Country of Origin
This review first appeared in March 2021 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 – Ed.
Reviewer: Dawid Grzyb
Sources: Innuos Statement, LampizatOr Pacific with KR T-100 or LV 300B and KR 5U4G
USB components: iFi Audio iGalvanic3.0, micro iUSB3.0, 3 x Mercury3.0, iPower 9V
Preamplifier: Trilogy 915R
Power amplifier: Trilogy 995R
Speakers: sound|kaos Vox 3awf, Boenicke udio W11 SE+
Interconnects: Boenicke Audio IE3 CG
Speaker cables: Boenicke Auduo S3, LessLoss C-MARC
Power components: GigaWatt PC-3 SE EVO+ w. LC-3 EVO cord, LessLoss C-MARC, Boenicke Audio Power Gate, IOSL-8 Prometheus
Rack: Franc Audio Accessories wood block rack
Network: Fidelizer EtherStream, Linksys WRT160N
Retail price of component: $1'934/$2'028/$2'122/$2'216 for 2/2.5/3/3.5 meters
The C-MARC Entropic Process power cord is LessLoss' first cable to undergo their Entropic Process treatment. Let's find out whether that improves the original. Seven LessLoss reviews published on HifiKnights since late 2018 already shed substantial light on how this Lithuanian crew go about their business. Still, there's plenty more to write about. New developments meant to push core principles further emerge occasionally, finding out whether they actually do push further remains an adventure. Let's admit right here that I'm a bit biased towards noise rejection done their way. At my lengthy disposal have been two LessLoss C-MARC power cords, their equivalent speaker cables plus one set of external Firewall for Loudspeakers modules. My Boenicke W11 SE+ floorstanders and sound|kaos Vox 3afw monitors have the latter passive filters plus C-MARC hookup wiring built in. The same goes for the Boenicke Audio PowerGate power distributor with four captive M2 LessLoss power cords. Come to think of it, LessLoss products occupy most junctures of my system. Maybe a wholesale addiction to this stuff is a more honest admission than slight bias? That Sven Boenicke and sound|kaos founder Martin Gateley incorporate LessLoss tech in their work makes it all the more credible. Such things don't happen by chance. At least I don't think so. Great ears hear alike and all that.
In any event, LessLoss components have been constant inhabitants of my setup for reasons only partially related to sound. As a self-made hifi reporter, I appreciate hardware that easily tracks changes in the rig. The quicker I'm able to map these shifts the better. My platform generously infused with LessLoss tech allows me to do just that. Although these 'accessories' have their own sonic footprint, I've found them transparent enough to not mask anything in particular. All things considered, from my perspective that's very useful. The C-MARC power cable was the first LessLoss product I reviewed for HifiKnights then awarded with our Victor badge. Three years ago I knew none better. Hence two of have been on duty here ever since. By now their odometer reading can be counted in the thousands of hours. The most current Entropic Process was designed to aggregate some virtual 200+ years of burn-in on each cable. Naturally this piqued my interest. One brief email later a loaner sample flew my way.
Prior to proceeding, let's backtrack to LessLoss' in-house Common-Mode Auto-Rejecting Cable discovery which outperformed their now discontinued DFPC aka Dynamic Filtering Power Cable and came in at a lower price. Although both were designed to strip noise off a signal, they differ in how they do so. The more potent C-MARC principle involves a geometry based on two counter-polarized then fractally replicated coils of the same diameter and step. One turns clockwise, its equivalent twists in the opposite direction. They superimpose mutually to form a bucking-coil connection originally developed in the 1930s. Noise induced on such balanced strands cancels electrically due to opposing polarity and geometry. That results in a high S/N ratio and particular type of tangible silence.
Although today's C-MARC looks just like its predecessor, it's more intricate internally. 24 white cotton-fiber strands form a core surrounded by 192 individually insulated copper strands followed by 96 gassed and mercerized black cotton strands. The copper component then replicates and sits under a clear thin-walled polyoelefin skin inside an outer protective braid of 32 polyethylene terepthalate monofilament yarns. This gets us 760 material strands for each conductive leg. Since three form the main braid, the total number is 2280 strands. The conductor itself is a 0.125mm Litz wire with each hair enameled individually. The total conductive cross section 13.824mm² with very low internal resistance. This complex blend of synthetic, cotton and copper is impossible to DIY so impervious to copycats. Considering how LessLoss sell their raw cable by the meter consumer direct, who'd even bother with knock-offs? Those quick to wonder about copper purity should know that there's no spec on purpose. Instead LessLoss point at other factors which score far higher on the importance chart than 'six nines' which many enthusiasts still obsess about. For example, today's plugs with 24K gold-plated copper contacts sport translucent casings because coloring or solidifying additives impact audible performance. LessLoss cotton is mercerized so its micro fibers swell and straighten to get stronger, more flexible and visually prettier. C-MARC cords place this soft fabric beneath their outer synthetic outer jacket but the speaker cable version and Boenicke's S3 in my possession expose two outer cotton layers instead. Today's 2m-long loaner looked and felt very solid. It's light though fairly stiff. The pins of its Schuko head are standard, those inside the IEC end of heightened grip strength to minimize contact resistance for maximized current transfer. A red mark under the translucent shell indicates which leg is live. Reversing polarity is not advised. LessLoss can accommodate multiple plug types on either end to match all needs. Up to 3.5m lengths are on the menu. Each additional half meter above 2m is $94. Discounts apply when ordering two or more cables.
