In this installment of our holistic
system approach tests, based on the designs, in this case, of LessLoss Audio,
we’ll introduce the LessLoss Firewall power filter.
It’s both intriguing and ridiculous
to see people arguing about semantic labels such as "filter vs.
conditioner" when we're dealing with nothing other than filtering
procedures with regards to electricity.
Instantly, when we hear the word
"filter," we associate it with some sort of degradation. I cannot
recall any sane audiophile being thrilled by this word. It’s instantly
connected with the word "coloration," a covering and muffling of the
sound.
This is why many manufactures
avoid like the plague using any term even remotely close to a mere
"filter." Rather, they embrace the more safe and broad term
"conditioner," in order to avoid the negative connotations around it.
Then again, what is the basic
meaning and function of a power conditioner if it doesn’t perform the
functionality of filtration? Money sticker?
The LessLoss Firewall is both a
filter and conditioner (to satisfy the masses). When dealing with noise
reduction, it simply cannot be called anything less or anything else.
Firewall universe
We already discussed in length
about the importance of pure electrical power. It may always remain a hot topic
to discuss just what "pure" means in this context, but today there is
no longer any doubt that it plays an important part in every high-end system.
We often forget that it’s actually the power supply itself that audio designers
spend much of their time refining in their extensive designs of high-end audio
gear. In my last discussion with a hard core “audiophile” I asked out loud: “Do
you know about the importance of pure power in the fields of medical equipment,
laboratory measurement gear, high-tech military machines, etc.?” The answer was
a long black silence. Isn't it strange that we so often find such
elaborate rhetoric flaring up in the forums or discussions when we just merely
mention electricity, cables, power supplies etc. in high-end audio? Why is it
that it seems every other field on this Earth is dealing with nuances of
electricity, micro vibrations, elimination of noise and resonances? Why should
audio be an exception? Complete nonsense.
As science progresses, we find
ourselves in the mind-boggling situation of things and their descriptions
getting finer and subtler. With all the advancements of today, our perceptions
and comprehension of life and the universe are changing rapidly, and we’re more
and more inclined to marvel at the amazingly complex cosmos which
infinitesimally small (or large, depending on vantage point) part we inhabit.
Each new century and now even decade is offering new insight into the macro and
micro cosmos. We’re discovering smaller and smaller particles that unite our
surroundings. Stepping down from the atom and even the quark level is not even
a grand idea anymore. Today we've come all the way down to theoretical
"strings" that are just as close to "ideas" as the original
atom was some thousands of years ago. How can we fully understand the physical
and sublime laws to any exact measure when our journey of comprehension feels
more like a continuum of constant discovery rather than an open book?
If even a quarter of the funds,
passion and technology that is used in other fields of science would be applied
to the audio world, what progress we could make! More or less, we’re dealing
with old technologies here. I find that people in high-end audio quickly get
uneasy by any advancement in high-end audio. It seems that chewing the chewed
is the safe thing for many so called audiophiles. This goes down to the basic
laws of psychology. We’re afraid of changes and moving out of our cranial
comfort zone.
I’m enthralled by the companies
like LessLoss Audio. They are going beyond and are pushing the conventional
borders of our experiences and understanding around things high-end
audio.
True, to be honest, our entire
field of one of subtlety. The meaning of what we do lies in our own perception.
That's the beauty of this entire art. I always try to stay out of the easy,
sarcastic view of audio. Of course, there are products and companies that go
into "voodoo" territory, yet we have to recognize the people and
companies that truly try to push the boundaries further. Not just for the sake
of some difference in results, but for actually tangible, clearly audible
better results.
LessLoss Firewall Power Conditioner
Under the hood lies not your
ordinary firewall computer program solution, but the advanced LessLoss
Skin-filtering technology. We’ve seen and heard already that Louis Motek and the
guys at LessLoss know their stuff. So far I managed to build more then just a
balanced system with the LessLoss cabling solutions. It was suggested that the
Firewall works very well together with a Furutech eTP-609E, so I got one. I
used them in tandem in my system. The LessLoss Firewall has no appreciable
current limit and it can be inserted directly before individual components or
before a distribution unit such as the eTP-609. The LessLoss solution is a No
Caps, No Coils solution, so be absolutely sure you use a distribution unit
that is free of any traditional filtering elements such as transformers,
chokes, capacitors, and even fuses, etc.).
So what's the buzz about all the
traditional noise filtering methods that LessLoss is so adamantly persuading us
to revisit and re-evaluate?
