12 which was known to be the most priciest LETSHUOER product to date. Like its flagship sister, CADENZA 4 also has hybrid driver configuration albeit it has lesser numbers with some different driver technology, new materials of its cable and a composite shell chassis. Although, like its predecessor, it still retains a modularity aspect of its stock cable.
As a set with a hybrid driver configuration, CADENZA 4 has a single dynamic driver and three balanced armature drivers on each side. The dynamic drivers that were implemented are 10mm dual chambered layout with its beryllium-coated thin but durable diaphragm which solely handles the low frequencies to have a precise and depth bass response. Aside from dynamic drivers, it was by balanced armature drivers that produced by two of the most premium audio solutions in the market, Sonion and Knowles in which these drivers directly responsible on midrange and high frequencies to have smooth, consistent sound with better clarity while having a good brilliance of its sonic quality. These drivers were connected into a 3D-moulded 3-way acoustic tube along with a 4-way electronic crossover for accurate, harmonious and well-defined separation on each part of the frequencies.
The shell chassis that were used to encapsulate drivers and other component parts are made of composite material and it takes the form of a typical UIEM-style design in a medium-size. The faceplate is made of metal alloy which appears to be sand-blasted while the cavity base were 3D-moulded resin material that were printed by HEYGEARS to achieve that light, consistent and smooth contours for better sealing and comfort. Like all LETSHUOER products, The CADENZA 4 still uses a 2-pin connector as its interlocking mechanism which is more stable and easier to detach.
The CADENZA 4's stock cable has 2-core, multiple strands of high-purity silver-plated monocrystalline copper which is known for its seamless transmission of clean audio signal. It also has a modular termination plug system where we can swap termination plugs that makes this set more versatile and compatible to be used on devices with its angular design.
Aside from its stock cable, LETSHUOER also released their new upgraded cable, the LR-Nebula. It is a 2-core braided 6N high-purity monocrystalline copper cable with malleable ear hooks. The particular material will deliver a seamless audio signal transmission and improve conductivity. It uses a 0.78mm bi-pin connector which compatible to all LETSHUOER set and other IEMs with compatible connector. The connectors and termination plug is gold-plated to lessen oxidation and resistance to corrosion.
Its overall build quality is somehow sturdy enough yet supple and flexible to touch. You choose either a standard 3.5mm single ended or a 4.4mm balanced upon ordering.
As for its product packaging, LETSHUOER is known to have a well-done product presentation on their items. The packaging box of CADENZA 4 is a quite bulky rectangular one and as we all know that LETSHUOER is also quite generous on inclusion of accessories.
Here are the following contents on LETSHUOER CADENZA 4's packaging box:
- Pair of LETSHUOER CADENZA 4 IEMs.
- Modular stock cable.
- Termination plugs (3.5mm SE, 2.5mm balanced and 4.4mm balanced)
- Circular IEM case
- Circular ear tips plate
- Three (3) pairs of wide bore silicone ear tips in different standard sizes.
- Three (3) pairs of balanced bore silicone eartips in different standard sizes.
- Paperwork like product catalogue, user manual and warranty card.
Regarding power scaling, CADENZA 4 is fairly straightforward in terms of amplification; with a sufficient amount of power output, this set is able to deliver a full-range sound. But there are some interesting things that this set is truly flexible in terms of driveability as if this device is paired on devices with high quality DAC/amps, it shows its true potential on why this item is one of the best sounding out there.
To determine its tonal quality, this set exceeds my preferred sound signature as CADENZA 4 has that balanced-neutral sound profile that I truly adhere to. It has well-balanced bass and midrange frequency and just enough elevation on upper midrange up to the brilliance part of the treble region.
(Graph was provided by baskingshark, credits to him)
LOWS/BASS:
The overall bass quality of this set is more on a balanced side as it has a good sub-bass presence while maintaining a reasonable amount of mid-bass though it is more on transparent side to give that cleanliness, preciseband thumping bass response. This type of bass response is aligned with IEMs that were neutrally-tuned similarly.
