LESSLOSS DFPC Original
Power cables
The holy grail of any power cable design is to achieve maximum conductivity for the power cycle frequency of 50/60Hz (hence as-low-as-possible resistance is needed) without facilitating the propagation of electromagnetic interference at high frequencies. Ideally, these interferences should be prevented from entering the audio components at all. LessLoss uses the skin effect theory (saying that HF interference travels on the skin of a conductor) to tackle it and the result are their three Dynamic Filtering Power Cords (DFPC).
Function and form
The LessLoss DFPC Original looks stunning. The braid of three strands with a 6mm2 cross-section is terminated with gold plated connectors sourced from Japanese Oyaide which nicely complement the deep blue glow of the wires. Should you need to have a deep red glow, you’ve got to upgrade to the DFPC Signature. Though the geometry of the braid may appear to be only an eye-candy for some, it has very practical meaning – it gives the cable sensational pliability and torsion both radial and in its axis which is pretty unique. Moreover, in high-end audio, everything affects the sound, and it is good to see the passion of LessLoss for those details. But let’s be back to the pliability – be sure I can judge it after finishing this test of two dozen different power cords – many of them are as flexible as a water pipe and require a lot of wit to get them plugged into their respective sockets. With the DFPCs it is a breeze and I had no such problems whatsoever.
LessLoss offers a very unique option for the owners of the DFPC Original: an upgrade to the DFPC Signature. The upgrade not only includes doubling the total cross-section of the phase conductor to 12mm2 through one additional wire, but it also modifies electrical connections and the skin treatment. To my best knowledge, such an option is not available anywhere else.
Bass management
I have auditioned the DFPC Mini, Original and Signature for weeks and out of the three, the Original represents definitely the best value. The Signature improves over the Original, that’s for sure, but it is up to one’s consideration if the extra (multiplied by 2, 3 or 4 depending on how many power cords you need in your system) could not be spent against something else to get bigger improvement. For me, the DFPC Original is value-unbeatable.
Clarity & delicacy
First, let me say that with the LessLoss DFPC Original we are getting much more than with the DFPC Mini. The company literature claims ca 5% of improvement, I would rather say there is a 20-30% difference in performance between the two, especially on amplifiers.
With the Original in place on my Spectral DMA-150, being connected directly to the wall, everything was immediately much smoother and more refined at the same time. It was enjoyable to observe such a transformation on the baritone of Hakan Hagegaard in Telarc’s Carmina Burana (TELARC) – I was getting very believable tembre with vibrating textures and more than welcome bottom extension, contributing significantly to the warmth of the presentation. Spectral’s spot light precision does not always pair easily with other equipment but here I could not complain. And please do not mismatch this warmth for coloration and/or loss of transparency – the cable does not leave any negative signature on sound, it just brings the music to life.
Tonal accuracy
It’s not thin. Normally you rarely observe the drawback of being sonically thin without having another reference to compare with. It was quite difficult to find such a reference among other power cords I had on hand, that is the Original rather established itself as the reference. To get Elvis Presley’s voice right is not an easy task and only very few cables accomplished the mission. Apart from the LessLoss Origin and Signature I was receiving the ´flesh & body´quality only from Cardas Golden Reference, and the nearest superior cable was Telos Golden Reference which sells for 800 EUR per 1.5m
Spatial resolution
It´s not flat. When I say flat, I´m thinking in terms of dynamics, both macro and micro. The DFPC Original can be both very explosive and very delicate. The mayhemic Allegro 9 January from the Shostakovich´s ´Eleventh´(Dmitri Shostakovich, Symphony #11, The Year 1905, LSO SACD, conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich) requires no limits for the dynamic sweeps, especially towards its finale when all hell breaks loose. And with the Original literally all hell breaks loose. The symphonic crash lets you taste the limit of the media (in my case the red book CD) rather than the limit of the used audio gear.
But be warned – to exploit the full potential you need to connect LessLoss directly to the wall; otherwise you risk compressing the dynamics by the transformers in a power filter. Certainly there are some that work fine but they are common like saffron. As already outlined, the DFPC design will substitute for a good power line conditioner without sacrificing the dynamic punch and precision.
[This review is a part of our extensive POWER UP! power cord megatest. For other valuable information, competitors,and lists of recordings and equipment that was used we recommend to check the full article here.]
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Manufacturer's website: http://www.lessloss.com
Associated components
- Sources: Accuphase DP-78, Linn Unidisk 1.1
- Amplifiers: Accuphase A-60, Spectral DMA-150
- Interconnects and speaker cables: Krautwire Fractal, Homegrown Audio DNA, MIT MA-X and MIT MA
- Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio WATT/Puppy 8, Audio Physic Virgo V
- Power conditoning: Nordost Thor (modified), Nordost Valhalla, GigaWatt PF-2 with GigaWatt LC-2 power cord
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