Introducing C-MARC™. A new generation of high-performance wire and cable, well equipped to deal with todays over polluted electromagnetic environment.
C-MARC™ is a new type of Litz wire. C-MARC’s noise reduction is based on the bucking coil method using two counter-polarised coils. Every strand's clockwise turn aligns with a corresponding counter clockwise turn of precisely mirrored diameter and step. The two, resulting counter-polarised coils are mutually superposed. A second-scale fractal replication of the already bucking coils is then repeated. Through electrical cancellation of the induced noise, C-MARC™ provides an enormous signal-to-noise ratio in today's demanding audio environment.
Introducing C-MARC™. A new generation of high-performance wire and cable, well equipped to deal with todays over polluted electromagnetic environment.
[RCA Entropic Process interconnects]
I received the RCA cable a week ago.
The sound is amazing.
Zero Fatigue, Zero Compression, Perfect L-H Balance, Relaxed but Full dynamics.
I’m really enjoying the sound of full LessLoss C-MARC loom.
Bryston BDP-2 : C-MARC AES/EBU : MUTEC MC-3+ DDC : C-MARC AES/EBU : Exogal Comet Plus DAC : C-MARC RCA : Allnic Int. Amp : C-MARC Speaker cable : Penaudio Legato Sig. (all the power cable are C-MARC Classic E.P. power cables)
The more C-MARC cable was added to the system, the more veils that covered the system were peeled off one by one.
Thank you for proving truly remarkable products.
I thought I would give you feedback on the products I have and the sound of my system.
Products purchased so far.
C-MARC Classic power cord 2 metre Entropic
5 of Firewall 640x (2 of which are C-MARC)
2 sets of Bindbreaker Equipment feet
Power Distributor
and the star of the show Echo’s End Reference DAC.
These products have all contributed to making the sound of my system enjoyable to listen to. I now want to listen to my hifi system again, and looking to play CDs which I have not played for a long time (This is testament to how well things are).
When I had the Echos' End Reference on loan it was touch and go whether I kept it. Basically (to my ears) there was too much attack / power to leading edge of strings (guitar) when they came in on the tracks I was using for the evaluation. In one sense a small thing, but when investing that much money I felt things had to be right. I then had an idea, a set of supports I had put in I never gauged the difference they made or not. This pretty much corrected the issue, and along with talking to Elite Audio (UK) I felt mentally more positive (state of mind does have an effect too). After further listening I was then completely happy with the sound.
The change involved removing the supports I had put under, not the CD transport, but the external linear power supply. Hifi to me is not always a science, but behaves more like an art form.
I was really concerned about bass from the Reference seeing other peoples review, but this has not been an issue. What it is is open and balanced (i.e. covers top end and bottom end equally). On a recent listening it is almost like you can hear the other side of the notes. Beautiful sounds which waft over, and work with my ears (a big thing for me).
Will be looking to add more. Following your advice, more power cables and Bindbreakers. Eventually looking to BackGround 10x Power Base, and your last Newsletter reminded me of a couple of the Blackbodies conditioners.
Many thanks for your company's products and design philosophy.
Improvements in audio are a curious thing; one cannot imagine what something might sound like once improved since one's ears are tuned to whatever exists. One is happy - even ecstatic - with how things sound at the time. This is how I was, feeling that the level of clarity, definition and detail was far greater than I had ever experienced. Yet, like all psychopath audiophiles (!!!) I am always striving to find more more more!!! Or, as is the case here, less less less of things I didn't know I was hearing.
During my last date with my installer we incorporated your power conditioners as you suggested, using your power cables. We eliminated the Nordost units except for a few pieces that are not in the audio chain, and on an entirely different circuit.
And I was immediately struck by an even "blacker" background, the sound emanating from what I can only call a "pool of purity" - with no influence from external noise, interference or sound coloration. I had never heard music sound so independent of degradation.
As you mention on your website, there was a noticeable break-in period, but it wasn't too drastic; there were days things sounded different than other days, but never horrible (like during my speaker break-in period! That was horrible!). Things have settled now and I wanted you to know how incredibly happy I am with your stuff. Very impressive - my installer also was blown away... I'm sure you've found a new fan, advocate and buyer in him.
Thanks again for what you do - take care,
John
I continue to discover the great qualities of the C-MARC Classic.
As many reviewers and passionate audiophiles like myself, I do have dozens and dozens of songs that I use to analyze different behaviours while testing a device, cable, or anything else.
And tonight it was with Michel Camilo, using the song Suite Sandrine Part III, from the amazing album One More Once, recorded in 1994.
I use this specific track to analyze as per if a device will bring the outcome to be more, or less 'confused'! What I mean, there is so much different information on this song, from complex and virtuoso piano playing, to the amazing and highly complex drum and bass from Cliff Almond and Anthony Jackson, adding to this mix a huge and complex Brass section, and zillions of percussions!! All of this produces tremendous melodies and solos, with tricky rhythms and powerful punches!
During the Piano solo, and also at the Percussion solo over an amazing and powerful Montuno, there are many activities with the percussion, and this is where the 'confusion' may appear!
With the LessLoss Classic AC cable on my Esoteric X-01 D2 CD player, you can hear every single percussion in these moments, but on top of that, they get separated from each other in such a way that you can not only distinguish every single attack, but it generates a better rhythmic flow, while bringing more space and air between each other. You also get a better sense of space as per where each musician, and their own percs, figure within the scene. You also feel every nuance in their lighter to heavier attacks. And all of this, while keeping an organic experience, without falling on the over-analytical result, which is quite impressive.
And trust me, I have been using this song on all my tests for more than 20 years!
I really look forward to adding the 640X in the line.
From what I have read, I should prepare for an audio therapy!! :-)
Kudos to you and the entire LessLoss Team!
And thank you once more for your amazing support and collaboration.
I have been involved in the wonderful hobby of High End HiFi for decades gradually improving my stereo as my knowledge, funds and regards for my family allowed. It has given me countless hours of joy and, in the beginning, countless hours of frustration as well.
One of the quirks of this hobby is the vast number of variables involved. That is probably the reason one still cannot just order “The Best Stereo”, pay the bill and live happily ever after. It is still very much an art to not just chose the right components but also be able to make them play together and not against each other. One thing I have learned during my long journey travelling the “Stereo Jungle” is, very few people master this art while vast quantities of animals of prey seem to thrive in sewing confusion dressed up as absolute knowledge, amateurs as well as professionals.
Little wonder that most of us have been through periods of repeatedly swapping out components of our stereo in an everlasting search for the holy grail. Sadly, frustration and confusion often follow the initial burst of joy over a new component and the search starts over again. But there is a solution to this I found out.
My journey took a completely new direction as I, by chance, stumbled upon LessLoss, a company driven by a rare combination of deep insight and experience in both the technical the performing and the recording side of music, look for the credentials on the homepage. Add to that the real time feedback from a worldwide community of satisfied customers. A company that takes pride in always striving for the best, very often breaking new grounds in a spirit where Quality always beats Quantity and getting to the soul of music seems to be the top goal.
Fighting noise seems to be the dominant road for LessLoss, nothing our ears perceive as noise but the cleaning up of all kinds of ultrahigh frequency noise, a lot of which was not present a few decades ago. Noise everywhere in our modern world polluting and thereby hindering our expensive equipment in doing what it would be able to do were the pollution not there.
My present LessLoss chain consists of C-Marc power cables, digital interconnect and speaker cables, all Entropic Processing. Add to that distributor and firewalls, also the oh so important Entropic Processing. As I like to experiment, learn, and pass on knowledge I presently have a somewhat extreme chain, more or less like a choo-choo train, some of the stuff on loan for the experiment and the knowledge of the lenders:
From the Furutech Schuko outlet 2m C-Marc Power Cable (from now on CM PC) hooking up to 2 CM Firewall64x + 1 external CM FW640x + the latest LessLoss distributor with dual 640x firewalls inside, via 1m CM PC Entropic Processing (EP) + another identical distributor + CM PCs Entropic to all equipment. Speaker cable is CM Entropic with Entropic speaker firewalls going into satellites and subs.
The result is a setup that can play at very low volume with an intensity and involvement that ought to be sought for by all audiophiles with family sleeping in neighboring rooms at the time of night when stereo sounds its best and genuine audiophiles are active. There’s a transparency and naturalness to the extremely coherent sound that makes it very easy to slip inside the musical event and easily hear just how the greatest of the greatest master their instruments down to the most subtle vibrato or understated attack.
Of course, when you play louder things get even more involving and easier to grasp but still with a naturalness and musicality that lets you listen for hours and hours in a row without the slightest hint of listener fatigue. Aggressive music sounds aggressive but not tiresome, soft music sounds wonderfully soft but definitely not uninvolving. Attack and explosions in music sound scary if intended and scale, pace, timing, and rhythm is just present in the coolest and most natural way. In fact, it doesn’t take long before you completely forget the stereo and just hear the musicians or singers. Good live recordings almost make you wanna reach out and touch. “Just one more number,” keeps popping up in your mind until you have forgotten time and place often floating away on an inner travel to wonderful places. Did anybody think Zen?
All this LL equipment is not needed to make a genuinely fine sounding setup, but have I yet reached the point where I cannot tell the difference when adding the next piece? Nope, you can never get too many firewalls it seems, but one always seems enough – until you add the next. My guess is, you cannot get too many of the newly introduced BlackGrounds either.
In my mind it’s impossible to exaggerate the value of what LessLoss as a company succeeds in doing as music is the universal language and bearer of immense amounts of cultural goods that our generation is lucky enough to have access to through electronic media. The LessLoss vision potentially opens up virtual access to time travel to a plethora of incredible musical performances in a way other brands can only dream of. Getting as close to the very soul of the performers as possible is what that vision is all about. Only LessLoss offers a completely coherent upgrade road that step by step always takes you in the same direction, closer to the natural unrestricted sound of musical instruments and the skill of the performers. Should you ever need help or guidance, Louis Motek, head of the company, is always open to an often humorous always elevated and skilled discourse over this and that when it comes to his lovechild and music in particular.
So, how much do I want LessLoss to succeed with their mission of (clean) Power to the People? Strangely, it now goes way beyond just making my own stereo sound stellar, as it almost gives me more pleasure to introduce it to others, passing on what truly cleaned up sound can do for their musical experience.
Let me round this up by saying, of all the genuinely many items I have bought into my stereo I have never regretted one single purchase and I would not return one single piece even for a full refund because I was unhappy with it. I have upgraded items but always to the next LessLoss model. I may well do that again cause there’s even a friendly upgrade policy. What can I say but,
Less loss, more pleasure.
I have been using the LessLoss Power Distributor since July, 2022.
I am very pleased with it.
I have felt different/ better about playing music since it has been here.
A few weeks ago, I was able to attend small hall rehearsals for some friends about to perform a J.S. Bach and Rachmaninoff recital for piano and violin. My system is now playing in the same universe as this live performance. A perfect audio match? - No! Very relatable - Yes!
I now feel there are no significant component differences that prevent me understanding the performers/composers' main intentions. At age 74, this is the first time I can say this.
I would like to form a thought about how I now seem to apprehend the gestalt of a piece of music ~ but the thought is still too difficult for me to say in a way that is not too ephemeral. But there is a new sense of some kind of completeness in the presentation of a piece of music.
My LessLoss products are - several power cables and interconnects, Firewall for speakers, and the Power Distributor.
The result of several orders.
I live in Australia, and dealing with LessLoss has been pleasant: without difficulty.
My installation has two dedicated power lines: one for digital devices (Innuos Statement ---> DAC B. Audio), the other for analog devices (Hand made power distributor by Ludwig Audio ---> Preamplifier Thrax Dyonisos ---> 2 power blocks Tidal Audio for biamplifying pair of Tidal Agoria).
My power cable panel features TWL Obsession, C-Marc on streamer and DAC. The digital or analog interconnections come mainly from Sablon Audio.
I also have two LessLoss Loudspeakers Firewalls, and a C-MARC 640X firewall on the preamp. The second C-MARC 640X that I have just purchased will go directly to the DAC, whose power supply is much less optimized than that of the Innuos Statement.
