Price Paid:  $504.00 from lat

Summary:
I decided to try lat after reading all i could find on cables. as I am fairly new to high end audio this took a few months. I have what many would consider a little above an entry level system . For speaker cable I was using 12ga. awg from the hardware store,and audioquest coral interconects which sound really good with the lat speaker cables.anyway,during the break-in the lats sounded terrible,I wanted to send them back.I was getting more detail, but thats the only good thing Icould hear.After about 120 hrs I started to notice little things sounding better on treble and midrange then the bass started to fill in. The next 30 to 40 hrs day to day the sound got MUCH BETTER right now Im very pleased with my system. The improvment is way beyond anything I expected. I am looking foward to trying LAT interconnects. I have not thought about upgrading my components since the LAT cables broke in . The only problem I have now is not getting enough sleep and late for work all the time. also good service from LOU atLAT .

Strengths:
good bass slam ,easy to listen to,very smooth,good dynamics, detail,can really feel the music,am now playing music I havent played in a while. Good price for a great speaker cable,very happy.

Weaknesses:
The only one I can think of is long breakin ,but with 45 day trial not a problem

Similar Products Used:
AWG12ga. radioshack 16 ga. my system;anthem pva 2 amp, tube pre amp,integra dps 8.3, paradigm studio 100 s ,dynalab ft 101-a , vpi scout, arum beta S, musical fidelity x-lps,audioqu

Price Paid:  $460.00 from www.LATinternational

Summary:
I read a lot of reviews with people using LAT cables in massive, super expensive, high-end audiophile systems, and all the benefits LAT give them. I don't have that. My system is worth less than most reviewers speakers...sometimes even a single speaker. But I decided to grab some LAT SS-1000 D bi-wires all the same, to see what they would do to my 'little' audiophile system. System: Denon AVR-3802 (preamp/surround amp/processor/tuner) Rotel RB-1080 (power amp for main speakers) Rotel RCD-1070 (CD player) B&W CDM 9NT (main speakers) AudioQuest Diamondback interconnects (though I'm saving up to replace them with LAT IC-200 Mark II's) I replaced my old AudioQuest Type 2 bi-wires (the only thing I could afford at the time) with a little difficulty. The B&W terminals are too close together to get a comfortable fit for the thick LAT cables and spades, but I eventually figured it out and got them securely on. I say thins only as a warning for those who have close speaker and/or amp terminals... GET THE LOCKING BANANA PLUGS!!! I won't mark this against LAT, since it was my fault for not paying attention to the terminals and getting spades. Firing up the system, I put my favorite HDCD Reference Recording disc in, RR-70, Stravinsky's Firebird suite. The first thing I noticed was that the instruments were world's clearer and more accurate. The french horns no longer blared and fatigued my ears. The bass was tight and responsive. Quiet subtleties in the recording beclame clear and noticable. It was like a had completely replaced my entire system. I started popping in my other favorite CD's and noticed the background noise level had dropped dramatically. Vocals were clear and clean. Soundstages expanded well beyond the speaker positions. I would constantly close my eyes, listen for a specific instrument and point to it, only for it to be far away from the speaker position. It was like the stereo vanished. I started putting in movies with the same results. The rumble of tanks rolling through the streets of France in 'Saving Private Ryan' didn't sound muddy or boxy any more. Movie soundtracks sung across the living room. It was spectacular! Then I turned on the surrounds and the Denon's lack of resolution in it's amp killed it all. An upgrade for another day. It just goes to show, you don't need an earthshattering system for LAT's to make a big difference in your system. Hell, I'm still using all stock power cables. And I dare call myself an audiophile.

Strengths:
Silent backgrounds, improved sound stage, cleaner and more accurate sound. Handled all frequency ranges as nuetrally as my system could make them.

Weaknesses:
None. For smaller systems like mine, it may be a stretch spending almost $500 on a cable to push $2500 speakers, but I found it worth while in the end.

Similar Products Used:
Nothing remotely as good.

