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Published LessLoss Reviews Now Number Over 697

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Blackbody

Date Added: 01/07/2009 
Blackbody (1st version)

Actually, this is more of a small add-on to my personal experiences with "light" frequency in the effect of sound reproduction. I do not profess to be a scientist on this front but have trusted my ears to let me comment.

I read the Blackbody article with great interest. An actively powered blue light bulb was mentioned as enhancing sonic quality.

You may want to explore "reflected" light -- that is, something passive. I have found ORANGE PAPER (unwaxed) sticker dots (the ones you find at stationery stores to color code documents, folder, files, etc.) to be extrememly effective in enhancing sound quality. Other colors just did not cut it, the worse being blue and green. I have found dual use for this...interplay of reflected light and resonance (specifically, sympathetic resonance...why fight resonance when you can never get rid of it, and you do need it afterall), all on the passive "unpowered" front.

The people at Shun Mook have known about this for a very long time.

Try it, you may be just as surprised and perplexed!


Cheers,
Kenny
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Blackbody

Date Added: 01/06/2010 by Alan Carruth
Blackbody (1st version)

I am a big fan of LessLoss products having improved my system with the Signature power cords, the Firewall, and slaving a CEC 51xr transport to the DAC 2004 Mkll. I purchased 6 Blackbody units and placed them on top of the Wilson Watt/puppy speakers, and next to the Jeff Rowland model 6 mono-amps, the CEC 51xr and the DAC 2004 Mkll. The effect was beyond my expectations! The sound became softer and much clearer. The definition of the sound improved in all aspects from the bass to the treble. The music is as close to a "natural" sound as I've ever heard. The electronic edge disappeared and the music became alive and oh so enjoyable to listen to. I am now able to enjoy CDs that before were harsh. I am more than satisfied with the performance of the Blackbody units. Thank you Louis!
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Blackbody

Date Added: 01/10/2010 by Michael, Germany
Blackbody (1st version)

My highest congratulation for the design and development of the Blackbody.

Even directly being used straight out of the box the Blackbody's effect was immediately present.

I put one Blackbody behind my TacT Millenium digital amp and the other two Blackbodys at the external crossover boards of my loudspeakers - and I think I should have ordered a six-pack in order to 'clean' the source components including the DAC 2004 and my power conditioner without loosing the already achieved improvement.

In one word: transparency in its holistic meaning is what the Blackbodys are 'producing'. Transparency means that the often used phrase of removing a curtain is now truly valid. Fine details never heard before. The harshness of CDs has vanished and even distortions have disappeared. In consequence, staging and depth perception are incredible.

A real jaw dropping experience.

The effect is not subtle at all and much bigger than the effects achieved by power conditioning and high quality power cables.

The low resolution CD formatted music now really has an analogue touch.

I wonder how the effects will be on a phono preamp and turntable pick-up.

Success for your plans and activities.

Michael, Germany
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Blackbody

Date Added: 01/13/2010 by Jörg Stanislawski, Dortmund, Germany
Blackbody (1st version)

New Adventures in Sound!

A few days ago I received the Blackbody, so I had some time of experience, and I had two additional critical ears from the apartment below. It is impressive to hold the Blackbody in your hands and notice the impressive weight of the device. You have seen the pictures, but it is different to see and feel the Blackbody in reality.

My rack made it possible to place the Blackbody on the left and right side of each platform, so I could try it on every piece of gear, except the bunch of cables behind and I haven't tried it on speakers yet.

I will not bore you with details what records or CDs we listened to, or what part of aspects of the sound improved here or there, as you probably read a thousand times in the usual suspect magazines.

Let me only approve this:

The Blackbody functions as stated by LessLoss.

Every piece of gear I tried it on benfits in nearly the same strength.

It even works on the turntable, and that was something I didn't expect.

The critical second pair of ears and I detected the biggest improvement with a not ideal placement. Directly on top of the poweramp, facing towards the transformer below.

Records and CDs that I thought sound nearly perfect get shockingly better with the Blackbody.

You may have tried the whole range of tweaks available, but the Blackbody adds a new astonishing quality of improvement. Only one Blackbody shifts the sound to a new level of realism. It is not a subtle change or possible hallucination. In the studio with the musicians? You are there.

Equal improvement in sound quality could be had only with expensive investments. You can live happily with the sound that you get with your existing gear by adding only one Blackbody for a long time. So at first sight the Blackbody doesn't seem cheap, but the price is definitely modest, when you realize what it is cappable of and that you get something totally unique, never available before. Bear in mind that worldwide shipping with UPS is included. In Europe the exchange rate from USD to EUR adds another benefit.