My goal was to avoid pollution of the power current between digital devices among themselves, and between the preamplifier and the power blocks.
What a success !
On my DAC: immediately: more space, more depth, more precision on attacks, more control on bass, less background noise ...
The music is more immersive ;-))
I now have three LessLoss C-MARC Entropic cables and five C-Marc 640x firewalls. My sound system is of a very good level and very musical, in summary (Antipodes K40 server, DAC dCS Rossini + Master Clock, WooAudio 3Es-Elite tube power amplifier, JL Audio F110v2 (2) subwoofers, Shunyata Denali 6000 v2 and Audioquest Niagara 3000 power conditioners and Stax SR-009s headphones). I only use headphones. I also took a lot of care with the Ethernet (dual switch SOtM, Farad Super3 LPSU, etc, etc,). I use several very high-end cables (ex: Nordost Valhalla 2 XLR, RJ / E and BNC 75 ohm, etc.), in addition to the Shunyata Sigma v2 NR, Voodoo Air Phoenix and Audioquest Hurricane power cables.
After several trials and configuration changes, I can confirm that the Lessloss cables are really impressive, especially at reducing noise level, improving resolution, increasing low and high frequency extension as well as transients. The soundstage is also greatly improved. The best results were obtained for the power supply of the Antipodes K40 server and for the power supply of the Shunyata and Audioquest conditioners. However, to power the WooAudio 3ES-Elite amplifier, I did not get a satisfactory result. Although very good the sound has become too analytical, a little romance is nice. I am even more impressed with the 640x C-Marc firewalls. They are particularly effective for powering LPSUs that power SOtM switches, the router, and the cable modem. The 640x firewall has also improved the sound quality of the Antipodes K40 server. For the K40 I use a C-MARC Entropic cable coupled to the 640x C-MARC Firewall. The presence and resolution of the whole system has been greatly improved. LessLoss products are a discovery for me. I am very satisfied. They bring a notable improvement in transparency, smoothness and musicality. When I say softness, I am referring to natural, precise, but non-aggressive tones that are very easy to observe with vocals and acoustic instruments. A veil has been lifted and the music vibrates. Congratulations to Louis and the team.
About two months ago I purchased a C-MARC Entropic cable from The Cable Company. I installed this cable upstream of an Audioquest Niagara 3000 conditioner. This cable is fantastic, significantly superior to several more expensive cables I have had previously. I was impressed with the level of transparency and the beauty of the timbre that this cable provides. There is a magical side that I cannot describe. I start slowly, updating some critical cables (music server, DAC, switch, power supply, etc.) with C-MARC Entropic cables.
When I first read about the LessLoss technology I was a bit skeptical. Since I already loved the way my system sounded I had difficulty believing that it could sound even better than it already did. Louis assured me that I would be impressed, so I took the dive. The first thing I tried was the C-MARC power cords with ENTROPIC treatment. The 2 power cords were applied to the DAC and to the pre-amp. At first the sound seemed to close in and become less involving. By the 3rd day of listening it became apparent that I was hearing sound that was more coherent, and phase correct, producing a more musical overall result. Inner details, textures, and the bass all took a significant step forward. After experiencing these effects I went ahead and added 2 untreated Reference level PCs to the amplifiers which resulted in magnifying the effects noted in the DAC and Pre-amp.
After the power cords I was curious about what the Blackbodies (total of 4) would do for the sound. This addition caused the most significant initial sonic degradation of anything I have ever added to the system. It took about a week before the benefits became fully apparent. Strangely enough the biggest improvement came after leaving the system off for a week. When I turned it back on the sound had totally transformed. It was as if a switch had been flipped bringing everything together. Suddenly there was a clear open window of sound with extended decays and sustains surrounded by the acoustic space specific to each individual venue and recording technique. All frequencies were proportional, gone was the bass heavy bottom up effect I had noted earlier during the initial break-in period. Also gone was the increased dynamic slam and exaggerated dynamic contrast that was previously prominent. What remained was a very natural balanced, and detailed presentation free from any detracting artifice. The background was much more quiet, allowing the tiniest details to emerge effortlessly, as if being spontaneously emitted from the space in between the speakers. The imaging was excellent before, but now it was if the speakers actually ceased to exist. The sound also became more concise, focused, and clean; making it apparent how much extraneous noise was infiltrating all aspects of sound before the Blackbodies were added. Initially this effect made me feel like I was missing certain aspects of the music, but over time it became apparent that it was only distortions that were missing, as new worlds of detail were exposed from old familiar recordings.
After all of this I could not believe that the sound could get any better, but Louis provided me with this quote from another customer. “How the heck could I even listen to it and rejoice in it back then?” This from a customer who thought it could not get any better. That was the exact feeling I had after installing the Firewall For Loudspeakers. In total I have added 4 sets to the speakers. I could have easily stopped after the the 1st set, as the improvement in tone, micro nuance, and overall integrity of the sound was beyond anything I could have expected. However after adding the 2nd set I too was saying to myself “How the heck could I even listen to it and rejoice in it back then?” The whole sonic landscape elevated particularly in the bass region which became even more effortless and detailed. It was as if the whole system was upgraded. The music was just “there” without any veils or resistance to most minute details. The sound was fuller from top to bottom, with more life like nuanced transients, and deep deep views into the sonic fabric and the most delicate textures and tonal inflections. The system never sounded this effortless, as if it had become super-conductive and friction free. Talk about lifting veils. Consequently I now have 4 sets of Firewall for Loudspeakers installed.
At his point I thought there is no way things could get any better, but as it turned out I was wrong, again. Louis built a custom set of Jumper cables specifically designed to work with Avantgarde Trios with BassHorns. These jumper cables were made of C-MARC, ENTROPIC cable with a DIY Firewall For Loudspeakers as junction splitter box. As usual there was an initial sonic suck-out upon first listen, but over the course of the week the sound again blossomed into something I have never before encountered from the system. Even after adding all of the other LessLoss devices, the sound again took another leap forward. It is not that I didn’t think the system sounded good before, it’s just that the improvements were of a type I had not yet experienced. All of the other improvements to the sound were still present, but were now being presented in a new light. The soundstage, imaging, and acoustic space all seemed come together to form an aural illusion so seductive and infatuating that I cannot stop listening and rejoicing in the sound. This type of sonic improvement is difficult to put into words, but after you hear it you will know exactly what I’m talking about.
Effortless, organic, liquid, holographic, 3D sound reproduction appears to be a byproduct of not just eliminating noise from all power and signal carrying cables, but of also reducing the effects of environmental EMI and RFI which can permeate every component. That is exactly the result I feel has been achieved from using the LessLoss devices. It is very difficult to say which device has had the biggest impact, but I can say that they appear to work synergistically. Individually each device has made sonic improvements which after hearing I did not want to live without.
My compliments to Louis and his organization. They have have proven to me that it is in fact possible to improve on even the most impressive sound systems, regardless of how good they already sound.
Associated Equipment:
The entire system has evolved over the last 17 years. The only components that still remain are the speakers and upgraded versions of Audiopax Model 88s which were upgraded to MkII status in 2009. Every component including the cabling, electrical conditioning, vibration control, and room treatments were all selected after careful auditioning and confirmation of their sonic synergy with the overall system. Consequently, each addition has advanced the sound in a desirable direction. Many components have come and gone to arrive at its current state.
Roon Nucleus: music server
Lumin U1: music streamer
AQVOX: CAT 7 ethernet cable on all internet connections.
AQVOX: Ethernet Switch (between Modem and Lumin)
Berkeley Alpha DAC Reference II with MQA
PS audio Signature BHK: Preamp
Audiopax Model 88 MK II: Monoblock Amplifiers
Avantgarde Trios with Basshorns: Speakers
Video: Oppo UDP-205: Universal DISC player
High Fidelity Cable Co: For all Power conditioning and line level, and speaker cables
LessLoss jumper cables
LessLoss Technologies: Power Cables to all components via HFC Professional Series power distributor
LessLoss Firewall For Loudspeakers (3 stereo pairs, one for each speaker driver and 1 integrated into jumper cable junction box)
Room treatments:
20 inch ACS stereo tube traps
Corner ceiling traps.
Grand Prix Monaco: Equipment Stands with Apex footers and ceramic ball bearings.
All stand legs filled with ferrous steel shot.
Support shelves upgraded to 3/4 inch glass.
All footers, shelf spacers, and tube dampers are from Herbie’s Audio Lab.
The Entropic Process is quite something, as there has been no drop whatsoever in quality whereas my power and speaker cables (Heimdall 2) had been in the system for well over 18 months, possibly two years... And the sound is getting lusher by the day! Quite an achievement from you and your team, please share my congratulations to all.
I thought I had a very musical system -whatever this means- with special attention to cabling and power in general. Just two power cables were not highest grade in comparison to the rest. Anyway, I could listen for hours and hours with great emotion, pleasure and without any fatigue.
Then I decided to change the two mentioned power cables by switching for the first time to Lessloss products and chose the C-Mark ones without Entropic Process. The result: After one week of burning-in I HAD to listen for hours and hours.
Then I added the Firewall for Loudspeakers. I have not been able to stop listening yet...
I’m still wondering what the Entropic Process could cause. I’m more than tempted.
Thank you very much, Louis&Team. What a pleasure!
I have looked at many designs of high end cables. None of them stand out in sense and simplicity like the C-MARC cables do. All the variables that influence sound (capacity, inductance, skin effect, strand jumping, dielectric constants etc.) are optimised in the most elegant solution I can think of.
Having made me very curious I bought some about 3 months ago, starting with one Entropic Process Power Cord, a pair of interconnects and standard C-Marc loudspeaker cables.
I was so impressed that I decided it really pays off to feed all the equipment with Entropic Process Power Cords.
Most impressive is that all the glare and aggressiveness in the sound I was used to in some recordings completely disappeared. And this without any loss of detail and speed.
Violins that are meant to sound fierce, like in Shostakovich’s string quartet no.8, can sound too harsh in a resolving system, even when played with the best equipment.
I love the energy of Isabelle Faust but superimposed with high frequency noise it is hurting my ears. Listen to her solo in Beethoven’s violin concerto and you will know what I am talking about. Jimi Hendrix surely would be impressed.
During crescendos of large choirs it may sound like the microphones were clipping during the recording, resulting in nastiness in the high notes.
Recently I upgraded the speaker cables to the C-Marc Entropic Speaker Cables. They take away that last bit of glare and let you experience the instruments and voices in its pure essence. Music sounds so true to life, it is very difficult to put in words. You can feel the instruments themselves bringing the air into motion.
C-Marc cables don’t add or emphasise “a taste” to the sound. C-Marc cables are like Tai Chi masters, they just let the energy pass through without wasting or blocking it.
Equipment: Streamer Melco N10, DAC Sonnet Morpheus, Amp Bakoon AMP-13R, Speakesr Bastanis Matterhorn mk2. Other cables: Fidata ethernet, Curious Evolution USB.
[Power distributor with onboard latest technology Firewall and Entropic Process C-MARC hook-up wire throughout]
The Distributor has been in my system for about a week and a half now.
I decided to swap over from my existing powerblock in two stages, first being the front-end components supplied by the Entropic Process C-MARC power cords, but leaving all the amps fed by my old cables/powerblock. The improvements were obvious and along the same lines as the Firewall for Loudspeakers. A couple of days later I swapped my old power cords to the new Schuko plugs and fed the amps from the new Distributor. Again, the improvement was obvious.
Given that my system has so much LessLoss conditioning already, each of which brought about significant improvement, the fact that the Distributor has filtered out so much more noise is both remarkable and disturbing. Whilst I am truly impressed by the new sound, I am concerned just how much further one could go!
This was an expensive upgrade, but the result is simply fantastic and I know from experience (and despite the Entropic Process) that it will still improve over time.
One thing that I have noticed and is worthy of mention, and more apparent after this upgrade than any other, is that so much ‘noise’ (that I previously did not know was there) has been removed from my system that it now requires quite a bit more volume on the pre-amp.
Congratulations once again to you and the LessLoss team.
