Pairings –
Jomo Haka ($400): Fair pairing, overly warm as the Haka is already a full, dark earphone. Bass is noticeably improved, more extended and considerably tighter with greater definition. Mids are a bit too warm, vocals are slightly dull, could do with more upper-midrange. Lower-treble gains some presence and clarity, slightly more detail. Extension and air are improved though background is even darker. A bit of a muted pairing though not explicitly congested. Expanded soundstage aids this.
64Audio U3 ($500): Great pairing, extended sub-bass with heightened slam, mid and upper-bass become more linear with sub-bass. Midrange is more coherent with greater vocal body and more wholly resolved notes. Highs are more controlled, not too bright, cleaner background enables more focused foreground. Sparkle is retained and extension is slightly improved, redeeming air. Great soundstage expansion, more layered and better placement due to more accurate body. Maintained separation due to increased linearity despite increase in fullness.
Hyla CE-5 ($915): A great pairing. Excellent sub-bass extension and tightness, great mid and upper-bass control with a more even bass/midrange transition. Notably more natural midrange with fuller vocals and notes. High-end is more detailed, lower-treble control is increased. Background is very clean, perhaps a tad muted. Extension is enhanced, nice sparkles and very high resolution. Soundstage space increases, very layered and separation remains high. More natural overall.
Noble Audio Django ($1000): A fair pairing, a tad over-warm, especially the midrange where male vocals are slightly chesty. This is so as the Django already has quite a full upper-bass. Otherwise, bass is more dynamic and sub-bass, in particular, is enhanced in both extension and impact. Bass is noticeably more controlled and defined while mids sound smoother but also warmer. Treble is more resolving with greater extension, perhaps a little too dark and smoothed off, however. Soundstage space is enhanced and layers are very delineated.
Empire Ears Phantom ($1850): A good pairing besides upper-bass that sounds a touch tubby as the Phantom is already emphasized here. Otherwise, sub-bass extension is augmented, even over the included ARES II and mid-bass is more defined. Vocals are very coherent but also over-warm. Highs are more to my preference, with a little more lower-treble energy. Extension is improved a hair and resolution is high. Soundstage is more holographic but with less width and separation due to increased warmth.
Noble Audio Katana ($1850): An excellent pairing, the Tri-Copper enhances its mid-bass which serves to counteract its brighter midrange and top-end. It enhances midrange body and avoids excessive brightening. The cable smooths off the Katana’s high-end, increasing linearity and detail retrieval. The cable grants a cleaner background while retaining air due to increased extension. Resolution is enhanced and soundstage space is slightly improved. Imaging is notably enhanced due to higher resolving power and more accurate note body.
Comparisons –
Effect Audio ARES II ($150): The ARES II isn’t comparable in terms of pricing, but it does represent a well-performing pure copper cable and an interesting comparison. The ARES II has a leaner low-end, it has a little less sub-bass slam but also a more transparent mid and upper-bass. The ARES II has an even midrange besides its upper-midrange that has notable emphasis, aiding clarity. It has a fairly neutral detail presence but enhanced upper-treble sparkle and impressive resolution considering its asking price. The Tri-Copper has more lower-treble energy and a more linear midrange. It is noticeably warmer due to its mid and upper-bass emphasis in addition to having a darker background. That said, it extends further in both directions and provides higher resolving power overall. The Tri-Copper is more dynamic and weighted in its presentation, almost opposite to the more liquid, delicately voiced ARES II.
PWAudio No.5 ($150): Like the ARES II, the No.5 doesn’t represent a perfectly even comparison, but it is a copper cable more in-line with the Tri-Copper in terms of tone, in fact, the No.5 is a touch warmer within the midrange due to its less emphasized treble. The Tri-Copper provides a more solid sub-bass slam in addition to a warmer upper-bass that produces a fuller bodied sound overall. The No.5 is more linear with just a slight mid-bass bias. It has a similarly linear if not slightly warmer midrange and a smoother vocal delivery. This can be attributed to its treble which is smooth and laid-back on the No.5 where the Tri-Copper has an uptick of lower-treble energy and noticeably greater extension. It is, therefore, more detailed in addition to being more controlled up top, delivering considerably higher resolving power. The Tri-Copper constructs a larger soundstage and has sharper imaging due to its more resolving high-end.
Hansound Redcore ($500): The Redcore combines pure OCC Copper and OCC Silver conductors to provide a sound that is full-bodied yet clear. It differs to the Tri-Copper mostly due to its brighter, clearer and more forward midrange. The Tri-Copper is notably more bass focussed, it has greater fullness and presence here in addition to a more dynamic, textured presentation. The Redcore is a little more linear here so it delivers greater separation if not the same depth and rumble. The Redcore has more vocal presence due to its centre-midrange emphasis and it is more full-bodied due to lower-midrange emphasis. The Tri-Copper is a touch more articulated but also more even. The Redcore has a more organic treble instrument delivery due to its greater upper-midrange presence and lesser lower-treble energy. However, it has a slightly brighter background. Both have excellent extension and a nudge of additional sparkle. The Redcore is a hair more resolving however, the Tri-Copper’s slightly crisper presentation somewhat counterbalances this. Both create a large soundstage, the Tri-Copper has a more neutral midrange positioning where the Redcore has the more neutral low-end.
Verdict –
In complete honesty, I have always been a bit sceptical of Plussound’s exotic combination of materials, but the Tri-Copper is perfect proof of their effectiveness. It’s a cable that combines very natural, complete notes with high resolving power all set to a clean background. Plussound’s new insulation is also an enormous step up from their previous designs, in fact, I would consider their cables to now be among the most ergonomic on the market. They’re impossibly compliant yet don’t harden over time as some competitors do and Plussound’s level of finish is excellent. The cable doesn’t flatter many warmer in-ears due to the rather sensitive nature of the upper-bass region. However, the Tri-Copper is almost perfectly at home with brighter in-ears, serving to alleviate thinness and sibilance while maintaining energy and enhancing resolution.
The Tri-Copper can be purchased from Plussound for $549 USD. I am not affiliated with Plussound and receive no earnings from purchases through this link.