This is no voodoo mambo-jambo, just impressive science in physics and surely a lot-lot-lot of brainwork. Are there any other companies telling you in such extreme detail how their products function and the theoretical foundations? Well, until now I haven't read anything similar.

How can you go wrong? Try one without unpacking it and if you are not satisfied you can give it back. But be prepared that you won't go back to listening without the Blackbody.

Absolutely wonderful product... and way cool it looks, too.
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Blackbody

Date Added: 01/28/2010 by Pedro Nunes (Portugal)
Blackbody (1st version)

Congratulations! I didn't want to believe in the Blackbodys but they do work.

The sound becomes more clear/clean, more profound and tridimensional. I now can very easily pinpoint the places where the voices and instruments are placed, even in depth.

I have a couple of Blackbodys around my source and pre and another near my conditioner (which made a huge difference). This combination really works.

I wish I had some more right now to put on my amplifiers and perhaps my speakers.

Keep up the good work.

Pedro Nunes
Portugal
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Blackbody

Date Added: 02/09/2010 by Roger, USA
Blackbody (1st version)

I'm fully satisfied with the Blackbodys. I've kept most them in their boxes because they're easy to place and I don't worry about them getting damaged.

One interesting point I discovered was that I could remove the vibration feet I had under my sources that made it more difficult to cover everything with the Blackbodys and I noticed that I didn't miss them at all.

The Blackbodys are also great for movies with a lot of sound effects, adding more realism. The only downside is you never know when enough is enough.
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Blackbody

Date Added: 02/09/2010 by Rainer Weber, Regensburg, Germany
Blackbody (1st version)

The Blackbodys are extremely good. I've now got the best sound I've ever heard. Listening has become a pure pleasure and joy, and I insist on setting up with the Blackbodys at all future audio shows featuring the Kaweros.

Rainer Weber
Technical Director
Kaiser Acoustics, Germany
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Blackbody

Date Added: 02/22/2010 by Das Laurin
Blackbody (1st version)

Regarding the star rating for the Blackbody, I don't know how to rate it with the star system as there is nothing to measure it against - except perhaps for perceived value for money - which is highly subjective. I trust the review will speak for itself.

Source : AMR CD-77 with 77.1 upgrade
Pre-Amp : Modwright 9.0 SE Signature
Amplifier : Nu Force 9.0 V2 SE monoblocs
Speakers : Salk Veracity HT3's
Cables : Solitone Model X interconnects with bi-wire run of Anti-Cable - double, twisted pair on mid/tweeter, single parallel pair on woofer
AC Cabling : Four Oyaide Tunami power cords terminated with Oyaide P004/C004 connectors. FIM 302 IEC's ( gold plated copper ) preferred on Nu Force.
Accessories : Hi Fi Tuning fuse ( Modwright ) Furutech fuses ( Nu Force ) NOS Mullard 5AR4 & RCA 5687's (Modwright ) Eichmann Toppers on Salks.
Powerline : Four dedicated 20 amp lines with four Oyaide R1 receptacles fitted with WPC-Z (aluminium/carbon fibre ) faceplates
Stand : Grand Prix Audio Monaco spiked to custom sandbox 840cm x 750cm x 140cm filled with 400-1000um high silica sand with 18mm hardwood formply used as spike interface. Formula One Kevlar composite shelf under source.
Powerline conditioning : Currently trialing Alan Mahers Quantum Studio, various Infinity CBF in/near power box, Infinity Shields on amp receptacles. 2 Enacoms permanently fitted.
Room : 18ft x 12.5ft x 8ft opening into kitchen and hallway at narrow listening end. Salk HT3's spiked to weight calibrated Equa Rack footers on suspended wooden floor. DIY cylindrical bass traps in room corners, set of Cathedral Sound panels front and rear at ceiling level, custom panel traps at first reflection points, wool carpet in front of speakers.
System Strengths : Dynamic, fast, detailed, transparent, large 3 dimensional soundstage - no subwoofer needed.
System Weaknesses : Slight glassiness present in upper midrange, may be due to mild high frequency tilt of Nu Force (measured stats) plus Modwright tends to a bright, solid state presentation.

History : 10 years of serious tweaking and auditioning of components/cabling/footers/racks. I have come to realise that the devil is in the details. Cabling, resonance control, AC power issues, room treatments, each have to be thoroughly attended to. This is no place for the faint hearted. Without such attention to detail, at best, hi-fi mediocrity is achieved.

