Fit and Isolation
The fit of the Allegro is not straightforward. It’s a process to find the best tips and best position. The nozzle angle to me is just right, so no problems there. But the IEM protrudes from your ears quite a bit, so your mostly used ear tips may not work with the Allegro. I called it a process because you need to find the perfect spot.
And the ear tip selection gets even more complicated because Allegro is one of the most tip-sensitive IEMs I’ve tested. The sound is different with each tip selection. So again, this is a process and takes some time before you fully enjoy the Allegro.
If you wonder what I use, I chose Comply Foam in the end. They help to have a flush fit and great isolation, and to me, Allegro sounds best with foam tips. I liked the provided Symbio W Hybrid tips as well, but in this case, Comply Foam is the winner for me.
Once you find the best tips for your ears, Allegro provides a nice and comfortable experience with good enough sound isolation. Despite the air vent for the dynamic driver, Allegro can block a lot of ambient noise, especially with foam and hybrid tips.
Sound
PlusSound Allegro has quite an ambitious pricing. And when you consider the fact that PlusSound is primarily a cable brand, you may have some questions. Normally, when a cable brand releases an expensive IEM, most people tend to stay off of it. But again, PlusSound already has a history and experience with IEMs, so they know about what they’re doing.
So how does the Allegro sound? I would say well-balanced, highly resolving, airy, spacious, and transparent. It certainly has that flagship stuff, from bass to treble. PlusSound jumped to this tribrid market with a premium unit straight away, and I’d say they’ve done it with a great-sounding unit. It has been a surprising experience for me to hear a tuning this mature and this coherent.
Bass
Allegro’s bass has a significant impact. The dynamic driver is certainly impressive, with a full and tight bass that has great texture. You hear the sub-bass rumble when it’s there, and the mid-bass area is warm and full-bodied.
Other than those, I think there’s very good bass balance because you simply can’t tell if you have a sub-bass or mid-bass emphasis. Both are equally defined and textured. This is a very well-tuned dynamic driver with great kick and punch.
If you’re a flat and neutral sound lover, the bass of the Allegro might come a bit fatter than normal. However, that’s the sole reason that Allegro is an enjoyable tribrid. The bass is certainly not overpowering, and it has good speed and decay. Overall a well-organized, enjoyable bass response without being over the top.
Mids
The mid-range of the Allegro is excellent because of its warmth, fullness, and timbre. The tonality is one of the strongest parts of the Allegro, where it sounds realistic, smooth, and lively. The mid-range is well clear from the bass, so there’s not a congested feeling, despite the impactful bass response.
Mids have a good definition and good note weight. Especially vocals sound quite energetic. There’s great clarity and transparency here. Technically it’s a strong showing in the mid-range, with a natural-sounding tone. The upper mid-range is a bit more forward, but Allegro retains a reasonably good balance overall in the mids.
The Allegro is also quite strong when it comes to separation and spaciousness in the mids. The mid-range is nicely layered, with sharp positioning and great focus. The definition and texture of the mids are also impressive areas that Allegro shines.
Treble
The treble response of the Allegro is a bit more complicated to evaluate than the bass and mids. There’s an apparent boost in the lower treble region, and the treble is overall a bit thinner than I would’ve liked. The mid-range of the Allegro is warmer, but the treble is a bit bright, and that takes away the cohesiveness of its overall sound performance.
However, that’s the case with the silicone and Symbio W tips. When I switch to Comply Foam tips, the treble is just right with great definition, good control and smooth delivery. So the Allegro is very sensitive to tips when it comes to its treble presentation.
So to eliminate the contrast in the presentation, I strongly recommend foam tips with the new Allegro. What I also found out is that Allegro sounds better and more cohesive with the tips that have more distance between your ears and the IEM. For example, when I tried my SpinFit tips, I heard a more controlled, well-extended and transparent treble response without the boosted brightness.
So in the end, the tip selection plays a very important part when it comes to enjoying this flagship IEM. When you find the sweet spot though, the treble performance is also fantastic in terms of technical performance and overall ability to reproduce the sound realistically.
Page 1: Intro, Packaging, Build Quality and Design
Page 3: Technical Performance, Comparisons
