Strauss & Wagner Lyss – Cable Review

How can a cable improve the sound of a pair of IEMs? That’s a question that has been hotly debated in audiophile circles for ages. And for some time, Strauss & Wagner has answered that question with a slew of cables that aim to improve sound and make listening a more convenient experience. Enter Lyss, their cable that both improves sound (we’ll get to that later) and makes listening more convenient with a direct USB-C termination. So let’s see if Strauss & Wagner succeed at these two tenets of their goals.

Design

The Lyss is a braided OFC silver MMCX cable. The cable feels durable with solid connector points. This should mean that connecting and disconnecting the cable from the IEMs won’t cause any damage to the cable itself. The cable also offers a nice silver color which looks elegant and modern, and should match most IEMs quite nicely. The LYSS is noticeably thicker than the cable supplied by Final and has an overall premium build that should elevate both the look and feel of the device. 

And not to bury the lede any longer, the Lyss terminates with USB-C for direct connection to your phone or other listening device. And since it’s a USB-C connector, that means there’s a built in 32 bit DAC as well. This actually means a ton for your portable setup. At this point in time, the only ways you can connect a set of wired IEMs to most mobile phones is through a dongle or a tailor made cable. While dongles can offer premium quality in a small chassis, they still can be inconvenient to carry around with a phone. So a premium cable makes for a great, portable solution. 

At $69.95, the Lyss offers a remarkable value while cutting out the middleman of a dongle. And as you’ll see, the Lyss actually gives dongles a run for their money in terms of sound quality as well. 

Sound Impressions

For my listening impressions, I tested the Lyss cable and did all comparisons using the USB-C port on my laptop with the Final Audio E5000. First up was the E5000 with its stock cable. To my ears, this combination makes for a warm sounding profile with pillow-y bass, pronounced mids, and a somewhat veiled treble response. The low end comes off a bit soft with a little bit of lower midrange bloat, and while soundstage and detail retrieval is solid, it wasn’t as impressive as it became with the Lyss cable. 

Swapping out the stock cable for the Lyss, I immediately noticed an upgrade in sound quality. The bass response was much quicker, mids were clearer, and the high end was more present. Now, I won’t say that this cable makes the E5000 into a different IEM. That warm, lush sound signature is still there, but with a punchier bass response, that midrange bloat evened out, and while the treble was still a bit veiled, I never felt like I was missing any details. Soundstage was a little bit wider, but the center image was much stronger, making for a more accurate presentation. 

Then, out of curiosity, I went back to the stock cable and plugged it into the iBasso DC-Elite, a significantly more expensive DAC/Amp dongle that I find has a brilliant soundstage and reference sound. While I was expecting the DC-Elite to blow the Lyss out of the water, that just wasn’t the case. While I did find the soundstage to be a bit better with the DC-Elite, the Lyss held its own in presentation of sound, with a bit more of a balanced approach. Overall, I found the performance of the DC-Elite and Lyss quite comparable, which, considering the price difference, is very impressive. 

Summary 

So, what should we make of the Strauss & Wagner Lyss? In my opinion, this is a highly convenient and great sounding cable with a solid feature set. If you’re looking to simplify your portable setup without compromising sound, this is a great bet for you. 

The Strauss & Wagner Lyss is available at Audio46.com.