I’d like to think my current system ticks all the boxes audio reviewers write about: speed, detail, soundstage, etc etc etc. It was and is all there. But the LessLoss cables took it all a step further whilst making the music sound SO MUCH more natural. There’s the physical sensation of the subtle vibrance of matter itself, as if touching the instruments with your ears. Also most striking I found the clearer ambient information in the recordings. It makes the whole setup materialise in front of you. Tiny details that were there before but floating without spacial clues suddenly fell into place. The lowered threshold truly pays off.
I started with only a Firewalled Entropic Process power cable to the DAC. That only was already a significant improvement. Then I knew I had made a very sensible investment. After several weeks I couldn’t resist the temptation to order two more Entropic Process power cords, for streamer and amp.
If you have a highly resolving system and plan for a serious upgrade of a component or two, I strongly suggest you first upgrade to LessLoss entropic cables. Not only will you be amazed by the sound improvement due to the cables themselves, it also will reveal much clearer what components are capable of.
Of course there will be no miracles ridding the horrors of bad recordings and masterings.
I never understood what it meant: a silent cable. It sounded silly. Of course cables are silent. They don’t make a sound like a softly humming tube amp with 100 dB speakers. Now I do.
System: SotM SMS200 Ultra Streamer + PS-500 power supply / Sonnet Morpheus DAC / Bakoon AMP-13R / Bastanis Matterhorn Speakers.
Thank you, Mr. Chef Cook
You made me literally cry, tears pouring down both cheeks during “Sunrise” from Kingdom Come’s “Galactic Zoo Dossier”, and I loved crying from emotion over the wonderful transitions going from the quiet “Simple Man” into the crescendo madness of “Night of the Pigs” finally conquered by the most beautiful Ode to the gentle but overwhelming powers of the Morning Sun, I have ever heard on any record. Not since I heard “Sunrise” for the first time back in ’72 have I been touched to such a degree.
Everything due to my new LL C-MARC Entropic Processing distributor and my new C-MARC digital cable. Talk about a technical masterpiece.
THIS IS ABOUT THE LESSLOSS C-MARC ENTROPIC PROCESSING DISTRIBUTOR CONTAINING THE LATEST BIG FIREWALL CONNECTED WITH A C-MARC ENTROPIC PROCESSING POWER CABLE.
Previously I described the very emotional impression that overshadowed everything else yesterday evening. I shall be back with much more later, but the Arthur Brown album, I know so well, opened up in a plethora of different sound landscapes, all artificial of course, but still impressive in their three dimensionality at certain points (for instance in “Creeps”) only to shift to a completely un-dimensional sound at other points. Typical for recordings from that age/genre where High Fidelity did not relate very much to the naturalness of sounds but to a fidelity tied to the message, the artificial bubble if you will, of the concept presented by the artists of the album. Impressive also in relation to the limited technical tools of that age compared to modern computer age. Sound coming from far outside the speakers, behind the speakers and sound moving towards you, seemingly coming from non-existing speakers two meters in front of, and meters off axis to the outside of the speakers.
I started out, as you had suggested, with “Quark”, but was seriously underwhelmed at first. A mixture of a few issues. I blame it mainly on the virgin C-MARC Entropic Process power cord, which was actually to be expected, but in the anger of the moment my logic didn’t work well enough to grasp that, and I only seemed to hear fancy elevator music not involving me emotionally. As you had described the beautiful way the distributor was playing over last week-end, my emotions got the better of my mind and I heard almost the same sound as before the swap out. “Quark” didn’t hit me right until the last ten minutes of the record. Being too emotional, I fell into the trap of expecting an expensive top-of-the-line distributor to remedy all faults of sound and make the set-up transcend immediately, my subdued logic at the moment not being able to pass on the message that, of course, the best distributor will lay bare all of the faults as well. The virgin C-MARC Entropic Process feeding the distributor was obviously, well, virgin but couldn’t be remedied by anything other than burn-in time. Being an Entropic Process this was of course a matter of about four hours until it showed, not it’s full potential, but enough capability to not get in the way.
The first fault that struck me was, of all things, the discovery that the two meter antenna of my Schumann Resonator had fallen off the wall between the speakers during the distributor swap. Taping this to the wall again gave “Quark” the size and dimensionality I was used to. Still the total sound was too dull, un-dynamic and without real sparkle. I had, on purpose, not changed the digital connection between streamer and control amp/DAC, to better be able to hear, what was what.
I figured using my old Eichman digital cord as the final connection in the link: LessLoss legacy digital with the Eichman RCA plugs – Wyred4Sound Remedy Re-clocker, LPSU fed from a c-marc PC – 15 years old Eichman original cord, made me hear everything the original Eichman was not capable of. So, I ran the LL legacy solo, without the re-clocker, to the DAC and the whole soundstage shrank to a degree I had not experienced prior to getting the re-clocker and prior to getting the distributor. Principles are great, great sound is greater, so I reconnected the re-clocker now using the virgin c-marc digital cord to go to the DAC. Within seconds this reshaped the soundstage, dynamics and sparkle to greater than ever levels. I was now four hours from launch time and Arthur Brown and his fantastic musicians hit me with a power and a nerve I have always hoped for but never experienced in real life.
I don’t know if I succeeded in luring you into listening for real to that album, if not, I shall hope that you some time soon, when you have 38 minutes of undisturbed time and an open mind, will play it loudly. Preferably not the YouTube – but the Tidal MQA version. They may not be musicians of classic skills but they are superb in their genre in this recording. All of them, Hammond player, drummer, guitarist, bassist, all of them so tight, so inspired.
David Brubeck’s Take The A-train with the original b/w video also excelled as did David Bowie’s Heroes and Scary Monsters. I was in rock mood yesterday, so haven’t really listened to demanding classical recordings, but I have a wonderful week-end ahead of me and shall enjoy it to the brim.
I soon, after combining the right cables, found out exactly what you, Louis, stated about almost no recordings are bad. That made me search out what I previously considered bad recordings, and that was so much fun that I never got off that game until I had to hit the sack. I didn’t need any sleeping pills, as my newly obtained sound poised me as much as it excited me, realizing that a years long strive for good sound has now gotten on the right track.
I did, though, wake up exceptionally early this morning, all excited but wonderfully poised.
It has been, and shall continue to be, a pleasure entering your world of sound designed to pass the dreams and emotions of the finest of artists.
Another update of the wonders of the Entropic Processing distributor with the brand new big integrated Firewall module and my new C-MARC digital coax cable:
I had a great experience over the last couple of hours watching Swedish TV casting from the CIOC organ competition from Montreal. The winner, a 25 year old Texan out of a black Louisiana family, Alcée Chriss. Winner of the price of the audience, Yuan Chen, a sweet but wild at heart Chinese girl. Both of them spanning from lyrical to crazy wild virtuosity. Number three, Nicola Vitozzi even played a John Cage piece on the pipe organ of the Notre Dame, Montreal.
Once again I sat with tears in my eyes listening to church organ sounds so wonderfully emotional that it defied the fact I was in my own living room listening to broadcast music. My LG OLED TV, by the way, has improved in picture sharpness and color richness and naturalness. It is like going from a standard lens on an SLR to a professional lens. It just keeps getting better and doesn\'t stop surprising me.
Church organ music in your own home can actually sound really, really well.
Fabulous work, respect!
Everything sounds so wonderful now after the first full week, that it puts a big smile on my face every time I listen to it. I just love the way I can hear not just the note being played but HOW the note is played. Mmmmm.
I am not the biggest fan of baroque music, but yesterday, as my radio station announced a Haydn piece and I was about to switch away, the cello player administered his bow over the strings in a way that, simultaneously with the vibrato of the finger of the other hand, caught me completely off guard. I just had to listen to the piece, I didn\'t really want to keep playing, such was the insight into the work of the performer. Isn\'t this exactly why we put our money into this hobby of ours?
René
With the C-MARC RCA unbalanced cables, loudspeaker cables and the Firewalls for Loudspeakers, I have been listening to my music for several months with great satisfaction and enthusiasm.
Now I have received 2 C-MARC Firewall 64X and 2 Entropic Process power cords.
The cables and firewalls are used with my Lampizator GG 2.5 and LDMS server.
Directly connected to the separate power supply for the HiFi system, without additional filters or power conditioners.
And again I immediately notice an additional, significant increase in musicality.
The in and out swinging of the tones, as well as the fine details of the sound, are even clearer.
The music sounds even more powerful, dynamic and homogeneous.
WOW, what an experience.
I do not want to repeat all the sound descriptions of the superlatives.
For me, the purchase of the Entropic C-MARC Power Cable and C-MARC Firewall 64X is another great success and a stroke of luck.
With every addition of LessLoss products I have increased my music system to a musicality I have never experienced before.
And as long as I notice a significant increase every time I add LessLoss items, I will add new LessLoss items as finances allow.
All the best and many greetings
Ulrich Schulz
My name is Moti and I am from Israel.
I am 50 years old and sound was a hobby since I was 15.
Without mentioning brands, I have tried everything. I don\'t read reviews, from my experience it\'s the wrong way to go.
I ran into your product by accident, as a friend was mentioning that he has a power cable to sell.
I have made that mistake and took it for trial, basically I was so sure of myself and I only wanted to prove him wrong. To make a long story short, I have ended up replacing all my power cables to the LessLoss C-MARC power cables then to the Bindbreaker and now I\'m saving for the Firewall filters.
When I met one of the biggest and most expensive Japan\'s brands I new then that I have met the top of ultra high end, I was still thinking that about them but when it comes to power cables I was deadly wrong.
I haven\'t tried the signal cable yet, honestly I\'m afraid I\'ll have to try it, moreover I\'m thrilled to imagine that something can sound better than what I\'m using at the moment.
This is what I wrote to Louis 24 hours after connecting 5 of his C-MARC power cables:
Dear Louis,
I just want to tell you that I\'m deeply impressed and that desn\'t come easy.
I thought I saw it all. I\'m not going into details nor micro aspects of your work. In grand, macro view, let me tell you this, you are the real thing!
Your products are real, sadly it\'s a huge compliment in a time when it\'s usually all about the package. Your package is a plastic bag, inside that plastic bag I found a big brain and heart.
Your products are simply remarkable, one doesn\'t need more than minutes to understand, hear and feel you are touching the sky or listening to the sound of heaven, that is how I felt, kind of like nirvana.
It is a triumph, I read that somewhere, but this time it\'s true.
Please count me as one of your ambassadors, followers,,,,
Yours truly,
Moti
I just want to add one thing that I believe everyone who contacted Louis by mails, phone or in person will agree to. Your attention to customers, your availability at any moment, your advice, those are hard to find. And all is done with modesty, authority and knowledge above all.
Just keep up the hard work and stay as you are.
Moti.
[Entropic Process C-MARC Power Cable]
Well, after two weeks with both new cables in my system, things have gone exactly as you suggested.
On first listen I could hear some improvement in overall clarity, but nothing that would warrant the cost. Things went all over the place for the next week, but on the eighth night when I sat down to listen, the SQ was simply glorious resulting in a huge smile on my face. SQ has remained consistently at this new level of ‘realism’ during the second week. All of the CDs that I have played over this period sound like they are new remixed/remastered versions with superb clarity and realism to the sound. Some instruments and especially backing / harmony vocals have been given more prominence and can take you by surprise, even on tracks I have listened to for some 40 years.
The most enjoyable and satisfying sensation now, whilst listening to music, is that it has this ‘wrap-around’ feeling that my ‘speakers have disappeared and I am wearing giant, super-comfortable headphones!
Another brilliant product and promise fulfilled by LessLoss!
I recently had the opportunity to audition one of the new Entropic C-MARC power cords through Atelier13 in Nashville,TN. I replaced a very well known expensive, PC on my Lumin S1 with the new LessLoss cable. The improvement in sound was very significant. The detail and musicality was so much better. The transients were quicker and the bass was tighter. Vocals were/are so much clearer with better tonality. Needless to say I purchased the sample. I strongly suggest that everyone try one of these great cables on their digital sources.
C-MARC Entropic Power Cables
After great experiences with other products from LessLoss, like power distributor with firewalls, Bindbreakers for all devices, a C-MARC power cable without entropic treatment, loudspeaker firewalls, a custom C-MARC loudspeaker cable splitter for the bi-wiring ports, and the Echo's End DAC, it was time to turn all power transport into LessLoss hands.
