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Context:
Lessloss has since discontinued recommending the Rega transport and switched to the C.E.C. instead. The polished digital pipes have been upgraded as well to new flexible digital interconnects. The following commentary was still based entirely on the Rega and older cables while Mike's preceding comments were based on the C.E.C. and current cables. The three photos below are of a recording session Lessloss captured, tracks of which can be downloaded from their website - Ed.


Writer: John in Seattle
Sources: Exemplar Audio DVD-2900; Avid Volvere turntable with SME 309 arm and Van den Hul MC 10 Special cartridge
Amplification: Shindo Monbrison preamp; Shindo Cortese amplifier
Speakers: DeVore Fidelity Gibbon Super 8s
Cables: Shindo interconnects; Auditorium 23 speaker cable; Cardas neutral reference phono cable
Other: Finite Elemente Signature rack with Cerabases for feet and Ceraballs under Exemplar; DAAD bass trap; minimal room treatments; various Z-Sleeves on cables and interconnects
Room: 13' x 21' x 8.5' with opening into 13' x 14' room


I enjoyed my time with the Lessloss 2004 DAC - thanks, Mike! I don't spend much time with new or different components in my system though I try to hear other people's systems on a regular basis and certainly go to my share of live music. I've organized my comments into the categories that I found myself thinking about most while listening to the Lessloss and my current digital source, the Exemplar Audio Denon DVD-2900.


Tone
I found the Lessloss presented a neutral tone with instruments and voices. It sounded cooler than my Exemplar but this may simply reflect the Exemplar's warm tonal signature. If I had to criticize, the Lessloss lacked the little extra timbral information that could draw you further into the performance. For example, Keith Jarrett's piano on Facing You sounded slightly hard and 'plinky' as if the piano's hammers were emphasized without corresponding emphasis on the harmonic overtones coming from the piano's soundboard. The difference was fairly subtle but important because the additional harmonic content makes the instrument sound more like the real thing and less like something electronic captured and translated it. Ralph Towner's plucked guitar in Ana lacked a little bloom, air and sparkle. Sam Rivers' flute in Dave Holland's Conference of the Birds was not as 'there' as I prefer, neither as full nor as breathy as it sounded on the Exemplar. Clarinets lacked that little extra resonant richness, a woody quality that is unique to that instrument. A bowed cello sounded a little more generic, a little less like you could see and feel the bow pulling into the strings.



Human voices were interesting. I found the Lessloss very satisfying on well-recorded, deep male voices like Johnny Cash on Unchained. All voices were easy to follow – this is a very articulate source. Female voices were pleasant and pure but without the glowing flesh-and-blood presence that I sometimes hear on my Exemplar.


Transients vs. Decay
In comparison to my reference Exemplar, the Lessloss emphasized the leading edge of notes. This could be satisfying with strongly percussive pieces. I did feel that the body -- and especially the decay -- of notes was somewhat shortchanged. Cymbals really shine on the Exemplar; you hear the initial strike, the body and (depending on how the cymbal has been struck) a long, shimmering decay. Cymbal strikes on the Lessloss were quicker musical events and less interesting because of it.


Detail
The Lessloss is a good detail retrieval machine. There was particular clarity with acoustic and electric bass lines. These were always easy to follow if well recorded. If detail suffered, it was the type of detail that relates to space, air ambience and the performing venue. Listening to a recording of Claudio Abbado and the Vienna Symphony performing Mahler's Third Symphony in Vienna's Musikverein, I didn't hear the same degree of air or sound reflecting off walls that I hear with my Exemplar.


Pace, Rhythm, Timing
This is a strong suit of the Lessloss. My toes were tapping whenever the music called for it. I felt good rhythmic vitality, momentum and drive.


Emotional Involvement
The Lessloss conveyed musical flow and emotion well. I certainly responded emotionally while listening to this gear. And the listening was fatigue-free. I never cringed at crescendos or digititis treble. That said, it did not send me to the same heights that the Exemplar does. Mostly, I think, this has to do with the extra richness of tone and sense of the performing space conveyed by John Tucker's mod. The tonal richness makes for a more natural, believable musical image. There was more flesh on the bones, a more human presence and that, for me, goes a long way towards focusing the attention and emotions.