Sub-bass presence is quite perceptible on this set on how it conveys a significant amount of reverberations and rumbling generated from instruments such as synthesisers, low tone bass guitars, octabasses and drum machines. Mid-bass appears to have a decent texture with good detailing on some bass-focus instruments’ and low octave male vocals’ note weight but it will sound a bit transparent and less robust bass quantity. On how I observe the tonal characteristics of each instrument, bass guitars have sustaining and raspiness on every plucking of its strings while bass kick drums have resonant and rumbling sound on them. Bass trumpets appear to have a full sound albeit it lacks that dark timbre as this particular instrument should have. Bass-baritones vocals sounds a bit leaner side that fact that its apparent inadequate volume and depth but at least it has those distinctive vocal tails that it has guttural and reverberating sound.
MIDRANGE:
This is the most prominent part of CADENZA 4's frequency spectrum and probably the main attraction of this set on how it presented the general quality of its midrange. This is absolutely one of my ideal midrange responses as it has this tidy, neutral and transparent sound while maintaining a well-balanced tuning with just a slight degree of warmth that will be beneficial for both vocals and some instruments’ tonal colour.
On male vocals, baritones have a smooth, sweet and lushness on them while tenors have clear, agile and ringing sound that leggero and lyric type of tenors will sound almost perfectly. And then on countertenors, they have these tender, graceful and lightness on their vocal quality. Female vocals like contraltos appear to have a sufficient richness and smoky on their voices while mezzo-sopranos have its velvety, graceful and smoothness to have that equanimous sound. Soprano vocals have a gleaming and crystalline sound that will be versatile to all types of soprano whether it is dramatic, lyric, soubrette or coloratura.
As for instruments, strings like guitars and violins, the former has an ample crisp, well-emphasis on its overtones and balanced sound on every pluck of its strings while the latter one has a vibrant and eloquent sound on every motion on its bow string. On woodwinds, flutes have rich, soft and silvery while piccolos have clear and graceful sound. Clarinets have these mellow and melodic sounds and the saxophones’ sounds mellow and velvety. Brasses like trumpets, horns and trombones have these vivid, mellow and smooth sounds respectively. In reference with percussive instruments, snare drums have clear and precise sound, tom-toms have a tad warm and resonant sound on every hit, field drums have this sonorous and majestic sound along with kettle drums that have those deep and a bit rounded sounding. Pianos appears to have an even and well-balanced sound with a hint of mellowness in its tone.
HIGHS/TREBLE:
The treble response of CADENZA 4 is relatively smooth and well-balanced; it seems that the gradual rise of the upper-mids then maintains an almost level presentation along with presence towards the brilliance treble region. That slight emphasis on the upper-midrange and presence gives a well-done clarity and some vocal definition and attack of instruments without having any harshness and sibilance.
On the brilliance part, it has a modest amount of airy extension with well-balanced and moderate sparkle to sound a bit glossy and on the satiny side. Cymbals have a lustrous and undulating sound while hi-hats have that shortened buzzing sound. Celestas have a silvery and soft sound, then on glockenspiels, they have a lustrous and tender sound.
SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:
My estimation on how I perceived its overall proportion on its sound field that this set is capable of, it has an above average to wide lateral span on sound/speaker stage, with good height and ample depth on it. It somehow gives me a moderately spacious headroom within my aural perception.
Its stereo imaging projection somehow gives a holographic-feel in which I was able to locate the exact positioning of instruments and vocals in a sonic canvas where it has an excellent layering of frequency and dynamic tones, and a sterling separation of elements for a hybrid set. So playing complex multi-instrumental tracks will be easy peasy for CADENZA 4.
Cohesive performance of its hybrid drivers is quite stellar on how its dynamic driver is fast transient response without any distortion that works in tandem with balanced armature to have a crisp and detailed sound output. Resolution capabilities of this set is also good that it has a good presence of macro-dynamics with an impressive detail retrieval on extracting some nuances and subtleties of information like notation attacks, vocal ends and spatial reverberations.
PEER COMPARISONS:
AFUL PERFORMER 5
- This is AFUL's first model and like the CADENZA 4, it also has hybrid driver configuration with one dynamic driver and four unspecified models of balanced armature drivers that are encased in a standard UIEM-type shell chassis made of resin material. Both sets offer good passive noise isolation as it is able to block some unwanted noises from the outside.
- As for tonal characteristics, PERFORMER 5 has more colouration on its sound quality on how it was tuned as it takes a more U-shaped sound. It has more pronounced bass response but in slower and lethargic manner, a tad recessed but warmer midrange and an overboosted upper-mids that cause some shrill and piercing sound on female vocals and just a modest treble air extension.
