664


6moons focusses on Firewall's unique clarification of audio signal

June 2015, author: Srajan Ebaen
[On the C13/C14 version:] "Despite their added funky connector junctions, I'm very clear that their benefit was exactly like a first pair of mild reading glasses. Time to go four square or rather, four in series over just two. And indeed, the same quality or attribute moved more into the foreground. I'd call it crispness were it not for hifi lingo's reflexive tie-in with sizzly treble and spot-lit transients."

"Imagine driving in inclement weather as your car window begins to subtly fog over with condensation. One press on the defog button and a few seconds of strong cold air blowing straight up at the windshield render the scenery patently crisper. Think of the LessLoss boxes as our hifi equivalent for such cold strong air and what it does to subliminal condensation."

"It removes a stain the other power-line detergents and bleaches don't get at."

"Removing my play set of eight modules to return to the earlier status quo missed out on that certain enhanced contrast which they had added."

"The new LessLoss modules at a fraction of the sticker shock of former solutions in this catalogue seem like attractive circuit enhancements."
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Firewall Module receives Mono and Stereo's Best Buy Award

September, 2015, author: Matej Isak
"The tonality is spot on and the Firewall Modules perform in this respect impressively."

"In a way, the Firewall module re-injects a remnant of real life to the sound image. You begin to hear not only the musicians' sound, but their effort as well."

"With the Firewall module, it becomes easier to comprehend the distinction of the individual within the section. You can literally hear their effort at maintaining the ensemble sound."

"This is how I would describe one of the Firewall Module effects. Imagine the clarity of Carl Zeiss optics being introduced while you're slowly zooming in to the focus point. After 30+ minutes everything is resolving and slowly being revealed in just the exact same way. Unclear pieces of the musical signal start to gradually become more vivid and make sense."

"As with the LessLoss cables, a unique black canvas appears, one that projects a more clear interpretation of the music. But this time, as the focus continues to sharpen and become more revelatory and informative, it begins to seem like the canvas turns out not to be a black surface at all, but deep space."

"There is something about the unfettered resolution and timbral correctness that is revealed with the Firewall modules in action. This potency was acknowledged whether the modules were set before the DAC, the phono preamplifier, the power amps, or preamplifier."

"The achievement of a great system would be when our left-brain analytical decoding vanishes. And this is exactly what happened with the insertion of the LessLoss Firewall module. With familiar classical material everything becomes more immediately evident, of much more notable transparency, and all becomes more detailed and revealing. It is easier to know what you are hearing, without having to constantly doubt or think about it. And it is definitely not an artificial etching or embossing effect."

"The Firewall Module provides a pleasing absence of coloration, where tonal color and timbre take on much more believable manifestations. Tone, timbre and color are depicted in a much more realistic and coherent way. Their subtle yet distinctive nature is preserved, lending an overall authenticity which is undeniable."

"All in all, the low-level resolution and thoroughly maintained transient response creates a notable change that one usually relates only to upper echelon solutions."

"Louis Motek did indeed advance his art and created with the Firewall module a new horizon of attainable performance, the impact of which is impressive even to an experienced reviewer such as myself."

"Louis Motek is [...] bringing his unique company tech down to the mortals. It is still thoroughly possible for those with more available funds to go nuts with any desired number of Firewall modules. Here only the sky is the limit. Or should I say, the blackness of deep space."

"Louis Motek's, shall we say, "half-altruistic" endeavor marks an interesting shift in this company's vision. And given the new price/performance ratio, a very welcome one."

"The LessLoss Firewall module is this company's most intriguing and resolving product so far."

"For what it represents, and at what value, the LessLoss Firewall module clearly deserves Mono & Stereo's Highly Recommended Award!"

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LessLoss Firewall Current Conditioning Module: Simply Brilliant!

March, 2016, author: Werner Ero


"... does more than just evoke astonishment."

"...significantly more life, freedom and color and playback is simply much more balanced."

"Another nice, likable, and interesting design, and also actually an ingenious invention of LessLoss."

"Something which actually defines only the sky as the final limit."

This test report is now also online right here in the Dutch Hifi.nl website. Hifi.nl is the largest audio oriented website in the Netherlands and is partnered with Music Emotion magazine.
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6moons caught off guard by Firewall module effectiveness

May, 2016, author: Srajan Ebaen
"A compact $410 sticker for the type of audible effectiveness I observed with these wooden modules meant good ROI."

"In their current form, these devices gain a very solid recommendation even if you've already invested in a proper AC conditioner."

"rounder, fuller, more fluid and suave [sound quality]"

"They were more effective than I expected!"
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USB Firewall Key "better than most cable swaps"

June, 2016, author: Srajan Ebaen
"Without the Key, solo and chorus vocals were a bit hashier around the edges; dirtier."

"Perhaps the best way to explain the Key action is to consider the multiplicity of music. How much of it actually registers at your ears as such? How much do you focus on lead vocals or instruments instead whilst the rest acts as more or less fill or atmosphere?"

