PlusSound Silver Plated Copper (SPC) XL cable

Redefining SPC expectations.

PROS: noticeable improvement in soundstage expansion, improvement in retrieval of details while keeping the sound natural and non-fatigue, pliable construction and comfortable fit considering its 18 AWG thickness, lots of customization options, fine workmanship, durable build.

CONS: thicker wire, more expensive than a typical SPC, the sound improvement varies depending on pair up synergy.

The product was provided to me free of charge for the review purpose in exchange for my honest opinion.

Manufacturer website: PlusSound SPC XL, PlusSound Modular case and other accessories.

Preamble.

I’m aware that some people don’t believe in cables and have very strong opinion about it. It’s not my intent to start an argument here. Instead, I would like to share what I hear during my testing. Perhaps, I can’t fully explain why there is a change in sound, but I do hear it and don’t believe it’s a placebo effect. What makes sense to me, a metal wire is a material with physical properties of resistivity, conductivity, and purity, all of which put together act as a filter between your source and earphones. Variations of these physical properties can affect the conductivity of analog signal, resulting in a sound change, from a subtle to a more noticeable level. Also, the sound change introduced by a specific cable is not universal because it will depend on the design of earphones and their synergy with a source.

Intro.

When it comes to IEM cables, in the last few years we have seen many well-known companies going through cycles of using various exotic materials, getting creative with fancy geometries, and adding extra layers of shielding. But the latest trend is something I didn’t expect when I saw the rise in popularity of phat wires. And I’m not talking about multi-braid cable construction to increase the overall thickness while decreasing the cable impedance. I’m actually referring to using thicker wires with lower AWG, one per side.

These types of wires are more common when it comes to full size headphones, often even braided while using multiple conductors since portability is not of a great concern with a desktop setup while relaxing and enjoying your demanding full-size cans. But it’s a different story when portability of enjoying your IEMs on the go is at stake. Still going strong after 11 years in business, PlusSound decided to try something new with their first large size wire design. Have they succeeded? Let’s find out in this review of their new Silver Plated Copper XL cable. Plus, as a bonus, I also would like to cover PlusSound new Modular Case and IEM Leather Bag.

Unboxing and Bonus Accessories.

The unboxing experience of new XL is identical to other PS cable releases I have seen in the last few years. It features an elegant compact box that looks more like a jewelry giftbox with a cover logo and inner edges in gold. With the cover off, you will find a clear plastic display cover with a message: Designed and Hand Assembled in Los Angeles, California, USA – a nice custom touch filled with pride.

The cables are kept sealed in a clear plastic bag, again, something you will find with every PS product, even their addon accessories (like adaptors). The other included accessories are a pleather storage pouch branded with PS logo, PS branded cleaning microfiber cloth, a leather cable organizer band, and a warranty card. The color of the storage pouch and cable band varies between the releases, and this one was in grey.

The cable I received came terminated with 4.4mm balanced plug, the only termination I’m using now. But if you decide to go with 2.5mm balanced plug and need 4.4mm and 3.5mm adaptors, PS also makes their own ultra short or regular ones with pigtail extension, per request and at a reasonable pricing. Pigtail extension adapter convenient going from 4.4mm to 3.5mm.

Along with XL cable, PS also introduced two new optional accessories. Based on popularity of their smaller leather Storage Case, they decided to double its size, supersizing it to a Modular Case. It uses the same high quality leather material and heavy-duty zippers and adds a leather handle and a shoulder strap. Inside, under the cover, you will find a large pocket for extra storage. In the main open area, there are 11 removable leather dividers (9 short and 2 long) lined with Velcro to build your own custom partitions. This way you can build up to 12 small partitions or go for less but with bigger size pockets.

My favorite arrangement was being able to use their own PS IEM organizer insert which fits right in and occupies only half of the Modular case. Then, other half could be used for a DAP, as big as Cayin N7, the max size I was able to fit it. Or you can use 2x IEM organizers, side by side, keeping the case open with these organizers upright on display with their built-in kickstand or inside the case with a cover zipped up. And last, but not least, PS also introduced IEM Leather Bag, a double-pocket solid leather version of a popular mesh design. These will come in handy when using Modular case for IEM storage, keeping each shell isolated and protected.

Design.

Most of the PS IEM cables are based on Type 6 litz wires which have 26 AWG thickness. Their shielded plus (+) series litz wires were a bit thicker at 24 AWG. The XL is based on Type 6 as well, except after experimenting with a different wire geometry, they decided to combine the wire in 6x Type 6 bundles (Type 6×6 Litz), each with 36 groups. The resulting XL cable features two conductors, Left and Right, each 18 AWG in thickness. While it does look thick, to my big surprise I found it to be soft and pliable, even softer than Plus series, thanks to their own proprietary insulation and extra dampening cores. Overall, this cable has great ergonomics and comfortable fit.

The wires used in this cable are UP-OCC Silver Plated Copper. According to Christian, the man behind PlusSound Audio, they have been experimenting with various metals and sizes and settled on one of their popular wires, SPC, due to its unique sound characteristics. The decision to go 18 AWG was because it’s the max gauge you can incorporate based on the connector specs. Actually, XL cable will come in two limited edition versions, 2×18 AWG as described above for IEMs and 4×18 AWG for Headphones. This release will be limited to only 100 IEM and 100 Headphone cables.

As far as the exterior design goes, PS offers a ton of customization options where it feels like you are choosing CIEM rather than a cable. You start off with a cable length, very useful when dealing with headphone cables since many prefer longer wires. Then, you have a choice of different termination plugs (2.5mm, 3.5mm, 4.4mm, USB Type C with built-in dac/amp, RSA/ALO, and 1/4 “), iem termination connectors (every variation of 2pin, mmcx, and other available connectors), termination end color (gold, chrome, rose gold, blue, red), y-split color (black, silver, chrome, gold, rose gold, carbon fiber, red fiber, silver fiber), slider (black, silver, chrome, rose gold, none), and even color of left/right indicator (black, gold, chrome, rose gold, blue, red).