The greatest opportunity was to jump on the early bird train for the entropic treated C-MARC power cables, which I needed 4 of, one replacing the "old" C-MARC and 3 for "ancient" high-end power cables from Tice ... If anyone remembers.
What shall I say, the waiting time was so painful, but definitely worth it, including the money spent, after I finally could plug them in. And it was a similar story as with all the other components from LessLoss. Definitely a WOW experience, I am used to hear with a new LessLoss piece:
- More of a "being there feeling", with hearing the event room space rather than my listening room
- A feeling of "all is right and natural"
- Human voices now much more sound as HUMAN voices. And it comes with much better understanding of the lyrics. Many of these, I could never decipher before
- More bass punch, great control and really believable. My speakers only go down to 35 hz, but I would no more dream about subs
- An extended stage in all 3 dimensions
- Great positioning and separation of instruments and voices.
- Timbres and according transients are richer and correct. Identification of instruments better than aver before, even in the densest arrangements.
- ....
And what does it mean for me:
- Lots more toe tapping
- Easier to listen and just falling into the music
And now about the entropic promises!
Yes, indeed an amazing break-in time, no sudden changing colourations or collapsed space ... except for day 4 and 5 which was still mild. But that was most likely not a break-in effect, but rather something that will be covered by the upcoming Blackbodys ... I hope and will definitely try!! And the sound was great from minute one, as described above. Cannot warrant, that it improved in time or not, but it was definitely minor if at all.
And what about the comparison to the non-entropic C-MARC? Yes, there is a strong improvement, not nearly as strong as the total replacement, but clearly identifiable: more meat on the bones, richer timbres and more precise space, which all pays into the more natural bucket.
Thanks again, Louis and team. Another step into the audiophile heaven!!
Last week I received the new C-Marc Entropic Process power cable, which replaced the non-Entropic version of C-Marc supercord on my power amp.
Out of the box the sound was amazing, an easy to hear improvement over the old cable. The sound coming from my Dynaudio Sapphires was very open and easy flowing, with an impressive tonal accuracy; great timbres of voices and instruments. At the same time all strengths of its predecessor are there: dead-quiet background, transparency, musicality. I can’t find a better word to describe it than \"natural.\" I’ve never heard anything like this from a cable before, and I’m no stranger to hi-end, expensive cables. All other cables in my system (power, speaker, IC) are Nordost and Audioquest, top of the line at their time. What is unique to C-Marc Entropic is how it imprints the least of its own sonic signature compared with other cables; it just gets out of the way and the music simply flows naturally and beautifully.
Congratulations Louis, for this is truly a reference cable!
The first few days with the cable in my system I did notice fluctuating quality of the sound from burn-in. When that happened, sound was veiled: the same great sound, but like coming from under a blanket. Now, I’m at day 5 and the cable settled in and sounds great. I’ve still noticed some slight improvements since yesterday; if there is more is to come, for sure I wouldn’t mind, but I’m already very happy. :)
Dear Louis,
yesterday the Entropic Process Power Cable arrived, it's great ! My wife and me were able to see from the first moment, this power cable simply plays in a higher league, magnificent !
The stage is wider, the information content is much larger and the music is really flowing. Super, thank you Louis for your new invention !
Today I handed over my signature power cable to the UPS-shop for delivery. You prepared the shipping with UPS very well, everything went very easy...
Thank you very much Louis !
[Complete loom of C-MARC Entropic Process power cables and LessLoss power distributor with onboard Firewall tech.]
Everything installed Thursday - but from having played at many shows I truly believe that “gear doesn’t travel well and the molecules need to settle” - which is why day two at shows always sound better. And so it was here as well. Though things were unmistakably amazing yesterday - today is beyond.
Really difficult to put into a few words - but I’ll try:
I don’t have a hifi stereo system any more.
I feel the strings. The air between. And previously compressed complex classical pieces opened up. Cymbals and high hats are just there with their metallic decay, voices so close you expect to be able to reach out to touch the singers, sound staging that makes the already invisible open battle speakers obliterate the room (if the recording allows it), a calmness in the presentation which creates quite an unnerving realness and uncovers finest details. The creaking of a chair, the breathing of a cellist or just the multiple layers hidden within the music.
You hinted at a remarkable performance - truthfully I don’t think you could prepare anyone for such a significant experience. The combination of the firewall distributor (with C-Marc Entropic cabling) together with the Entropic Process power cables is absolutely incredible. Congratulations - to myself for getting this ;-) and for your fantastic work.
Michael Hollesen
Klutz Design
My journey with LessLoss products (long post...)
Seven months ago I did not know LessLoss products. I was introduced to this brand by an Italian audiophile. He recommended to try the power cable.
I decided to order one C-MARC power cable .
When I initially put this cable in my system I thought It did not make a lot of change. After a few days I realized that the musicality of my system made a very nice improvement allowing a deeper understanding of the musicians\' interplay, hearing all the colors of the different instrument, in a word more natural, more like the real thing!
After this first successful purchase, I started to exchange emails with Louis about AC filters. He offered to build for me a power distribution box equipped with the new \"Firewall speaker filter.\" I ordered this distribution box with a double set of these filters and two other C-MARC power cables.
My system was quite complex with an isolation transformer for each component of my system. With the LessLoss products, I removed all of that as Louis advised that isolation transformers were not a \"really\" good thing. Again my system made another very impressive improvement toward being more natural and more lifelike. Treble was sweet and detailed with no harshness and the bottom became rock solid, only good things...
After several weeks of trial before making the final purchasing decision, I decided to put back my system as it was initially with its isolation transformers and removing the LessLoss AC distribution box.
The test was very short... only a few minutes to realize the huge gap between the two. It was an easy purchasing decision :-)
My next move was to test the RCA interconnect cable. I put two sets of these cable in my system between DAC and preamp and preamp and amp, and again a very good move in the right direction. These cable are very neutral from bottom to top, they do not put any color on the sound and they made the background much more darker, quieter. Again much more natural and lifelike.
I start to wonder is there any limit to that? I am now listening to my music like I never thought possible, so much more enjoyable.
Last thing to report, I ordered a few month ago a set of Firewall speaker filters. I received them two weeks ago but did not care to try them immediately as I was involved with breaking in the rca interconnects and evaluating these cables, therefore I did not want to introduce another variable.
Yesterday I was with an audiophile friend and he was really impressed at how my system was sounding, so natural and transparent. I told him about the Firewall speaker filter and asked if he would try them with me. We put the Firewall filters in, brand new, no break in at all, and we were completely shocked at what it did. It is another major step in the right direction. They will not be removed from my system.
My friend begged for me to try it in his system. We did, and there also it made a huge improvement. In fact, upon leaving his house with my filters in hand he said he did not feel he wanted to listen to his system without these filters!
This is were I am in my journey with LessLoss products. I am not finished as there are other areas to explore. Audiophile life has never been as exciting as now.
Beyond the products, I would like to highlight how dealing with Louis Motek has been such an enjoyable journey. I am an engineer and I like to understand things. Louis has provided a lot of detailed technical explanation to understand how his products are built and some of the design parameters of course without breaking trade secrets :-). The email relationship is just wonderful as he is so responsive... I don\'t know how he does it as I feel sometimes I am his only customer.
The products are not cheap but are priced reasonably considering the quality of the components used and their real effectiveness.
Dealing with LessLoss has been a very enjoyable ride and I do hope to continue it for more audio adventure...
Kudos to Louis and LessLoss.
By the way I am not affiliated in any way with LessLoss. I did not know even their name 7 months ago!
I would like to tell all of your potential future owners and/or current owners of any and all LessLoss products, past or current, that because I have a coterie of close friends and former associates who are always anxious to buy (for the past several years, only LessLoss offerings) from one owner (me) of LessLoss products, I have been in the process of upgrading. Because of that fortunate position I have been an owner of virtually every power cable, USB cable, USB keys, interconnect, Firewall 1x through 64x, analog hardware from the Echo's End Original to the Reference and now to the Reference Supreme twin-chassis unit.
These statements are not driven by an ego trip or braggadocio. It is jut a statement of fact based upon my personal experience as an audio hobbyist which began decades ago by building much of my original equipment. Over those many years my systems grew enormously with much legendary equipment to my current system which is solely sourced from audio streaming to digital output DAC, and amp listening via headphones only.
As one might expect over my many years of experience in this hobby, at every upgrade, I experienced the hope for improvement. Something I did not anticipate nor expect since beginning to incorporate LessLoss products into my system was the extent, the level of the immediate and future improvement that resulted. Such was beyond any prior experience with non LessLoss equipment.
In my communications over recent years with other owners of LessLoss products I have come to find that my experience was not unique. We have all noted that the improvement actually realized, frequently "out of the box," far exceeded the results experienced with products from other manufacturers.
In every case when an upgrade was suggested, the resulting revelatory experience was always immediate, and improved even more over time... And always exceeded what was expected. Candidly, LessLoss is a breath of fresh air in this industry of "grandiose promises resulting in nano-delivery."
Listening notes after 52 hours: beautiful; open, clean and clear high notes, no brittle hard digital sound and sometimes it sounds stunningly alive. Unfortunately that includes all the coughing of the public during live concerts.
After approximately 8 hours the sound was chaotic and rough. I was hoping this was a matter of aging / burning in. And so it was.
Most important for me now is the beautiful sheen on strings and wind instruments. Another nice improvement is the audibility of the acoustical environment; I hear more of the hall of the performances.
Have not listened to analogue records yet, so no comment on this. Before I had a mixture of Shunyata and Synergistic Research power cables. Not bad, but I was never really satisfied because of a certain amount of hardness.
TO MY MIND, USING THE ART WORLD AS AN EXAMPLE, LESSLOSS TO THE AUDIO CABLE BUSINESS IS AKIN TO COMPARING THE WORLD OF MONET, DA VINCI AND VAN GOGH TO COMIC BOOK ART.
I’ve spent the last two decades building up a small-room, small-ensemble stereo system for listening to piano, guitar, folk, country, and chamber music. I had settled on the boxes that suited me at my price point: a Lumin S1 server and L1 hard drive, Coincident Technology monoblocks with Takatsuki 300b’s, two Placette volume controls — one for each amp, to serve as balance controls, and Taksim speakers. Power is supplied by a Wattgate wall outlet feeding a Torus transformer.
I wanted the best-sounding cables I could afford, and I wanted to stick with one manufacturer. I decided to try LessLoss’s C-Marc cables because they were priced sensibly, a US dealer had strongly recommended them, the online reviews were positive, and they were easy to handle (i.e., highly flexible). The actual technology is beyond me, but the LessLoss website is exhaustive, for those who want or need to know about those things.
I’ve been following a series of steps:
Step one: new signal cables.
This meant two 1-metre C-Marc interconnects (RCA) and a pair of 2-metre C-Marc speaker cables.The improvement I got from the C-Marc’s was what Louis, and the reviews, told me to expect — more relaxed, liquid, with less grain than I’d been hearing before and also less congestion between notes. Changes in a stereo system tend to show up most obviously in the bass, and regarding that, bass went lower and cleaner, which is what I wanted and hoped for. Overall, C-Marcs were an obvious though not huge improvement.
Step two: Two C-Marc power cords.
I plugged these into my monoblocks. What I heard, after break-in, was the same as what I heard from the signal cables, but much more of it. I mean MUCH more. My system had already been doing well at filling in between the speakers. Now, between the speakers, the blackness between the notes was even blacker. That erased almost all cloudiness and made for much improved separation between instruments and between instrumental lines. All the while, the sound stayed relaxed. When I played rock’n’roll, the system kept up with it — drums sounded explosive, bass went deeper and cleaner but also was rich in overtones. Treble was highly detailed but never shrill. Louis had told me to expect this — that good sound starts at the wall, which means that the power cables are the foundation of his product line.
Step three: LessLoss Bindbreakers.
