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LessLoss Digital Cable

Date Added: 11/22/2012 by Constantin
The LessLoss Digital Cable is a stellar product, to put it mildly.

Preamble -- We got "acquainted" with the LessLoss cable whilst evaluating DAC, Digital Cable and Digital Source components for our new dealership a few months ago.

The establishment of this dealership was a "second" expression of our passion for music reproduction and a desire to "keep the flame alive", current economic conditions notwithstanding. It follows on from the set-up a year ago of the US-based auditioning facility for a close friend who is a Swiss Ultra-High End manufacturer that markets battery-powered components and ribbon speakers.

Going back in Time -- I, as had many fellow music lovers, witnessed many of the good as well as the sad developments that Audio had experienced over the last 30 years. I had also done the "kitting" and "home-brewing" thing, and had walked the road much traveled by audiophiles in quest of the holy grail. This voyage also included a 12 year stint as a High End distributor in Europe, a business that I decided to exit in 1999 due to other priorities.

Back to the Present -- This was an exciting new start. We had to select our new lines from scratch, and had arranged for sample gear from which to make our final selection. Although we had a fairly good understanding of what it was we were going to evaluate , we had no preconceptions as what exactly to expect. We had had little first-hand exposure to many of the components, let alone how they would complement one another in a given system set-up.

The Evaluation Environment -- The components in the Digital Front End chain sourced the highly resolved $350K Swiss High-End system, one that very clearly transmits the various aural characteristics of any associated components. For the purpose of the first stage of the evaluation, the only AC powered gear in the chain were the CDTs and the DACs. In a second stage, AC powered amplification components replaced their Swiss battery-powered counterparts.

The large listening room - 18.5' W x 29' L x 10.5' H (6.0m x 8.8m x 3.2m) - was favorably dimensioned (minimal nodes) and was treated, albeit modestly. Evaluation time : 6 weeks + 5 days cable pre-cooking prior to start.

Caveat -- Before commenting on the LessLoss, we have to point out that all of the Digital Components in our evaluation - whether DACs, CDTs, or Digital SPDIF Cables - proved to be very musical, each contributing, in one combination or the other, to providing a superior rendition of the music material, albeit with each combination and permutation doing so in a somewhat emotionally differentiated manner. Much like a well known Aria from an Opera that is performed alternatively by Pavarotti, Domingo and Carreras.

Overriding Philosophy -- Our overall approach and philosophy as regards Audio is founded on the premise that people have differentiated musical preferences, and inevitably will "hear" and enjoy musical reproduction in their own "emotional" way. Many are conditioned by years of listening to a particular genre (or two) of music, which they have every right to "prefer", and which often puts different demands on a chain of audio components.

We are not "absolutists" and do not believe in absolute systems -- there can be no absolute, as the ears and emotional needs are different to begin with. Furthermore, a high component price is also not necessarily a guarantee of superiority over a lower priced equivalent. Budgets, and thus affordability are very real factors in system composition. We ultimately judge a system, whatever its price, by how "musical" and emotionally compelling it is to a particular sub-set of "ears", and in relation to the investment required to acquire it.

Digital Cable & Pricing -- As for price points of the 7 digital cables in question, these started as low as $150 per mtr for one cable in particular, and graduated all the way up to $ 2,000 per m. The LessLoss Digital Cable, for reference, retails at $ 695 per m, including free worldwide delivery.


Other Digital Components - The 7-DAC line up varied as well, with the lowest price DAC retailing at $450 and the highest at $4,500. DAC types included 3 NOS, 1 Parallel and 3 Delta Sigmas. 3 different CDTs were part of the evaluation, and ranged in price from $2,500 to $4,500 (2 Sanyo belt-drive types, and one incorporating the Philips CDpro2LF mechanism).

The LessLoss Digital -- When we first received it from Louis, we were certainly expecting the LessLoss to be a "good" cable - one that did "many things well". So how would it fare in comparison?

Up front, it became very evident that from the 7 cables in test, 3 groupings emerged with each group exhibiting a particular sonic sub-set of characteristics. The first 2 groups comprised 3 cables each, with the last group represented by the LessLoss "in solo". The cables in the first 2 groups performed more or less optimally depending on associated DACs and CDTs. Ultimately, we were able to "match / mate" all of these 6 cables to DAC/CDT combinations that resulted in very good results.

