First Look: PlusSound Dual Copper cable.

3-4-1-2 Copper!

PROS: improves soundstage width, enhances sub-bass rumble and mid-bass impact, adds fuller body to the mids, pliable construction, comfortable fit, durable build, lots of customization options, and also reasonably priced.

CONS: the sound improvement varies depending on pair-up synergy.

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

Manufacturer website: PlusSound.

Preamble.

I’m aware that some people don’t believe in cables and strongly oppose them. 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 since I can detect these changes in blind testing. What makes sense is that a metal wire is a material with physical properties of resistivity, conductivity, and purity, acting 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 PlusSound, you never know what to expect when they start teasing about the upcoming new product releases. Of course, the company is well known for its cables, but in the last few years, Christian and his team surprised us with several fine leather accessories, Bluetooth adapters, micro connector adapters, and even IEMs. So, a new cable from them shouldn’t be a big surprise, but I still found it interesting that after last year’s release of Quad Copper and this year’s release of “single” Copper XL, PlusSound went forward with a Limited-Edition Dual Copper cable.

Do we need another flavor of copper cable? And with all these choices from PlusSound between Triple, Quad, single XL, and Dual, ranging in price from $499 to $749, which one should you pick? That is what I’m planning to explore in today’s first-look review focused on the comparison and sound analysis of various PlusSound Copper cables.

Unboxing and Accessories.

The unboxing experience of Dual is the same as I have seen with many of their recent cable releases. It still features an elegant compact box that looks more like a jewelry gift box with a cover logo and colorful inner edges, this time in purple which is the theme of this packaging. With the cover off, you will find a clear plexiglass display cover with the purple color message: Designed and Hand Assembled in Los Angeles, California, USA – always find this to be a nice custom touch filled with pride.

The cable is kept sealed in a clear plastic bag, again, something you will find with every PlusSound product, even their addon accessories (like adaptors). The other included accessories are the pleather storage pouch branded with the 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, this one was in vintage brown.

Design.

This new Dual copper cable is still 26AWG but uses a modified version of their popular Type 6 Litz design that features two types of copper, UP-OCC Pure Copper and Palladium-Plated Copper. One of the new additions to the design is the incorporation of new hybrid cores that consist of both wire and dampening material to help reduce mechanical vibrations. Also, thanks to the new core, they were able to wind strands of Litz groups tighter and closer together while still maintaining a circular shape.

While experimenting with new wire geometry, PlusSound also realized that thanks to these hybrid cores they were able to improve the flexibility of the cable. On the outside where they use a proprietary clear insulation, they were able to enhance the softness of the cable further. Also, besides a cryo treatment, every wire strand now features a clear enamel coating to prevent skin and proximity effects which also prevents oxidation, making sure these copper wires won’t turn green over time.

As far as the hardware design of the cable goes, PlusSound offers many customization options where it feels like you are choosing CIEM rather than a cable. You start with a cable length (up to 10ft) which is useful when dealing with headphones or desktop use if you prefer longer wires. Select the number of conductors, EXO (4wires), X6 (6), or X8 (8). 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 (in 6 colors), y-split color (in 7 colors), slider (in 4 colors or none), and even color of left/right indicator (in 6 colors).