I was impressed enough by the cables that I thought I would try his Bindbreaker isolation devices. The obvious place to start with them was under the Placette RVCs, which still rested on the sorbothane nubs that they had come with. They made an immediate and huge improvement. Basically, they added more of what the cables had added but also expanded the soundstage into the corners of the room behind the speakers. There was correspondingly more space between the notes and each note has more weight to it. Pace, rhythm, and timing all improved. The expansion of the soundstage behind the speakers was the biggest shock so far when using LessLoss products. Even my wife noticed — “Matthew, what did you just do!?!?!?” Around here, that’s the ultimate test.
Step four: More Bindbreakers.
This time I placed them under the amps and server. I got more of what step three got me, which is what I’d hoped. Again, the improvement was obvious, and along the lines of step three had done, but more of it, though really, the jaw-dropping moment had been when I first put them under the Placettes.
Step five: Still more Bindbreakers.
I wondered what they would do under my speakers, so, two more sets of Bindbreakers. This is where things got fraught for a while. With them under the speakers, the soundstage expanded well out toward the listening chair, which was wonderful. BUT ... the sound also grew more congested, as if all the notes had got wrapped in fog. The expanded soundstage was a definite plus, but unless I could eliminate the fog, I couldn’t leave these in the system.
So I tried two things: (1) Review the speaker placement. That helped, even moving them an inch did that, but not enough. Some of the cloudiness dissipated, but not enough, and bass still sounded muffled. So, (2) I adjusted the settings on my Lumin server. Specifically, after a few tries, I ended up turning off all upsampling/resampling, switching everything to Native, and then turned on DSD. Doing that basically solved the problems that the speakers had first encountered with the BB’s (cloudiness), without weakening the strengths (a much expanded soundstage, a very natural, liquid sound, a wonderful combination of weight and air).
Good cables make a difference, and C-Marc’s are emphatically good ones. In the same vein, the Bindbreakers are the best isolation devices I’ve ever had in my system (and previous to this, I’d been using a series of highly regarded ones).
LessLoss builds some amazing gear. And I haven’t even tried their Firewall technology yet. Will be saving for that.
Some general notes:
The cables take a long time to break in, and even once they’re broken in, they react more to the weather and to time-of-day issues than most cables. Live with it ... when they’re at their best, which is almost always, they’re amazing.
I demagnetize my system more than I used to with these cables. Specifically, I do it every four or five days instead of every three weeks. These cables seem to benefit from that.
Once you’ve installed these cables, don’t move them or even touch them. They’re sensitive to that. So are all cables, to a degree, but these more than most.
Good audio starts at the wall. Get a high-end receptacle, if you want to do justice to these cables. Even the very best ones don’t cost that much.
The Bindbreakers require break-in as well – a few days, at least. Strange but true. Perhaps because they are partly made of wood.
When you change your cables, you’re changing the signal the speakers are receiving, so adjust your speaker placement once the C-Marc cables have broken in. It always helps.
The Less Loss C-MARC range is the most appealing and effective cabling and power treatment I have ever found at its price point and at those 2x or 3x above. To get to the punchline, a complete set — interconnects, speaker cables, digital coax, power cords, and C-MARC Firewall 64x for each component — delivered in my system created (1) more focus and coherence around vocals and instrumentation along with a larger soundstage (2) less harshness around some highs; and (3) rich but controlled and tighter bass. The biggest improvement, however, is in the overall musicality and listening engagement which is MUCH higher with the C-MARC cable set for every genre of music I tried. The cabling allows the listener to shift focus from the cerebral aspects of critical listening in which each part of the musical performance is considered in a piecemeal manner to simply enjoying the music. For any one who values their system and is open to improvement, an audition of the full C-MARC kit is highly recommended and I would say should be nearly a requirement for anyone starting a system from scratch.
For those for whom some more detail might be of interest — I currently have three high end systems, each with a different character. Over the years, I have seriously listened to a dozen different brands of cabling and power conditioning at a range of price points commensurate with the level of investment in each overall system. Virtually all sets of cables were above the price of a full C-MARC set -- at times many multiples above. Each set of cables had pros and cons and some stayed in each system and when they did, it would be the full set of cables for coherence. Often moving from one set cables to another in each system usually changed one or two aspects of the presentation of the music. At times, while there was shift, the "net" result was not an improvement in my judgement. Other times, there was a "net" improvement but there remained a weakness in some aspect. The "best" cabling in my judgement lowers the noise floor of the system and "stays out" of the way as much as possible.
In many circumstances, the specific character of a set of cables can be used to compensate for the opposite characteristics the components possess. For example, "bright" cabling can compensate for a "dark" set of components. In my experience, this approach always leaves a sub-optimal net result but may be the most practical approach given the components in question. C-MARC’s character is neutral and I could not discern any particular emphasis the cables brought — they were not brighter or darker; they didn’t accentuate one part of the recording over the others; they did not appear to be faster or slower than other cables etc. Their main effect was to increase the effortlessness and fluidity of the music while improving the coherence and size of the soundstage. Imagine a sort of haze around the band or orchestra members that other cables impart or allow — C-MARC simply eliminated the haze (and occasional harness around some highs). In this sense, I believe C-MARC is likely eliminating various types of noise and interference present within and among the components of the system, letting each play its role in the music delivery with minimal negative artifacts introduced. The net result was a notable increase in musicality and engagement with the music.
For anyone considering C-MARC one step at a time, my suggestion would be to start with either speaker cables or power cords. If it is possible to audition the whole set, even if finances may preclude the purchase of a whole set at once, I would recommend doing so, so that the full potential of the system in question can be heard with comprehensive C-MARC cabling.
For any skeptics reading this, I had no interest in changing the cabling in any of my systems which were all performing well. Konstantin at Atelier 13 in Nashville offered to send me a C-MARC set at his expense just to see what I thought. In the end, the overall effect was so profound I purchased the full set — they were that good. At the C-MARC price level, and at many price levels above, I have not found a better set of cabling that works equally well with tubes and solid-state, high efficiency horns and low efficiency two-way etc. C-MARC lets the inherent quality of whatever you have shine through to its fullest.
After purchasing c-marc large hookup wiring for soldering inside my speakers and being extremely impressed with the performance, I started e-mailing Louis where we got onto the subject of the firewall 64x units, which led to the ordering of the custom power distribution unit. While I was waiting for the power distribution unit I purchased a super c-marc power cable and I was again very much impressed no matter what I connected it. The first unit I connected it to was my PC monitor(Asus pa279q). The moment I started looking at videos, playing blu rays and gaming I immediately noticed that it looked like a completely different monitor. The black levels were much deeper and the contrast was definitely higher to the point where the difference between brighter parts of a scene and where the shadows are have a realistic difference between them. A thick grey veil was taken away leaving colors that were much more natural, vibrant, vivid and lifelike. The way that the super c-marc power cable reveals the finest and most minute details in the image leads me to believe that it increases the resolution of the image in ways that no amount of resolution from the graphics card can. It increases resolution, it increases image depth by a lot, it takes away that sameness effect that the RF gives and causes every object to look like it is it\'s own object and it\'s in its own space. After enjoying the image quality that the super c-marc power cable gave the monitor, I then connected it to the xmc-1 pre/pro and I immediately was amazed at how it increased the resolution and transformed the sound-stage from being flat to having depth. There definitely were other differences like much lower noise levels, more natural tone, smoother more liquid sound, although the number 1 factor that stood out to me was the increase in resolution and the transformation of the sound-stage. When I connected it to the PC, I noticed a lot of the same differences like when I connected it to the processor although to a lesser degree and it did not change the sound-stage like when it was connected to the processor. The number 1 difference it made connected to the PC is lack of noise and smoothness. There was also a difference in video quality, although again, not to the same degree as when connected directly to the monitor.
Before I get into how the custom Lessloss power distribution unit sounds like, let\'s get into the specifications:
- Chassis mostly made out of 1 1/2\" thick oak-wood
- Two thick slabs of panzerholz plywood(to bolt/glue the inlet/outlets into it)
- 1 IeGo AC-01 BK(Cu-Au) inlet
- 4 Furutech GTX-S NCF(R) outlets
- Polished and grounded(with large internal hookup wire) copper shields around the inlet and outlets
- All Lessloss c-marc triaxial internal wiring
- 12 firewall 64x units
After connecting a super c-marc power cable from the power outlet to the inlet of the distribution unit and four connecting from the power distribution unit to the PC, the XMC-1 processor and the two benchmark AHB2 amplifiers I fired up the equipment to hear how it would sound. When I started to play some music, I immediately heard the purist, most calm, pleasant and mesmerizing sound coming out of a black hole of complete silence as there was absolutely no sibilant in the sound with just empty space between each note. It\'s as if a very thick and abrasive blanket of static colored steel wool(called RF) has been taken out of the sound which imparted a brittle, dry and closed/collapsed sound that always bites into your ears but is now unbelievably smooth and liquid that flows out of the speakers like water. The sound-stage, at this point, is completely open and holographic, with each sound, not artificially laser-etched into the sound-stage, but effortlessly floating in mid-air separate from other sounds much like in reality. Instead of having a sound that is resolutely and tonally masked, uninteresting/bland and lifeless because of the blanket of steel wool, the sound is extremely vivid, revealing the finest detail, nuances and colors. The sound is much more tangible, defined, rich and full transporting you to the venue where the artist is singing. The attacks have plenty of contrast and inter-lapping of decay from various instruments are easily heard. The resolution and smoothness go hand-in-hand creating a sound that is not smooth but dark, or resolute but cold/analytical, but a sound that is just right. As far as color/timbre/tonality is concerned, each individual sound is vibrantly painted with many various shades of organic colors as if rainbows are bursting forth from my speakers, that especially make acoustic instruments sound very authentic and real. Electric guitars and electronic music aren\'t quite as tonally rich although they also do have a certain tone to them. I\'d also like to make a quick mention of my experience of re-playing Alan Wake after adding this unit to my system. If you\'ve ever played Alan Wake, you know that it\'s not necessarily a terrifying horror game, although it most certainly does have an eerie, moody and dark atmosphere to it. After adding this unit to my system, playing the game was much more entertaining, vivid, engaging and well, eerie. I really felt the game\'s dark atmosphere coming alive in the room as I ran across Bright Falls in the night, going from mission to mission. After owning this Legendary product for a few months I can most certainly say that there are very few words that can describe this unit\'s performance. It is truly in a class of its own.
In conclusion, I would have to say that this unit really reveals the soul of the music. It eliminates other-worldy amounts of RF and leaves you with a high resolution, vivid, organic, beautiful, confident, expressive, holographic and rich sound that has plenty of definition. You are left with living music.
Thank you Louis and Lessloss team for building the crown jewel of my audio system! This unit has taken my system much closer to the peak of mount Everest!
Just got my distributor loaded with 6 integrated units of Firewall 64x two weeks ago and have enjoyed it so much. Will write a report on this separately.
So curious, what the other LessLoss products might be like after getting to know the fantastic Firewall Distributor, I ordered one C-MARC Power Cable. Just to get an idea, what the next year end bonus should be financing.
I received it this morning and without burn-in took a half hour listen. It was surprising, that it would beat my previous power cable like nothing even at this early stage. Again the typical things, that happen with LessLoss: Stronger, deeper, better controlled bass, an amazing extension of the stage space especially behind the front wall for the cable, better and more stable placement, instruments and voices have more body, sound richer, still more detailed. And all seems believable and natural.
I put this cable between wall outlet and the LessLoss distributor.
The upgrade with the distributor was so phenomenal, and still the C-MARC comes with this surprise of further improvement.
I am happy and will replace all other cables with C-MARCs.
I was starting to think about adding subwoofers, but adding the LessLoss Firewall distributor plus the C-MARC power cable really made it senseless. Is it the amp, that does not have to \'over-work\' on super high frequencies and instead can focus on the relevant ones … especially the bass?? Amazing what my speakers can produce if you feed it right!
Thanks, Louis!!!
I have been a loyal client of Lessloss for years now, and have regularly upgraded.
I have the (previous version of) the CMarc power cords, alongside a FW64, and CMarc IC and speaker cables, and I love them. In my experience, these power cords (through the Firewall 64) provide high resolution and luminous clarity, with "air" and micro-information that is crucial to music reproduction "realism", but always in the service of the music. They are not artificially tilted towards high frequency nor analytical. I recently had the opportunity to compare them to Cardas Clear Beyond, and whilst also a very good cable, I preferred my Lessloss Cmarc power cords, for their extra luminosity, and sense of "live performance".