On its own in Group 3, the LessLoss distinguished itself from all others. At first it was difficult to describe in the usual terms why we were consistently "setting it apart". After about 1 week of listening, we simply concluded that it was a beast of a different species, and decided to come to grips with what was happening here.

It seemed to have its own "sound", character, presentation -- very individualistic and immediately recognizable once introduced into the chain -- regardless of what DAC/CDT combination it served to connect.

In a way, the LL consistently dominated the "theme". This was not the case with the other cables where DAC substitutions noticeably took "front stage".

Initially, this was somewhat disturbing, as this phenomenon was not something we had encountered before. The LL listening experience did not cause us to immediately "describe" one attribute or another. It was as though we were suspended in sonic limbo struggling to find our bearings. Intellectually discomforted, we even questioned whether this was a good thing or a bad one. This cable seemed to announce itself very forcefully, and there was this notion out there that a "cable should get out of the way". This consistent behavior also begged the following question: Was the LL imparting a character to the sound or was it in fact "getting out of the way" ?

Whatever the elusive answer to this question, the one thing we instinctively were very sure of was that we liked it a whole lot. So much so, that we found ourselves exclaiming in unison immediately after it was connected into the chain: "Here comes the LessLoss !".

Incidentally, this cable's characteristics are shared by the LessLoss Anchorwave Interconnects and their DFPC Signature Power Cords -- a common "theme" of sorts.

We could talk about improved clarity, sound-staging, frequency extension and so on - but all of this seemed redundant. This cable was "holistic", and thus about something else :

A.
  • Order
  • Discipline
  • Control
  • Presence

B.
  • Cohesion
  • Balance
  • Largesse
  • Space
  • Profundity

C.
  • Clairvoyance
  • Nuance
  • Distilled
  • Prescient and Discerning


To be perfectly clear >> What it is NOT is : charming, romantic , dramatic and flamboyant, sweet, laid back, silky-smooth, punchy, visceral, and so on. So, a word of caution to those that have a "rightful" preference -- or need -- for one or the other (or combination thereof) of the aforementioned sonic character traits. The LL will "expose". It does not "tweak". However, the sum total of its attributes is very "alluring" indeed.

The LL cable takes some time to mature and exhibit its full potential. We had pre-treated it (and all other cables) on an AudioDharma Cooker for about 7 days before test. At first it was characterized by the descriptors in list A above. Over the ensuing weeks it progressed to include first those in B, and finally those in list C. This is a cable that needs time and patience.

In Summary, this is a very exceptional cable, one that will complement and transform (almost) all digitally-fronted systems.

Once the LL is "fully on board", just sit back and enjoy the music -- and forget it is even there -- well, well ... I think we just said that it "got out of the way" !?!

Is it the best ? Does it matter ? Of all the very many cables available, it certainly is one of the best. Is it expensive at $ 695 ? Given its "transformational" abilities, we think not !


Enjoy

Constantin

PS -- We hope you will appreciate that as a dealership representing multiple lines -- and given our philosophy -- we have chosen to remain anonymous and to refrain from citing the brand names of the other cables and components participating in our tests.
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DFPC Series [Original]

Date Added: 12/26/2012 by Andras, Switzerland
I just would like to give you a quick update. Your DFPC Original power cable is absolutely amazing. I think it's beginning to properly burn in. With every song I'm just blinking how amazing and big and clean and musical everything sounds.

Thank you once again!

My system from the wall to the speakers:

LessLoss DFPC Original power cable - Furutech e-TP60 on Brightstar Isonodes - Airport Express - Chord TOSLINK - Musical Fideliy V-DAC II with V-PSU II on Brightstar Isonodes with a half kilo brass weight on each - Cardas Quadlink interconnect - Creek Evo 2 integrated on an SSC Evolution isolation platform and two kilos of brass weights on top - Chord Carnival speaker cables on Cardas Golden Cubiods (to be replaced with Cardas Quadlink) - Totem Rainmakers on custom designed RS300 stands.

Music is streamed from a MacBook Pro running iTunes and Pure Music.
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Blackbody

Date Added: 01/23/2013 by Jim Langham
Blackbody (1st version)

Briefly and to the point. Anyone who thinks his system has been optimized without adding the Blackbodies is missing the boat. They bring about an amazing and addictive improvement. Once sampled there's no going back.
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DFPC Series [Original]

Date Added: 01/31/2013 by Florin S. - Romania
The cable finally arrived at my home after one week.

