I have been an Audio enthusiast since I was a child. I first heard a stereo system that utilized separate components in 1978, when I was 12 years old. What I heard was enough to get me "hooked" on the hi-fi hobby. I purchased my own component stereo system in 1980, when I was 14 years old. In 1985, a local audio shop hired me as a salesman. In 1988, I helped start and manage another small Audio shop. For the next several years, I worked in both sales and repair, and eventually became a manager of a shop that both sold and repaired audio and video gear. In 1997, I bought the repair division of the shop I managed, and continued to develop and expand my LAT cable offerings. I also designed and marketed several speaker systems that were well received locally. Perhaps my most successful design was one that resulted from my collaboration with Albert Von Schweikert. Many of my Luminous Audio Speakers are still making great music, and are prized by their owners. In 1999, I opened Esoteric Audio Concepts, which is a small retail shop that sells high quality, two-channel audio gear. In 2002, I started a high-end Audio/Video company called Sound & Image Design. All of my businesses are doing well, and make me a very busy man!

As was stated in the answer to question #1, I started LAT in my own basement, with an investment of $900. As orders came in, more space was needed, and the manufacturing equipment was moved into the loft of a 1,200 square-foot house. Continued growth in demand for LAT products made yet another move necessary. Manufacture of LAT products resumed in the basement of another, newer, larger house. In those early years, LAT products were sold by only 5 vendors, and the company's entire staff consisted of 2 part-time employees. The company has grown steadily, and now occupies a facility that is approximately 3,000 square feet. The company employs 4 part-time employees, and 2 full-time employees. Over 30 vendors are currently carrying the LAT line of products.

Many of the newer cable companies are going back to the basics. They are making high-quality cables that are based on proven designs. Most recent, legitimate innovations in the cable industry have involved the development and introduction of improved materials, like improved sheathing materials that do not detract as much from the transmission of the electrical signals which pass through the wires they protect. New metallurgical technology has made it possible to produce silver, and oxygen-free copper wire that have significantly higher purity ratings than were available in the past. It is now possible to formulate and manufacture these metals in ways that control their makeup, and structure, at the molecular level. Even the designs and materials used in RCA connectors have improved, with some of the finest in the world being now made by Eichmann Technologies of Australia. Cable geometry is another area that is receiving greater attention. The ways wires used in interconnects and speaker cables interact, (or hopefully do not interact,) can be influenced greatly by how the cables are configured within their sheaths. How many strands of wire are used in an interconnect, or speaker cable? Are all of the strands the same size? Are the wires made up of braided, or solid-core wire? These are all questions that usually have to be worked out empirically, by trial and error. There is still no substitute for the hours of listening, and experimenting it takes to get the geometry of cables "just right."

The pricing of high-end speaker cable and interconnects has gotten completely out of control. Some wealthy audiophiles spend so much money on speaker cables and interconnects that they could take the same amount of money and buy cars instead, which is ridiculous. Some of the more prestigious cable companies are guiltier of this practice than others, but overall, the price of most "Class A" cables is beyond any rational justification. LAT's top of the line cables are expensive to make, and our prices reflect this, but it is not LAT's goal to see just how much money people can be persuaded to pay for wires to connect their audio/video gear. At LAT, we work hard to give customers as much value as possible at all price points. Naturally, we make more money on our more expensive products, but we do not see "price gouging" to be in our long-term interest, or in the interest of the cable industry as a whole. At some point in time, sanity in pricing must be restored.

Question #5 is the perfect segue into this question. There have probably been more bogus, unsubstantiated claims made, and more pseudo-scientific double-talk used to sell interconnects and speaker cables than any other component, in recent years. Cables have been made in ridiculous configurations, filled with all sorts of substances, and trumpeted to be the ticket to audio nirvana. The latest fad seems to be "powered" cables, which are being made by several companies. Audiophiles must have these cables if they really want to hear what their systems can do! At least that is what the cable makers claim. This silliness has created an unfortunate situation. Honest cable makers, who strive to produce, and sell quality products, are met with ever-increasing skepticism by "ordinary" enthusiasts. LAT strives to avoid overblown hype. In an industry that is as competitive as the cable industry, we know that we will more than likely have one chance to get and keep customers. If we disappoint already skeptical buyers once, we will probably never hear from them again. LAT views "snake oil," and the overblown claims that go with it to be bad business, so we try to be as honest as possible about the capabilities of our products.

The "giants" of the industry, like Monster Cable, and AudioQuest, are too well established, and have too much marketing power for any "upstart" company to make a serious dent in their dominance any time soon. "Crystal balls" are always cloudy, but we predict that an industry-wide shakeup will take place in the next few years. We think quite a few small, and mid-sized companies will go under. One of the reasons for this belief is the growing demand for high-quality video cables. Many smaller companies will not be able to compete in that market segment. Consumers who purchase home theater systems will find it most convenient to buy all of their cables as a package, and cable companies that cannot supply consumers with complete packages will fall by the wayside. LAT, which has a line of digital/video cables, sees itself as a company that will remain relatively small, but one that will continue to grow at a controlled pace. We will add dealers that are chosen very carefully, in specific markets. Our company will continue to adhere to the philosophy of providing customers with exceptional value, and supply them with products that offer the highest quality possible, at any given price point. LAT cables will continue to implement relatively simple designs, and make use of the best materials available. We will continue to manufacture our products to extremely tight tolerances, and observe strict quality control. Hopefully, the philosophy, and business strategy that has served LAT so well since its inception, will be a recipe for continued success, and help build a clientele of happy, satisfied customers.