This change was apparent particularly on tracks built upon a single vocal line precisely isolated from the backdrop and assisted by just one or two instruments. Think Lianne La Havas' acoustic version of "Forget", or "Hurt" covered by the late Johnny Cash. On such jobs the Boenicke cords doesn't hiccup. Stellar's take on the same vocal outline was less surgical due to the higher pigment filler yet as precise and articulated. Voices felt less etched into the soundscape and more like breathing, moist, sensual, intimately close beings living in it. In one of his reviews Srajan used ‘suchness' as a mix of tacitness, presence and intimacy. I think that brilliantly communicates the key disparity between Stellar and its Boenicke kin. The former scored noticeably higher on that front while its clearly better bass and backdrop cleanliness sealed the deal.
When the Classic Entropic Process entered, the gap between it and Stellar somewhat narrowed but all above differences still registered. More importantly, they tracked easily enough to remain outside the subtle realm. With this in mind, today's review could condense into one sentence: on sheer performance Stellar is the best LessLoss cord to date and by a meaningful margin even in the context of its already highly accomplished predecessor. On my DAC I'd consider it a noticeable upgrade. These impressions replicated with the second Stellar on my power line. That too moved the performance needle, just not as much as directly on the tubed LampizatOr DAC.
For the sake of contrast, if on the efficacy scale the captive Boenicke M2 sits at one and Stellar is a ten, C-MARC Classic Entropic Process hovers around four. To my ears at least, the gap between Classic Entropic Process and Boenicke was smaller than between the Classic and latest Stellar. The newcomer isn't affordable at any length so clearly tailored for well-tuned top systems and deep wallets. LessLoss Prime and Classic sell for far less and largely behave in the same fluid manner. As far as their roster goes, Stellar represents significant progress which makes the audio system wheels turn commensurably smoother and easier. That's today's takeaway!
Publisher's extro: The latest development in the C-MARC saga is the Medicine line of headphone cables made by Poland's Forza Audioworks reviewed here. It's based not on the standard off-the-spool hookup wiring available to DIY but a customized version optimized for headphone use. Srajan
