Introducing Plussound to the audiophile and cable community is a bit redundant by this point, as they've become one of the community staples for quality, consistency and straight up awesomeness.
What is really unique about Plussound is the level and kind of customization they offer. You get to initially pick a configuration of the cable, such as the number of wires or a kinnd of shielding that will be used. There's a massive variety, some geared towards portability, some towards longeviy and endurance and of course there's also the traditional 8 wire option for maximum performance.
The cable that instantly got my attention was the poetic series. I am a sucker for cable aesthetics, ranging from interesting colours to cool splits to quality hardware. Plussound was able to offer it all, and I was instantly hooked. I couldn't pick one colour combination so I ended up going for 2 cables. Both of them weren't in the menu so to say, but Plussound agreed to do them for me, a big shoutout for which.
I went for the Silver + Gold combination as I was told that's an excellent choice for some added treble sparkle and smoothness. It is also one of the cables with a higher degree of sound coloration, and I felt pretty experimental so I decided to order both in that configuration.
A few weeks later they arrived, in their respective boxes. A microfiber cloth was included, which was pretty nice because I haven't seen many other cable manufacturers offer that. All in all, simple but effective packaging.
The first thing you will notice when unboxing the cables is the quality of the build - both hardware and braiding. It is honestly exceptional, to the point where my grandmother has asked me if Plussound offers bracelets, and airport security asked me if they are jewelry (no joke). The pins also fit my IEMs absolutely perfectly, to the point where plugging them in feels like pure satisfaction. The 3.5mm jack snaps into my AK SP1000M with ease and feels at home. As I said, exceptional.
Moving on to the sound, this is an extremely interesting cable to listen to, as it is one that provides intense coloration to the sound, and in certain pairings, can make your IEM sound nothing like you are used to. The consistent effect that I can notice is added sparkle to the treble, with additional smoothness and musicality across the whole spectrum, at the expense of some detail retrieval and instrumental separation. It is definitely not a congested sound, but it does add some glow to the instruments and vocals, which makes them blend in a bit more. Soundstage depth and width is mostly unaffected.
Regarding the specific pairings:
64Audio Fourte Noir:
One of my favourite IEMs for the Plussound Silver+Gold, as it really brings out the treble and adds some sparkle to it. The Noir most certainly isn't lacking in the highs, but they can be a tad dry at times, which is no longer the case once the Poetic Series is introduced in the equation. The additional musicality makes the already speaker-like presentation of the Noir become even more life-like. Bass becomes a bit tighter, which is an appreciated change, while the midrange becomes even more present, intense and natural to listen to.
64Audio U18t:
The first thing you will notice is that any sibilance that might have been present with other cables is instantly gone, and replace with that golden sparkle. The reduced detail retrieval and the instrumental glow do work against the U18t's strengths however, as it makes the presentation a bit smoother, and less of the absolute reference that the U18t is. I personally prefer using my 18t with more analytical cables that are able to double down on its clarity, detail retrieval and highest degree of instrumental separation
VE Elysium:
Little effect on the overall sound. Maybe a little additional sparkle at best. The Elysium already has the sound profile that the Plussound is trying to bring out in it, and personally I can't really feel that the cable can really be appreciated in that pairing. For the Elysium, I prefer pure silver cables that are able to double down on its clarity and add some soundstage width and instrumental separation. The good news is that the detail retrieval doesn't suffer and remains on point.
Noble Khan:
A match made in heaven. Honestly, if you are an owner and fan of the Noble Khan I could not recommend this cable enough. It takes the Khan's very present and somewhat dry highs, and transforms it into a beautiful, delicate and elegant highs. There is an observable upper midrange bump as well, which makes female vocals sound like absolute bliss. Soundstage width remains on point as well, and so does the depth. The subbass gets a bit of a boost also - all in all, it takes the Khan, an already good IEM, and makes it a masterpiece
However, and this is a big however, the Khan has really weird sockets that made my Poetic series cable (which fits everywhere else beautifully), barely be able to stay in there. Ended up selling my Khan because any other cable pariing felt underwhelming.
Conclusion
The great thing about Plussound and the Poetic Series is that you can pick any material to suit your preference or desired sound signature. If you're after sparkle and smoothness, the SIlver + Gold option is an especially good choice, and if you have the Noble Khan, it might be the best choice out there - just be careful about the sockets.
Additionally, the build quality and materials invested in the material are of the highest order, and I am yet to see better. EA is the only other company that I've come across that is able to deliver such consistency. Plussound however has a very unique customization offering that can't be ignored.