Just in time for Christmas 2018 I received four LessLoss C-Marc power cables. I used four DFPC's for trade-in, making the investment a treat. I introduced the C-Marc's one at a time in my set-up, exchanging the DFPC's successively, starting with my tube power amp. Immediately I experienced more snap, more weight in bass, better resolution upwards. After an hour or so, something peculiar started happening to the sound; there emerged a quality of flowing, liquid, organic sound that made the music much more appealing, more natural, more like music. This was intriguing, because my setup is rather mature, and I have done my fair bit in power management, using good power and signal cables for quite some time. My first DFPC was nearly ten years old when traded in.
There was no stopping me now: C-marc to the pre-amp, hmm, not easy to detect any immediate changes here, but burn-in must take its time. However, with my Chinook phono-amp improvement was evident rather quickly, yielding more space, more lifelike presence of instruments and voices. Finally, my DAC was favoured with C-Marc power, resulting in more weight, more presence and articulation in the lower midrange, giving pondus to the presentation.
However, I must admit that an objective assessment of the C-Marc power cables has been difficult to carry out, due to the fact that they were implemented in my setup only one month after I received my pair of brand new PMC IB2 SE speakers. Thus I have been witnessing a double burn-in process. The speakers are developing to every satisfaction, and the sound in my listening room are now very lifelike, revealing yet balanced and musical, with realistic dynamics, extremely nuanced and detailed, unerringly placing instruments and voices in three dimensions.
Power cables are among the components in a hifi setup that will perform for indefinite time. The C-Marc's will sit in my setup forever, or until Louis and LessLoss treat us with an even better cable. Over the last year I have experienced the C-Marc's in three different setups. This is a premium performer regardless of price, and at the present price point, the C-Marc power cable is a «no brainer» for anyone considering cables in this price range.
Lucky me, I will shortly be investing in the C-Marc loudspeaker cables for my PMC's now coming of age.
I used a C-MARC power cable on my preamp and a 2nd one on my DAC. The C-MARC power cables are very neutral and drastically reduce background noise, revealing harmonic nuances, soundscapes, micro-details, smooth listening, spacial info and locality of the instrumentalists; they allow you to get the most out of your electronics; at home these were better than Triode Wire Labs The Statement; then, tweaking the interconnects was made easier.
Acquiring an XLR C-MARC interconnect stereo pair, I\'d add this feedback: it is in the same vein with the same qualities, even if the difference is less of a surprise compared to the change of power cables.
Upon initial connection, not burned in, directly out of the box, I\'d say these are a little above the Absolute Creations Ul-tim, which are three times more expensive, and also better than Audioprana Signature Ag Cryo (with Ag connectors).
If your system is resolving and balanced, go for LessLoss. If you want to compensate for this or that defect in balance, look elsewhere for cables that add sonically and are much more expensive...
Enjoy!
Cables delivered yesterday.
Spectacular improvement!
Noise floor falls away and instruments are absolutely rock solid in the sound stage. Even on tracks I know really well I am hearing new stuff.
The almost total absence of digital harshness means I can listen for as long as I like, as loud as I choose, without any fatigue whatsoever.
If I had paid the same money for a component and got even half the performance uplift I\'d be very happy indeed.
As it is I\'m utterly amazed and delighted by your product.
Again!
Many thanks and I will undoubtedly be back for more in the future.
Just received the C-MARC power cord and without waiting a minute to warm up the equipment, I was very, very impressed with the change.
The sound is wonderful, clean, real and authentic. It\'s like having the orchestra in front ... but a perfect orchestra!
Although it may seem incredible, the sound will improve over the months.
It is possible that there are better cables, I do not know, but this deserves a 10 out of 10.
What can be assured is that there is nothing so good for this price, neither for double or triple.
ARMANDO ÁLVAREZ
After reaching the 200 hours mark, I believe it is time to let you know about the recent upgrade from 3 C-MARC power cables to 3 ‘Super’ C-MARC power cables.
My system is ‘minimalistic’: Accuphase cd player, Accuphase integrated amplifier, Sonus Faber speakers, complete LessLoss C-MARC loom, 2 Firewalls 5X ‘Plug-and-Play ‘ modules, one connected to the cd-player and the other one to the amplifier, 1 ‘made-to-measure’ distributor in identical wood and design as the Firewalls 5X, fitted with Firewall modules inside, ‘sitting’ on 3 Bindbreakers.
This will be my third LessLoss power cable upgrade: from DFPC Original (my first LessLoss purchase) to DFPC Signature, C-MARC and finally ‘Super’ C-MARC.
I have to admit that the C-MARC power cable was absolutely amazing.
I can’t avoid the usual clichés: I actually re-discovered some of my favorite cd’s and strangely enough, even started to like some cd’s that I didn’t always fully liked before (difficult to explain, as if a new opened window, for a lack of better expression, allowed me to ‘better understand and enjoy’ the music)…
And this was what I thought when I purchased the first DFPC cables…
It took a while to be convinced in upgrading yet again, especially after reaching that moment when I felt that the ‘Original’ C-MARC were fully burned-in.
I wasn’t convinced, sonically and financially, that it was worth trying.
I even have to confess a certain irritation when the announcement of the ‘Super’ C-MARC power cable was made.
It took around 100 hours before I had the impression that the new cables had reached the level of the previous C-MARC.
100 long and yes, irritating and doubtful hours.
And it took about another 50 hours or so before reaching the actual…and excellent level.
Based on my previous experience of your cables, I know that the sound will still evolve and most probably get even better.
But I can already tell you that I am very pleased with the upgrade.
The level of improvement, compared to the C-MARC power cables, is subtle but obvious at the same time.
I have that strange habit to test new gear or new cables without sitting in the sweet spot, without concentrating to the music but instead listening casually, without paying too much attention…
Strange maybe, certainly in audiophile terms (which I am certainly not), but I do love those moments when my attention is grabbed by a note, a silence, a sound, something unheard before on a well-known cd, sometimes leading to a fully new listening experience, making me stop and think ‘Wow, where was that before?’.
This is, to me at least, the ultimate test: hearing improvements without actually listening.
Another key and constant feature of your products is that the improvements are not limited to bass, for instance, or treble, or details or a certain color of the music, or a ‘je ne sais quoi in the upper medium’ (honestly, I don’t even know what this means when I read this in reviews of audio products) but there is a general upgrade of the sound of music, on all levels.
In other words, the music sounds better. I hear more and I hear better. Better dynamics, more details, more presence, that impression of being involved, taken into the music, not wanting to test the cables but instead, wanting to listen to more music.
To sum it up: you did it again!
You are bringing me each time closer to the music I love.
Thank you.
This new power cable is just a very high efficient noise killer in every respect and not a powercable but a true sound enhancement. Espesially on the source components (CD, DAC RIAA) but also as a mains cable on a multiple outlet power filter. New unheard sublte detailed information is seeping through when listening.
I exchanged my DFPC Signature on my CD player (source), which was my best powercable so far, and you hear from the first note it changes the sound stage dramatically. The sound stage becomes wider and deeper/3D, more natural and organic. What amazes me is how the detail and separation in music instruments becomes clearer without being harsh and colored; quieter, too. Together with a DIY LessLoss Firewall stacked power filter (2 x 5 FWs) this is a optimal noise filtering. The problem with this C-MARC is where to place it, because is improves on every audio component. I am going to end up with one one for DAC, CD and RIAA preamp.
Highly recommended, it is highly cost effective and worth the money.
When this offer came, I couldn\'t resist to exchange my DFPC original with the C-MARC \"super-cable\".
Used with the power distributor the cable made a profound difference to the DFPC original.
Well, I expected this.
But it was shocking, when I replaced the DFPC on the Echo\'s End with the \"super-cable\".
Right from the start the cable made a huge difference. An unbelievable new and never heard presence of sound filled the room, with masses of details that were simply lost with all other cables that I tried.
I can\'t imagine the sound when every piece of audio equipment in my home would have it\'s own \"super-cable\". Wow, this is an unbelievable serious power cord that does everything right.
Those people that say power cords make no difference and all sound the same should try a stock cord, and then the C-MARC \"super-cable\". They wouldn\'t believe the difference. Awesome.
HAVING OWNED THE DPFC SIGNATURE AND THE FIRST C-MARC CABLES I AM NOW TRYING THE NEW C-MARC HAND BRAIDED CABLE. TO START WITH THE SOUND IS VERY CLEAR FROM THE START. THERE SEEMS TO BE MORE MIDRANGE AND BASS PERCUSSION SOUNDS YOU DIDN\'T HEAR BEFORE, MORE NATURAL INSTRUMENTS AND VOCALS, A LITTLE SOFT IN DYNAMICS WHILE THE CABLE BURNS IN. EASY TO LISTEN WITHOUT FATIGUE OR DISTORTION. FOR EXAMPLE ACOUSTIC GUITAR WILL NOT SOUND STEELY BUT NYLON MORE NATURAL. MICRO DETAILS EMERGING UNMASKED FROM THE RECORDINGS. YOU WILL NOT TIRE OF LISTENING TO THE NATURALNESS OF THE MUSIC ANY MUSIC.
IF YOU ARE AN AUDIOPHILE OR HAVE OWNED LESSLOSS CABLES I WOULD RECOMMEND YOU TAKE UP THE OFFER TO BUY THE CABLE AT A DISCOUNT PRICE ASAP.
IF YOU CAN AFFORD THE WHOLE LOOM GO FOR IT, A STEP CLOSER TO THE MASTER TAPE SOUND. AND BY THE WAY THE CABLE IT IS STILL FAIRLY FLEXIBLE.
I have played the new C-MARC super cables for about 80 hours now, and the result is remarkably good. On well recorded music, the clarity and texture of various instruments are striking.
Congratulations to a wonderful cable!
The C-MARC power cord upgrade is quite a revelation. I run a full C-MARC loom, which itself was a distinct improvement on the more expensive cables and cords I used previously. But the power cord upgrade is something else.
For a start it removes a subtle glare in the higher range that I had not noticed before, solo violin being a case in point. High frequencies stretch out seemingly into the stratosphere.
The soundstage is more three dimensional. Plus the enhanced detail makes it easier to place the instruments and voices on the stage.
But the most important improvement is that the music now seems released into a new freedom. The music becomes more captivating and absorbing. One can become lost in the music.
I am thoroughly enjoying the upgrade.
I just got my upgraded C-MARC AC cables. I must remember that all my previous Less Loss products have taken 6-10 WEEKS to fully break in. Given that reality I am very impressed at how wonderful these wires are. I will ignore tonality for now as that will improve quite a bit going forward ( some pluses and some minuses vs previous cables for now but that is meaningless).
The most impressive and important difference (my first edition C-MARC cables were already a huge upgrade over AC cables that cost $4K and are widely lauded) is the pace and musical communication these wires allow. I feel like I have a top notch analog system for the first time (it's all digital). Even listening from two rooms away I am drawn to the music and must discipline myself to go back to typing this. The momentum and the fluidity of microsecond changes in volume and emphasis causes me to imagine a 100 pound turntable in the other room. It is just so SOLID and unstoppable!
Imaging is magical. Even studio effects are captivating as things bounce around in three dimensional space. Acoustic recordings sound very present and real. I have been startled in a way I have not experienced from a stereo system by sudden sounds and the tail of sounds as they diminish are highly audible and very natural.
Different recordings sound much more different from one another. I prefer to listen to what I like rather than to audiophile discs. Mediocre to bad recordings that I am very familiar with ( The Who Sell Out for example) provide utterly transformed listening experiences. It's not the relatively trivial "I hear things I never heard before". It's the much more profound experience of discovering musically meaningful instrumental lines that you never noticed with other cables in place the first 100 times you listened to this CD.
I struggle to imagine what this will be like in six weeks but for now I am experiencing an upgrade that I would have thought possible only by changing out all my equipment for gear of triple the cost.