Back in 1979 I had a beautiful analogue system ( the classic Linn Sondek/Grace/Supex/ Naim amplification/ Gale GS401A speaker combination ). After several years I onsold the system due to the rarity of decent recordings available in North Queensland (land of Oz) at the time. A brief flirtation with car audio culminated in a tri-amped Nakamichi split system. In 2000 the home audiophile bug bit again and this time it was the CD challenge. I still own four CD players with the Meridian 508 (a classic) currently outclassed by the valved AMR CD-77. As a member of the South East Queensland Audio Club, I have heard many different types of systems including several in the $100,000 + range, so I am familiar with good, different and indifferent sound.

The LessLoss purchase experience :

Louis Motek was a pleasure to deal with and it seemed the same professionalism and attention to detail was evident when organising shipment and even packaging ( clearly a perfectionist ) as went into the design of his Blackbody. The unit arrived within days of being posted, fortified with tight-fitting high density black (of course) foam in a black box, superimposed with the Blackbody design on the outside, to mirror the Blackbody on the inside. I believe this was designed so one can test the unit first without removing it from the sealed box, a pre-condition if the item is returned.

THE BLACKBODY STORY


My first knowledge about Lessloss audio products came a few years ago when I first read about their power cords on Audiogon. Out of audiophile curiosity, I tuned into their website and was attracted to the level of investigatory detail Louis Motek displayed in the technological ( and yet to be realised ) pursuit of his Blackbody, as well as his established product line. The Blackbody was then previewed in an esoteric sense as Louis had an obvious predisposition to explore theoretical physics and apply it to audio. I approached this with interest but a healthy degree of scepticism - how could one prove or disprove any of this. It was his obvious passion and sincerity that continued to maintain my curiosity and interest. When the Blackbody materialised a few years later, I was going to wait for the professional reviews to roll in before committing to an audition. However the pre-order special roped me in and I thought I'd give it a go, carefully going over with Louis the requirement for returning the Blackbody for a maximal refund, which I secretly expected. After all, this was not a power cord but an intangible black box - a completely passive device located some distance away from the componentry. I suspected it did something but exactly what. I have to this day rejected many well reviewed audio tweaks and accessories as neutrality was more often than not compromised to an unacceptable degree, even though performance in some areas was as claimed.


My system is fairly well tweaked and highly transparent. It walks a very fine line and the slightest change can upset the musical equilibrium with hi-fi heaven quickly descending into musical hi-fi hell. I first located the Blackbody under the Nu Force amps, on top of my sandbox ( I preferred the sandbox to the premium GPA Apex footer upgrade ). I figured if the Blackbody was going to clear up electronic garbage, then the switch mode power supplies of the Nu Force amps was a good place to start. In this location, the presentation changed, but for the worse. A sort of sonic smearing took place, rather than enhancement of any kind. To be fair, the Blackbody was located about 15cm from the amps - a little too close to give the proper 30 degree coverage to both amps. Next I tried it behind the Modwright pre-amp, sitting on the Monaco shelf. Again, only 15 cm from the back of the component on the edge of the shelf. Again the presentation changed, this time more favourably than with the Nu Force. There was some improved ambience and detail but with a trade-off. A shift in the frequency balance towards the highs exacerbated an existing system weakness.

On reflection at this point, I realised that anything that I had ever put on the Monaco stand other than the component ( I had tried many different component footers that had worked with my previous Spider Rack and custom granite shelving ) had upset the balance of this finely tuned stand. Even sandbags on top of the sandbox were detrimental to the overall balance while fine-tuning, creating frequency shifts that were clearly audible. So the Blackbody in these locations was imparting a resonant signature of its own by virtue of its mass - which was interfering with its intended passive function.

Next I tried a Blackbody facing down on top of the left Salk speaker. Again, a noticeable change with some apparent enhancement of the sound coming from the left speaker - but difficult to say whether this was better overall as it was no longer quite matched to the right. Trying it the other way around yielded the same result. I drew the conclusion that the only way to really tell here was to have a pair of Blackbody's. This would also reveal if the mass of the Blackbody was changing the resonant signature of the speaker enclosure or influencing the performance of the weight calibrated Equa Rack footers ( the Salks weigh 56kg each ). However, it was apparent the Blackbody was doing something positive here and I would have liked to have an extra Blackbody on hand to determine if the sonic result represented value for money.


