FYI: Lessloss Blackground Power Base - a filter for atmospheric radiation noise

[justubes]

Hi Macf,

Could you share more, i read that Boenicke uses also the speaker firewalls in his designs and maybe if there was any discussion on the Speaker bases in your conversations with Sven

I use them to very good effect together with thw 240x firewalls and looking to know what to expect from the blackground/bases.

 

[MacF]

Thanks MacF, the Speaker Base was already on order I will also look to upgrade the Prime power cable to C-Marc Entropic.

I'm sure you'll be happy you added the 8x Speaker Base. The combined effect of the 2 boxes is really quite something indeed. You're definitely in for a treat. After everything has settled in, please share your impressions. Tomorrow, I may try 1 or 2 LL 640x Entropic modules on the Power Base PC and see if I hear bump in SQ. Mac

 

[MacF]

Hi Macf,

Could you share more, i read that Boenicke uses also the speaker firewalls in his designs and maybe if there was any discussion on the Speaker bases in your conversations with Sven

I use them to very good effect together with thw 240x firewalls and looking to know what to expect from the blackground/bases.

I believe Sven Boenicke developed a device called Com Dev that attaches to your speaker's binding posts. You can find it on their website under accessories I believe. If I understood Sven correctly, it's similar to Louis' Speaker Base sonically but technologically different & not anywhere near as powerful. I recall he also said he had numerous, and I mean a lot, of individual LL Blackground modules in his studio & also incorporates DIY versions of LL's Firewalls for Loudspeakers into his own top tier designs. That speaks volumes! I also have 4 pairs bi-wired to my speakers, a couple of 640x Entropic Power Modules connected to a pair of C-MARC Entropic PC's. I feel fortunate to have discovered this tiny company in Lithuania that isn't afraid to go against the grain, develops fantastic products that deliver the goods at a fair price & puts customer service first.

 

[MacF]

I believe Sven Boenicke developed a device called Com Dev that attaches to your speaker's binding posts. You can find it on their website under accessories I believe. If I understood Sven correctly, it's similar to Louis' Speaker Base technology but not anywhere as powerful. I recall he also said he had numerous, and I mean a lot, of individual LL Blackground modules in his studio & also incorporates DIY versions of LL's Firewalls for Loudspeakers into his own top tier designs. That speaks volumes! I also have 4 pairs bi-wired to my speakers, a couple of 640x Entropic Power Modules connected to a pair of C-MARC Entropic PC's. I feel fortunate to have discovered this tiny company in Lithuania that isn't afraid to go against the grain, develops fantastic products that deliver the goods at a fair price & puts customer service first.

Found this email from Sven Boenicke:
hi mac,

the comdevs and the new blackgrounds (this is what’s in the 10x power base) work very well together. they do different things, technically. sonically they are actually not that differnt, i find.
i currently have 46 blackgrounds connected to my whole system, so i can tell ;-)
another about 80 to be added soon.

best, sven

And this one regarding the power cord:

best regards and lots of fun with the x10. give it a very good power cord!

sven

 

[AudioBear]

We already have and like Sven Boenickes' Com Dev. Not sure how it is going to work with the LessLoss x8 Speaker Base, but we shall see…I may email Sven after the Munich Show

 

[MacF]

AudioBear...how would you describe the effect of the Com Dev? Sonically similar I would imagine, but different approach. Maybe you couldn't fully identify or appreciate the contribution Com Dev was making until you removed them? I believe genres like Jazz, Acoustic, Classical & Live benefit the most from the Blackground 10x Power Base & either of the Speaker Bases. MacF

 

[AudioBear]

AudioBear...how would you describe the effect of the Com Dev? Sonically similar I would imagine, but different approach. Maybe you couldn't fully identify or appreciate the contribution Com Dev was making until you removed them? I believe genres like Jazz, Acoustic, Classical & Live benefit the most from the Blackground 10x Power Base & either of the Speaker Bases. MacF

Well of course we don't have our LessLoss x8 Speaker Base yet, so I am unable to offer a ComDev comparison. As to the effect of the Power Base v's the ComDev I'd say they are different. You will have to excuse my poor description, I am no writer... but here goes...