I FIRST DISCOVERED LESSLOSS AS I WAS IN THE PROCESS OF DISPOSING THE COMPONENTS OF MY TRIPLE-A 1st CLASS SYSTEM ASSEMBLED OVER MANY YEARS. HAVING GROWN INTO ADVANCED SENIOR YEARS, MY INTENTION WAS TO SIMPLIFY MY LIFE AND CREATE THE FINEST HEADPHONES ONLY SYSTEM I COULD ACQUIRE. AT THAT POINT I HAD ON HAND THE BURMESTER POWER CONDITIONER, CD PLAYER AND PREAMP, THE WEISS ENGINEERING DAC 202, THE WOO AUDIO CUSTOMIZED WES HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER AND MY MAC BOOK PRO WITH EXTERNAL DRIVES FOR THE DIGITAL MUSIC STORAGE.
AT FIRST, I PURCHASED THE DFPC POWER CABLE. OVER MANY LISTENING SESSIONS WITH THE POWER CONDITIONER AND WITHOUT IT, SUBSTITUTING THE LESSLOSS DFPC POWER CORD, I NOTICED SOMETHING VERY PLEASANT IN THE SOUND. IT WAS VIRTUALLY IMMEDIATE. IT WAS HARD, AT THIS POINT, TO QUANTIFY THE IMPROVEMENT. AFTER A FEW WEEKS I ORDERED THE FURUTECH 4-OUTLET DISTRIBUTOR AND 4 DFPC POWER CORDS. ALL SUPPLIED POWER CORDS WERE REPLACED WITH THE DFPC CORDS, AND RUN FROM THE DISTRIBUTOR TO EACH UNIT. WOW! IMMEDIATELY ON PLAYBACK THERE WAS A VERY OBVIOUS EASE IN LISTENING - OPENNESS - RELAXED SOUND - IMPROVED DYNAMICS - IMPROVED BASS AND TREBLE 100%. THE ENJOYMENT IN LISTENING EVEN GREW OVER TIME.
SUBSEQUENTLY LESSLOSS RELEASED ITS FIREWALL LINE OF PRODUCTS. TO MY SURPRISE, IN ADDITION TO THE OTHER PRODUCTS INSTALLED, THE QUALITY OF THE SOUND FUTHER IMPROVED IN THE SAME WAY AS BEFORE!
THEN CAME FIREWALLS IN SMALL WOODEN BOXES CONTAINING ONE FIREWALL CARD OR FIVE CARDS. SURPRISINGLY IMPROVEMENTS FOLLOWED. IT WAS A CONTINUATION OF THE ORIGINAL OPENNESS - RELAXED SOUND - IMPROVED DYNAMICS - IMPROVED BASS AND TREBLE 100%!
NOT TOO LONG AFTER, I RECEIVED A NOTICE FROM LESSLOSS OF A NEW CABLE AND POWER CABLE IDENTIFIED AS \"C-MARC.\" I MUST ADMIT I WAS A BIT AFRAID TO TAKE THIS PROCESS ANY FURTHER. I COULDN\'T BE ENJOYING MY SYSTEM MORE. OR SO I THOUGHT. IT TOOK A LOT OF CONVINCING, CAJOLING, BEGGING AND YOU NAME IT, BUT A LARGE PACKAGE OF C-MARC TRIAXIAL POWER CABLES AND REGULAR C-MARC CABLES SOON ARRIVED. BEING AFRAID TO REPEAT ALL MY PREVIOUS COMPLEMENTS, LET ME JUST SAY THAT EACH TIME I PLAY MY SYSTEM, I HAD BETTER HAVE AVAILABLE FOOD AND DRINK FOR THE MUSICIANS.
SO GOES EVOLUTION. CALL DARWIN!
SUPER, your last creation, in my case the C-MARC power cable, is simply SUPER.
Just from very first listen they blew away my previous cables, one LessLoss DFPC Original, one LessLoss DFPC Reference, and a Kimber PK10 Palladian, and they are still increasing their performance.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
My system now seems of another level.
I promised to let you know what I thought of the C-MARC cables. The only comparison I can offer is in regard to the power cable feeding my source power conditioner. The C-MARC replaced a DIY 10AWG shielded Neotech cable with Furutech 15A rhodium plated US Style male plug and Neutrik PowerCon equipment connector.
The C-MARC offered a vast improvement, although not at all what I expected. In past experience, mostly with your DFPC cables, I've heard blacker backgrounds, deeper, tighter bass, less fatiguing treble, and more convincing mid range and vocals. The change was often comparable to a component upgrade or a step up in interconnects. What I heard with the C-MARC was like the type of improvement you get when comparing Redbook CD to a 24/192 Studio Master. Familiar recordings were better defined, and more three dimensional. An increased sense of depth is the most notable advantage. You often hear reviewers characterize a speaker as being too 'forward' or 'laid back'. While that is the general sense of what I'm trying to convey, I wouldn't have previously thought a power cable could have any bearing on such a thing. It's not that the C-MARC moved the presentation further back, rather, it allows the listener to hear further into the acoustic. If someone made this change unbeknownst to me, and challenged me to find what had been changed; I would be looking for internal mods to the digital components.
It was as if a really good master clock had been introduced!
Dear Louis,
Even if the full loom of C-MARC cables and the new distributor (and 3 Bindbreakers, under the distributor) have only a mere 30 hours of play, I can already tell you that it is taking music to new heights.
I can't comment about a single cable in particular (XLR interconnect, speaker cables, bi-wire jumpers and 3 power cables, new FW-based custom distributor and Bindbreakers) as they were all connected together at the same time. But what I hear right now is astonishing.
As much as I have enjoyed the DFPC power cables (Original first, later upgraded to Signature) and the HTT interconnect, etc., the full loom of C-MARC cables and the new distributor (and two previously purchased 5X Firewalls) bring the sound of my cd's to an entirely new level.
I will wait for the C-MARC loom to reach the 100 hours mark before posting further impressions, but so far, I have only one word: 'Wow!'
======
(after 100 hours)
Things keep on evolving very nicely indeed, Louis.
It is almost frustrating to realize that so much information was somehow lost or buried during all these years, including 'the LessLoss years' when it all started with a couple of DFPC Originals.
About 100 hours of play and the music sounds extremely rich ('creamy'?), smooth but very detailed, powerful and engaging.
Each cd reveals more layers of details and the C-MARC loom keeps all its promises.
When I decided to participate in the early bird program, I have to admit that I was skeptical about the principle of purchasing an idea, a concept and not a finished product.
I am very happy that I seized that opportunity!
You were right: C-MARC is a game changer.
=====
(after 400 hours)
Although I feel that burn-in isn't completed yet, I wanted to inform you about my most recent impressions of the C-MARC loom after around 400 hours.
Everything I mentioned before is confirmed in a splendid way: details, presence, 'kick', powerful bass, extended treble, etc. etc. etc...
This is way above the level of my DFPC Signatures and HTT speaker and interconnect cables.
When I return to my previous comments about these cables, it could potentially appear that the level of improvement that the C-MARC loom has brought is 'not believable', 'over enthusiastic' or worse, solicited and/or paid for.
The extent of the improvement brought by the C-MARC cables is nothing short of dramatic.
And as my 'main' components haven't changed over the recent years (Ayon cd player and amplifier, Sonus Faber speakers), I can comfortably 'feel' and hear the upgrade brought by the C-MARC loom. But owning tubes components, I have to say that burn-in is a pain... I wish I owned a second system to which the cables could be connected to for 500 hours. Witnessing the burn-in can be perceived by some as a nice process but not for me.
Luckily, my patience was rewarded (and in this case, the upgrade was obvious even early on in the burn-in process).
Being familiar with your cables, I am quite sure that the sound will still evolve in the course of the next few weeks. I don't think it is useful to try to go deeper into details; I am not a reviewer and not even an audiophile.
But I can say that once again, you came up with a fantastic series of cables that clearly outperforms anything I owned previously, including much-loved LessLoss cables.
I’m an audiophile for more then 15 years. My audio system: Ayon CD-player, Karan amplification and Dynaudio Confidence speakers with Eostar 2.
Based on Louis’ products’ high reputation I decided to purchase C-MARC power cords.
They arrived very quickly. I had high expectations, though they didn’t impress me right out of the box. Slightly veiled, not 100% transparent, and not as airy as my current cables (DFPC Signatures). The treble was worrying me the most, lacked substance, and kind of sterile. The Signatures were organic in comparison. The C-MARCS created slightly bigger images but that’s it. I knew it was a matter of burn in.
I let the cables burn in and listened to them again when they reached the 50 hour mark. Well, they sounded even worse than at the beginning. They needed more, more burn in time. Next listening session was after 150 hours. Wow, different cables. Fluid and organic treble, holographic soundstage, 3D images. But then, again the sound deteriorated and it took another 3 days or so “to recover”, and so on.
At 300 hours of burn in they are still not “ready” yet, they haven\'t fully stabilized yet. There are days when they sing great and then worse days again. On good days the cables are great: transparent, holographic, open soundstage, liquid, organic sound, 3D images, but require a lot of patience. Just give them a chance and you will be surprised...
I own the DFPC Signature power cable which I am very pleased with, so I bought the C-MARC power cable. It is true, straight from plugging it in, from the start, the sound is very clear; no harshness/fatigue, you can listen straight away. It only gets better with more burn-in time to get the full effect. Even now there is more detail from your recordings. Bass I never heard before with other cables. For example, Earl Klughs (Guitar) sounds more organic, or acoustic, not steely, or glassy sharp sound. I am confident recommending this cable to any serious Audiophile.
MORE = DETAIL MORE = BASS MORE = NATURAL AND ORGANIC
RECORDINGS THAT ARE BADLY RECORDED ARE MORE PLAYABLE AND ENJOYABLE THAN BEFORE.
TRY FOR YOURSELF. YOU WON\'T WANT TO SEND THIS CABLE BACK... IT\'S LIKE MASTER TAPE QUALITY OF SOUND... CDS SOUND LIKE VINYL.
Entropic Process: A LessLoss technology most profound
Pictured below is the new insignia of the ultimate LessLoss achievement. When you see this symbol, you can rest assured that sonics don't get any better than this!
We have been investigating the mysterious burn-in phenomena for the past 20 years, following it very closely and learning ever more about it. Finally, we have figured out a way to actually use it in the design of an actual product. This has been on our creative minds ever since day one when we first experienced burn-in decades ago. But the secret within has remained elusive to us—until now!
This does not mean we have abolished all initial changes in sound quality. It only means we have developed the means and methods to accelerate it—pre-prime it, so to speak—to the point where, in your first two weeks of listening, you might go through some 200 years of regular burn-in. The burn-in process has not been disposed of by us but rather put into overdrive in order to serve listeners even better! This is the genius of our new Entropic Process.
To fully comprehend the concept behind it, prerequisites are in order.
If you have never experienced any strange burn-in effects…you will not yet know that of which we speak. The strange burn-in effect remains, undoubtedly, the most mysterious of all aspects involved in high-end audio. Appreciated, experienced, and accepted by thousands, yet understood by none, it remains an uncracked code of mystery which has represented a strange bottleneck to designers until now. Sometimes it is a cause of ridicule, but sooner or later everyone experiences it…and suddenly that voice of ridicule is noticeably quiet.
What is burn-in?
Burn-in is a strange phenomenon in which newly made gear or cables go through a series of inexplicable initial transitional phases in terms of performance. One day the sound may be brittle and coarse; another day the sound may be rubbery and elastic. One may experience phases of bass-heavy submersion as if one is under water, then periods where one feels the bass is too weak or not in balance with the mids and treble. Eventually, these two extremes converge into a balanced, stable performance, a mature and pleasant tonal balance.
This process is dependent on two things.
First, much depends on total system transparency. If the system has deep flaws, such as being located in a room with ceramic tiles and many exposed glass windows, of course an acoustic echo chamber like that will mask such effects greatly. However, if the system is set up well in an acoustically well-organized space, you'll hear the flaws with ease.
Secondly, it depends on how sonically neutral the fresh product actually is. If it is severely skewed in some arbitrary tonal direction, it will be more difficult to sense just what is going on in terms of this burn-in process. An example of this is found in multi-strand copper conductors with silver plating. But if a product is a sonic giant in terms of its ability to present exactly what is taking place in the recording, without editorialising, one will hear huge burn-in swings initially.
