PlusSound hailing from the land of opportunities USA is known for their high quality cables. I recently reviewed their Hybrid XL and I have to admit, it’s one of the best cables money can buy. Their lower mid range offerings too are high quality and easily comparable to similarly priced offerings from other brands.
I believe back in 2024, when there was a bit of slowdown in the cable market, PlusSound decided to up the ante and introduce some high end IEMs. Starting at $2499 for the Volta going as high as the Allegro at $3499 these IEMs were equipped with best quality drivers and had tribrid setups. What I have here with me is the Sonora. Priced at just $2999 it strikes an excellent balance of looks, design and sound. Even though they already have the newer SE variant, OG Sonora is no Slouch. It houses two 10mm DD foe lows, 4BA drivers for mids and two EST drivers highs. It comes in only one color option though. I will be comparing this with the U18T and EE OG Odin.
I will like to Thank Christian for this unit. It was huge struggle for him. Much appreciated.
Get one from here:
https://www.plussoundaudio.com/earphones/sonora.html
UNBOXING AND ACCESSORIES:
That is what I call an unboxing!! It’s a flagship and all these accessories are a testament to that and unlike most of the IEMs this doesn’t have any negative space in the box. Yes, that’s a sign of a boutique brand too. In any case, open the box and we have the red leatherette carry case in front of us and all the accessories are placed inside it. This case in its own screams premium. Open it and we have a IEM stand, if you fancy putting your prized possession on display, this will do it, oh and the cable and earpieces are wrapped around it. We get a metal tip organizer and a metal warranty card too. Behind this we have a carry pouch and 3 set of eartips are placed in it. There is a carry pouch for the tips too and a cable tie ends this long list of accessories.
BUILD QUALITY AND ERGONOMICS:
When I saw Sonora for the first time, first thing that struck me was “this looks exceptional but heavy” and when I finally have it in my hand, I have to admit this is one of the most lightweight IEMs with metal shells I have used. We get an golden back plate with red inner shell. It has a breathing vent aside it. The geometric patterns on the earpieces look fantastic but they can feel a bit uncomfortable while adjusting the fit inside the ears as the rub against the skin a bit. Ergonomics of this IEM is decent as it sits nicely inside the ears but it neither have a semi custom type design nor have curvy edges to make things more comfortable. It’s angular edges are not the most comfortable for sure but definitely give it an interesting, eye-catching and unique appearance. I believe Sonora is designed for visual and aesthetical appeal. In any case, thanks to the longer and not so wide nozzle it has very good stability inside the ears.
CABLE:
This is how a Flagship IEM is treated. Sonora ships with a high end cable, Copper XL to be precise. It’s excellent with its staging capabilities and compliments the aesthetics of the earpieces. Yes, it’s a dual core cable and is a bit on the stiffer and heavier side but this cable doesn’t tangle. It does hold a bit of shape but barely has any microphonics to worry about. It uses soft pvc layering on the cores which enhances softness while reducing bounce.
It uses pure copper strands with various diameters to offer best possible clarity. Parts used too are of premium quality, Y splitter is minimal in size but the cable slider is basically useless. We get a slightly heavier rhodium plated 4.4mm jack but this isn’t modular. I can understand that but they should offer a 4.4mm to 3.5mm adapter with this. Cables guides too are a bit on the stiffer side and can exert a bit of pressure on the ears.
PAIRING WITH SOURCES:
Pairing synergy of an EST based IEM is always vital and that’s true for Sonora too. If you are spending $3000 on an IEM, please pair it with a decent source and this IEM will respond in kind. I paired it with Tanchjim Space Pro, even though it’s got street credit as one of the best dongles around $100 It isn’t enough for this extremely capable IEM. Space limited bass dynamics, natural height and expansion of stage too. At least give it a Shanling UA7 to perform effortlessly. Anything above this is perfect. Any type flavoring in source is fine for this IEM. It has a lot of air and can still offer good separation even when paired with a very warm sounding R2R DAC/amp.
SOUND QUALITY:
Let me make one thing clear, no, I don’t want to pay this much for an IEM but man!! This IEM is just exceptional!! I won’t wait till the conclusion, if you have this kind of cash, just get it. It’s that simple. What do we look for in an IEM? Superb end to end extension, check. Excellent clarity across the spectrum, check. Huge stage and a lot of air between instruments, check. Excellent tonality and timbre, check. Only thing i will nitpick is it’s a bit on the face with its energy and clarity, that’s it. It leaves nearly nothing else to be desired. For an IEM with W shaped signature it offers excellent bass body, mid range is as clean as it gets while the highs are exceptional. It has a warmish undertone and a bit of brightness up top, offering excellent clarity and body at the same time while maintaining a neutral tonality. Let’s expand!!