What is really unique about Plussound is the level and kind of customization they offer. You get to initially pick a configuration of the cable, such as the number of wires or a kinnd of shielding that will be used. There's a massive variety, some geared towards portability, some towards longeviy and endurance and of course there's also the traditional 8 wire option for maximum performance.
The cable that instantly got my attention was the poetic series. I am a sucker for cable aesthetics, ranging from interesting colours to cool splits to quality hardware. Plussound was able to offer it all, and I was instantly hooked. I couldn't pick one colour combination so I ended up going for 2 cables. Both of them weren't in the menu so to say, but Plussound agreed to do them for me, a big shoutout for which.
I went for the Silver + Gold combination as I was told that's an excellent choice for some added treble sparkle and smoothness. It is also one of the cables with a higher degree of sound coloration, and I felt pretty experimental so I decided to order both in that configuration.
A few weeks later they arrived, in their respective boxes. A microfiber cloth was included, which was pretty nice because I haven't seen many other cable manufacturers offer that. All in all, simple but effective packaging.
The first thing you will notice when unboxing the cables is the quality of the build - both hardware and braiding. It is honestly exceptional, to the point where my grandmother has asked me if Plussound offers bracelets, and airport security asked me if they are jewelry (no joke). The pins also fit my IEMs absolutely perfectly, to the point where plugging them in feels like pure satisfaction. The 3.5mm jack snaps into my AK SP1000M with ease and feels at home. As I said, exceptional.
Moving on to the sound, this is an extremely interesting cable to listen to, as it is one that provides intense coloration to the sound, and in certain pairings, can make your IEM sound nothing like you are used to. The consistent effect that I can notice is added sparkle to the treble, with additional smoothness and musicality across the whole spectrum, at the expense of some detail retrieval and instrumental separation. It is definitely not a congested sound, but it does add some glow to the instruments and vocals, which makes them blend in a bit more. Soundstage depth and width is mostly unaffected.
Regarding the specific pairings:
64Audio Fourte Noir:
One of my favourite IEMs for the Plussound Silver+Gold, as it really brings out the treble and adds some sparkle to it. The Noir most certainly isn't lacking in the highs, but they can be a tad dry at times, which is no longer the case once the Poetic Series is introduced in the equation. The additional musicality makes the already speaker-like presentation of the Noir become even more life-like. Bass becomes a bit tighter, which is an appreciated change, while the midrange becomes even more present, intense and natural to listen to.
64Audio U18t:
The first thing you will notice is that any sibilance that might have been present with other cables is instantly gone, and replace with that golden sparkle. The reduced detail retrieval and the instrumental glow do work against the U18t's strengths however, as it makes the presentation a bit smoother, and less of the absolute reference that the U18t is. I personally prefer using my 18t with more analytical cables that are able to double down on its clarity, detail retrieval and highest degree of instrumental separation
VE Elysium:
Little effect on the overall sound. Maybe a little additional sparkle at best. The Elysium already has the sound profile that the Plussound is trying to bring out in it, and personally I can't really feel that the cable can really be appreciated in that pairing. For the Elysium, I prefer pure silver cables that are able to double down on its clarity and add some soundstage width and instrumental separation. The good news is that the detail retrieval doesn't suffer and remains on point.
Noble Khan:
A match made in heaven. Honestly, if you are an owner and fan of the Noble Khan I could not recommend this cable enough. It takes the Khan's very present and somewhat dry highs, and transforms it into a beautiful, delicate and elegant highs. There is an observable upper midrange bump as well, which makes female vocals sound like absolute bliss. Soundstage width remains on point as well, and so does the depth. The subbass gets a bit of a boost also - all in all, it takes the Khan, an already good IEM, and makes it a masterpiece
However, and this is a big however, the Khan has really weird sockets that made my Poetic series cable (which fits everywhere else beautifully), barely be able to stay in there. Ended up selling my Khan because any other cable pariing felt underwhelming.
Conclusion
The great thing about Plussound and the Poetic Series is that you can pick any material to suit your preference or desired sound signature. If you're after sparkle and smoothness, the SIlver + Gold option is an especially good choice, and if you have the Noble Khan, it might be the best choice out there - just be careful about the sockets.
Additionally, the build quality and materials invested in the material are of the highest order, and I am yet to see better. EA is the only other company that I've come across that is able to deliver such consistency. Plussound however has a very unique customization offering that can't be ignored.
