Pair up.

Here is how I hear PS Copper+ cable paired up with different IEMs in comparison to other cables (noted below).  In this test I was using LPGT as a neutral reference source, volume matched, and playing the selection of my usual test tracks, such as Agnes Obel “The curse”, Sandro Cavazza “So much better” (Avicii remix), C-Bool “Never go away”, Ed Sheeran “Shape of you”, Counting Crows “Big yellow taxi”, Galantis “Hunter”, Alan Walker “Darkside”, Iggy Azalea “Black widow”, Indila “Boite en argent”, Robin Schultz “Oh child”, Dua Lipa “Love again”, David Elias “Vision of her”, and Michael Jackson “Dirty Diana”.

Please keep in mind, I’m describing the sound of IEM paired with a specific cable, driven from LPGT source.  I don’t want to imply that cable will have a drastic EQ-like effect on the sound of IEM.  Based on what I’m hearing, cable can finetune the sound, but if you find the original signature of IEM to be not your cup of tea, no cable alone will change that.

VE Elysium

stock SPC (EA) vs Copper+ – to my ears Ely always stands out with its mids and soulful natural vocals.  Going to copper+ still keeps that soulful natural nature but also makes them more revealing.  Not necessarily brighter revealing, but rather revealing with better retrieval of details.  It does loose a bit of that analog smoothness, but gain micro details.  Also, I hear more solid sub-bass rumble which adds more weight to the bass.  But the most noticeable improvement is the width of soundstage, a very noticeable scale up relative to its stock cable.

Empire Ears Odin

stock 1960 2wire vs Copper+ – changes in this comparison are more subtle.  The main improvement is soundstage being a little wider, something I’m already used to with PS cables.  Also, while going back and forth I do hear a little more sub-bass rumble with copper+ and overall sound being tighter and faster.  Of course, it is relative to this specific pair up, but with LPGT and Odin while going between these cables I do hear a blacker background which makes the sound tighter and a little faster while stock 1960 2wire gives it a little more relaxed sound presentation.

Empire Ears Legend X

stock Ares II vs Copper+ – didn’t know what to expect in this pair-up considering L-shaped nature of LX tuning.  Soundstage width could be a touch wider with copper+, or maybe I’m just splitting hairs here.  Also, I definitely hear upper mids/vocals to gain more clarity, they are still behind in presentation but with a little more clarity.  The biggest change here – moar BASS!!!  If you love your bass and want more of that LX ear-bleeding sub-bass rumble and pumping mid-bass impact, that is what this pair up with copper+ will deliver.  For me personally, it was overwhelming and I prefer more mid-forward cables with LX.  But if you want more of that bass, while still keeping it tight and ear-bleeding articulate, copper+ does the trick.

64 Audio Trio

stock SPC vs Copper+ – if you love V-shaped sound of the original Trio tuning with its stock cable, you will get an enhanced version of it when switching to copper+.  As expected, I’m hearing elevated meatier sub-bass rumble and even tighter punch of mid-bass giving the overall bass more weight and bigger impact.  I didn’t hear much changes with mids since they are as recessed and thinner and brighter as with stock cable.  But I did notice the treble being just a little less splashy, maybe just a touch.  Also, soundstage expansion is noticeable here as well, giving Trio’s “V” and wider spread.

Comparison.

Consistent with my cable testing philosophy, I used the same IEM (UM Mest MKII) and the same source (LPGT), and only changed one variable at a time to note the sound difference I hear while keeping volume matched.  Keep in mind, I’m describing how UM Mest MKII sound compares between PS Copper+ and other cables, including the comparison to MKII own new stock PWA copper cable.

