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Published LessLoss Reviews Now Number Over 727

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Firewall Module

Date Added: 07/17/2016 
I've used the USB Firewall Key for over 100 hrs and can report that it has made a significant improvement to the sound with better definition and clarity.

I had 2 audiophile friends over recently to audition the Echo's End and they were both astounded by the difference the single USB Firewall Key made.
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Firewall Module

Date Added: 06/15/2016 by Guy, from Israel
Hi Louis,

An update on the first 4 USB Firewall Keys I have on my music server:
WOW !!!
and they're getting better everyday now :-)

It started last Friday that I noticed some more depth on the instruments and music in total, it was while music was playing and I was doing some stuff at my place, no critical listening.

In the evening I sat properly to have a listen and I was with a smile on my face :-)

The USB Firewall Keys open up and became more clear (a bit like it happened with the power Firewall modules) and in turn I could hear how the noise floor went lower exposing more details, more ambiance cues, more depth to the sound and a 3D feeling to it. The music became richer and not just flat rich, but 3D rich. You could hear more into the recording and get the feeling of the recording place. More live-like, realistic, natural, more presence and much more engaging.

I still try to realize what I'm hearing and it's still hard to put words to it. I looked at your email when you described what you are getting from the USB Firewall Key and I can hear the same things here and am very happy with it.

There is still a few things that the Digital XLR connection does better, but I believe this is due to the cable I'm using, so I assume that when I replace the printer-USB cable I'm currently using to a shielded one I'll get even better results.

In total I can say that now I'm happy with the USB Firewall Key and I don't have any need to go back to the Digital XLR, which I think says a lot.

This is with 2 USB Firewall Keys on the JCAT card + 2 USB Firewall Keys on the WSH, and as you know I have 4 more that are now burning-in on my other PC+OPPO in anticipation for the 'Special-Way' to connect 4+4. I can't imagine how that will sound !!!

Kudos on the great work !!!

Cheers,
Guy
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Homage to Time

Date Added: 06/15/2016 
I like your speaker cables. So far I've only switched the speaker cables so I get to learn them compared to my Kubala-Sosna. I will install the other cables soon since I have a pretty good impression now and am anxious to hear the impact and transformation from using the other cables.

The sound with Homage to Time is clearer and more dynamic. They have more focus and speed in the delivery of the sound. The K-S cables are more laid back and mellow. Your cables interact and pressurize the room with sound more directly if that makes any sense. The inner voices and textures can be heard with more clarity. For example, brush strokes on drum kits on jazz recordings can be heard as a sizzle and complex texture instead of just as a bland sand paper sound. Background studio chatter can be heard and understood now on out take clips. Yet the sound isn't overly etched or hyper detailed so as to be fatiguing or distracting. The bass is better defined. The notes have a better articulation and attack. The pluck of strings can be heard and the strokes on guitar strings can be sensed. There is a better balance between vocals and instruments. Your cables are sounding better then what I have been using and I thought then that that sound was already pretty good.

I am always dumbfounded when I make a positive change and hear more quality and resolution in the musical presentation and emotional involvement. My stereo sounds so good that it's not like I am unhappy and seeking an upgrade. But there seems to always be room for improvement for something that I'm not even aware of till I try something new that is better than what I am currently using. This is what happened in this case with your Homage to Time loudspeaker cables.

The LessLoss cables open up over time and reveal the sound with more resolution. In some ways they aren't that far removed from the general sound of what I am used to hearing from my stereo, yet at the same time do more for the sound and let me hear more into the depth of the recording and performance space. They deliver a more transparent, clear and detailed sound with the proper musical partials, overtones, textures and instrumental tonal colors while maintaining a perspective that isn't too forward, up front, or diffuse and blurred. In fact, the sound field is deep and wide with a distinctive image that allows the speakers to disappear and give the impression of music emanating from some place far behind the speakers. The sound also appears from a silent and steady background that fits in with your concept of darker background noise and a lowered noise floor.

I was also pleased with how light and flexible the cables were, which made the installation easy to accomplish. The fit and finish is quite pleasing and unobtrusive. That's quite an accomplishment, too, in this era of fire hose thick cables.