It is most likely that LessLoss products present exactly the same changes that any new wire goes through. The only difference is that C-MARC has such a fantastically low noise floor that one can more readily perceive and experience these large burn-in swings because so much more detail is exposed to the listener than usual. It goes without saying that you simply cannot have it both ways: you cannot expect a totally transparent cable to reveal real data on a recording that won't simultaneously also reveal a much deeper underlying physical aspect of burn-in as it matures and settles in performance. The performance is the ability to show more and more minute changes in signal. This also must mean, at the same time, that it will show more and more minute changes in whatever actually constitutes burn-in (molecular structure re-alignment or something…? sorry, we haven’t solved everything!).
And a mystery it is and remains.
But we have made a HUGE step in accelerating it.
If, before, you experienced the infamous ‘roller-coaster ride’ of settling and opening up, now it will be a supersonic rocket launch with G-forces you had better be prepared for. After the rattling of instruments, mind, muscle and bone, the view, once in orbit, of that rarefied silent cosmos, is really worth the patience. Burn-in time is not necessarily longer or shorter…it is just more intense.
Both the C-MARC™ power cable and C-MARC™ Entropic Process power cables are superb performers. It takes us 18 hours to make the C-MARC™ power cable and no less than 30 hours to make the Entropic Process version.
C-MARC™ Prime
We're happy to announce the new attractively priced C-MARC™ Prime power cable! This is now undoubtedly the best price/performance ratio product on the audio market today!
C-MARC™ Prime features all the high performance features of our C-MARC™ Classic power cable, including:
Made up of hair-thin 0.125mm diameter solid core Litz strands, individually enamel coated with thinnest technically possible coating on the order of microns
Electrical contacts made only at the ends, to eliminate micro-arcing and diode effects throughout the cable's length
100% cotton core for micro-vibration absorption
Thin, transparent, protective outer sheath of flexible polyolefin, further scratch-proofed by a strong, lightweight multi-filament outermost braid.
Hand braided to form highly flexible, perfectly practical cables of high performance.
Conductive cross section: 3 x 2.304mm^2 copper
The high performance plugs have great features as well:
Crystal clear, polycarbonate housing for zero coloration and a liquid smooth tonality across the entire spectrum. No 'sandy' sounds here!
Highly pure, 100% gold plated copper contacts
Cryogenically treated to release manufacturing-born structural tensions
Spring electrical contacts grip the strongest in the industry. Over-engineered contact springs
What are the differences between C-MARC™ Prime and C-MARC™ Classic?
C-MARC™ Prime has a somewhat smaller appearance than the C-MARC™ Classic.
The total cross section is the only difference between this power cable and the C-MARC™ Classic. Whereas C-MARC™ Classic has two complete dual fractal braids per line, the C-MARC™ Prime has one.
C-MARC™ Prime is priced very attractively and is not available in Entropic Process form.
Our trajectory
We want to become accessible to more and more audiophiles. C-MARC™ Prime is the easiest way to get 'one foot in,' so to speak. After that, LessLoss will always cater in the most friendly way should one want to continue the path towards audio perfection that LessLoss has over the course of several decades paved.
LessLoss very friendly upgrade policies - your investment counts!
In the future, we will honour very attractive upgrade offers from Prime to Classic and to ClassicEntropic Process, for any owner. In fact, we will structure the upgrade policy such that it will make no sense to put them onto the used market. Basically, purchasing Prime will be very near equal to initial investment into Classic, but with the instant receipt of the beauty of tone you're wishing for, today!
Example:
Purchase Prime: 486 USD. Shipping included.
Enjoy Prime for a year.
Decide to trade Prime in for Classic: 1148 - 413 = 735 USD.
Or:
Purchase Classic: 1148 USD. Shipping included.
Enjoy Classic for a year.
Decide to trade Classic in for ClassicEntropic Process: 1934 - 746 = 1188 USD.
Or:
Purchase ClassicEntropic Process: 1934 USD. Shipping included.
Enjoy ClassicEntropic Process for a year.
Decide to trade ClassicEntropic Process in for C-MARC™ Stellar: 2450 - 1257 = 1193 USD.
LessLoss covers both shipping legs and also includes free fresh packaging for the return of cable to be upgraded. There is no system down time. You first receive the new item, then you return the other. You don't even have to leave home! UPS picks it up free of charge to you!
Branding labels from now on
To avoid any confusion, from now on, all C-MARC™ power cables come with labels clearly denoting the model type attached to the plugs. These are applied to the inner walls of the transparent plugs, so they will never rub off, even with rough use, for example in the context of a live traveling stage band setting.
C-MARC™ stands for Common-Mode Auto-Rejecting Cable.
C-MARC™ is unlike any other hook-up wire or cable currently produced. It is based on the bucking coil method of noise reduction, used most famously in twin coil pickup designs first developed in the mid-1930s to silence hum from electric guitars.
This type of guitar pickup was called ‘the humbucker’ because it 'bucks the hum', i.e., noise, out of the desired guitar signal through phase cancellation of two counter-polarised inductors. When the inductors both induce a common signal, it is induced in opposite polarities by each coil. These opposite polarities then mutually cancel when the two counter-polarised noise currents are combined through simple electrical summation. Humbucking coils are also used in some microphone designs, as well as in sensitive sensor technology where induced stray noise is not acceptable and the highest signal-to-noise ratio is desired.
LessLoss designs a new type of wire around the humbucking principle.
C-MARC™ wire is a special type of Litz wire. It features all of the known benefits of traditional Litz wire, but without the disadvantage of being formed as an elongated coil (inductor).
Traditional Litz wire has the following advantages over normal 'naked' multi-stranded wire and solid core wire:
Litz wire has a greater ratio of surface area to cross sectional area, resulting in less phase smearing between lower and higher frequencies.
Litz wire creates no distortions due to so-called “strand jumping” or diode effects resulting from loosely contacting oxide layers of adjacent naked strands.
Litz wire is more flexible, practical, and safer than solid core wire of the same large cross-sectional area.
C-MARC™ wire shares all of the above advantages of traditional Litz wire and advances the art with these additional unique benefits:
(1) Traditional Litz wire is bunched and then twisted in only one direction, leading to the formation an elongated group of uni-directional coils (inductors) of differing diameters, its structure resembling elongated overstretched springs of different sizes.
[Fig. 1.: Sketch of typical Litz structure where multiple coil diameters and single coil turn direction resemble several overstretched springs bunched together. This structure allows high speed of production.]
[Fig. 2.: Each long separately insulated Litz wire can be seen as a separate coil of a given diameter and step. The different diameters are a result of the bunching before mutual twisting.]
[Fig. 3.: Individual wires of differing thicknesses are bunched together to form different geometries. Many variations of the Litz structure exist, most of which are based on the main idea of first bunching and then twisting into spirals.]
[Fig. 4.: Some manufacturers offer braided Litz wire, so-called “Type 7” Litz. This wire also is formed from initially bunched and mutually twisted strands before braiding. This type of wire is compressed after braiding the twisted bunches into an overall rectangular shape before tape wrapping and over-extrusion.]
How C-MARC™ is profoundly different
In contrast, C-MARC™ wire goes down to the very fundamentals in a completely mirrored, balanced geometry. It aligns every Litz strand's clockwise turn with a corresponding counter clockwise turn of exactly mirrored diameter and step along the length of the wire. These two resulting spirals are mutually superposed in counter-braided fashion. Noise is thus induced in exactly opposite polarities and in exactly mirrored amplitudes, while the good signal is common to both spirals. The two counter-polarised noise signals mutually cancel when the two counter-polarised currents are combined through simple electrical contact at both ends of the wire. Thus, through auto-rejection of opposing electrical phase through summation at the ends, C-MARC™ wire perfectly counters the noise induction, whether from external sources or self-induced, which normally pollutes every other twisted Litz wire assembly. In this way, C-MARC™ wire achieves signal transfer which is corrupted substantially less than the industry has been able to achieve through other means.
[Fig. 5.: C-MARC™ Litz schematic layout. The clockwise and counter clockwise spirals are mirrored in diameter, step and wire gauge, while at the same time superposed in relation to one another. This results in opposite phase induction within the very structure of a single polarity line. While production speed is substantially slower, the silence of operation of C-MARC™ wire is far superior to standard Litz structures.]
(2) This is not all! LessLoss C-MARC™ wire features two-scale ‘fractal’ replication of the aforementioned mutually superposed counter-twisted layout. This mirrored and nested structure further enhances the mutual cancellation of counter-polarised inductive twists, while at the same time allowing enlarged overall cable cross-sectional designs which serve to further lower resistance without any sacrifice of signal fidelity or flexibility.
[Fig. 6.: C-MARC™ shown in two-scale fractal replication. Everything that occurs geometrically at the core level is repeated again at the larger level, thus further reducing the induction of noise. Just as the initial clockwise and counter clockwise spirals are mirrored in diameter, step, and wire gauge, while at the same time superposed in relation to one another, so too at the larger level. This makes the cable a silent performer without influencing the natural tone colour of sensitive signals throughout the frequency spectrum.]
What this means
C-MARC™ is intrinsically the most silent wire on the planet and provides pure transmission of signal. The degree of silence of the working solution is in direct proportion to the degree of superposition of the counter-polarised twists, as well as in the degree of their mirrored equality in terms of turn radius, step, and resistance. The idea being that in the best of worlds, both opposite ‘polarities’ of a single lead of C-MARC™ wire induce the exact same noise, and a perfect summation to zero will result at both ends of the line.
(3) Because the individual enamelled wires which make up the unique Litz structure of the C-MARC™ wire are so small in diameter (0.125mm), the ratio between total surface area and total cross section is further enlarged for an even better phase relationship across the entire spectrum.
(4) This structure further enhances flexibility and ease of bed on any axis, especially for large cross-sectional cables, without unnecessarily enlarging the entire cable assembly.
(5) The strands used in C-MARC™ wire are covered with the thinnest technically possible colourless enamel. They are solderable once tinned in a soldering pot.
(6) The plastic protection is thin. This results in a very lightweight, highly flexible, natural-sounding product with today's best performance characteristics for delicate audio applications with an enormous signal-to-noise ratio.
What can I expect in terms of sound?
Well, you won't hear coloration, that's for sure. You will however hear a lot more of the music's expression and true content. Click here for a bunch of reviews which will show you how various people in the press and users have expressed what they have discovered using C-MARC™!
How does the new C-MARC™ Cable compare to the DFPC Reference?
The tonal character of C-MARC™ is more liquid and fluid, and it resolves more detail from any recording. As good as the DFPC Reference is, it is still covered with rather thick plastic (albeit very high-quality plastic with excellent characteristics). The C-MARC™ power cord's features a thin layer of clear plastic which is more flexible, and the extremely well-balanced counter-polarised coil technique lowers the noise floor even further than the very effective Skin-filtering employed in the DFPC Reference. The overall result is one of both lowered noise and greater tonal character. It is very easy to recognise these improvements straight from the start, even without burn-in.
Another improvement is found in the connectors. In C-MARC™ they are not made of brass but rather pure copper. And, instead of glass filler in the black plastic of the housing, entirely clear and extremely stable plastic is used. If that weren't enough, these connectors are cryogenically treated, whereas the 079s are not.
All of these improvements add up to obviously superior results from the outset. After about fourteen days of settling, the sound quality becomes even more organic and lifelike. We are confident that C-MARC™ is here to stay and that, after a few more years, it will be recognised and employed in many different manufacturers' loudspeakers and equipment as internal hook-up wire.
One further advantage of C-MARC™ over the DFPC Reference is its extreme flexibility and light weight. Thus, even the most sensitively placed lightweight gear has the very best conditions to maintain the fine vibration control of even the most delicately positioned special tuning feet. See the following image for an idea of C-MARC™ cable's flexibility.
Special custom plugs are available.
If you need a custom plug on your C-MARC™ power cord, simply inquire. We can make them with high-performance UK-type plugs from Furutech, AU/NZ type plugs from Furutech and 32A PowerCon type plugs from Neutrik. 20A C19 plugs can also be implemented.