Plugging the USB prototype cable into the Aries Femto and the Chord DAVE, you really could get scared out of your mind thinking about the sockets. But firstly, they defied any kind of damage during the test’s frequent changeovers, and secondly, the USB cable’s two "tubes" will become more delicate in the serial version. Even if previously the outstanding Habst Ultra III took care of the connection between streaming bridge and converter, you easily could get aware of the Lacorde Statement’s sonic advantages – and this without resorting to any distinguished piece of music. My tablet PC disclosed a pop music production which I hadn’t heard for years, Vaya Con Dios’ album Night Owls. Already the hit single "Nah Neh Nah" showed the Lacorde Statement’s capability for a larger, clearer structured image. The background singers were surrounded by a little more reverb, and the track rendered rhythmically more compelling. There was no need to connect the slightly bulky cable back and forth several times to fully convince me regarding the sound qualities of the Göbel USB cable – despite the Habst Ultra III having turned up as the fulfillment of a cable dream not quite a long time ago. Let aside its really excellent sound performance, but better is the enemy of very good as well. And the Lacorde Statement clearly deserves the designation “better”, but with regard to price it unfortunately plays also in a completely different league.

In the already mentioned comparison, I only exchanged – and this as it should be – the Habst with the Göbel cable, which meant that Audioquest’s Jitterbug between the Aries and the USB cable remained in place: In combination with the Habst cable, this configuration was simply the sonically most persuading one. However, this didn’t necessarily have to apply to the Lacorde Statement as well. So I removed the Jitterbug from the signal path – and put it back after only one song. The investment in a Göbel USB cable doesn’t preclude a Jitterbug at all. It remains an indispensable component within the chain. Almost as anxious as I was on the USB cable, I very much looked forward to the Ethernet cable. In the present I use the Audioquest Carbon and the Cardas Audio Network Clear on the long distance between the router and the Melco. Oliver Göbel is not going to offer cables in this length. Due to the complex manufacturing process, he will probably limit the length to a maximum of three meters. The prototype measured only one meter and could therefore only be used between the Melco and the Aries Femto. Here I sometimes use a Network Clear, but more often the Audioquest Diamond. Although, for example, I did not change the long cable to the router during the testing of the Cardas Clear and changed the short cable only, already this cable exchange alone brought considerable and comprehensible alterations. But, I didn’t expect here as much improvement as with the Lacorde Statement USB. Nevertheless, I left audiophile test songs aside and went back to Night Owls. Already less than 30 seconds later it was clear that I fostered false expectations: The exchange of the Lacorde Ethernet was actually a lot more noticeable than the exchange of the Lacorde USB against the Habst. Variations in fine dynamics, nuances in articulation, and rhythmic accents got even more emphasized. If I had to choose between the two Lacordes, I certainly would go for the Ethernet version. It is unbelievable how much more sonic pleasure you can get out of this single meter of cable within a high-resolution chain!