My wife just came by and said they sound really good! I assume the synergy of installing the other cables (Homage to Time interconnects and your DFPCs) will further enhance the sound and take the system to a new level of superior performance. I am really looking forward to the remaining cables going in soon. You have an excellent design and build. It's clearly progressed significantly beyond what I previously had from you (Anchorwave series). Good job, and congrats on such a fine product.
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Firewall Module

Date Added: 06/06/2016 
I have just received my USB Firewall Key from the pre-order shipment.
The improvement in sound from such a small device is anything but subtle.
I look forward to adding another USB Firewall Key to my system as I am so impressed with the results achieved so far.
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Homage to Time

Date Added: 05/23/2016 by mdc
I wanted to inform you about my impressions concerning the recent upgrades to my system.

It was eventually impossible and vain trying to 'separate the addition' of these upgrades: the power distributor and the XLR cable were added at a time when the Firewalls had already been burned in for 3 weeks, 24/7 (without listening, both just connected to 2 old cd players).

I would have loved to measure and quantify/qualify each addition, just for the sake of it. But in the end, I connected everything to my system and let it burn in for about 2 weeks without proper listening.

As expected, in my case, with a full tube system, I needed a lot (and I mean a lot) of time, patience and indeed experienced some amount of frustration. I sometimes lost patience but I remembered my previous experiences with the first version of the distributor and the DFPC power cables. In this case, as feared, it was the XLR cable that caused the main frustrations with huge variations in ‘quality of sound’ before it settled.

At this stage, with about 250 hours of burn in for the distributor and the interconnect, I can happily inform you that the system has evolved very nicely.

I guess the burn in of the XLR isn’t finished yet and I am even prepared to face another ‘dip,’ but for the last couple of days the sound has become really, well, beautiful: detailed, powerful, refined, relaxed but dynamic at the same time.

And again, as for my prior purchases (3 DFPC Originals, then upgrading those to 3 DFPC Signatures and the power distributor with the prior art (plastic) version of the Firewall modules), the sound, as a whole, has evolved positively.

The music, as a whole, sounds better, all CD’s sound better. Nothing is unbalanced, everything has evolved positively. Everything is now on (yet) another level.

I could use all the usual clichés ('another veil is lifted’-which is true, by the way-and so on…) and try to explain with more ‘suitable' words what my impressions are but I will simply sum it up with ‘music sounds so much better’.

About the XLR cable, I totally agree with the Russian magazine review posted on your website. Obviously for comparison I tried returning to my Oyaide XLR AR-910 with its 2 years of use and a burn in treatment on a cable burner, and compared its sound to the XLR Homage to Time and indeed, with Homage to Time, nothing is missing, everything is there…and Homage to Time sounds better.

At the end of the day, the burn in process is everything but fun, time consuming and immensely frustrating. I firmly believe that a cable burner of some sort really helps.

I could understand that some customers give up after a few weeks, especially if they also own a tube based system that prolongs the burn-in period because of the need to switch the system off when not in use. I simply can’t let the cable burn in 24/7 for days and days with the tubes fully heated. I sometimes had the impression that each day, the cable needed to pass through the same stages without progressing.

So Louis, what else can I say? I am extremely satisfied with these purchases and upgrades. They really have taken my pleasure to listen to music to yet another level. And also, I am very happy that you keep on designing beautiful products.

As usual, thank you for keeping your promises.


UPDATE 08/02/2016:

The sound of my system has been evolving in an unbelievable way.

I am now at the 500 hours mark and although the burn-in has been an excruciating process, it was well worth the wait…
My initial impressions at around 250/300 hours are nothing next to what I hear today.

My previous « review » seriously needs to be updated.

Nothing has improved the sound of my system as much as the combination of the Firewalls in the distributor you made for me and the 2 Firewall modules with the Oyaide option.

The Homage to Time XLR is the cherry on top of the cake.

The point I want to make is that the sound was absolutely fantastic when I posted my first review but now, it has reached yet another level (which is what I actually wrote a few weeks ago already ;)

The difference is that now, since a few days, I feel that the sound has somehow ‘finished’ to evolve and is now ‘stable’ (at least, I guess so!)…and amazing.

Thank you for bringing me even closer to the music I love!
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Echo's End

Date Added: 05/20/2016 by Tony-Oz
Echo's End DAC: Follow-up Impressions

With well over 300 hours of play, my Echo's End DAC should be close to full burn-in. Here are my humble impressions following my earlier report which I must stress are purely personal. I have deliberately chosen a range of recordings that range from audiophile-grade recordings to those with known deficiencies.