I carried out initial tests with it, and indeed your cable is an astonishing one! It is a true performer, and it is exactly what I was looking for, for years!! It gave me better dynamics, better resolution, better control, a quieter background, an improved soundstage and imaging, naturalness (natural timbres) and correct tonality, musicality and equilibrium. This cable improved the sound in all the areas that I could think of. It was like an important component upgrade and I'm looking forward to replace all my other current power cables with your cables.

This is indeed a truly wonderful cable and your vision/philosophy of the sound coincide with my own from what I'm hearing. I was looking for something like this for some years, not being satisfied in my search, blaming sometimes the 'active' components (speakers, amps, players etc.) and/or sometimes cables, or the lack of synergy. But now, for the first time I'm in the right direction, and it is amazing to see how close to natural and close to the correct sound an electronic component can sound - but a decent one of course - with the proper and the right power cable (the LessLoss), and how the equilibrium between performance (translated in terms like resolution, dynamics, soundstage etc.) and musicality (so not mere 'signals' or just sounds) emerge in a natural way. For sure, there is still a lot of room for improvement in my system, but now I find that the electronics themselves are quite OK if they were made with a decent conceptual design, implementation and components and proper attention to details, in trying to replicate the true, natural sound and not a colored one. Thanks again and keep it up, making outstanding and valuable audio products!

This is my system at the moment:

- speakers - Sonus Faber Cremona M
- source (player) - Simaudio Moon CD3.3 with XLR
- preamp - Sugden Masterclass LA-4
- power amp - Pass Labs X150
- cables: Kimber Monocle X (speakers), Kimber Select 1111 and Neotech NEI3101 (interconnects),
- power cables - DFPC Original, PS Audio Statement SC, PS Audio Statement and Vincent Audio.
- passive filter - PS Audio Quintessence (used only for the player).
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DFPC Series [Original]

Date Added: 02/08/2013 by Florin S. - Romania
Another interesting thing that I found after some tests during these weeks with the new DFPC Original, is that my passive PS Audio filter is changing the natural timbres and the 'organic flow' of the music. I mean, until now, on all my other systems/combinations it gave me better control, resolution, refinement etc, and in the last combination (still prior to having the Lessloss DFPC) I used it only on the source (because I already detected its not so good influences on the preamp & amp), but now with the DFPC Original included in the system, I found it even more obvious that the filter is giving an unnatural signature - an electronic/digital 'color' to the sound. When pulling it out from the system, and leaving only the power cables in the power outlets, the naturalness came back more clearly, like changing from a digital playback to an analogue one. Don't get me wrong, these kind of power filters/conditioners can improve in some directions and in some certain systems/combinations, but when you are going closer and closer to natural and real sound (thanks to the DFPC), it turns out that besides the beneficial effects, it adds these changes to the timbres, this digital haze, and it also limits the dynamics. I'm thinking seriously now to use only the cables directly from the outlets.

Thanks and I wish you all the best.
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DFPC Series [Signature]

Date Added: 03/01/2013 by Swen, Switzerland
When I read about the power conditioner in a review, I got more interested about this power conditioner and in general about power cables. The debates about cables, you can read them all over the internet. One side says it's a waste of money, and the other says it's worth the money and you can get a small, or even a big improvement.

On my system until now, all the big upgrades I have done with cables have brought good improvements. So I wanted to first try 2 DFPC cables and then, eventually, 4 more cables. Louis Motek in fact recommended me to take more DFPC cables instead of the Firewall.

*I have to point out, Louis was a great help; he took a lot of time to answer my questions.*

My system has 2 amps: one for Home Cinema (the NAD M15 HD2 / M25) and for Stereo, the T+A V10-2.

All speakers are from Piega, the big Front speakers are the C40.

The first impression was, I got more bass. My subwoofers, I had to readjust, they got too much bass. Minus 3 dB. Now they are perfect.

After 2 weeks of burning in the cables, the music got more clear and to me it sounds more analog. When I watch a movie, the sound is more around, deeper, and with better details than before.

I am glad I bought these DFPC cables and I recommend them to improve your system.
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DFPC Series [Signature]

Date Added: 03/15/2013 by pg
Hi: It's a funny thing. I purchased the DFPC Signature cables about 2 years ago, and put them in my system on the power block end. I could hear a difference straight away compared to my MIT cables. Some people say it takes 2 weeks to burn in, and this was happening, but I say it takes longer than that: 2 months or more. All the same I am very pleased with them, a kind of open clarity of sound.