Nate in Redmond, WA
First of all I would like to thank Mike, 6moons and the folks at Lessloss (LL) for the opportunity to try their product in my home. My week spent with the Rega transport, LL DAC and LL digital cables went smoothly with only one hiccup. During two listening sessions, the converter ran out of juice and switched automatically from 'play' to 'charge'. During normal use I would assume that a regular charging regime would eliminate this inconvenience and I hope that this problem can be attributed to the inconsistent charging during the review period. I used the LL combo in my mostly DIY system:


Sources: Slimdevices Squeeze Box 3 digital out into a DIY non-oversampling (NOS) DAC by Peter Daniel of Audio Sector fame. Nottingham Analog Studio Spacedeck with Ace Space arm and Zu/Denon 103 MC cartridge
Preamplification: Rogue Audio Magnum 66 with NOS RTF 12AU7s, www.Passdiy.com Pearl Class A phonostage with MC boards.
Amplification: Audio Research D-125 with 6550EH tubes
Speakers: DIY floorstanding MTMs with Eaton 7-372 mid/woofers and Accuton C^2-23 ceramic tweeters. All internal wire and posts by Cardas, all capacitors by Hovland, all 12 and 14-gauge Alpha Core copper foil inductors.
Cables: Interconnects are all Cardas G-Master Reference (available through www.diycable.com); speaker cable is Kimber 8TC; all power cables are DIY with Belden wire and Marinco plugs.


My week with the LL combo was very exciting as auditioning new gear is prone to be. I placed the transport on top of the DAC and then onto the top shelf of my rack which is stone laminated to Birch plywood sitting in a sandbox. I then connected the DAC's unbalanced outputs to my Rogue preamp with the same Cardas interconnects used everywhere else. I put on some background music and left the system to warm up. After about an hour or so I returned for some listening.



Listening
I began with track 7 from Martin Simpson's Cool and Unusual [CD, Red House Records 110]. While playing "Prelude Santa Cruz", I was immediately struck by a strong sense of rhythmic correctness which gave the impression of greater bass definition and low frequency extension. The track ends with a long held note by Simpson that gradually trails off into silence. This note demonstrated the second strength of the LL combo: pitch accuracy. A really great guitar, such as Simpson's hand-made Stephan Sobell model, exhibits a great deal of extra harmonics that are not usually present in lesser instruments. While playing my 1958 Martin 00-17, some of these harmonics come across as a subtle warble in the pitch of the note. When a string is plucked, it vibrates at its resonant frequency and associated harmonics. The warble comes from the string stretching back and forth as a result of the pluck. This recording is fairly close-miked and this warble practically jumped out and slapped me. Combining the pitch and rhythmic accuracy of the LL combo made for a very exciting playback of Simpson's already driving acoustic guitar album.


Going through my box of go-to discs, I pulled out Victor Wooten's A Show of Hands [Compass Records, 7-4231-2] and cued up "U cant hold no groove". This track is an awesome electric bass solo where Victor is slapping harmonics all over the fretboard. The last minute of this track adds five vocalists to the bass. There is one directly next to Victor and then two on each side. When a system is really dialed in, the singers on the left and right will all occupy their own space and when it's not, they will be grouped together and sound as if they are inside the left and right speakers. Apparently with the LL, my system was dialed in. The two outermost singers were beyond the width of the speakers and the next two were just inside. This was the best that I ever heard this separation on any system and this incredible definition of image width was consistent on other tracks that I played.


Another standout album in my collection is Pepe Romero's Flamenco [CD, Phillips, 422 069-2]. Track two "Zapateado" (toe tapping or footwork) is a show-off piece for image depth. Pepe Romero (guitar) and Paco Romero (dancer) have a great interplay where Paco dances all over the stage; front to back and left to right. By the time I got to this album, I was almost two full days into my week-long review and I was starting to get a grip on what this combo could do. Unfortunately this album revealed the first weak spot in the LL DAC's armor. The image depth on this track was severely curtailed. I was able to coax a bit more depth out of my system by adjusting the toe-in of my speakers but it was still short of my reference by quite a bit. Contrary to this weakness, the rhythmic accuracy highlighted each step and stomp made by Paco. His shoes were like gunshots in my living room.