"The LessLoss wood blocks made it easier to experience all of it weighted equally. This doesn't give preference to the obvious foreground stuff, then downgrades all else as secondary or less. Put different, the USB Key softened the psychological zoom function on the central stuff."

"On the level of attention, it 'zoomed out' to consider the whole as a simultaneously happening whole."

"To me, then, the real benefit of these LessLoss boxes wasn't so much better sound per se as it was a more wholesome less piecemeal or partial participation in the music. If that makes sense to you, nothing else needs saying. If you only accept hard sonic 'facts' as proper review commentary–the primitive more treble, less bass etc.–I don't have anything except less hash and grain. On pure quantity, that effect was quite marginal. On quality, it was a more relevant matter."

"Falls under more of a gestalt changer. Here the usual audio lingo reaches for words like flow vs. choppiness, organic vs. mechanical."

"The ears of our species don't connect to computers and analytical software code but to minds and hearts which embed in human psychology. That's a different perspective than decibels and THD. It really needs other language to talk about in any meaningful ways. For a harder qualifier in that realm, I'd rate the efficacy of the LessLoss USB Firewall Key as higher than most cable swaps."
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The cymbals were so believable, you could just reach out and touch them.

August 2016, author: Alexander Chechelev
"Time and again LessLoss products always seem to leave us with the most positive impression."

"Both products [Firewall Module and USB Firewall Key] are [...] very affordable in comparison to High End Class devices."

"The Firewall Module provided a clear, three-dimensional soundstage, and powerful, tight bass. It is impossible not to notice the strong effect of the filter when engaged and, considering its price, it becomes a real must-have for those who want to save on expensive cables and use standard "rip cord". Of course, the full effect of it is disclosed with good power cables (ideally - also from LessLoss), but the noise filtering will work fine even with standard computer type power cords."

"The USB Firewall Key works in a similar way. When used in conjunction with our iMac - Devialet 400 connection, the sound improved, primarily this was noticed in the bass."

"The soundstage became really holographic, and the cymbals were so believable, you could just reach out and touch them."

"Despite their modest size, and overall "lightness," this gear truly performs as advertised. The technology works - it is as simple as that. We look forward to more new and interesting products from LessLoss."
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LessLoss Firewall Current Conditioning Module - Brilliant Simplicity

November, 2016, author: Werner Ero
"This new version is not only more effective in its operation than its predecessor (which I tested earlier this year), but also has a more established design and most importantly a much improved compatibility with high-end components."

"The present iteration is so efficient that only one module of the new design is many times more effective than even a whole series of the previous models put together!"

"No matter how strange and seemingly simple the building blocks of this product appear, they turn out in practice to work remarkably effectively!"

"[Used with] Naim, Cambridge Audio and Marantz, the performance of all of these components was enhanced considerably when used with the Firewall module. Especially the sense of calm that occurs with cleaner power was immediately obvious. Also, there was less of that almost ever-present sandy type sound with slightly unnatural frayed edges. Instead of this typically brittle sound, soon there emerged a clearly more fluid presentation, where even the timbre palette came across in a more natural and pleasing way."

"Another obvious difference is that this version is much less susceptible to the type of device. Because whether it is a source or amplifier, the benefits of the new Firewall module is in all cases immediately noticeable."

"Especially in this kind of purist recording (Bruel & Kjaer dummy head microphone technique), the added value of the new Firewall offers insight into the most subtle expression. The Firewall also causes other typically mixed albums to sound less technically produced and makes it easier to appreciate the tone of voice and instruments as they would normally sound regardless of all the technical processing."

"One aspect where this new Firewall outperforms the former is more smooth performance in what some would call 'analogue type' sound. Perhaps another wording would be less emphasis on typical hi-fi type, artificial sounds coming from components, and taking their place an even smoother, more natural and organic presentation. This also suggests a subtly richer tonality and a resulting rather more relaxed listening experience."

"That the new Firewall module is affordable, looks much better than before, and performs more efficiently, accompanied by a lack of distinct sonic fingerprint, only makes it all the more attractive. The main thing the user initially perceives upon use in their own audio system is that the sound becomes easier, smoother and flows more naturally."

"I think that by its ingeniously simple and highly effective operation, chances are that many new users will happily embrace this new version of the LessLoss Firewall Current Conditioning Module and it will earn a permanent place in their hi-fi systems."
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"Easy to use and does the job without a negative impact on dynamics."

May, 2017, author: George Sallit
"With the filter in circuit the background noise is significantly reduced and the decay of notes on the guitar are much easier to hear. The soundstage (as it is) was enhanced. Oddly enough the tonal colours also seemed enhanced. The drum kit was not some amorphous thudding but stretched skins being hit gently. I did not quite believe what I was hearing."

"With the filter in place, the sound was far more musical."

"The 3D soundstage was much bigger and made it easier to differentiate who was doing what."

"I then blinked. My notes for the music without the filter were hifi comments, with the filter I was commenting on the music."