Copper+ vs MKII stock PWA Copper – the signature and the sound presentation/balance remain very similar in this comparison, but there are some other noticeable changes.  First of all, the soundstage is wider, spreading more from left to right side.  The overall sound is tighter, faster, and sharper due to blacker background and faster transient of notes.  As a result, the perception of bass has stronger impact with a cleaner articulation of every note, and also treble has a little more sparkle, not harsh but a little more intense.  Like I said, the overall sound didn’t change, but it felt like a faint layer of veil was lifted off since stock PWA Copper was a little smoother.

Copper+ vs PWA 1960 2wire – while I already covered this comparison relative to Odin, I was curious if it will hold true with Mest MKII as well.  And it did, with changes being very similar.  The main improvement was soundstage, being wider, as I’m already expecting with PS cables.  Also, while going back and forth I do hear a little more sub-bass rumble with copper+ and overall sound being tighter and faster.  Again, it is relative to this specific pair up, but with LPGT and MKII while going between these cables I do hear a noticeably blacker background which makes the sound tighter and a little faster while 1960 2wire gives it a little more relaxed sound presentation.  Also, for those who are bothered by PWA cable microphonics, you will find an improvement with Copper+.

Copper+ vs Eletech Socrates – the first thing I noticed was soundstage being a little wider, seems like a common improvement with this copper+ cable.  Other changes were less drastic, more of a fine-tuning refinement sound changes which I mostly noticed in lows and mids.  The sub-bass and mid-bass with copper+ has a little more impact, giving MKII a stronger bass presentation.  Also, I noticed mids and vocals to be a bit smoother with Socrates while a little more revealing with copper+.  Not much changes with a treble, but mids tonality became a little more revealing, improving the retrieval of micro details.  The changes are not drastic but if you listen very close and go a dozen of times back and forth, you can spot it

Copper+ vs PlusSound Tri-Copper – the sound difference here is more noticeable with copper+ being wider, spreading more left to right.  Plus, there were more changes related to the actual sound, and to my ears these changes are more than just subtle, except for treble which remained similar.  But the bass impact of Tri-Copper is stronger in comparison to copper+.  The quality is similar with MKII, but Tri-Copper has more quantity, both sub-bass and mid-bass, relative to copper+.  Also, I hear some difference in mids, especially lower mids.  Tri-Copper colors the sound with a warmer and full body tonality while copper+ is more transparent and revealing with better retrieval of details in mids, especially when it comes to vocals.  Visual contrast between old and new design here.

Copper+ vs EA EVO10 – in this comparison with copper+ the soundstage is just a little bit wider; you have to listen very close, going back’n’forth, it is a subtle difference, but it is there.  Again, I don’t hear much change in the treble between these two cables with MKII iems.  But I do hear some changes in bass and mids.  When it comes to bass, EVO10 has some edge with a strong mid-bass punch.  Sub-bass rumble is similar between these two cables, but EVO10 punches a little harder while copper+ gives you a bit less intense presentation of the bass.  With mids, similar to other comparisons, I hear a little more body and smoothness with EVO10 while copper+ extracts more micro-details with a slightly more revealing tonality.  Mids still sound natural, but a little more revealing with copper+.

Conclusion.

Just like all of my cable reviews have a common Preamble, in the Conclusion of these reviews I always have final thoughts to remind that I’m not implying that cable will have a drastic night’n’day EQ-like effect on the sound.  Instead, based on what I’m hearing, PS Copper+ can certainly finetune the sound, but if you find the original signature and tuning of IEMs to be not your cup of tea, no cable alone will change that.

But there are some common sound changes I do hear across many pair ups I tried with this cable.  I found Copper+ to have PS “signature” soundstage expansion, making it spread wider left to right.  Furthermore, Copper+ has a very tasteful refinement of the bass with enhancement of sub-bass rumble and more articulation in mid-bass punch.  And from a technical perspective, it also lowers the noise floor, perhaps due to extra shielding, which tightens the sound due to blacker background.  I did mention the cable is a bit stiff, but the improvement in sound performance and ergonomics (over Echo+) outweighs it.  Definitely a great cable to consider if you are looking for pure Copper wires.