Less²Loss

Before digital everything took over, classic analog design had to push the boat out. There were transistors based on germanium not silicon. SAEQ's Dragan Domanovic in Serbia managed to bag OEM inventories of Ge transistors to build this amplifier model with. Tektronix oscilloscopes ran ultra bandwidth circuity for analogue data processing. It eventually inspired early Goldmund amplifiers. Now LessLoss of Lithuania are hard at work on a run of 50 pairs of monaural amplifiers exploiting parts never intended for audio and out of production since the 1990s.

"We purchased the remaining global supply and secured enough to make 100 amplifiers plus retain spares for service." That's because when digital data processing took over, parts suppliers pivoted and super-specialized ultra-spec parts from analogue's halcyon days stopped being made. About these forthcoming LessLoss amps:

"(1) There won't be any global feedback in the output stage. The typical feedback-controlled distortion reducing mechanism is not necessary. This leads to the most immediate impulse response possible.
(2) The entire signal path is direct coupled to shun all capacitors.
(3) Bandwidth exceeds the human threshold x 5'000+ so DC to past 100'000'000Hz. Interpolation distortion lowers to virtually zero from the lack of internal impedance reflections at any frequency.
(4) The amp will deliver 35/70W into 8/4Ω and be compatible with speakers from 88dB/1W sensitivity and up.
(5) It'll be perfect for high-end headphones including planarmagnetics when driven balanced.
(6) The amp will draw about 30 watts continuous at idle or full load.
(7) There will be two RCA inputs, one with a DC blocker, one without.
(8) There will be four BlackGround modules installed and C-MARC Entropic process wiring.
(9) There won't be aluminium heatsinks due to their poor sonics but iron with ceramic coating.
(10) Pricing to be announced."

That's all I presently know of the pending Less²Loss amps. Given their extreme new-old-stock nature, perhaps these will be called Nostradamus monos? If so, I predicted it here first, cracked crystal balls and all. Alas, there's no 'squared' in LessLoss. I simply inserted ² because this genesis story predicts unusually low distortion. If so, that should mean even less signal loss than usual. 2.5MHz DC-coupled gain circuits à la Kinki EX-B7 are already in my system to have me appreciate the potential in Louis Motek's latest concept. NOS isn't exclusive to tubes or non-oversampling after all…