There was very little difference between the Response Audio Tube CD player and an Oppo BDP-95 Blue-Ray player as sources connected to a Response Audio 801A integrated Tube Amp (70W/Ch) using an Aural Harmony gold-alloy coaxial cable. The system uses LessLoss Signature power cables with Firewall Current Conditioners to every component.

The first thing that comes through is the "naturalness" and musicality of the sound, with little or no coloration, a dark silent background, excellent spatial delineation of voices and instruments with greater depth and height. There is no harshness with good recordings whilst older recordings known to be harsh or bright are given a new lease of life. This is indeed a major benefit as it has brought greater enjoyment to many old definitive recordings such as Klemperer's Beethoven Symphonies 3 ,5 and 9, and. Rossini's "Thieving Magpie" overture (the remastered audiophile CD by JVC from the original Decca recording) with Gamba and the LSO, is simply magnificent. Bach's Toccata & Fugue in G-Minor for organ (Peter Hurford/Decca) highlights the character of the bass, which is well rounded but solid and natural without any boominess. I can listen for hours with no listening fatigue.

The female voice is especially enhanced with greater clarity and a natural sibilence - this was quite obvious from certain tracks such as Eva Cassidy's "Over The Rainbow" where the brittleness at the top end when her voice reaches a crescendo now sounds controlled and natural. Diana Krall's voice comes across with even greater detail (try "The Girl In The Other Room - tracks 3 & on 9, the controlled distortion of the electric guitar sounds "live"). Leontyne Price's "Oh Holy Night" is exhiliarating and operatic recordings generally sound more stage-like with excellent spatial separation of voices from the orchestra.

Musical instruments sound much more dynamic and life-like especially the piano, violin, percussion and saxophone, yet remaining natural. Examples are Kyung Wha-Chung's Beethoven & Mendelssohn Violin concertos, Wilhelm Kempff's superlative Beethoven Piano Concerto No 5 (DG 1962 remastered) and Alfred Brendel's rendition of Schubert's "Wanderer Fantasie". Orchestral string music is lush and pleasing to the ear (try Rossini's String Sonatas (Decca). A favourite version of Pachelbel's Canon on a cheap Erato CD by Orchestre De Chambre/Paillard) has been transformed from a bright,harsh piece to a much more enjoyable experience.

However, I have noticed that the output, as judged by the audible volume of the music, appears to be reduced by about 15-20% in my system.

In summary, the Echo's End DAC has indeed transformed my modest audio system immeasurably, resulting in enhanced enjoyment of music and bringing new life to older recordings, which is what it's all about.

Top marks to you, Louis, for creating yet another great audio component. Love it.

Update: 09/12/2016 by Tony-Oz
Echo's End DAC Update & 5X Firewall Module.

The DAC is truly burned-in and has since been further enhanced with the addition of the 5X Firewall module to the integrated amp and a standard Firewall Module to the CD player used as a transport. All components are powered by LessLoss Signature power cables and the IC used is the Homage to Time. Since my last review, the sound volume output appears to have returned to original levels.

The addition of the 5X Firewall module has brought about an unexpectedly large boost in performance - much greater than using just the standard module - separation of instruments and voices is not only startling but the background is really dark. Music sounds fluid and natural while voices have slightly more clarity. Bass is more 'musical' and the high frequencies are relaxed and well-defined. The high registers of the piano sound like crystal - a great example is Liszt's "La Campanella" (Yundi Li _ A portrait). The virtual absence of listening fatigue is greatly appreciated. Some audiophile friends have been similarly impressed when these components were tested on one of their systems.

I have also had the experience of using the LessLoss USB firewall module which has lifted sound from USB sources to a new level.

I have found that upgrading a decent system with super components from LessLoss like power and IC cables, the DAC and firewall modules have brought about greater sonic improvement than rushing out to buy the latest models of system equipment every year or so?.?

Thank you Louis for producing products that live up to their claims of excellence. As they say, the proof is in the pudding.
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Firewall Module

Date Added: 05/08/2016 
Wow, what a product! This is my first purchase from LessLoss, and it's a winner. I was seeking to tame a bit of the flat sterile sound that can happen with the Devialet D200 if not fed with good AC power. I got much more than expected! I am now at 275 hours of burn-in on continued play. The sound is exceptionally natural, dimensional, organic and 3D. Better yet, it is still improving! I am very, very satisfied with the results of this first unit and looking forward to purchasing more Firewalls to install throughout my system.

