Comparisons.

Here is how I hear Dual Copper cable compares to their other copper cables while using PS Allegro and Aroma Jewel IEMs.  In this test I used P6 Pro as my reference source, volume matched, and played the selection of my usual test tracks, such as Agnes Obel’s “The Curse”, Sandro Cavazza’s “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”.

Consistent with my cable testing philosophy, I typically use the same IEM and the same source and only change one variable at a time to note the sound difference I hear while keeping the volume matched.  The focus of the comparison here is only on other copper wires from PlusSound, their Quad, Triple, Dual, and XL cables.  Such impressions are subjective with me describing what and how I hear it.  Below, SPC refers to silver-plated copper, GPS – gold-plated copper, and PPC – palladium-plated copper.

Dual (copper, PPC) vs Quad (copper, SPC, GPC, PPC) – the soundstage width here is very similar and quite expanded, but the imaging with how the sounds spread does vary.  Dual imaging is more center-focused while quad spreads wider.  This is not to be confused with the actual soundstage width and stereo separation which is quite similar between these two.  Dual bass has more texture and more weight in sub-bass and a stronger impact in mid-bass, while Quad due to its more forward presentation of mids has a bass with a bit scaled-down quantity, making its bass sound more neutral in relative comparison to Dual.  Also, Dual mids have a fuller body with a more balanced presentation in comparison to the more forward and revealing mids of the Quad.  With treble Quad has more sparkle, while Dual scaled it down a bit.  Overall, Quad has a more resolving sound while Dual has stronger bass, smoother and more natural mids, and a bit smoother treble in comparison to Quad.  Both cables felt soft.

Dual (copper, PPC) vs Tri (copper, SPC, GPC) – both have nearly identical soundstage expansion and imaging, both having a wide expanded soundstage and a bit more center-focused imaging, especially noticeable with vocals.  With Tri, the bass performance is also very similar, having deeper sub-bass rumble and a bit stronger mid-bass impact which scales up the weight of the bass, but the perception of the bass in Tri feels even more elevated due to its fuller lower mids.  Both Dual and Tri have a fuller body lower mids, but Tri lower mids are even thicker giving its mids a more musical performance.  As a result, the bass and the mids of Tri feel fuller and smoother in comparison to Dual which has more resolving mids and a slightly more articulate presentation of the bass.  Tri treble is a little brighter than Dual, but its presentation is less forward since the focus is shifted more toward fuller body mids.  Dual cable felt a little softer than Tri.

Dual (copper, PPC) vs XL (copper, 18AWG) – with a soundstage, XL is on par with Quad, thus in this comparison, you can expect a similar soundstage expansion, but XL will have more holographic imaging of how sounds are positioned in space.  Both have a very similar effect on the sub-bass, adding more weight and texture, and having a stronger and faster mid-bass punch.  With mids, XL has an even fuller body and warmer tonality.  In comparison, Dual mids have a bit more transparency, still natural but a little more revealing.  Both have a clear detailed treble, and a similar level of brightness, but the treble with XL has a slightly more forward presentation due to a contrast with warmer mids, but Dual has a bit more zing, courtesy of its PPC wire.  As expected, the Dual cable felt noticeably softer than the XL.

Conclusion w/Sound Analysis.

As I continue to mention in my PlusSound reviews, the company has been around for over a decade, celebrating its 12^th anniversary this year, and has a very impressive portfolio of products that is expanding, though the core of the business is still focused on cables.  And with so many cables to choose from, some might get overwhelmed, especially trying to determine which one is better.  But in reality, it is not about finding which cable is better, but rather finding which cable is going to pair up better with your IEMs.  That was the reason why I decided to focus this review, again, on the comparison of various PS Copper wire combos and the nuances in sound tuning each one brings to the table.

When dealing with cables you need to have realistic expectations because cable will not yield drastic EQ-like nigh-and-day changes in sound.  But when testing different flavors of PS Copper cables, I did find a very precise level of finetuning which perfected the original sound signature of IEMs under the test.  The tunings went from Quad -> Dual -> Tri -> XL in the direction of the more resolving sound to a fuller body musical tonality.  The bass perception with Quad was a bit more neutral in comparison to Dual/Tri/XL, the mids also became smoother in the same direction, while the treble had some variations especially due to Quad and Dual using palladium-plated copper which added an extra sparkle to the sound.

Taking the PS Allegro IEMs as an example, I was able to finetune the sound of these tribrid 2DD/6BA/4EST monitors to perfection with the desired amount of a more elevated sub-bass rumble and faster mid-bass punch, a little fuller body mids without them being warmer or less resolving, and extra treble sparkle without overcooking it.  Here, Dual copper did the trick for me.  I enjoyed Quad pairing up with Allegro, but after trying it with Dual, I realized that I wanted more bass impact, and switched to that cable instead.  Ironically, Dual costs less than Quad, which is the point I’m always trying to make: it is never about paying more for an improvement but rather finding the preferred pair-up synergy regardless of the price.