So I got the pleasure of meeting Gavin today at Canjam as well, and of course, I had to try the Plus5. No way I was gonna let it slip.
The set up was mostly AK380Cu (balanced out) > Uber Too > Plus5.
First and foremost, the size! For those who loved the Ref1 and 1P2 only to be let down by the fitment, here's the Tralucent IEM that was always meant for you. Taking dynamic driver out of the equation allowed Gavin to reduce the size of the Plus5 and as a result, fit most ears alot better. I for one, benefitted from the reduced size majorly. The Uber cable has also come a long way, with the latest Uber Too cable being very very easy to work with, without all the stiffness of the first iteration Uber cable.
No pictures though, because it was a prototype and not a production set. The production set will be in full black jacket. I like full black. Oozes sex appeal. Think Scarlett Johansson in the Avengers.
Incidentally, that was also how my face looked when Gavin played the first track (A classical piece, sorry I don't remember the title) on his AK380Cu for me. I swear. The Plus5 was doing this to me.
So first, the bass. Being a fan of hybrids, there were very little IEMs, in my opinion, that could match up to a proficient and well implemented dynamic in a hybrid. Well, the Plus 5 did just that and more. The bass was tight and controlled, never boomy, yet you could actually feel it rumble like a damn dynamic driver. There was certainly a slight tilt towards the lower frequencies but it never muddied up the rest of the frequency spectrum.
The mids were also extremely well done. Being more accustomed to contemporary pop, I searched Gavin's library for songs I actually am familiar with. Found a bunch of John Mayer's albums. When "Who Says" started playing, I was more than amazed at this point because I've never heard John Mayer in this manner before. Vocals actually sound like you're there with the singer.
I could go on and on about how impressive the Plus5 is, with how the highs are capable of making cymbals actually send chills up my spine (literal goosebumps) or how the staging width and depth was true to source, but no amount of description would really suffice until you really get to try it. What's most impressive about it is how coherent or cohesive the Plus5 actually is. Technical proficiency will mean nothing if the different parts of band sound separated and disorganized. The Plus5 puts all these technicalities into one impressive package, so much so that critical listening on it is pretty hard, because all you would want to do is to really sit back and let the music fill your soul.
Lastly, suspecting the AK380Cu might be pulling some weight on what I was hearing, I tried the Plus5 on thebit Opus#1, which I must say is an impressive DAP for its price too. On further listening with the Opus#1, it was clear that though detailing and clarity does take a slight hit, it doesn't ever detracts from being so coherent and natural. It is only as capable as your DAP would allow it to be.
And so, after the session, I stole Gavin's Plus5 without his knowing, so it's in my keeps right now.
Okay I didn't but I wanted to.