Price Paid:  $400.00 from eAudionet

Summary:
I decided to buy some of this Cable on the recommendation of Wen Li, Let me say one thing let Wen Li help you with the cable You will be very very Happy once you hear them. This is some Cable. LAT has an Awsome Product, My music sounds so awsome I spend hours in the dark just enjoying the great sound. The Music does not seem like its coming from the speakers. Last night i listern to a Jazz CD by Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown and Milt Jackson call the Very Tall Band. Man I'm going to say one word A-W-S-O-M-E. They also said this CD comes in SACD I don't want to imagine. This Cable SS-1000D is the best money can buy. Wow Don't believe professinal reviews believe your ears, They know best.

Strengths:
Everything is so Natural. The is the best cable money can buy that alone is a strength.

Weaknesses:
Nothing

Similar Products Used:
Harmonic Tech Alpha Core

Price Paid:  $460.00

Summary:
My first purchase from Lat International was for their interconnects; the IC-200 MK II. I was so impressed with them not only because they were the absolute best interconnects I have ever heard, but because they cost a small fraction of the mega-dollar ones I put them up against. You can read my review on them also in audioreview.com. Having experienced that with Lat, I decided to try their SS-1000 D Bi-wire speaker cable. I am fortunate in that I can do a lot of auditioning of components because I work in a high-end audio shop. On Mondays, our slow day, I can do a great deal of auditioning. I put these LAT speaker cables up against some very high dollar competition including the MIT X-Bi Focal Bi wire and the Kimber Bi wire Shotgun. These are the only ones I will discuss so as to keep this review relatively short. The first impression that struck me with the LAT was the complete absence of any background noise. When I turned the volume control all the way down, there was not even the slightest buzz or hiss. It was as though the system was not on. Apparently, the shielding that other reviewers mention was really doing its job. The timbre accuracy was fantastic. I had no trouble telling a cello apart form a viola even while there are other instruments playing along. That is tough to do and I could not do so with the Kimber or the MIT. Extracting detail at low volume levels is another difficult test. Again the Lat International excelled over the Kimber and MIT. Sound stage, because it is so wide and deep makes it easy to position where each musician is located on the stage of a full orchestra. The presentation is very clean, open and transparent. This plus the fact that it is so musical are probably its best attributes. There is no harshness or brightness that you get with most all silver or silver plated cables. Lat talks about that on their web site and go into some detail as to why that is and why their conductor metal avoids that. I was amazed at how much better it sounds than the Kimber and MIT that cost about three to four times more. At $460.00 for an eight foot pair it is a real steal!

Strengths:
Smooth, clean, open and transparent

Weaknesses:
None I could find

Similar Products Used:
MIT X-Bi Focal Bi wire and Kimber Bi wire Shotgun 750

Price Paid:  $354.00 from LAT International

Summary:
My comparison was between JPS Superconductor 2 NC speaker cables using JPS SC2 jumpers as well.

I was glad to read Kevin’s post before I added mine as sometimes you feel you may be going overboard. Both my wife and I sat down together in comparing these two speaker cables and both choose the LAT cables. I have been using the SC2’s for over a year.

At the same time I was doing this comparison, I was comparing the LAT IC-200 Mark II interconnect against the JPS SC2 interconnect. I found the speaker cable comparison to be the same as the interconnects, the LAT cables are better from top to bottom and the JPS are forward and in your face.

I have made numerous changes over the last few months in my system and since changing my cables, both speaker and IC, I am simply amazed and how much better it sounds and I honestly question “did these cables make that big a difference or was it other changes”, but the other changes had been in place for quite some time before I sat down to compare these cables.

Just like with the interconnects, the LAT cables are far less money and easily outperformed the JPS in my system. (The JPS SC2’s list for $2199.)

It’s at least worth your time to read LAT International’s article on Cable Hype. http://latinternational.com/index.php3/page-20999.html
Clearly cables make a difference, but prices can be quite ridiculous.

My system during this comparison:
Moscode 300 amp (Heavily modified by Stephan Sank)
Hovland HP-100 preamp
Meridian 508.24 CD player
TDL Studio Monitor ‘M’ speakers

Strengths:
Performance, price

Similar Products Used:
JPS Superconductor 2