Digital LessLoss
Digital audio has
reached an age where we no longer discuss it in terms of something ready to
evolve or eventually come of age. It's already a vivid reality. I'm not talking
merely about Redbook, SACD, and DVD Audio, but about the whole movement of
high-end audio that is revolutionizing the use of modern technologies that are
at present pretty much forfeiting the use of physical discs altogether.
With constant dropping
prices of storage media, high resolution audio has already made a grand
entrance into the audiophile's home. True, there is indeed an ongoing debate
about the actual benefits of higher bit resolution and sampling frequency, but
no matter where your opinion stands, the fact remains that the industry still
needs digital cables.
Meet the LessLoss Digital Cable
In case you might have
missed it, I already raved about other types of LessLoss cables here … Louis
Motek and the LessLoss Audio team always seem to go a bit further, and in a
direction that others might have missed, or didn’t elaborate on properly. Now,
I wouldn't exercise my healthy ego by calling myself an audio connoisseur,
but aficionado I can indeed. Audio cables, for me, are (not) a modern
audio man's jewelry. For me, they really do become an integral part of my
system, and represent day-to-day tools which I need in both my 'official'
reviews/testing, as well as when I'm personally listening.
If you by any chance
belong to those severe skeptics who doubt the actual effect that cables can
have, then please do you homework. As written many times, and in many places,
high-end audio is as much a place of R & D as in other industries. There
are of course some companies that do try their best to sell snake oil. Take
your time! Read, research, listen and find out for yourself. Even confining our
comparisons only to the very basic parameter of conductivity, we can already
perceive and discuss differences. Beyond that, adding more science reveals some
drastic changes in any application that requires cables. Each application will
have different needs. There's a whole world out there, even in something as
simple as 'just a cable.'
The era of error and jitter
When dealing with
digital audio, one term always comes up: Jitter. It’s believed by many that
jitter alone causes all the problems or differences in digital audio playback.
Even at higher resolutions and deeper bit count, jitter can result in quite
mediocre playback quality. Would it be close-minded to go so far as to state
that higher resolution digital audio files are not the actual source of the
improvement? Some have contended this. I wonder about this sometimes, because I
have noticed that some well-mastered 44.1kHz 16-bit Red-book CDs sometimes
sound the same or even better then its high-res version. There are many
behind-the-scenes parameters we don't know in these cases, so it is clear why
we struggle to come to terms with the hard facts. Somebody once measured a
bunch of 96 kHz files, publicly available for sale, which, in the
digital domain, had absolutely zero content above 22.05 kHz. Suspicious,
anyone...? Or maybe the better sound has only to do with better A/D conversion
(lower Jitter)? As time goes on, the technologies in the studios improve, too,
or so one would like to think. In any case, we have to go by our ear, not by
the marketing label!
What about the famous
connection between Jitter and the length of a digital cable? We could easily
assume, without actually trying, that there is not going to be any difference
just because of the length of the cable. As we know from experience, USB cable
(and audio cable, for that matter) length differences bring their own set of
problems and anomalies for us to deal with. Are we talking only RFI and
distortions of intermodulation? It’s still not completely obvious to what
extend they really affect the performance. But the fact is, there is no absence
of such.
Another perplexing
thing is the opposite. Shorter digital audio cable lengths also effect
performance in a most unexpected way. This is something that baffled me,
especially since we were dealing with 'true 75 Ohm impedance.' With the
introduction of digital audio transfer many audiophiles didn’t pay much
importance to exact impedance matching. It was quite common that
run-off-the-mill, cheap audio RCA cables were most often used between CD
transports and DACs (digital audio converters). With the advancement of digital
audio and development of new refined devices, we started to pay more attention
to everything connected to digital playback. So it was only inevitable that
digital cables were to come into our focus. As mentioned and seen, it’s a fact
that we haven't seen very short digital cables in the last few years. Why? It
seems that a certain length affects their performance. What is exactly the
phenomenon happening here?
LessLoss pinpoints it
as radio frequency Signal Reflection. As all wires introduce some sort of
resistance and attenuation, consequently, when the signal goes through the
cable, its amplitude will be to some extent lowered. In their elaboration, they
continue to explain how with greater cable length, the difference of signal to
reflection is greater by the time it reaches the cable output.
Our world and
especially the Aether is highly polluted with all sorts of electro-magnetic
smog. Coming down and across our living spaces through our electronic devices,
WI-FI routers, mobile phones and other audio gear, all these introduce
additional sets of interferences. This brings us further to the implementation
of effective shielding.
Electromagnetic
signals of any kind, in order to maintain integrity, need to be shielded from
this noise. Industry dealt with EM interference quite simply during the past
century. How much research and know-how truly came into our typical digital
cables? With digital information transfer, we’re dealing with a new set of
problems because the frequencies are so high. LessLoss took to some further
research and they introduce a new tuned shielding approach:
·
copper foil
·
densely-braided, silver-plated, copper shielding
·
dielectric spacer
·
even higher density copper shielding
·
very dense double layer of finely braided carbon fibre
·
two long ferrite rings at the ends
Their main point is
that the normal traditional way of shielding simply is not ample with digital
signals. This makes sense as higher frequency digital signal transfer acts in a
completely different way than audio signals.
