[PLUSSOUND]

Plussound Exo Gold Plated Silver 2.5mm

I want to say a big thank you to @ostewart for letting me borrow the Exo GPS so that I could trial it with the Trio and Legend X.

First aesthetics. The immediate thing that grabbed my attention was the colour; a lovely mix of gold and silver. The 2pin connectors and the termination plug look and feel quality and are well connected to the cable. The cable itself is quite soft and the braiding of the wires is excellent. It is easy to wear and doesn't pull.

Now that I have been listening to the cable for a few days, here are my basic impressions for the 64 Audio tia Trio. Set up:- Trio -- Exo GPS (bal) -- Cayin N6ii -- Tidal Hifi / Master

At first I was unsure what to make of the differences the cable made. I was moving between the 64 stock and the Exo to see what I could notice. The first thing that struck me was the improvement in clarity. I thought the stock cable gave a good sound to the Trio, but the Exo GPS seemed to take that clarity up a notch. This was on Tidal master tracks though. When it came to Hifi tracks I was initially struggling to notice a huge difference between cables. I kept listen though and after a day or so, something changed. This might be brain burn, but it seemed like the music presentation just opened up. Not just on master tracks but now also on hifi tracks. In fact it was the hifi tracks that seemed to have the most change. To my ears in any case.

There was now a lot more space between instruments, and I was able to really hone in on each individual part of the music. Rather than listen to the music I found myself being distracted by trying to pinpoint every instrument on the soundstage. Speaking of soundstage, I didn't feel that it had increased much in width, but I did feel it had increased in depth. I'm not sure how to describe the change in bass. It felt kind of tamed slightly, or not as raw. It is still there though when needed and I was really impressed how I can detect the twang of bass guitars in the tracks. Vocals can be really good dependent on the song. Some, like Kate Bush and Level 42 sound great but on other tracks they can be a little recessed, as though the music is more upfront and the vocals a bit further away. This could depend on how the track is recorded though. Highs are smooth and not piercing. Though to be fair, even on the stock cable the highs were always smoothed off.

Overall I think the Exo GPS is a good cable. It pairs really well with the Trio. I think it brings a nice warm feel to the sound, but is also detailed. The set up here was non fatiguing and I was able to listen for hours without any issues. It's a thumbs up from me on this particular set up.

Next I am going to pair the Exo GPS with the Legend X.

Nice write up! Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to reading impressions on your next pairing!

 

[PLUSSOUND]

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BT Update #2: USB DAC/AMP functionality is supported and sounding great! Users can simply plug and play to listen videos and music from any computer while module charges from 0-100 in under 90 minutes! Stay tuned for more updates this week.​

 

[Levanter]

Just received a shipping label for PS Audio Bluetooth cable. Oh boy, up to 4 weeks delivery period. Gonna be a long wait lol

 

[Pro-Jules]

V excited here in the UK

Not looking forward to the
Customs duty charges and delays

 

[mvvRAZ]

V excited here in the UK

Not looking forward to the
Customs duty charges and delays

Honestly it makes more sense to buy directly from plussound and just have them underdeclare it imo

 

[Levanter]

Honestly it makes more sense to buy directly from plussound and just have them underdeclare it imo

I think most of us ordered directly from Plussound. As for under declare does PS do that? Most if not all US companies I’ve dealt with wouldn’t entertain that request.

 

[mvvRAZ]

I think most of us ordered directly from Plussound. As for under declare does PS do that? Most if not all US companies I’ve dealt with wouldn’t entertain that request.

Idk about plussound specifically but most companies I’ve dealt with do that

 

[Deferenz]

Honestly it makes more sense to buy directly from plussound and just have them underdeclare it imo

I am aware that some companies do an under declaration as a matter of course without any prompting. Is Plussound one of these?


(please note Mr Tax Man, I do not advocate this, I'm merely discussing it) #bigbrother

 

[mvvRAZ]

I am aware that some companies do an under declaration as a matter of course without any prompting. Is Plussound one of these?


(please note Mr Tax Man, I do not advocate this, I'm merely discussing it) #bigbrother

Unfortunately i can’t tell you fam, haven’t had them ship me anything - I bought from their UK dealer and got skinned pretty badly

 

[Pro-Jules]

Direct order

 

[PLUSSOUND]

Just received a shipping label for PS Audio Bluetooth cable. Oh boy, up to 4 weeks delivery period. Gonna be a long wait lol

Greatly appreciate your patience!

