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Louis sent three Signature cables to power the PWT and PWD and integrated amp. A pair of originals remained on the woofers. With this complete LessLoss power cable system, it was apparent from the first note how the Signatures improved on speed and timing. This top-line cable pulls you deeper into the performance and only lets go when the CD is stopped or the needle hits the final groove. Apart from higher noise filtering, doubling the supply conductors also had an impact even with a system whose power consumption is modest and non-reactive. What caused improved timing had to be more subtle than raw improved current delivery. To inquire into that and also the question if I were to upgrade just one cable, for what device should it be, we started swapping Signature for Original one by one. First was the CD transport where we couldn’t tell a difference. On the Tri phono stage however, the impact was significant and noticeable. Voices and transients were most affected to lose body and attack. A far bigger improvement came from swapping the DAC’s power cable. With the Signature the whole system perked up - even the analogue department! It seemed that the DAC’s power line pollution was quite severe to affect all other machines. When the integrated amp ran with the Signature, the difference was noticeable in the midrange which became more articulate and forward if you will. In our situation the best place to start with a Signature was the DAC where the impact was biggest.
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Before we entered the LessLoss Firewall to the mix, we once again connected all components with LiveLine cords. After the necessary gymnastics to properly route all cables, we concurred that the gap between LessLoss Signature and LiveLine had seriously shrunk. The LiveLine cables still had more bite without being aggressive and were less forgiving. The Signature was slightly more gentle and relaxed.
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Louis advised that his products have a cumulative effect. Equipping every IEC of the audio system with a DFPC gets better results than just using one or a few of his cables. Besides being a good sales pitch, this was true. Following the Lithuanian more-is-more doctrine, we added the huge LessLoss Firewall. One Signature connected Firewall to wall, three Signatures powered transport, DAC and integrated amp while two originals fortified the woofer amps. Once again the phono preamp shared a Signature with the CD transport. We already knew that the older Firewall now discontinued was very sensitive to not being disconnected. Hence we removed the big wooden contraption from the system, we immediately plugged it into a different wall outlet. Installing the Firewall is not easy due to the orientation of the outlets. Four are on the opposite side of the incoming power cable, four at 90° which in our case puts them at the back.
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With all cables reconnected—reviewing cables is physical work—the next step was possible. The all LessLoss power filter setup should give the same impression as the full Signature line up, plus some extra filtering from the massive Firewall. Yes? Affirmative but. The difference was more subtle than when we’d reviewed the Firewall with the original cables. In Louis Motek’s own words, the Firewall filters 120 times more effectively than a DFPC. What the new weighting might be vis-à-vis the Signature is unclear but substantial lower. A simple A/B comparison with and without Firewall is not easy to do but the sound without was harsher. With vocalists, gutturals - already hard to appreciate for non-German speakers – ended in an extra edge. On cymbals the final decay was more steel than brass.
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These findings were minute but drew attention when the Firewall was removed. As always, change by subtraction is more profound than change by addition. Final acrobatics returned the Firewall back in place and the previous harshness left. Perhaps additional noise was filtered or some internal interference suppressed. Sadly for the wallet, Louis wasn’t lying. More LessLoss meant less noise and EM/RF effects for better sound.
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Quality of packing: Well packed for the cause in a plastic bag
Reusability of packing: Not.
Condition of component received: Flawless.
Website comments: Informative and entertaining.
Human interactions: Quick, courteous and warm.
Pricing: Fair for what the cable does more than just deliver AC. There is an upgrade policy for owners of the Original DFPC.
Final thoughts: This is a cable one definitely should audition. The double hot leads only work well when the plug is correctly fitted in the outlet so that the proper intended phase runs on the double wires.
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