stakkall

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 6.00 votes

Price Paid:  $290.00 from LAT International

Summary:
These beautiful cables merit consideration for their ability to adequately balance clarity, staging, and sonic proportionality. They exhibit ultra high-end imaging with a beautiful sense of instrumental proportionality: The LATs do not grossly bloat the composition from its original intent. The relatively long and circuitous route from entry-level connects to those labelled "some of the world's best" and now to the LATs proved fruitful. This listener is less naive and can better discriminate between the necessary and the sufficient: discounting wireless technologies, traditional cabling is necessary to reproduce sound, but the LAT IC200 MKIIs suffice amidst an elctrostatic with analog front-end setup.

Strengths:
Imaging, Clarity, Sonic Proportionality.

Weaknesses:
Nothing detected from this end-user.

Similar Products Used:
N/A: Out of respect to LATs competitors in the ultra high-end arena.

Price Paid:  $500.00 from LAT via mail

Summary:
Let me begin by saying how much I dislike the cable industry in spite having a system that costs five-figures. I have felt from time I began listening to high-end audio 15years ago that the high-end cable market is exceedingly overblown and overpriced for what is given to the customer. Asking a consumer to spend $3000 on piece of wire in a standard plastic/rubber shealth is insulting. You can assemble an entire sound system for that much (albeit a modest one). This LAT cable is truly a bargain and finds itself connected between the Proceed AVP2 MkII and a pair of Mark Levinson 33H in my system. Most people might dismiss the LAT cable out of hand due to its modest price. But I can assure that it performs splendidly. I also own hideously expensive Transparent Audio cables and feel that the LAT is comparable.

Strengths:
Affordable Compares with the best

Weaknesses:
Too inexpensive to be taken seriously by the usual audiophile crowd. Haven't seen any reviews in the usual audiophile mags.

Similar Products Used:
Transparent Audio Quest Madrigal Kimber Vampire Straight Wire Nordost XLO MIT

Price Paid:  $249.00

Summary:
I use only one interconnect in my system; from a Rega Planet CD player to a Krell integrated amp. I did own the Cardas GR Golden Reference and an Analysis Plus Silver Oval interconnects. I always felt that neither one was providing me with the correct timbre and harmonics. I found my self continually switching them back and forth every couple of weeks. But, those cables just couldn’t get it right! Very frustrating. Enter LAT International, the savior. This was the jaw dropper! I was amazed at what it did. Transformed the dull, flat sound the former two were dishing out into the closest thing to Nirvana. The LAT has smoothness and speed; and slam when the recording calls for it. There is no artificial mid range emphasis and slam that the Cardas, Analysis Plus and some others I have tried have. Truly an outstanding cable. It is also beautiful and professionally made. No “chintzy” mesh and heat shrink tubing used as does the Analysis Plus. It would pay you to check out the latinternational.com web site Cable Hype page where they reveal good info on problems with mesh and other hand made cable problems. I am very happy that the LAT was recommended to me, and even happier I tried it. I am much impressed at how it puts me into the music far better than the Cardas and Analysis Plus did; both of which cost me hundreds of dollars more! Dollars that could have been spent on CDs if I had heard about LAT sooner.