"Well the filter certainly allowed all the individual elements to be easily heard without any frequency response changes."

"All the advantages of mains filters but no loss of dynamics."

"The sound was more 3D and it was easier to hear the individual instruments. Also, the drums had a stronger tonal colour than without the filter."

"It sounded as though the worse the mix the better the effect."

"On the DAC the noise levels were reduced. The tonal colour was much better. The biggest impact was again on the DAC. Was this a weakness in the Audionote DACs? No. I tried the 5x on my Metrum Octave and I heard a similar effect, less noise, more 3D sound, greater tonal colour. Is it possible it only works with NOS DACs? No. Out came my Esoteric DAC with a very similar finding."

"The biggest difference was with bright mixes where the 'truthfulness' of the Class D could make things a bit fierce. The 5x filter tamed that and all that was left was a bright mix. There are many reports on the web of people recommending mains treatments for Class D amplifiers. I had not tried that as I was concerned about the loss of dynamics. With the Lessloss filters there was no real change to the dynamics but the brightness had gone and the tonal colours had increased."

"So, at the end of all this I had to conclude that these filters do work and they do so particularly well with DACs and a Class D amplifier."

"But are they worth it? Given what most of the serious mains conditioning units cost and the fact that some do impact the dynamics (not all of them) then my answer is yes. Is the 5x worth the extra? In a high-resolution system, the answer is positive. A really interesting product that is easy to use and does the job without a negative impact on dynamics."
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6moons says of Firewall: More organic and fluid, better frequency extremes, layering, impact and weight

September, 2017, author: Srajan Ebaen
"As anticipated, this whodunnit was easily sorted. What I'll call the X amp [with Firewall modules]–internally in parts, sonically in 'more'–distinguished itself on two levels. The first had to do with raw quantity."

"Here [with Firewall modules] the bass was better articulated, front-to-back layering more developed, the treble more suave and vocals were more present."

"Describing why the feel was more organic and fluid leads to lazier lengthier decays and background sounds more connected to the foreground. The plain Jane's [without Firewalls] drier take coincided with sharper separation but lacked the more holistic elasticity of the X [with Firewall modules]. One was pricklier and more staccato, the other rounder, smoother and of a more legato persuasion."

"[With Firewalls:] better visibility at the frequency extremes and of the imaging precision in general."

"The depth layers of X [with Firewall modules] during chorus interludes had superior development. With it the low beats of the Bombay Dub Orchestra had more impact and weight."

"One [without Firewalls] was cooler, sharper, more bare boned and lean. The other [with Firewalls] was richer, mellower, smoother and fuller."

"[With Firewall modules had] this afterglow quality. Here lingered on a stronger flavour of space, ambiance and calm."

"For an alternate take on LessLoss Firewall effects, read Vance Hiner's review of the Echo's End DAC. Between us–and we've not had any exchanges–there's no doubt. These Firewall cards really do the trick."

"What today's experiment showed is that it takes no luxury gear at all to hear differences or create improvements."
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C-MARC Firewall 64X dethrones large and bulky power conditioners

October, 2019, author: Dawid Grzyb
"...audibly lowered the noise floor within my setup"

"...darker backdrop, easier nuance comprehensibility"

"...more orderly image"

"...sound sources became rounder, more tangible and separated finer."

"...led to easier music intake; less choppiness in favour of greater textural complexity, edge replaced via more lively and softer approach, dryness off and increased tunefulness on, plus organic finishing touches."

"...they led to clearly greater musical good. No tonal balance shifts in any particular direction and no cost to essential performance were the key upshots."

"Once connected to any newcomer product, they simply allow it to speak for itself in unaltered honest fashion and quickly map its core voicing, which in effect spells time savings on my end."

"A pristine canvas and the revelatory power of C-MARC products are very useful in my daily work, hence the 'flavourless' word listed above describes their major pro in this specific context, not a con."

"The sensation was quite comparable to having the alike voiced power cable yet of substantially higher tier, which led me to conclude that noise rejection introduced by this cord was further amplified."

"...what happened next was quite unexpected. The difference between direct versus indirect power feed only to the Pacific was anything but small."

"My DAC directly powered via the C-MARC family sounded fleshier, more organic, a bit rounder and fuller, in a way more musical and civilized. The C-MARC loom was easily as agile as the GigaWatt yet put bigger, more present and tangible sound sources on the pedestal instead."

"The very costly DAC of mine [...] gained extra moisture and spatial presence, which led to a substantial increase in pleasure. But most importantly, is this how this machine should sound in the first place? Was this the very first time its original highly organic yet still exceptionally resolving character emerged past being subjected to GigaWatt's own input?"

"...a job well done."

"But most importantly, as a link between my DAC and power cable connected to a wall outlet directly, the LessLoss C-MARC Firewall 64X was profoundly effective, very much unexpected, all in all superb. Used in that way it surely has what it takes to dethrone many full-sized costly power cleaners..."
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