- On technical performance, PERFORMER 5 is quite a dismal one particularly on sound staging, a mundane cohesive performance of its drivers due to sluggish bass transient response and it's a bit unnatural tone and timbre.
KIWI EARS QUINTET
- Another hybrid set from KIWI EARS, but this set has additional types of transducers like piezoelectric driver and “micro-planar” driver that make this set a “quad-brid”. While this set has a similarly built shell chassis with CADENZA 4 as it is also a composite one, its stock cable doesn't have a modular feature.
- As for tonality, QUINTET has a mild U-shaped sound profile. While it has a similar bass response with CADENZA 4 as they are both on a tighter side, It has more brighter and energetic midrange and treble response with good amount of sparkle and more airier extension.
- On technical capabilities, while both sets have similar sound/speaker stage dimensions, it is noticeable that the QUINTET has a lack of depth. But in some technical aspects, they are on equal footing.
THIEAUDIO HYPE 2
- One of THIEAUDIO's affordable set and it is also a hybrid driver configuration. It has a dual dynamic driver in an isobaric array with two balanced armature drivers provided by Sonion. The drivers and other components are encased with UIEM-type resin shell chassis but its high quality stock cable doesn't have a modular termination plug option.
- Like the aforementioned QUINTET, the HYPE 2 also has a mild u-shaped sound signature. Compared to CADENZA 4, it has more punchy bass response due to a more textured midbass, similar midrange and treble presentation as it maintains a neutral, balanced and smooth quality on them although it has a less transparent nature.
- Technicalities-wise, it has very similar performance with CADENZA 4 in almost every category from sound/speaker projection up to the cohesive performance, although CADENZA 4 is a bit better on micro-detail retrieval.
As I conclude my assessment regarding this set, The CADENZA 4 remarkably does an excellent job in terms of tonality and technical performance that we will usually encounter with other sets at higher price tier. This also proves that LETSHUOER continues to evolve itself as a very competent and innovative audio company that audiophiles and audio professionals should pay a lot of attention to.
With a premium balanced armature drivers, high quality dynamic driver with electronic frequency crossover circuitry and the inclusion of a modular high quality cable at least than US$250/£200, and also has that tuning refined of having that balanced-neutral sonic profile, this set is certainly one of the best product releases in this year.
CADENZA 4 is now available at LETSHUOER's official online store, Check out the link below.
★★LETSHUOER CADENZA 4 - OFFICIAL★★
Also if you are interested on other LETSHUOER products, here are the following links:
◆ LETSHUOER CONDUCTOR (First Impression)
SPECIFICATION:
MODEL: LETSHUOER CADENZA 4
IMPEDANCE: 15Ω
SENSITIVITY: 102dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 40KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.25m
PIN TYPE: 2-PIN CONNECTOR
PLUG TYPE: MODULAR (3.5mm, 2.5mm. 4.4mm)
DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER + (3) BALANCED ARMATURE DRIVER(S)
PROS:
CADENZA 4
● Light yet sturdy composite shell chassis
● It has some of the best fitting and comfort as it offers excellent passive noise isolation.
● Like all LETSHUOER products, it has a substantial amount of accessories.
● High quality modular stock cable.
● Only needs a decent power output to amplify this set.
● A balanced-neutral tuning for neutral heads and midcentric individuals.
● Precise and sufficiently resounding bass response.
● Linear, clean and translucent midrange presentation
● Quite versatile on vocals and instruments.
● Smooth and inoffensive treble quality.
● Not a hint of sibilance nor stridency.
● Remarkable aspects of its technical performance particularly layering, separation and cohesive performance of its multi-drivers.
● Holographic stereo imaging.
LR-NEBULA
● Flexible and supple quality.
● It really looks premium and luxurious to feel.
● Inclusion of a storage case.
● Gold-plated termination plug.
● Pliable ear hooks.
● Not a hint of microphonic.
CONS:
CADENZA 4
● Absolutely not for bass heads as its bass response appears to be lacking authority and impact.
● Not also for treble heads due its smooth and less lively treble response on their liking.
● Wishing for more airy extension.
● For some reason, like most resin shell chassis that were 3D-moulded by HEYGEARS, it looks a bit bland and feels somewhat cheap.
LR- NEBULA
● A bit pricey
● Doesn't have a modularity option for switching termination plugs.
MY TEST TRACKS: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)
Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*
P.S.
I am not affiliated to LETSHUOER nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.
Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to IVY GAO and BETTY for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate their generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.
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