I think the LessLoss x10 PowerBase seems to remove noise that enhances details and reduces grain. In our view this results in a more satisfying experience. Some have said it maybe loses some leading edge, but to be honest we're not really troubled by this.

What the ComDev does in our system is make things more layered and just more fun to listen to. It perhaps adds some better definition at the audio extremes, perhaps more so in the treble. Now temper that with the fact that at first we did not hear much difference, it really takes a few days to come on song and then you just find yourself enjoying the music more. Taking it out also takes some time to disperse the effect, not sure why, but after a few days out of the system it definitely loses some of the fun factor.

So our hope is the LessLoss x8 Speaker does more of the same! We will chat with Sven and if he says they'd be OK to use together we'll move the ComDev from the back of the amp to the speakers and add the Speaker Base connections to the back of the amp.

We are also looking at maybe moving stuff around to allow us to put the Power Base under our DAC and the Speaker Base under our Streamer/Reclocker. Not sure if this will turn out to be practical though, and in any event the PowerBase seems to work just as well where it is, albeit seemingly a longer 'burn-in' with us than with others.

Hope this helps...

 

[AudioBear]

I forgot to say there is a review of the ComDev by Dawid Grzyb on HiFi Knights.

 

[MacF]

Shipping from LessLoss is surprisingly fast, so you won't be waiting long. I'll be interested in following your impressions. One takeaway that appeals to me is the improvements (the effect the 10x Power Base has on the environment in the room for example) will be there regardless of how technology evolves.

 

[MacF]

Perhaps you can take the best power cable you have on-hand & try it on the 10x Power Base to see if you experience the same bump i heard.

 

[AudioBear]

Perhaps you can take the best power cable you have on-hand & try it on the 10x Power Base to see if you experience the same bump i heard.

MacF, I think we will wait for the Speaker Base before moving changing cables. At the moment all our mains cables are LessLoss and are all in use. But in the future I expect we will upgrade our two LessLoss Prime cables to our usual C-Marc Entropic mains cables.

 

[AudioBear]

Hi MacF, we also emailed Sven (Boenicke) about using the ComDev with the LessLoss x8 Speaker Base. He reiterated (what you mentioned previously) that they would work well together, so we will definitely be trying that when we get our speaker base... although no sign yet... sometimes with these 'Early Bird' pre-sales events things can get a bit back-logged

 

[MacF]

I'll look forward to your comments. I seem to be the only person out there writing about the 10x & Dual Channel. I posted on several different forums. Would like to hear from more folks. Yesterday, I asked Louis about a performance boost (like the one I experienced by upgrading power cord for 10x Power Base to Entropic) if I grounded the Dual Speaker Base (versus grounding to Power Base with short jumper like I've done) with its own power cord & he said yes, but upgrading jumpers to C-MARC or Entropic (which I did at the time of the order) would be very worthwhile. And, of course, opting for 2 Mono Channels being the best.

 

[AudioBear]

I'll look forward to your comments. I seem to be the only person out there writing about the 10x & Dual Channel. I posted on several different forums. Would like to hear from more folks. Yesterday, I asked Louis about a performance boost (like the one I experienced by upgrading power cord for 10x Power Base to Entropic) if I grounded the Dual Speaker Base (versus grounding to Power Base with short jumper like I've done) with its own power cord & he said yes, but upgrading jumpers to C-MARC or Entropic (which I did at the time of the order) would be very worthwhile. And, of course, opting for 2 Mono Channels being the best.

I would have thought that grounding your Speaker base via the Power base would mean more BlackGrounds in the path... hence better? I will be looking to upgrade the power cord to the Power base to a C-MARC Entropic and of course ordered the C-MARC cable for Speaker Base to Power Base ground and also from the Speaker Base to the amp speaker outputs.