Thanks,
pg
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Anchorwave Speaker Cables

Date Added: 06/08/2013 by Barry Howard
After many years chasing the holy grail in cabling I tried 1 of the Lessloss dynamic filtering power cables and that led me to replacing every other one in my system with them and then 6 Blackbodies. For interconnects and speaker cables I went through Kimber, Straightwire, Nordost, Anti-Cables and then the gamut of Cardas wire finally feeling comfortable with Neutral Reference for phono and speaker cable and Golden Reference for everything else.

When I became aware of the Anchorwave line I contacted Louis and after consideration of my system he suggested that his product could improve on lowering the noise floor and increasing resolution without giving up the rich texture of the Golden Reference. I went all in based on my trust of him and I was not mislead. It was all of what he said with the addition of natural harmonics that are on the recording that I find very involving when listening to music. They are so quiet and engaging. I worked with him to build the phono interconnect with grounding wires that makes his cable dead quiet and eliminating the usual residual hum that I had become used to at high volume levels. So much for the theory that phono cables need only be minimal strands of wire; this huge amount of copper does the job well!!

I am writing this review because after 18 months of getting used to the Anchorwaves I got the upgrade bug again so ordered the full suite of Morrow Audio's top of the line cables, SP-7, PH-6, etc. and burned them in for 600 hours. I now have a deeper appreciation for the Lessloss products and confirmed for myself that they allow the harmonic structure to shine through so that the desperation in a vocalist's voice or the bowed string on a cello or a tenor sax that I treasure so much is clearly evident.

If the Anchorwave is this good how good is the Tunnelbridge?!
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Anchorwave Speaker Cables

Date Added: 06/21/2013 by Tomas
After spending over three years upgrading components, cables, and furniture, constantly adjusting speaker position (and loosing quite a significant amount of cash) I finally dared to approach LessLoss for their products. Step by step, I got the full range of LessLoss basic level cables: DFPC Originals for power, Anchorwave XLR for interconnect between components and the same Anchorwave to connect the speakers to my solid state amplifier.

The result is obvious: I could have saved a lot of time and cash if I had gotten familiar with LessLoss in the beginning of my relationship with real hi-fi. The sonic experience I got installing the LessLoss cables brought me one simple realization: that’s the end, no more efforts for further upgrades, it is time for listening.

I’m happy now: my wife doesn't complain to me of a headache when I put DSD files on, my friends (who are quite skeptic towards hi-fi ideas) don’t consider my system of lacking deep low range anymore. But the most important thing is that I want to sit and to listen to my beloved records over and over again.

The LessLoss cables upgrade lets me listen at lower sound levels than before, I can spend hours listening and hearing everything, and afterwards I still feel fresh. I don’t want to talk about sound stage, instrument positioning, etc. because it’s not important any more. Now I have one simple criteria for hi-fi: the pleasure.

I could give one piece of advice for persons continuously seeking better sound and starting to forget just listening to the music: log onto the LessLoss web shop, give it a try and you won’t look back at other options.

For those who are curious for details: I use demanding Mordaunt-Short Performance 6 LE speakers with the last incarnation of Marantz NA/PM 11 set.
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DFPC Series [Original]

Date Added: 07/29/2013 by William, Singapore
I am pretty impressed and satisfied with purchase of DFPC Original.

It does exactly what it says on the tin! Coupled with my Einstein integrated amp, I am able to hear enhancement with a more relaxed, natural listening experience while occasional harshness in tembre seems to be disappeared.

Well done in creating such an amazing product and effort in customizing the 90deg IEC end to suit my need.

Thank you
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LessLoss History From the Very Beginnings

LessLoss started its business on Audiogon in late 2007. Within the first couple of month, word about LessLoss spread like wildfire among Audiogon members. Here is the feedback received from our clients during our first year of operation. This is from even before we had our own website.

Louis is one of the best in the business, truly professional and very fast production and delivery. I am very satisfied by your superb service. Many thanks.

Positive by Buyer Sebastian (135) on 07-29-2008

Excellent transaction with Lessloss on dynamic filtering power cord. Good communications & fast shipping. A+++++

Positive by Buyer Sennett (45) on 07-03-08

Bought 3 pc's from Liudas in Jan/08. Outstanding product as advertised. Performance is everything and more than I expected. Kudos to Lessloss cable for a great product. Very highly recommended...A+++

Positive by Buyer Phillykid (33) on 06-19-08

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