Materials
Panzerholz, carbon fiber, aluminum,
etc. Contemporary state-of-the-art materials in the right alchemical
proportion? We’ve seen lately that many ultra high-end companies and products
involve quite a few elements in their products. Panzerholz is a building block
of the new wave Clearaudio turntables (Ovation, Innovation etc.). Its unique
structure and the way it deals with resonance signatures is pushing the
boundaries of micro vibration control. Carbon Fiber is not exactly this week's
news, but it is clearly becoming more and more of an integral part of high-end
gear. Not as a mere aesthetic pleaser, but as a high-tech material that deals
with vibrations in a certain way. Just look out how DalbyAudioDesign is using a
mixture of materials in their D-7 CBF feet. Ultra high-end extremists are going
crazy about those. I can only add my positive remarks about this. With my
reference turntable I was experimenting with many different materials. In the
end, the best results were always with a combination of materials. Now, this is
where the actual art begins. What, where and how much? As with any object
within state of the art labeling, nothing is exactly straightforward and
simple.
LessLoss seems to be not just
jumping onto the wagon, but seems to be there beforehand and is completely up
to the current pace of things in high-end audio. For this, there must be a vast
arsenal of creative energy and broad thinking behind their decisions. Louis
Motek, for sure, is a man of lightning speed and can grab from the most
disparate realms to combine logical ties to what might normally appear
disassociated randomness… I’m in no need to throw petals at any feet, but it is
always inspiring for me to be in touch with people who seem to live in creative
perpetual motion.
First encounter of a third kind
I didn’t hear any
"revelation" at my first sole meeting with this power conditioner.
I’m so-so when it comes to power conditioning. Lot’s of times they do good, or
some good, but not without side (d)effects. You might benefit in blacker
blacks, yet in most cases I have experienced before, you loose the pace,
impact, dynamics and finer nuances from within music. I’m not going into the
brand names, but you know you’re way around.
There was a suggested burn-in time
for LessLoss Firewall and I agree that at least a few days of constant
partnering with electricity does things in favor to the Firewall's
performance.
We have to agree on the already
mentioned importance of any amplifier's, preamplifier's, phono-stage's, or
DAC's built in power supply. I talked a lot with many renowned audio designers
and, more or less, they all agree that you have to be careful with the
insertion of an additional stand-alone power-filtering device. It is a matter
of how certain systems are build and put together, yet when it comes to
refinement and final customization of high-end and ultra high-end systems, in
most cases, I experienced this and came to the same conclusion. For truly great
performance, power conditioners (or "filters", or
"regenerators") are not to be used blindly inserted into a system.
You can lose a lot of nuance that way and be tricked into admiring a mirage of
false coloration.
The LessLoss Firewall is a
different bird. The Lamm LL2 preamplifier already had joined my system for
quite some time beforehand, and with Antelope Audio Zodiac Golden DAC,
Lampizator Level 4 DAC, Gryphon Audio Atilla, the New Valve Order Audio NVO
SPA-II phono, and my new Reference turntable all being under the scope, I’ve
got quite a heavy arsenal on my hands.
What surprised me most upon using
the LessLoss Firewall was the change. With the Firewall inserted before the
passive power distributor, it felt more like adding a preamplifier rather than
a power conditioner. Gain, fluidity, a blacker ground, dynamics, and a sense of
space all seemed added. Something natural happened. Everything had more
to do with the sense of an analog feeling of reproduction in a way that is not
easy to describe, but I'll try.
The sense of space and depth of the
music entered into a new positive realm. Allow me to make an analogy. With the
Lamm LL2 in my system, I cannot talk just about a typical tube type sound. The
Lamm is darn neutral and one of the most musical and less tube sounding preamps
around. The LessLoss Firewall's effect was somewhere between a tube and
solid-state preamplifier feeling. What avidly stood out was the grain-less
sense of music and event. Articulation, timbre, pace… Everything worked and clicked
more realistically.
Road to neutrality
As the LessLoss Firewall works
neither as a capacitor nor as an inductor, it opens up a door to neutrality. It
is the same feeling as with both the Anchorwave Interconnects and the DFPC
power cables. In combination with my full-blown LessLoss cabling now comprising
the veins and nerves of my top system, I can authoritatively sum up that the
addition of the LessLoss Firewall to my reference system has been a prolonged
study in neutrality.
Everything so far seems like
logical steps in our system approach review series between Mono & Stereo
and LessLoss Audio. It’s a fresh wind, which shines with the breath of music.
On his last visit, a good friend and experienced audiophile of some 30 years
confirmed my thoughts regarding the Firewall. I do trust my ears (which are
checked yearly), but it’s nice to get your findings confirmed every once in a
while by someone else. Dynamics, a natural timbre, and a prolonged sense of
space were as they should be, and as a scholar and classical musician himself,
he confirmed my impression that the bloom, articulation and liveliness were
distinct merits and not mere colorations.
Stay tuned for our next
installment. For some, an esoteric universe. We’ll climb up the final ladder of
ambient field conditioning with the LessLoss Blackbody ambient field
conditioner.