 

[MacF]

I would have thought that grounding your Speaker base via the Power base would mean more BlackGrounds in the path... hence better? I will be looking to upgrade the power cord to the Power base to a C-MARC Entropic and of course ordered the C-MARC cable for Speaker Base to Power Base ground and also from the Speaker Base to the amp speaker outputs.

Perhaps I wasn't clear, the Power Base is grounded with a C-MARC Entropic power cord & the Speaker Base is grounded to the Power Base with a C-MARC jumper as well as with the complimentary Prime power cord. Is there an improvement configuring this way? I'm not sure, but I will continue to evaluate.

 

[MacF]

Perhaps I wasn't clear, the Power Base is grounded with a C-MARC Entropic power cord & the Speaker Base is grounded to the Power Base with a C-MARC jumper as well as with the complimentary Prime power cord. Is there an improvement configuring this way? I'm not sure, but I will continue to evaluate.

 

[AudioBear]

OK got it. I'm not sure we would not connect the Speaker base to the mains via a prime cable if we were already connecting it to the Power Base with the C-MARC jumpers. Just my opinion based on the diagrams on the LessLoss website. We could of course be completely wrong and cannot test as we don't have our Speaker Base yet.

 

[KDH83]

In retrospect AudioBear, I do not remember the Speaker Base taking as much time to break in. Nor do I remember good days & bad days once the Speaker Base was added like I did with the Power Base before settling in. Perhaps this is due to the Power Base essentially treating the whole room (?) versus the Speaker Base which is placed in the signal path connected by short jumpers that I upgraded at time of purchase to C-MARC. Also, before I purchased the Power Base & Speaker Base, I contacted Sven Boenicke, who incorporates some of the LessLoss technology into his fine speakers, and he urged me to give the Power Base a really good power cord. So I switched around a few things to free up a C-MARC Entropic PC and to my ears, that made an instant improvement. I will trade in the complimentary LL Prime PC for another C-MARC Entropic. For what it's worth, I would jump on the Early Bird offer while it lasts and try either the 8x Dual Channel or 2 Mono Channel SB's because they are the perfect compliment to your Power Base. You can always return it within 30 days I believe. However, I seriously doubt you will want to do that! Meanwhile, I will continue to search for a alternative location that properly shows off their warm lovely appearance. Hope this feedback is helpful. MacF

Hi MacF,

what kind of improvement did you experience switching from lessloss Prime to Entropic classic on the 10x powerbase?

 

[MacF]

Hello KDH83,

Well, here goes! Assuming I did not fall under a magical psycho-acoustic spell, I noticed rather quickly the soundstage snapping into focus after switching out the LL Prime PC in favor of the C-MARC Entropic. This was an unexpected yet very pleasant surprise because the 10x Power Base was already providing a significant bump in layering, depth, detail & engagement. My “reach out & touch it” reaction became turbocharged. It was as if I had moved from a very nice seat in the audience to a prime location on stage. I now feel more like a participant rather than an observer. The adjective that best describes what‘s going on for me is “tactile”. Webster’s defines tactile as “tangible, relating to, or being the sense of touch”. As an aside, I corresponded with Sven Boenicke who incorporates LessLoss Blackground technology in some of his speakers and he recommended I give the 10x “a very good power cord”. So I did, and I now understand why he said that. It should not be overlooked however, I upgraded all of the jumpers to C-MARC at the time of purchase. Of course, this is only my subjective reaction. So there you have it!

MacF

 

[MacF]

OK got it. I'm not sure we would not connect the Speaker base to the mains via a prime cable if we were already connecting it to the Power Base with the C-MARC jumpers. Just my opinion based on the diagrams on the LessLoss website. We could of course be completely wrong and cannot test as we don't have our Speaker Base yet.

Have you received your Speaker Base yet? My ComDevs should arrive Friday.