Finally, I located the Blackbody on a CD rack fixed to the wall about 25cm behind the AMR CD-77. By this time I had begun to think it was not going to work in my system. Sitting back in my listening chair, it was as if a switch had been suddenly flicked. There was an immediate, unmistakable improvement in the sonics - an expansion of the soundstage accompanied by improved clarity and detail. On careful listening, the frequency balance was unchanged - the expansion of the soundstage was real and had occurred on its own merits, not due to a tipping of frequencies but an extension in both directions. I immediately removed the Blackbody to confirm this - the difference was black and white. The improvement in clarity and detail was consistent throughout the frequency range and bass fundamentals were more present. The only way I could think to explain this was that some sort of layer of ' grunge ' had been removed that had been previously hidden. Vocal nuances were enhanced and a relative subliminal aspect to the music emerged that made the music sound more like music. There was a realisation that there was no going back. This was not a subtle change but a significant one and rare in its total neutrality. The Blackbody was clearly acting as some sort of grunge filter, as surprisingly, that's exactly what you comparitively hear with it removed.

On the question of value for money, this would depend on the heights your system has scaled and which you aspire to. Unless there is some other way of getting rid of the sonic garbage, I now consider it indispensable. Louis tells me this is just the tip of the iceberg and that three located around the source give profound results. My stand doesn't lend itself to this but I am now considering the practicality of suspending a couple from the ceiling, just to satisfy my audiophile curiosity. However, I can say that just one properly located Blackbody is a worthwhile upgrade, without the presence of any downside. I can't say if this has expanded the known boundaries of audio by removing a hitherto unknown contaminant and that it cannot be duplicated by other means - that would have to be determined by those with more resolved and highly tweaked systems than mine.
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Blackbody

Date Added: 03/14/2010 by Claudius Waldschuetz
Blackbody (1st version)

I bought 3 blackbodies and now have a couple of weeks listening with or without and the improvement is quite astonishing. I use them in conjunction with ADAM active speakers, Ayre QB-9 and Octave HP500SE right now. What does it do? Well I already got used to it. Just how much the blackbodies weigh in the equation I experienced yesterday. I had an audio buddy at my house listened to music and drank an excellent red wine. He was deeply impressed with the sound. After a while he noticed those two boxes sitting on top of my speakers. "What are those?" he asked. "Oh, that was a recommendation of this guy from Lithuania." "Where you got your power cords from?". "Yes." "Do they work equally well?" "Well they are different." Why dont we listen to the same song again without them?"
So we did. "Is this the same recording at the same volume?" he asked. "Uh, yes. I didnt change anything."
The difference was so clear, much clearer then I remembered. With the blackbodies we heard the finest details, much more room information, the color of the instruments was much more natural.
If we just listend to some hihat work, the difference was striking. Suddenly you heard not only what was hit, but where exactly the stick hits. Especially microdynamics improved in a way I havent heard before. It is kind of like with the powercords from lessloss. More natural but at the same time the sound opens up more. With the power cords, I got more weight in the sound, this you do not get from the blackbodies! In my system the blackbodies are definitely the icing on the cake. New dimensions in clarity!
We listened to two songs with and without and after that we decided to just listen to music and enjoy. Of course with the blackbodies in place!
Placement:
I first tried them with my Ayre QB-9. Well it is an improvement. but only marginally. Until i moved the blackbody about 15 cm away. I tried them with my active speakers, pointing towards the amplifiers. Not much effect. Then I placed them on top of the speakers. This is my favorite placement! I am still experimenting with the one unit, which is left. Right now, I alligned my gear in a way, that I can cover everything with the blackbodies "beam". Even my Audio Server (Computer) benefits!
Highly recommended! (I havent tried them with our radio in the kitchen ;-) )
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Blackbody

Date Added: 11/10/2010 by Andreas Vamvakaris, Greece
Blackbody (1st version)

hen I first read about this product I was very skeptical. However being the happy owner of 4 DFPCs I decided to give it a try and buy one Blackbody.

I can definitely confirm that this little black box really makes a difference.

I placed it around on several positions in my system: the cd player, integrated amp, phono stage and I noticed the same effect: the soundstage acquires more depth and focus, instruments are better separated and ones gets a more being in-there feeling. Do not expect a change in timbre or extension. what I noticed was more transparency and a more palpable, involving sound.

The moment the Blackbody is removed from the system the idea that something is missing, a lack of realism and a more congested soundstage is apparent. This is no placebo as the effect is immediately perceived: Blackbody in position - Blackbody out... no need to switch on, switch off system, wait for components to warm up again. Therefore one can not be mistaken by his acoustic memory.

This product also is aesthetically pleasing and of high quality.

All I can say is that if you can afford it and you have a high resolution system, do not hesitate to buy at least one Blackbody.

Thanks
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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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