Strengths:
Smooth and fast! Wonderful harmonic and timbre accuracy

Weaknesses:
None I could find

Similar Products Used:
Analysis Plus Oval and Cardas GR Golden Reference

Price Paid:  $249.00

Summary:
If you are one of those audiophiles who believe that if you don’t spend at least $800 to $1,000.00, or more for a one meter interconnect, your not getting the best available, then don’t bother reading any further. In the case of this L A T International interconnect, don’t let the price fool you. This, without any question in my mind, is the best interconnect I have ever heard. I wanted to up-grade my interconnects but wanted to first audition as many as I could before making a decision. I work in a high end audio shop where, on Mondays our slowest day, I am able to audition high-end equipment including cables. I compared this Lat cable against some of the highest priced interconnects on the market including top of line models from brands such as Transparent, MIT, Siltech, Synergistic Research, Nordost and Kimber. All I audition were “big ticket” models. I won’t write out the details of comparisons with every cable I auditioned. I will with two; the $2100.00 Transparent Reference Music Link and the $1300.00 Kimber Select KS 1300. The Lat has bass that is tight. Highs are detailed and crystal clear with no trace of fatiguing brightness. It is neutral throughout the entire frequency range, without favoring any part of it. The weakest points of the Transparent compared against the Lat are the lack of slam, and not as transparent and open. The Kimber provided less detail resolution and less tonal accuracy. I can’t honestly say that either the Kimber or Transparent equaled any aspect of comparison to the Lat with the possible exception of the Transparent that had good balance over the full frequency range. All in all however, the Lat beat out all of the cables I compared it to in overall performance, and we are talking big dollars versus the $249.00 retail price of the Lat. (Because I am in the business, I was able to get it for $230.00). All of the cables I compared it to are prestigious and many were highly touted by reviewers, but all fell short under the acid test of comparison. Again, best interconnect I have ever heard. I very strongly recommend to anyone in the market for interconnects to audition this one. It is a real “steal” at that price. L A T gives you 45 days to audition with a full refund if you want to return it. You might want to check out their web site at latinternational.com, they give you the straight story on the hype in the cable business

Strengths:
Smooth as silk with an honest presentation of what is coming from your source component.

Weaknesses:
none

Similar Products Used:
Transparent, MIT, Siltech, Synergistic Research, Nordost and Kimber

Summary:
I compared this to a JPS Superconductor 2. As is discussed by many in Audio circles, system synergy seems to be quite important; I put that disclaimer first because my comments reflect my system, which I will list at the bottom. I was comparing the cables between the preamp and amp.

The LAT quite easily beat the JPS SC2 from top to bottom, lows, mids and highs. I enlisted the help of my wife and she agreed 100%.

The LAT had a greater soundstage, with the JPS more forward and in your face; I found the same thing to be true when comparing their speaker cables. My wife was sitting off to the side and she said with the LAT the music carried out further past the speaker. I was sitting in the center and could also easily hear the difference as well.

The timbre of the LAT was much better with the JPS. The LAT was more pleasing and accurate; the JPS were deader sounding than the LAT.

I am very impressed with the LAT interconnects; at $189 they easily outperformed the $699 JPS in my system.

Forgive me for not having the correct audio lingo. In a nut shell, it was very easy for both of us to choose the LAT over the JPS Super 2’s. I had been using the JPS for a couple months, plus they were used, so they were fully broken in. LAT recommends 100 hours of break in time, I am not sure if they had reached that at the time of the comparison.

A five star rating means you are happy all the way around with a product, actually according to the description rating you are beyond happy, which is what I am with these; the quality is top notch as well. I hope I have given enough information as I feel you have to sometimes take these reviews with a grain of salt. The more reviews and information can help you come to an accurate conclusion.

(On a side note, as an example of people getting different results, there is a review on here under LAT IC-200 D where the person said they replaced all their LAT with Coincident, although they praised the LAT. I have used a Coincident cable and found it a decent cable but it to be laid back. I have no idea if the difference between the Mark II and Mark D is dramatic or not, but from my experience, I would easily choose the LAT over the Coincident, but bear in mind that I did not do a head-to head with these.)

My system during this comparison:
Moscode 300 amp (Heavily modified by Stephan Sank)
Hovland HP-100 preamp
Meridian 508.24 also with a LAT IC-200 Mark II IC

Strengths:
They are an excellent product all the way around, especially at their prices in comparison to others. In actuality, LAT's price is where others should be!

Weaknesses:
As the price is a strength, it "could" be a weakness, as they may get overlooked. (Not really a weakness of the product.)

Similar Products Used:
JPS Superconductor 2 (I have used other cables, but these are what I compared with.)