 

[PLUSSOUND]

BT Update #3: High resolution codecs such as aptX HD and LDAC are supported right out of the box. You can toggle between the two codecs with digital audio players such as @Sony WM1A, among others to compare.​

 

[Deferenz]

Exo GPS with Legend X

Having tried this cable with the Trio and found it to be a very good pair up, I wanted to give it a try with the Legend X. I have been using the LX with the stock 64 SPC as this was the only cable I had (I do not have the Ares II).

The set up is: Legend X – Exo GPS (bal) – N6ii – Tidal Hifi/Master

There were a few things I noticed with this set up. There was quite a bass emphasis on most tracks I listened to. This gives everything a warm, lush kind of sound. I listened to some 80s pop music and it all felt warm and cuddly. The music felt like it was putting its arms around me. Actually, I kind of liked this sound as it was easy to listen to and non-fatiguing. However, I can see how this would be a big deal breaker for many people who prefer a more balanced presentation. It felt like the bass also hit a little harder and was able to go down lower for a rumble. The James Blake track ‘Limit to your Love’ was a good example of this. In fact, the notes I made during my listening said, ‘Wow! Sub-bass goes deep and well balanced. It reverberates around my head. Feels like I’m going to get sucked down deep into that bass.’ The next thing I noticed was that it felt like a veil had been lifted on many tracks I listened to. One track in particular, Ed Sheran’s ‘Shape of You’, seemed to go to new heights. I thought it sounded excellent with the stock SPC, but the Exo GPS took it to another level. In my notes I wrote, ‘How can this song get any better? I’m pretty stunned about this.’ The lifting of a veil was noticeable on most things I listened to.

I think the Exo GPS made most elements a bit crisper and clearer. There was also better separation of instruments compared to the stock SPC.

I listened to some jazz fusion and thought this worked well. The laid back warmth of my set up was good for the laid back rhythm of this music. I also tried listening to some hip-hop and I actually felt this worked well. I am a big fan of hip-hop from around the mid 80s to the mid 90s, but one thing about this era was that, in the main, the recording of the music was not at the best ‘hi-fi’ type level. It can therefore sound kind of flat and recessed on a lot of earphones. I was happy to hear though that the Exo GPS was able to dig into the music and bring forth a good bit of separation, and the bass emphasis definitely helped in this genre.

There were some downsides though. Although I love a bit of bass, I felt generally the Exo GPS gave it too much emphasis. Whereas most parts of a song were clearer and crisper than using a stock SPC, the bass seemed to take a different path. With the stock SPC the LX put the bass in the exact spot it was required. With the GPS it was kind of always present in some form or other. I suppose the point is, I think the bass was better from SPC rather than GPS.

On a lot of tracks the mids seemed a bit recessed and the highs were too smoothed off. I think both of these areas need a bit of a lift to bring them out a bit.

I was disappointed with EDM. I was expecting this to be a winner. I didn’t find though that the GPS brought the music alive. Not that it was terrible or anything, but it seemed to lack that ‘punch’ that this genre of music needs. Again, the SPC was IMO better for EDM.

I think there were some good elements and some bad elements to this pair up. As much as I like this cable, and the really good pair up with the Trio, overall I don’t think it is a good pairing with the Legend X. I have read in a few places that the Legend X seems to do better with copper rather than it does with silver. Perhaps this may be right and that is why I overall I probably preferred the SPC over the GPS for this particular pair up.

I think the Exo GPS and the Legend X are a bit like your estranged uncle and aunt. You love your uncle and you love your aunt, but you dare not leave them alone in a room together.

 

[Yammy]

Received my Echo Series Custom Bluetooth Cable and wanted to leave some initial impressions since I've been excited to try these since they were announced.

The good:

