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.

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

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 .

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

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

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.

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.

Similar Products Used:

Nothing remotely as good.

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

Nothing

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.

Similar Products Used:

Harmonic Tech Alpha Core

Smooth, clean, open and transparent

None I could find

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!

Similar Products Used:

MIT X-Bi Focal Bi wire and Kimber Bi wire Shotgun 750

Well constructed, relatively neutral sounding, transparent and detailed, quiet, reasonable value

Somewhat stiff, long break-in, not the fastest sounding cable in terms of transient response

I needed a relatively 'good' set of cables for the front three speakers in my HT system to replace the Cardas Crosslinks I was using (vieled, constrained, and closed in sounding). With a 45 day trial I didn't think I could go wrong, and had read enough online reviews to have some confidence that I would probably keep them. Well, basically I ditto much of what has been said about the non bi-wire version of this cable. It is very neutral and takes a long time to run it. Until it does run in the bass can be a bit muddy, and the highs somewhat reticent sounding. I easily have the requisite 100 hours on mine and the sound has become transparent and detailed, and tonally even. Their neutrality can be decieving because they don't overemphasize the spectrum anywhere, and can give a false sense that they are rolled off in the highs, or that they are muted in some way. They're not, when its in the recording it comes through. The quiet background reinforces the cable's sense of neutrality and reduces the hash and grunge that some mistake for a zippy or exciting sound. For HT I think they work very well, especially in bombastic scenes where other cables can get to frizzy sounding the LATs seem to hold together very well while sounding natural. From a music standpoint they sound quite good, but if my intent were music only I would possibly continue to try other alternatives. Their neutrality does rob the music of a smidge of vitality, and I sense that transients don't have that finger snapping speed. I use them with Home Grown Audio Silver Lace which does provide a good mix of the latter, so it is a good match.

I wouldn't go overboard and claim these are the best value out there, they are certainly competitive, and possibly better then the Audioquest Granite cables I tried that retail for 750+ for the 3 lengths I wanted, but could buy discounted for ~600. They are not in the same ballpark as the price/performance that HGA Silver Lace provides, but overall the LAT International SS-1000 D Bi-Wire is a better then average cable at a fair price.

Similar Products Used:

Transparent Super/Ultra, Audioquest Type 6/Crystal/Midnight/Granite, Cardas Twinlink/Crosslink, Wireworld Polaris I

Performance, price

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

Similar Products Used:

JPS Superconductor 2

Great transparency with an absolute silent background, probably because it is shielded-unusual for speaker cable.

None I could find

I had heard of LAT International but not having seen big full-page ads in magazines I was not very familiar with them. So I went to their web site. It is a good site very informative especially if you read their page on Cable Hype. They give you the straight scoop on the outrageous hype in the cable business. Site address is latinternational.com.
The info in their site impressed me enough to give them a try especially since they also have a generous forty five-day trial policy. I am a baby boomer and have been looking for years for a cable that would provide superior, clear, neutral and a realistic presentation as close to the original as possible. The cable I was using was the Kimber XL-Bi-focal that cost me $2260.00, plus sales tax. At first I liked this cable a lot, but as the weeks went on I found that on long listening sessions, it caused listening fatigue. It simply did not have the kind of openness and transparency I was looking for. My neighbor, an audiophile too, told me the LAT International could do this. I had my doubts. I bought a 8 foot left and right and a center cannel set. After a 160 hours of burn in, I became a believer! My jaw dropped! It transformed the music into what I think it should be based on my frequent trips to live concerts. My dealer, who is also personal friend, brought in a Tara Labs One Bi-wire that sells, without discount for, $7200.00. We listened to that comparing it to the LAT and to my present Kimber cable. The Tara was far better than the Kimber but when compared to the LAT, it too fell down in openness and transparency and in most other areas. The following is my evaluation of where the LAT excels over the cables above that I compared it to. (My dealer friend reluctantly agrees). Spacial detail, Impact that is dramatic, Transparency, Openness, Excellent detail at low listening levels, Butt kicking dynamics, yet a lack of background noise, Completely effortless in its presentation. I have tried some other cables costing much more, but none impressed me, as has this LAT International cable. If you are in the market for a Bi-wire cable and you have good components to complement it, because it is very revealing, I highly recommend it. I think my search for the ultimate cable is over!

Similar Products Used:

Kimber XL-Bi-focal Bi-wire and Tara The One Bi-wire

These cables give unbelievable, outstanding performance at a very low price.

None

Before buying these cables I auditioned them at my friends house who had recently bought them. He had been using Transparent Audio’s top of the line cable before replacing them with the LAT. I don’t remember the Transparent model name (but really BIG BUCKS !!) Since I was in the market for some new Bi-wire speaker cables, I sat with my friend and listened while making A, B comparisons with the Transparents. Differences: The Transparent had excellent detail in the treble, seemingly more so than LAT; but after listing to them I concluded that the Transparent treble, while very good, was over emphasized and after a while began to get a little fatiguing. Mid range was excellent with both cables. Bass with the Transparents were just a wee bit boomy compared to the LAT. I settled on buying the LATs. Who wouldn’t after that audition and at the tremendous price differential. Then when I purchased them I put them in my system and did A, B against a pair of MIT cables I had on trial from a dealer. The MIT cables were the BI-Wire MH 750 Magnum – Retailing at $2400.00. The MIT cables were very good but they were no match for the L A T SS1000 D Bi-wire. The sound stage of the LAT was exceptionally wide and deep. Pin-pointing the position of each musician was easy. They had a smoothness that allowed you to relax and listen for long periods of time with no fatigue. LAT says they have incorporated a shielding system that makes them dead quite. Probably this is why they are so smooth and open. I have listened to a lot of cables – mostly expensive ones because I thought expensive guarantees that you are getting the best. That sure ain’t true with LAT. I know that many other audiophiles believe that if a cable (or other product) doesn’t cost an arm and a leg that it can’t be good. Or if there are no big splashy color ads in mags making all kinds of claims, that again it can’t be good. Well, LAT International shoots holes in those theories. If you want to have a big name cable for the sake of prestige, then go ahead and put out big dollars for it. I would be surprised if many, or if any, of the big name high-enders can surpass this cable.

Similar Products Used:

Transparent Audio,MIT and Kimber