Here's my obligatory Lessloss power cord review. Its main comparison is Black Sands Violet Z1, which remains one of my favorites among truckloads of cords tried, including Black Sands' own Silver Ref IV.
Due to the fact my HE Audio electrostat headphones remains my most revealing transducer, it has been the primary listening device. The Almarro A205a MkII, currently with Mundorf silver/oil caps, is the main amp used for comparison.
And the Oritek modded Zhaolu 2.0 v.4 serves as the DAC used for cable comparisons.
Raison D'tereI hate those cable reviews that go on and on but fail to tell you what the given cable is actually about, so I'll try to get to the point.
Before I discuss Lessloss, it'll probably help the reader to know I prefer the Black Sands Violet Z1 over the Black Sands Silver Reference IV due to the fact Z1 has a very detailed, engaging, and colorful midrange without seeming colored. Silver Ref by comparison seems a bit more distant and even-handed, seemingly more neutral but not as engaging to me personally. Both are far better than many others that have come and gone.
Where does Lessloss fit in? To my ears, the main difference from Z1 is in the upper-midrange, where Lessloss is smoother and more coherent, while Z1 is more fiery, breathy, but a bit rougher and bigger-pixel'd. As one can surmise, this means the two cords serve different recordings better. Lessloss is absolutely breath-taking when it comes to string instruments, esp. higher registers of violins, and when a skilled soprano breaks out into sustained high-pitched vibrato. The totally controlled character of Lessloss yields absolutely no ringing, spittiness, and grain even with some of the less-than-audiophile recordings.
On the other hand, on some of these less-than-perfect recordings, Z1 exhibits coarser strings and sometimes a ringing type of resonance when the soprano keeps going. However, when the recording is very clean, Z1's less forgiving sound can turn into more "lit" and breathy presentation, which some will prefer as more exciting and direct. I somewhat fall into the latter category, but Lessloss presentation is so good that I am glad I bought it, which I can't say for probably 90% of cables I've ever purchased.
*BIG Caveat*All I have said above with Lessloss applies only when it's plugged straight into the wall without power conditioning. I usually use a XS Technology Strata battery-backed power conditioner, which is a great conditioner (no longer made), but Lessloss sounds better straight from the wall. With power conditioning, Lessloss loses a bit too much sparkle and fire in the upper ranges to almost become just a bit too "rolled off" sounding, which some have complained about. Z1 sounds fine and similar either way, but I do prefer it plugged into the conditioner, which lends a good dose of liquid background and ease to the presentation.
I also believe Lessloss may work better with non-digital gear. While it sounds very good with my DAC, especially straight from the wall, Z1 still showed a bit cleaner background and "deeper" hues to tonality, which I often hear with digital gear when good shielded cords are used; by "good" I don't mean a lot of shielding that chokes off life (like many "shielded" cords do) but just enough of the good kind. It's not clear from Lessloss literature what is exactly being done with shielding, but it appears they are using the skin effect theory and claim the destructive high frequencies ride on the skin, which is "filtered" via "porous conductive material" which is in contact with actual conductors.
Is It All About The Upper Frequencies? Well, no. There are some other differences between Lessloss and Z1 as well. Z1 is juicier in low-midrange to upper-bass a tiny amount, but Lessloss has seemingly more linear low-mid-to-low-bass progression with more definition. I wouldn't call either "bassy" cables, but that's a good thing. Strangily, while Lessloss is less forward in upper-mids, the whole presentation is not laid back or distant, which helps Lessloss to sound still very engaging: a neat trick, I say.
The WrapSumming up, both Lessless and Z1 are excellent cords that similarly check "OK" on most items on the audiophile checklist. Both are sufficiently neutral, linear, resolved, dynamic, and extended that one's preference will, ever again, depend heavily on current equipment choices, personal preferences, and recording/music used. The most characteristic difference in the upper-midrange and the shielded vs. "filtered" nature as applied to use of power conditioners should hopefully help some audiophiles when performing their personal auditions, which in the end is the only way to truly know.
