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Lautus USB

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dogrelata View Drop Down
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    Posted: 18 Mar 2018 at 4:24pm
I should start by declaring my neutrality in the "cables can/can't make a difference" debate.  But with the year long search for a new HP amp now satisfactorily concluded under budget, I fancied taking a punt on the Lautus USB cable.

My only previous excursion into the world of after market cables that cost more than a self-imposed limit of £30 to £40 was a  £120 Cardas headphone cable for a pair of HD650s around 12 years ago.  I can't say I heard any difference in SQ so I was a little sceptical about my chances of hearing any differences to the sound signature of my system.  Could a length of cable 'clean up' the signal path, reducing the amount of gunge in the sound reaching my ears?  The following are my impressions, which may or may not be down to the placebo effect.

Right from the off, what I was hearing sounded different to the stock cable, which came as a bit of a surprise.  The next step was to get to grips with how I felt about these perceived changes.  The most immediate thing that struck me was in the treble area, which got the alarm bells ringing a bit because of my tinnitus.  Thankfully, several weeks have now passed and these fears have been largely unfounded.

If I were to compare the stock cable to the Lautus, I'd probably describe the sound with the stock in place as being slightly dull and ponderous.  With the Lautus, on the other hand, there's a bit more space and air, with a lightness of touch and a hint of treble sweetness.

The above was written a few weeks ago and I decided to hold back a bit to allow myself some more time with the Lautus before running another comparison with the stock cable, just in case I was suffering from a case of 'new toy syndrome' at the time of writing.  Well, I'm happy to report everything I wrote a few weeks ago still stands and I'd like to add a few adjectives, being clarity, crispness and delicacy.

The interesting thing is the differences in sound quality are fairly subtle in relative terms, but they make a fairly significant difference to the listening experience I am now enjoying.

In conclusion, I really like what this cable is doing, whether it be to the signal path between PC and DAC or ears and brain matters not.  





Edited by dogrelata - 18 Mar 2018 at 4:32pm
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thewebster62 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote thewebster62 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Mar 2018 at 3:05pm
Nice review.
Like you I discovered this cable a few weeks ago and haven't looked back since.
Out of interest have you tried it with any 24 bit high res files as this is where I personally found most difference between my stock cable and the Lautus?



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dogrelata View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dogrelata Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Mar 2018 at 6:53pm
Thanks.

No, I don't have any hi res files - everything is either ripped CDs or various forms of compressed stuff.  Hi res is one of those things I'd always thought I'd explore but never got round to...


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