The Soul of Music
‼️DISCLAIMER:
I already have a video of the Astralis. That unit was a loaner. This time, Lettshuoer sent met his sample. They did not influence this review in any way.
here is my video review:
⚜️WHAT’S IN THE BOX?
The inclusions are a typical Letshuoer in this price range. You get a bunch of eartips, an interchangeable connector of 3.5 and 4.4.
The cable is very similar to the older models Galileo and DZ4. The cable is fine, but just pointing out that it is the cable in their budget models
⚜️BUILD and COMFORT
Fit and comfort are great. This is probably one of the best fitting Letshuoer set I have tried. Probably even the best in their planar line up as well. as for the driver, this now features a new 5th generation 15.5 ring type planar driver housed in cnc aluminum shell.
⚜️SETUP:
-Shanling M3 plus, fiio M33 using UAPP, stock player
⚜️SOUND PROFILE
The tonality of the Astralis is balanced warm. I intended to call this balanced leaning on warmth, but I felt it might be a bit misleading because balanced should have no emphasis in any frequency. Anyhow, despite its warm signature, i don't think the tonality lacks treble at all. I get good details and nuances, just enough to enjoy my library. In fact, this might be one of the most detailed planars for its tonality.
Bass has great resolution, what I mean by that is it resolved everything in that frequency, from subbass to midbass. I didn't feel it was lacking on impact and decay. The bass has this quality that envelopes the whole signature without making it too mushy.
Mids are clean sounding. Instruments sound natural and organic. It never crossed my mind that the mids sounded digital. This is how mids should be done. It always reminded me of how lifelike instrument sounded.
Treble is amazing on its own. There are honestly too many instances where I was hearing stuff i didn't notice before, reverbs, echoes, nuance of voices. the Astralis has this quality of reveling details effortlessly. They didn't sound pushed or forced; you just realize that they are ever present.
I hear good 3d imaging. Even better on tubes. I get a sense of high timbral accuracy. There is good separation and stereo imaging.
❤️PROS
- smooth tonality that is fatigue free
- bass has good texture and definition
- micro details are present despite the warmish tonality
- very natural and organic tonality for a planar
💢CONS
- cable could be better for the price
- its honestly hard to fault this one, but maybe it needs a bit of bite in the upper mids?
⚜️SCORING
-Please be reminded that my scoring is always based on its price range.
TUNING - 2.5/3
BASS - 2.5/3
MIDS - 2.5/3
TREBLE - 2.5/3
TECHS - 3/3
P.P SCORE = 13
RANK A
generally better than other sets. Very good for the price but the tonality might not match your preferences
Check my scoring here :
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15WhgCgiMzWfF3ccgB8SK5-Cg7m87kpIShtxsyg2u-AI/edit?usp=sharing
⚜️GRAB SCORE:
This is easy, I just rate the set whether I would grab them for listening. Very subjective.
0️⃣- I will never touch this again
1️⃣- I grab if I remember
2️⃣- Can be part of my rotation
3️⃣- I break my rotation and grab this one today
4️⃣- F**k rotation, I’ll listen to these for the whole week
5️⃣- Im selling everything, I will only listen to these haha.
💥GRAB SCORE: 2
⚜️COMPARISONS
S12 2024
The Astralis is warmer and much easier to listen to in long listening sessions. The s12 2024 is more treble detailed relative to the tonality of the Astralis. If you want a cleaner sound, the s12 2024 is great but you may not be able to find the set anymore. The Astralis has better bass texture and more engaging to listen to
Divine/diablo
Both of them are priced similarly, but sometimes you can get the divine or diablo for a much cheaper bargain. Although the divine is has better balance tonally, the Astralis has that character that makes itself unique enough. I feel like I enjoy my music more with the Astralis because of how it presents timbre. Compared to the diablo, I arrive at the same conclusion. Although the diablo has more bass and more impact in the midbass, the quality is better on the Astralis. It's like comparing an overpriced steak to an a5 wagyu. Sometimes you get more with less. If you want more bass, pick the diablo. If you prefer quality over quantity, pick the Astralis.
S08
S08 probably has a bit less clarity. It does not show in the graph, but the Astralis has more perceived micro nuance and treble presence. There is more midbass punch on the s08 but the bass is more complete on Astralis because of the added subbass. I think this is a better S08 in my opinion, the fit is better, and the overall sound is a bit clearer, at least for me.
🤔FINAL THOUGHTS
This ring type planar driver is the first of its kind. I'm not really sure if they really help with resolution or dynamics, but this pair is incredibly musical. Especially when paired with tubes, this set becomes a music box. You throw any music on it, and the playback is very realistic and engaging. you just sit there, and listen to the soul of music
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WHERE TO BUY: non affiliate links