Enter the era of the digital hub
These
days so many digital devices clutter my listening room. Many were almost
unimaginable just a few years back. DACs, USB to SPDIF converters, Bluetooth to
SPDIF converters, etc. With all these interfaces, we are dealing with digital
cabling of one sort or another.
As
written above, the simple days of a household RCA cable taking care of all
these connections is over, and as digital audio playback formats are evolving
and in widespread use, it is about time that manufacturers and the public take
seriously this segment of high end signal transfer.
Impact on Music
Digging
up my listening notes and summing up the comments into my working draft
revealed quite a few interesting points. As with the LessLoss DFPC power cables
before, there was no need to push hard and rack my senses to recognize the
clear distinction when I inserted the LessLoss digital cable into my system.
I’ve
used it in all the possible combinations of my digital rig and in each
configuration I got a boost in performance. Each time resulting in the same
types of remarks, only to a different level.
From
USB to S/PDIF, the Audiobytes Hydra USB interface brought a new level of high
performance to my listening room. It's quite remarkable how delicate the
handling of digital signals becomes. I always listen to people's comments on
how hard is to set up a turntable properly. It demands some know how and
patience. With the advancement of digital audio things did not get much
simpler! There are so many variables to work with, that it might boggle one's
mind at times. From the software used for replay, operating system parameters,
drivers, type of drives (flash recommended), etc. This was just the beginning.
Now enter the complexity of connecting different digital components. Does it
matter? You bet. When counting on USB to provide the conversion of audio files
to an S/PDIF stream, things get seriously nuanced. I have quite a few of these
types of devices on hand and the difference becomes night and day. A great
example is the above mentioned Audiobytes Hydra. Performance was altered some
30%, instantly, compared to other devices. Now how would that much difference
allow one to hear the quality differences involved in further signal flow from
the S/PDIF output to the DAC? Would there be any?
This
is where digital cable “magic” happens or fails. Having on hand a few different
digital cables from entry level to esoteric ones, the LessLoss digital cable
again produced the qualities that their other products bring forth. Consistency
of performance is the hardest thing to keep across a whole product range, but
LessLoss somehow pulls it off repeatedly with success. This says something
about the seriousness of the development concept behind the LessLoss brand.
Red Book
If
you think the days of Red Book audio are over you might revise your knowledge.
Just take First Impression Music CD’s for example. My collection of their recordings
sound as good if not better than many high-resolution files. There is still
magic to be found in CDs if they are mastered correctly. And it seems they are
here to stay for some time.
I
use the Astin Trew AT3500 plus CD player exclusively for my CDs and it performs
very well. I wanted to see what would happen when used as a transport and with
the addition of the LessLoss digital cable. Sending the signal to either the
April Music Eximus DP-1 or Lampizator Level 4 DAC, things went subtle.
Digital
is far from being simple. It’s not as simple as impedance matching. This is the
foundational building block, but more it to be had from logical extensions to
this in terms of refinement of performance.
Regardless
of whether I was playing Red Book or high-resolution files, the LessLoss
digital cable showed its strengths clearly. Fluidity, transparency and that
recognizable LessLoss impact on the dynamics. The motif that LessLoss carries
across the whole range is 'unconstricted energy.' I'm often perplexed about how
to describe it, but the easiest way perhaps is to put it into words in
'palpable music.' Or even simpler, in terms of musicality. No matter what
component is under review, at the end of the day, musicality is the key to
performance.
Conclusion
The
LessLoss DFPC power cable started a quiet revolution. People were a bit
reserved with my enthusiastic review, but once they tried it, the “conversion”
was of no question. I displayed the potency of the DFPC power cable on many
occasions when I was being told repeatedly how 'cables are hoax.' Not in a
single instance I was proven wrong. People might have experienced the
difference according to their own mileage and listening talent, but the fact
regarding acknowledgement of higher performance was continuous across all the
skeptics.
I
would be so bold as to say that the LessLoss digital cable brings the same
amount of effect that the LessLoss DFPC power cables do. Louis Motek and the
LessLoss team are consistently doing something substantial in the realm of
modern audio cable industry. Event though this industry is full of half-eared
designers and even the occasional snake-oil venture, LessLoss is different. One
can instantly grasp and dive into the thought world of Louis Motek, his design
philosophy, and, most importantly, one can appreciate the practical results.
Sometimes
I feel like interconnects and speaker cables are easier to compare than power
cords and digital cables. There might be some truth in that. With digital
cables, there is often little or almost no difference to be heard. So, when
something substantial comes along my sensors go on red alert. This happened again with the LessLoss digital cable. The difference is clear, both performance
wise, and in musical impact.
Do
not overlook the LessLoss digital cable if you’re upgrading your digital cables
or adding new ones. Your digital horizon will expand greatly.
Highly
recommended.
Matej Isak. Mono and Stereo ultra high end audio magazine. All rights reserved. 2006-2013. www.monoandstereo.com. ..:: None of the original text, pictures, that were taken by me, links or my original files can be re-printed or used in any way without prior permission! ::..