• Audio quality - I got these for my Massdrop Plus which I wanted to use as my inexpensive Bluetooth IEMs while traveling. My ears aren't as acute as some of those here but I can definitely say that I the bass emphasis and separation of the Massdrop Plus were not lost. Comparing to my son's Airpod Pros and Sennheiser Momentums, other "premium" Bluetooth earbuds which fall in the same price range as this cable, and I think these are a better buy if you enjoy your IEMs but have been eyeing Bluetooth earbuds like I've been. I may even nab another cable with a different connector for my other at-work IEMs.
• USB C - In a world where micro and mini USB still continue to exist in newly developed products, this was one of the biggest selling points for me. Reducing the amount of types of cables I need to travel with.
• Controls and UX - My box didn't come with a link to the manual and I pairing wasn't super intuitive to me at first. Luckily one email later (which Christian responded to promptly) and I had the manual and was able to pair up easily with my Pixel 4 and Pixelbook (pairing with up to 2 devices!). The controls are simple to remember and they are easily manipulated with iems in-ear and out of sight.
• Connectivity - I have not had any connection problems yet even when my phone is in positions where other Bluetooth headphones have lost connection in the past.
• Weight - This may slightly vary between models- I wanted sleeved cables for the extra stealthy look while traveling. With the size of the unit (which was bigger than expected), I was surprised that they didn't feel heavier in-ear. They're also definitely more comfortable to run/jump in than any wired IEMs and easily adjustable to cinch down behind the neck.
• Battery Life - I've been testing for over an hour now between the pair of Bluetooth earbuds and it's still showing 100% (not sure if battery life is being reported incorrectly but I guess we'll see as I use these for longer). Regardless, these outclass the Bluetooth Earbuds I've been comparing to.

The bad:

• Background noise - There was an earlier comment by Plussound that mentioned the background noise would be pretty much non-existent. I did not find this to be the case and hear the white noise even with music playing at all volume levels. Some of you may find this more annoying but for my on-the-go use, I don't think it is as noticeable.
• Pairing/unpairing beep volume - Every time you pair or unpair these, there are audible beeps which sound like the volume is cranked to maximum. Easily avoidable if you pair and unpair with iems out of your ear. My only concern with this is during moments where these may lose of connectivity, which luckily have not happened yet.

Overall I think these are great and I'm happy with the product. I hope these issues can be fixed with some firmware updates because it's otherwise exactly what I've been looking for in a Bluetooth module.

 

[PLUSSOUND]

Received my Echo Series Custom Bluetooth Cable and wanted to leave some initial impressions since I've been excited to try these since they were announced.

The good:

• Audio quality - I got these for my Massdrop Plus which I wanted to use as my inexpensive Bluetooth IEMs while traveling. My ears aren't as acute as some of those here but I can definitely say that I the bass emphasis and separation of the Massdrop Plus were not lost. Comparing to my son's Airpod Pros and Sennheiser Momentums, other "premium" Bluetooth earbuds which fall in the same price range as this cable, and I think these are a better buy if you enjoy your IEMs but have been eyeing Bluetooth earbuds like I've been. I may even nab another cable with a different connector for my other at-work IEMs.
• USB C - In a world where micro and mini USB still continue to exist in newly developed products, this was one of the biggest selling points for me. Reducing the amount of types of cables I need to travel with.
• Controls and UX - My box didn't come with a link to the manual and I pairing wasn't super intuitive to me at first. Luckily one email later (which Christian responded to promptly) and I had the manual and was able to pair up easily with my Pixel 4 and Pixelbook (pairing with up to 2 devices!). The controls are simple to remember and they are easily manipulated with iems in-ear and out of sight.
• Connectivity - I have not had any connection problems yet even when my phone is in positions where other Bluetooth headphones have lost connection in the past.
• Weight - This may slightly vary between models- I wanted sleeved cables for the extra stealthy look while traveling. With the size of the unit (which was bigger than expected), I was surprised that they didn't feel heavier in-ear. They're also definitely more comfortable to run/jump in than any wired IEMs and easily adjustable to cinch down behind the neck.
• Battery Life - I've been testing for over an hour now between the pair of Bluetooth earbuds and it's still showing 100% (not sure if battery life is being reported incorrectly but I guess we'll see as I use these for longer). Regardless, these outclass the Bluetooth Earbuds I've been comparing to.

The bad:

• Background noise - There was an earlier comment by Plussound that mentioned the background noise would be pretty much non-existent. I did not find this to be the case and hear the white noise even with music playing at all volume levels. Some of you may find this more annoying but for my on-the-go use, I don't think it is as noticeable.
• Pairing/unpairing beep volume - Every time you pair or unpair these, there are audible beeps which sound like the volume is cranked to maximum. Easily avoidable if you pair and unpair with iems out of your ear. My only concern with this is during moments where these may lose of connectivity, which luckily have not happened yet.

Overall I think these are great and I'm happy with the product. I hope these issues can be fixed with some firmware updates because it's otherwise exactly what I've been looking for in a Bluetooth module.

Thanks so much for sharing your early impressions and feedback. We have plans to improve/add features via firmware update in the near future, so check back soon for news.