Review: plusSound Exo GPS – Silver Sibling

Sound

As with all my cable reviews I like to use the Noble Katana for sound evaluation. For one because I have two sets of it and can compare directly to the stock cable side by side with my Mojo (dual outputs). The other reason is that I consider Katana a reviewer’s delight, it perfectly shows you any change in the chain. Katana reacts like no second monitor of mine to cable alterations and therefore it is very easy to distinguish between stock and aftermarket cable.

What I noticed very fast was the added smoothness in Katana’s mids. The midrange becomes a touch more organic and refined. It sounds more precise and better separated. The smoothness of Exo gives a nice and airy sound to everything. Sound stage wise I feel that it stretches a notch further into width, not too sure about depth.

Bass got tightened with higher resolution, it extends a bit further into sub-bass giving it an enhanced rumble. Though not to a degree where it comes earth-shattering.

When it comes to treble Katana now has a bit more sparkle and sounds crisper and a tad brighter. Again, it is not a night and day difference, but rather subtle changes that make the spectrum benefit overall. I really like the treble of Katana on its own, but with the GPS Exo it becomes more energetic.

plusSound Exo (Gold Plated Silver)

Pair-ups

I don’t believe in one cable to rule them all, but rather in mix and match. I have monitors in my collection that are allergic tosilver, others can’t handle copper too well. The beauty is, that there are choices available for everyone. plusSound makes that very clear with all the different configurations they offer. Different wire counts, materials and of course price points. There is one cable for everyone in need. I found the gold plated silver Exo to pair up very well with a few of my monitors.

64 Audio – A12t (M20)

The A12t is one of my favourite monitors. With the plusSound attached the sound gets more spacious, airier and smoother. Treble is as energetic as before, but a touch brighter. Mid-bass gets tighter and harder hitting. Voices appear more holographic with the GPS Exo with more air around them. I hear the sound stage going a little deeper and wider. Overall this is a very nice pairing.

64 Audio – Tia Fourté

Exo really pushes Fourté to its limits. Again, bass tightens and gets more control, while the midrange opens up with additional smoothness. Treble is clearer and richer now. Sound stage dimensions remained the same mind-numbing size. Enhanced air in the mids helps getting an even more holographic sound, though the Tia Fourté certainly wasn’t missing that.

Empire Ears – Legend X

Personally I find the Legend X to be a very picky in ear for cables. This is something I noticed early on in my time with it. It is best matched by a copper cable in my opinion, as most silver cables make its mids too recessed and lose the lush and full sound. The GPS Exo makes the midrange smoother, but also loses some of its body, yet trades it for an airier presentation with a more see-through character. The bass of LX becomes tightened and a bit higher resolutioned. Treble is still on the softer side, but a notch more forward than before with a good sum more sparkle. I couldn’t really perceive any sound stage alterations.

The more I think of it, the more it seems to me that plusSound generally makes really great pairings with 64 Audio products. They sure would make a great team and a collaboration between the two would be very well received at my end.

plusSound Exo (Gold Plated Silver)

Comparisons

Two other cables in my inventory can be well compared to the gold plated silver Exo, that’s Effect Audio’s super popular Leonidas and plusSound’s very own unique T-Metal in Exo variant. Both are like the GPS Exo in some ways, but different in others. Comparing was done with both my Katana’s connected to the Chord Electronics Hugo2.

Effect Audio – Leonidas (799$)

Leonidas is one of my all-time favourites. It also has a smoother and more organic midrange paired with nice details and a well controlled tightened bass. Sounds like the Exo, right? Not exactly. They are similar and almost impossible to differentiate in their low end presentation, but differ from mids to treble. GPS Exo is even smoother than Leonidas, while Leo has a higher resolution rate for a more precise micro-detailing. Both have a wonderful restructured sound stage with top-notch separation. Leonidas has a sparklier treble with crisper highs, while Exo’s are slightly richer.

plusSound – Exo T-Metal (449$)

The T-Metal is a weird cable. In a good way. Like many cables, plusSound does not like to stick with mainstream configurations. The T-Metal consits of pure silver, gold plated silver and gold plated copper wires for a unique design and sound.

The GPS Exo to me sounds faster, more refined and sparklier. While T-Metal has the advantage on richer upper mids and treble. Both are finely organic and give great separation, but to me the gold plated silver tickles out higher resolution and breathes more air into the spectrum.

Conclusion

plusSound does have a great selection of aftermarket cables if you’re looking for one. In their repertoire you will find anything you might need, from different wire counts to insane conductor materials and mixes. If there’s nothing you fancy, I am sure you can just call them up and ask for a bespoke mix. With all their expertise and know-how they definitely will be able to help you out.

If the Exo wouldn’t be on our Recommended Accessories list already, the GPS Exo would have taken a placed there in a heart beat. It offers great ergonomics. Wonderful resolution, very enjoyable mids and a sparkly top end to finish it off. The gold plated silver Exo matches well with many monitors of mine and I am sure it will become a good sparring partner for many more.

Applause to plusSound for yet another great cable. Apologies again for the insane delay and thanks for the kind understanding for the cause of it.