Comparison
On day four, I began my comparison of the LL and my Squeeze Box 3's digital out run into my DIY NOS converter. Listening to the DACs back and forth really tempered my initial enthusiasm for the LL. Yes, it is very accurate rhythmically and has fantastic image width but in my system, when the image depth went flat it took some of the fun out of listening. My initial impression of greater low frequency extension with the LL was somewhat dispelled with more direct comparison. All the notes were there with the DIY converter, it's just that they came across as more supple and with greater harmonic bloom. On the Martin Simpson track, each DAC brought out different aspects of the performance. The rhythmically focused guitar work by Simpson was enhanced by the LL and made for exciting listening while the DIY DAC coaxed forth a warm glow and a more liquid and natural sense of rhythmic flow.


Conclusion
For me the whole experience came down to preference. The LL combo is an incredible performer and in my system, its strengths of image width, rhythmic accuracy and pitch correctness were really enjoyable. Music by Rusted Root and other drum and groove based bands was totally awesome. My listening preferences lean much more towards small group jazz, acoustic folk guitar and classical guitar. For me, these types of music require much more harmonic weight that is balanced with intimate imaging. On many tracks, the LL combo was fun and enjoyable to listen to but not ultimately fitting with my sonic goals. My little DIY converter is by no means perfect but its particular set of compromises and colorations are skewed in a direction I like. The LL combo is certainly less colored and more dynamic but that alone does not make for better sound for everyone. This is something that you will have to decide for yourself. For those of you who like to rock out or don't have or enjoy a walk in image depth, the LL would be a great fit as you will love its clarity and dynamics. This great-sounding converter is a well-built product with a great story. It deserves a listen.



Bryan in Seattle
Thanks to Mike Smith I was able to listen to the Lessloss DAC/Rega transport combo for about a week. Thank you Mike for the opportunity. The first day I had the Lessloss/Rega combo, I was also able to try out the components with Nordost Valhalla ICs. This proved to be the best combination for the time I had with the Lessloss. The rest of my listening I did with my Chimera Labs interconnects cables. My system consists of a David Berning ZH270 amp, Supratek Chenin preamp, Electrocompaniet EMC1-up CD player and Coincident Total Eclipse speakers with the previously mentioned Chimera Labs ICs and speaker cables. I have a dedicated listening room with room treatments and dedicated power.


The build quality of the DAC was very good and it had substantial heft. I did not open the cover to peek inside because there are great pictures in Mike's review. I, however, was not impressed with the build of the Rega player/transport. It seemed cheap by comparison. My 50lb. Electrocompaniet EMC1-up CD player, which is built like a tank, made the Rega all that less appealing. The Rega was also noisy mechanically.


Now to the more important consideration, sonics. I personally thought it sounded amazing! It has a very clean, detailed presentation and at the same time was musical. It was not analytical sounding but rather clean, enjoyable and engaging. A good example for that was when one night my wife, Caroline, came in to listen with me. Upon hearing Diana Krall's All for you with "You call it madness", she turned to me and gave me an approving smile and with her beautiful brown eyes told me more than words ever could. She immediately loved it.


Generally speaking, with all the music played, I heard more detail in a large soundstage with good width and depth. It did seem a little less forward than what I am used to with the EMC1-up. The width seemed about the same. Imaging and focus were excellent. All areas of the audio spectrum from bass to highs were served well with nothing showing more prominence in my system. Bass was tuneful, deep and tight, the midrange was engaging and the highs airy without harshness. Overall it sounded very neutral and will be a compliment to many revealing systems as long as the rest of your equipment is up to par.


I am not going to pick apart the sound of each track or disc I listened to. Rather, I am trying to stay more general about my observations. The one striking thing I will mention is that when I put on Mark Knopfler's CD Kill to get Crimson, he sounded younger. I'm serious. It sounded like he took years off his normally husky deep vocals. It was all still there. He just sounded younger like the years had been stripped away by a lower noise floor and lack of grunge. But depending on your perspective, this may or may not be a good thing. Margo Timmins of the Cowboy Junkies from their Trinity Sessions CD also sounded a bit less warm though very detailed and pleasant too.


In conclusion, for some people the Lessloss DAC/Rega transport (now CEC transport) will be a great match. It deserves a high level of ancillary components including interconnects and speaker wire. Like I said earlier, the Nordost Valhalla ICs made a huge difference with this DAC. It seems very accurate tonally and if you favor accuracy, detail and focus in a converter, this may be the one for you. It is definitely worthy of an audition.
Manufacturer's website