I am using stock tips and a couple of desktop DAC/amps for this review.
BASS:
At this price point, driver count or types doesn’t matter, what matters is the quality and Sonora is is simply loaded to the brim with quality!! I don’t know if they are using two coaxial units or not but these drivers can balanced things exceptionally. I was amazed by the dynamic capabilities of this IEM, it definitely feels like these drivers are working in tendem to either go boom or tighten things to exhibit superior control over both body and decay. While listening to “No Church in the Wild” it’s remarkable how this IEM can daftly switch between upper bass kick drums to mid bass drums to sub-bass drums while maintaining immaculate precision, body and decay. It can hit various parts of the stage with varied intensity, exhibiting it’s flagship dynamics. This is what adapting to everything looks like. Just like water this lower end can take shape according to the requirements. This is the first time I am experiencing this kind of definition with lows. Simply seamless while maintaining accurate body, area of impact, weight behind the notes and absolute clarity. It doesn’t leave out the deformity either, if it’s in the track, you will have to toil it. This is epitome of technical capabilities to say the least.
We get fantastic sub-bass extension with class leading rumbles and definition. Mid bass is not big with area but has more volume with a meaty presentation. It has superb layered delivery (waves of notes hitting you with authority) with excellent texture. Contrast of back and foreground notes is fantastic too. Background instruments have a more cohesive, gradual decay enhancing the overall engagement factor. Decay in general is masterfully paced with excellent accuracy. It can be very slow, slow, mildly fast and fast depending on the requirements of the track. This kind of control and dynamics are hard to get even in this price range. Upper bass notes too are one of cleanest without a smidge of unwanted softness.
This IEM easily controls the size of “area of impact” weight and air behind the notes and can easily fire in, down and upward depending in the track. This is what I call capabilities. This is what a Flagship should be able to do. There is not a single thing one can fault here.
MID RANGE:
Mid range, handled by 4BA drivers offers mighty impressive performance. It has a bit of W shaped signature and its mighty impressive with that. It has the musical capabilities while being accurate at the same time. I have been reviewing IEMs for a while. I have heard Flagships and they mostly are a bit too warm like Odin, U18T and VE X but that’s not the case here. Those IEMs have done that to offer a more comfortable presentation while sacrificing clarity and resolution but that’s not what Sonora is tuned for. We get a bit of brightish overtone with a mildly warmer undertone offering excellent precision while extracting as much emotions as possible. Yes, it’s slightly leaner but that’s done to offer class leading cleanliness and definition. What does a flagship do different from others? It moves instruments parallel to each other in the background while maintaining excellent clarity and definition throughout the body of the notes. Let it be guitars or trumpets they apear on the scene and move sideways in the background as they eventually decay in the background, making way for newer notes. That’s not all, Sonora can placed one instrument behind another and if the track has it, it places one over another, all on different planes. This is something remarkable, it feels like there are a lot of layers to the music you were hearing for ages. I hadn’t experienced this type of technical capabilities in an IEM and this is possible because of the excellent accuracy and precision this IEM maintains. I love it how trumpets feel. They originate at a small point and then expand, same is true for vocals too. How can this IEM has a peak at both ends? Remarkable to say the least!!
Lets run through the usuals too. Sonora has very good amount of energy with the mid range and there is literally no dip in the lower mids. It offers excellent dynamics with vocals yet male vocals sound slightly less taller and a bit less fuller then they could have been. Female vocals are more appropriate with energy and height. Both have excellent texture though. I just wish they had a bit more fuller body yet both have excellent throat emphasis and the gusts can be heard effortlessly. Instruments on the other hand are taller, resolving class leading amount of details and definition. There is a bit of energy at the peaks, keeping things precise and cleaner. Tonality and timber are very neutral, I wish it were a bit more organic yet it conveys very good emotions. Yes the gust in vocals we can get with IEMs like EE Odin is not available here but the level of details is miles ahead of that. Upper mids are squeaky clean but can be a bit bitier.
