Lautus USB Review (Part 1)
Printed From: Graham Slee Hifi System Components
Category: Cables and Interconnects
Forum Name: Write A Review
Forum Description: Open to all our satisfied interconnect owners - share your experiences here
URL: https://www.hifisystemcomponents.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4438
Printed Date: 27 Mar 2026 at 3:31am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Lautus USB Review (Part 1)
Posted By: thewebster62
Subject: Lautus USB Review (Part 1)
Date Posted: 18 Feb 2018 at 11:00am
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Hi all I've had this cable on loan for just over a week now and have been listening to it exclusively for about 3 days up until yesterday. My original purpose for loaning was to try and see if the cable could, to my ears, close the listening quality gap between flac files and the same music via cd. For the sake of the review I've decided to split it into two parts as I hadn't anticipated the huge difference I would hear between my existing cable and the Lautus. Having spent 3 days listening exclusively to the Lautus I decided to re-connect my Audioquest Pearl cable...................... WOW what's happened - why is Thom Yorke now shouting at me on the track Weird Fishes? - why can't I easily follow the thread of the song? - why has the bass gone all muddy? The Lautus has completely cleaned up the sound and all I can now hear is the music and finally I can appreciate what my Rega Dac-R is capable of via USB.  In essence this is a truly wonderful upgrade at relatively small cost regardless of me comparing against cd so I will not hesitate in placing my order.To be continued............... Equipment used for this test :- Windows 8.1 laptop, Arcam Delta 290 amp, Rega Dac-R, B&W CDM7SE floorstanders, Rega Couple interconnects, Chord Odyssey 4 speaker cable & of course the two aforementioned USB cables. |
Replies:
Posted By: Suggs
Date Posted: 19 Feb 2018 at 7:13am
Nice part one of your review. It is amazing that an item such as a USB cable can make such a difference, but it does...looking forward to part two. You may also think about borrowing some Cusat interconnects and Lautus speaker cables, the effect will "probably" be more of the same  ------------- Derek |
Posted By: Fatmangolf
Date Posted: 19 Feb 2018 at 7:01pm
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I think your careful observations show that digital cables do make a difference to the music we hear. ------------- Jon Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC. |
Posted By: thewebster62
Date Posted: 20 Feb 2018 at 10:13am
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I think you may need to whisper that on a couple of other well known forums I'd never realised that cables (particularly USB) were such a controversial topic. |
Posted By: Graham Slee
Date Posted: 20 Feb 2018 at 6:00pm
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Pour yourself a Victory Gin. You need Minitrue permission to categorise anything as good, plusgood or doubleplusgood. A review of Orwell's 1984 mentions "A culture of snitching is encouraged" and I've already been reprogramed by Minitrue. Funny because I took advice from their own advisor before writing what I did. Thought it best to remove all suggestions before they arranged my disappearance. We now sell one a year. ------------- That none should be able to park up and enjoy the view without a smartphone and the knowledge in how to use apps |
Posted By: Chris Firth
Date Posted: 20 Feb 2018 at 6:07pm
But maybe not for the reasons we imagine. If it's a USB cable it is not passing a musical signal. End of story. |
Fatmangolf wrote:Posted By: Fatmangolf
Date Posted: 20 Feb 2018 at 8:25pm
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I didn't say the USB cable was passing a musical signal Chris. ------------- Jon Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC. |
Posted By: Chris Firth
Date Posted: 20 Feb 2018 at 8:35pm
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I didn't say that you did, Jon. |
Posted By: Ash
Date Posted: 20 Feb 2018 at 9:47pm
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With regards to "digital" cables, I am at the other end of the scale. I find it absurd how anyone could assert that they cannot make any difference without first exploring the physics of transmission of electromagnetic waves through metallic conductors. Discrete "1 and 0" states is a highly simplified way of describing electron behaviour. A "non-musical" signal can still influence the musical signal that is produced. It is one big energy transduction cascade. ------------- We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are. |