Country of Origin
This review first appeared in February 2019 on HifiKnights.com. By request of the manufacturer and permission of the author, it is hereby syndicated to reach a broader audience. All images contained in this piece are the property of Dawid Grzyb or LessLoss – Ed.
Reviewer: Dawid Grzyb
Sources: fidata HFAS-S10U, LampizatOr Pacific, AMR DP-777SE
Amplifiers: Kinki Audio EX-M1, Bakoon AMP-13R
Speakers: Boenicke Audio W8, soundkaos Libération
Interconnects: Audiomica Laboratory Erys Excellence
Power delivery: Gigawatt PF-2 + Gigawatt LC-2 MK2 + Forza AudioWorks Noir Concept/Audiomica Laboratory Ness Excellence/LessLoss C-MARC
Rack: Franc Audio Accesories Wood Block Rack
Music: NativeDSD
Retail prices of reviewed components in EU (excl. VAT): 1/1.5/2/2.5/3/3.5/4m pairs for $975, $1'285, $1'595, $1'905, $2'215, $2'525, $2'835
HifiKnights' first LessLoss review resulted in our 'Victor' award for their C-MARC power cords. Those proved to be the very best of their kind to my ears and very useful reviewing tools. The incentive to dig deeper into the Lithuanian portfolio naturally intensified afterwards. And that's how today's C-MARC loudspeaker cables came to Warsaw.
Years of quite extensive audio triangulations have me think that cables act far beyond basic connectivity even though signal transmission is indeed their main purpose. But based on experience, there's more to it. Each system is an organism and cables are its veins. Since these necessary carriers move vital fluids from one organ to another, their health is essential for everything else. Nonetheless, not all arteries are created equal. Different tailoring in our context leaves an audible sonic impact. To some people this is blasphemy, madness or both. To me it's simple fact.
Hence cables matter as not only connective elements between all the hardware but also as useful tuning tools. Audio cables vary not just in their core purpose hence place within a setup but how they're made. Aspects like insulation, geometry, conductor type, diameter, shielding and termination all factor and explain why different takes on the same cable type net audibly different results.
True, such items as yet weren't able to turn things upside down as extensively as one loudspeaker replacing another, at least not in my reviewing career. But their finishing touches can be and often are potent enough to noticeably shift a sonic flavour. That makes it worthwhile to investigate before taking the more radical route of replacing components or speakers. It does take a degree of expertise, patience and awareness to intentionally use cables to steer a system in a desired direction without booking compromises. Yet tinkering with wires is usually more cost-effective than performing major hardware swaps. Is a new amplifier too sharp, brittle and thin? A different cable or two at key junctions can inject some body, smoothness and moisture to net a more relaxed, gutsier and pleasant sound.