HIGHS:
I just wonder, I have heard multi driver est based IEMs, why none of them has the kind of clarity and definition of this? This sounds like a KK on steroids!! I really wish U18T and even the VE X had this kind of accuracy and precision. Sonora has fantastic agility and sparkle but that’s not the magic here. Sonora can move treble notes in every direction. While listening to “Youngster” by James blunt, for the first time in my reviewing carrier I was unable to keep up with the movement of the notes. They were not getting lost, this track is not busy either but the thing is, Sonora masterfully moves the notes inward, sideways and diagonally. All of this cumulatively offers and mesmerizing imaging but tracking every instrument at the same time gets a bit difficult especially when all of them have excellent clarity and definition. The secret here is not to put yourself in the middle, yes, this IEM pulls you in but try to calm your mind and enjoy the whole scene, don’t track, just perceive the movements and get mesmerized, simple. I love the way Sonora creates the whole scene. It moves instruments in different levels of the stage, they have their own height and breathing space, they have their own plane. They don’t tangle with each other. In fact Sonora is one of the cleanest IEMs, period. Sonora’s accuracy with instrument placement is absolutely fantastic. It’s not pin point because the notes are moving in their own space yet the transparency is simply mind-blowing!! This is what we call technical capabilities!! Instruments on their own have vivid and realistic shimmer and vibration to them. I love the way Sonora places same instruments in different tracks at different places. This is what we call epitome of accuracy. It maintains excellent treble extension and the energy at upper treble is outstanding. All I can wish for is a bit of subtlety with background instruments to create a contrasting image.
STAGE AND IMAGING:
Again, fantastic imaging and huge stage even for this price. Sonora has excellent expansion in every direction. It’s got excellent height, class leading depth and very good width too. Now the huge stage is not the attraction, it’s the imaging that makes everything sound so so engaging. It masterfully layers one note over another. It has excellent layering capabilities in Z-axis and positional accuracy in X-axis is outstanding. It easily rivals fullsized headphones when it comes to imaging. Directional cues are fantastic. Sonics too are fantastic, so are the transient instruments but they could have been slightly softer.
COMPARISON:
VS U18T:
This is a Flagship too but has 18 BA drivers and is a more balanced sounding IEM. Its main problem is, it tries to be a bit more on the smoother, softer side that offers a more musicality tuned output. It’s not the best but it’s definitely more comfortable for longer listings sessions but its technical capabilities are nowhere close to the Sonora. Sonora is miles ahead when it comes to transparency with micro details, overall resolution and definition.
Sub-bass on both the IEMs are deep but the Sonora offers better, more realistic rumbles. U18T has good mid bass but the decay is a bit on the slower side and the control, accuracy and dynamics are just average for the price. I was expecting better control and ability to hit upper bass notes with precision like the Sonora. Mid range though are warmer and smoother with the U18T. It had a more organic and natural tonality and timber is more juicy and emotional with male vocals but female vocals sounds more vivid with Sonora. I love the way Sonora offers better micro details and separates the background instruments from the ones at the forefront. It has a bit more finishing energy, offering a better sense of clarity. Upper mids are pretty much similar but Sonora has a bit more peak energy. Highs are very good on both but Sonora has the edge with better precision and resolution. Sonora has more air and cleaner positional accuracy.
VS Empire Ears Odin:
Not the 2 but the OG is what I am comparing this with and Odin too has a huge stage like the Sonora but has a much warmer and smoother presentation with cushy kind of bass.
Sonora has better bass dynamics, separation of back and foreground notes, clarity, accuracy and precision. Odin has bigger body, more weight, better texture and a viby presentation.
Mid range and highs are where Sonora again pulls ahead with better resolution, finishing definition, better air with string instruments while Odin sounds blunt and less resolving but has warmer and comfortable vocal tonality. Technicalities are much better with Sonora. Staging of both of these IEMs are neck in neck but Sonora has better Z-axis depth.
CONCLUSION:
I haven’t worked on a flagship IEM in a while. My primary perception was I can take a upper mid range IEM, pair that with a high end cable and make that sound like a flagship grade IEM and I wasn’t wrong but that doesn’t work for everyone and every IEM either. Especially when pairing synergy is a vital thing.
Sonora kind of opened my eyes. I am flummoxed. This IEM feels as limitless as it gets!! There is no limit to the stage size of this IEM. You can close your eyes and this sound like a concert hall. Mind blowing!! If you want to go all out with a W shaped signature, just get the Sonora. It’s outstanding!! We get exceptional dynamics, mind blowing resolution, transparency and definition with the highs and fantastic tonality and timber with vocals. It’s simply a flagship of different caliber. I will put this over the all BA Flagships from another brand.
The only flaw I can find is its slightly funky fit, mostly because of the angular design and unorthodox patterns. If you have a smaller ear, this won’t be a problem.
In this price point it’s not only about the sound anymore. People want the premium treatment and PlusSound has offered a flagship like performance with the Sonora. It comes with a premium carry case, an excellent cable, wide range of tips and a few extras too. Sonora is easily the best IEM for details and clarity in this price, no questions asked. This IEM just simply sits on top of the “Food Chain”.
