Review: LessLoss Filtering Power Cable Power cord


Category: Cables

Buying multi-hundred dollar power cords from Lithuania? My engineer friends continue to find pleasure in openly questioning every aspect of that decision. To them it makes no sense and has no basis in engineering. Can it ever be more than folly to spend good money on a power cord? In my case it was very well placed money.

Impressions after 24 hour burn-in (sorted by perceived magnitude):
1 - Louder: For a comparable sound output level, the volume setting is clearly lower.
2 - Quieter: Less noise- didn't really know there was any. Now tinier sounds become unburied from a previously unnoticed haze.
3 - Better bass: Better bass control- individual bass sounds now easily more distinct. Hard to understand how, but new, deeper frequencies were produced. On specific tracks, a deeper bass that had been achieved using my old speakers and power cords was missing from my current speakers. That is until the LessLoss cables were added. Cool. Now I have the benefits of the new speakers w/o giving up the advantage of the old ones.
4 - More articulate.
5 - Soundstage is wider
6 - Soft treble is less present. This diminution is not an advantage. It's rarely an issue though, and well within striking distance of a cable tweak.
7 - A shade better dynamics.
8 - Imaging improved
9 - Soundstage a tad deeper.

While the above may sound clinical and analytical it really was more fun and emotional than the rack & stack will allow. From the first note very encouraging sounds emanated. I made an effort to contain my positive reaction knowing how things can change w/ time. In the past I've been overly pleased at first only to later disagree w/ those impressions. So I proceeded cautiously.

Two months later: An increase of the first impressions, plus tonalities are better. Dynamic improvements are more obvious than before. I'd move it up to 5th place now. Difficult lyrics are nearly all discernible now. Listening at low levels has significantly better articulation. I never got much out of listening at low levels before this. Bands now sound more together.

Tape (not hiss) recordings are just more apparent due to the quieter background. Differences in digital cables are even more pronounced (same as before, only more evident). These cords have opened the door to benefitting from a better digital solution.

Ripe recordings are still ripe. Sterile ones still sterile. I'd call it neutral, but not to imply boring. It's musically so. Some mixes have both sterility and ripeness at the same time, confusing the critic.

Although I could find almost nothing* about these power cords (or LessLoss for that matter) on the web, I bought them with the hopes that they would miraculously fix the weaknesses of my system, and surprisingly that's just what they did. A very exciting product for me, delivering the changes I was looking for. That may be the luck of sheer system synergy or some weakest link getting addressed in my system. But it's more probable that Liudas was confident enough about his creation to take the chance that consumers outside his control would have something good to write about them.

It seems wacky to hear attributes normally given to interconnects and speaker wire in something not directly in the signal path. I want to make it clear that these power cords did as much to improve the sound of my system as my $$$ interconnects. Never would I have believed it coming from someone else, and now I'm a believer. This product has made my current speakers no longer a compromised tradeoff from the old ones. I listen longer and can enjoy more.

YMMV: I have no experience w/ other high end PCs or ANY power conditioners. I can't tell you if the power from my wall is cleaner or dirtier than average. I've purchased other well reviewed power cords and built some of my own, but each costs less than $100. The other cables each had a character that I applied in the most advantageous way. The LessLoss made the others irrelevant, as they will not be going back into the system. Not sure what LL's return policy is, but they won't be getting these back. In hindsight it's obvious the mistake was not in buying these Lithuanian power cords, but in not buying more.

In the interest of disclosure I should mention that the LessLoss power cords that I've auditioned here were sold at a promotional rate in exchange for my honest review posted here. It's nice that someone recognizes the value of time. Thanks Liudas. Your cables rock!

Heads up for those who plan on ordering:
PayPal name (Lina Motekaitiene) was not identical to website name (Liudas Motekaitis) . Maybe this is a language issue. No worries though. When I ordered the item was backlogged. This information and the approximate timeframe for shipping were clearly communicated. Email updates came in as things progressed. Very professional. The minimalist packaging was beaten up in transit, but cables were unharmed. Possibly something more durable (maybe tough plastic exterior w/ a bubble wrap liner) will protect against greater handling uncertainties. Hope you enjoy as much as I have.

*The Martin G. Dewulf review encouraged the gamble.

Associated gear
Acoustic Zen speakers
Olive music server
Dodson DAC
Bel Canto int
dachadee

I thought I would follow up from my earlier post for those who may have an interest. Three extra LessLoss power cables recently arrived and packing was a little better and shipment was a huge improvement…. they were sent on Friday and I received them Monday…. great.

Sorry, I can’t compare the Lessloss to many other cords currently, but I have a pretty good audio memory. The only other commercial cords I currently possess are the excellent value for money Bolder Nitro’s fitted with Rhodium Furutechs…. I’ve had a bit of a clear out on cords recently.

Swapping out the first new LessLoss for the Nitro plus on my Spectron amp wrought a slight improvement in lushness, a little more detail from probably a slightly quieter background and slightly improved dynamics… a worthwhile improvement in all areas, but nothing completely mind blowing.

Swapping out the second LessLoss for the Nitro on my Modwright Transporter gave a significantly lusher, sweeter and quieter background and the bass was more extended and tighter…. everything felt better damped and under better control. There was definitely a greater change on this component compared to the amp…. but to be fair, the LessLoss is three times the cost of the standard Nitro.

Swapping out another Nitro for the last Lessloss on the Denon DVD/SACD player gave similar improvements as on the Transporter with the added advantage of improvements to the video picture and resolution…. These LessLoss cords are notably great for video applications. Small but valuable improvements to the bass definition were additionally welcomed.

After a couple of days of running, the cords seemed to settle or calm down…. difficult to put into words, but they don’t seem to need a lot of running before they are listenable as they sound good right out the packet.

Overall… the use of all LessLoss cords has given me a very desirable cumulative affect…. not quite as profound as the very first cord powering my main Running Springs PLC… but all progressive improvements and none I would want to live without now. My system is significantly more transparent with a veil lifted that I didn’t even know was there until it was gone. I now hear instruments and bass lines that simply weren’t there before as the cords offer a very clear window in unison. The cords seem very neutral, they won’t emphasize the bass or treble and so won’t fix blatant problems elsewhere in the system, but do seem to increase bandwidth somewhat.

I haven’t yet personally heard another cord around this money that has made such a great improvement, especially in the areas of naturalness and just sounding “right”…. but there are obviously many I haven’t heard. The first cord from the wall outlet is a no-brainer to me, especially if you also have your TV plugged into the PLC as I do.

The biggest compliment I can give to the boys at LessLoss, and the most desirable attribute to me is…. before the Lessloss cords, my system sounded great, but my foot only tapped about half the time. Now with all Lessloss cords, including their digital cable, every time the music plays I can’t keep my feet still. Liudas is a pleasure to deal with… thank you.