Thank you Louis for your patient guidance and LessLoss for this exceptional product!

PS: customers who purchase this product should be advised to be patient. My Plug-and-Play module did not begin to open up and shine until after 75 hours of constant use.
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Homage to Time

Date Added: 04/27/2016 by Stephen Braude
I'm astounded at how big a difference your jumper cables have made. I've been breaking them in over the past couple of days and they're still improving. But even from the beginning I heard a lot more detail, and also better dynamics and gradations of loudness. Some initial shrillness or brittleness went away after a steady day of break-in, and detail and sense of space around instruments has continued to increase, considerably. I knew improving jumpers could make a difference; I'd already discovered that when I replaced the crappy clip-ons that came with my speaker with modest upgrades from Mapleshade and AntiCable. But the LessLoss jumpers take matters to a different level entirely. As much as I've benefited from adding 5 Firewall Modules to my system, I doubt that adding more would have made as dramatic an improvement as this modest (and much less expensive) jumper upgrade. Of course, it's really a speaker upgrade, and a significant one at that. If any of your customers still have stock jumpers on their speakers, I'd urge them to make the change IMMEDIATELY. I'm embarrassed that it didn't occur to me to do this much sooner.
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Echo's End

Date Added: 04/23/2016 by Jörg Stanislawski
The case for the Echo’s End DAC is unbelievably sturdy and there will surely be not a single unit delivered damaged.

I placed the DAC on three Roller Block Jr., and it looks fine.

The look of the Echo’s End DAC will not appeal to every possible customer looking for a new DAC.
Well, I love it’s look immensely. Stripped to the bones, a design of total understatement. No shiny display that shows sampling rates, input selector, the time and date or whatever. Just signal in, processing, signal out.

My Echo’s End gets the input signal via AES/EBU from my CD Transport. Signal out via LessLoss RCA cable.

I listened to one or two CDs and the let it play silently for hours every day. Then it came to my attention that I didn’t check the polarity of the power connection, how could I forget that? Damn. And it turned out I had to switch the polarity. My advice to every customer, check it right from the start, as it is important. After several hours of silent burn in, I started listening.

Every comment LessLoss posted about the sound is absolutely right. It seems that the enclosure of the Echo’s End is equivalent to the sound it creates in my listening room. It is pure, natural, analog-like and wonderfully detailed.

As if it were made explicitly for music with acoustical instruments. Jazz Trios sound unbelievably realistic. You can also expect lots of details not heard before. But I can only compare it to the DAC that I used before, and that was not an ultra expensive megabuck item.

With the Echo’s End the sound, room placement of instruments somehow shifted in dimensionality, this is difficult to describe. The instruments are perceived to be at slightly different places, especially in depth. So, the music seems to be reproduced like it was intended by the musicians, producers and recording artists.

Even when this dimensionality / room was created artificially in a sound recording studio for your listening pleasure. Instruments are wonderfully separated and at the same time the music can be sensed as a complete whole. This differentiates this DAC from other DACs, which have a more technical or, haha.. "digital" sound.

I'll compare this to an analog example. Way back when, I purchased a used double LP of Dave Brubeck's Time Out at a record fair. It was an RCA pressing, nothing special. At a later date I got the first audiophile remastered 180gr. pressing. The re-mastered version couldn’t compare to the cheap RCA pressing. The audiophile one had this sort of ping pong stereo effect, a much better separation of instruments, but the music couldn’t be recognized as whole.

I only wanted to mention one CD, the OST of „the house of flying daggers“. This is a recording that gives you a feeling at first listen, that it can’t get any better than this. The third track really gets you drumming, like the Kodo drummer of Japan, you know what I mean. With the Echo’s End, this track gets an unbelievable complete new quality. The drums sound so real, that you sit there in awe and simply can’t believe it. The drummers are in your room, it feels as if you can smell the sweat pouring down their skin. Really absolutely outstanding.

Yet again, LessLoss has created a wonderful product.

Thank You.

Jörg Stanislawski
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DFPC Series [Reference]

Date Added: 03/08/2016 by Private Hell Recording
Another DFPC Reference, this time feeding a Synergistic Research QLS-6 and ATC SCM25A Pro studio monitors. This replaces a JPS Labs Aluminata. Most interesting results were:

1. Better transient definition,especially in the bass.
2. I was able to actually angle my monitors out to get a wider field without sacrificing center image.
3. Natural frequency response.

- Private Hell Recording
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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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