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 When
I first heard of the Blackbody Ambient Field
Conditioner, the newest product to hail from
LessLoss Audio, I admit I was skeptical.
Some years ago, I had the opportunity to
audition LessLoss products at length in my
home systems and found them impressive,
particularly their Dynamic Filtering Power
Cords (DFPCs) which are quite adept at
quieting RFI/EMI induced noises. Our own
Russell Lichter wrote at length on their
products (here)
and continues to use the LessLoss Signature AC
cords as his reference.
But as good
as the DFPCs were, they did not equal the
incredible bass, dynamics and the harmonic
beauty of the much more expensive Bybee
Super Effect Golden Goddess AC cords I was
using at the time (nor should they). At $595, the DFPC's are
geared toward price/performance rather than
the state-of-the-art. Back in '08, I also
had the chance to hear the newly developed
LessLoss Signature AC cords and Firewall AC
conditioner. Unfortunately, though more
expensive, they could not
render the low-end finesse and dynamics of
the Bybee AC cords and AC conditioner either. Now,
LessLoss’s president, Louis Motek, is quite
the affable chap. Young and engaging, Motek
is fully confident in his product line and
consequently didn't much enjoy my
candidness. He has since shied away from
offering me opportunities to audition any of
his newer products. Can't much blame him. I
really wanted to like his products.
The first time I heard the LessLoss
Blackbodies was during the High End 2010
Show in Munich, when I visited the home of
Rainer Weber, designer of the Kaiser Kawero
loudspeaker. Upon my first visit the year
before, the room sounded absolutely
wonderful. This specially designed room
demonstrated the levels of excellence in
soundstage and dimensionality that can be
achieved when designing a room from the
ground up. The sense of space and detail was
very impressive considering how small the
Kawero's are. On my second visit however, I
was very disappointed in the changes in the
system. It suffered from hardness and
bleached-out harmonics that made music
difficult to listen to. Rainer boasted how
great the improvement was with the
installation of numerous LessLoss
Blackbodies. Ah ha, I thought, they could
perhaps be the reason things don’t sound
good. And I said to Rainer, "I don't think
they're working in this room." He nodded as
if he understood. However, I was not invited
back there either! What a sensitive bunch.
I too have enjoyed the successes of tweaks
introduced over the years into my system.
From Franck Tchang's little resonators to
the very impressive NOVUM I recently
reviewed
here. Many have also become quite
fond of the Stein Harmonizers and Stones
(reviewed
here). When Russell Lichter waxed
poetic over the improvements wrought by the
addition of the LessLoss Blackbodys I was
stunned at his very high praise of these
strange black boxes especially after my
experience in Germany. I trust Russell
emphatically enough to immediately drop
Motek an email asking for another
opportunity at this product (guessing the
culprit may not have been the Blackbodys
back there in Germany).
Motek, I sensed a little hesitant, stated
they were backordered. Over and again, he
continually apologized month after month
about either being back-ordered and/or low
on stock. I couldn't very much blame Motek
for placing me at the end of the list
considering my less than stellar experience
with his products. FINALLY, at about the six
month mark, Motek informed me that three
LessLoss Blackbodys were about to be shipped
via FedEx.
Upon their arrival via some very nice
double-boxed packaging, I was taken aback by
the sheer heft of these shiny black boxes.
As Russell indicated in his excellent
review, placement can be an issue as
distance on my equipment rack became
instantly problematic when dealing with a
standard equipment rack. I simply placed a
single Blackbody right on the top of the new
Laufer Teknik Memory Player 64 (over its
power supply). With respect to the remaining
pair, I was able to get a distance of 6"
directly behind the AC inputs of a pair of
Behold BPA768 amplifiers which rests close
to the floor atop Halcyonic Silencers active
isolation platforms. In addition to
distance, the Blackbodys I'm told are also
directional so knowing the front from the
rear is important to mention as well. The
small BLACKBODY logo indicates
its face while the alphanumerical
lettering points at the
rear of the device. All were placed with
their fronts facing the components as per
Motek's recommendation.
 The
first thing I did was find some music that I
knew intimately and that would make it easy
for me to discern even small differences—if
any. That CD was Shirley Horn's syrupy and
soulful Here's to Life. (And may I
suggest that any one of you who do not own
this CD go out and buy it—for an
extraordinary recording of a jazz diva
surrounded by a 50-piece orchestra with
voluminous strings that appear to capture
the very ebb and flow of her humanity—then
for the luscious sound quality of the Verve
label.) Simply put, this is one of the
greatest CD's of a jazz vocalist know of! In
my book, it too will become a timeless
treasure like Sinatra's legendary Only
the Lonely, Sarah Vaughn and Count
Basie's startling Send in the Clowns
and Billie Holiday's masterpiece Lady in
Satin.
Another illuminating feature of Shirley Horn
is her playing style on piano. She's
mastered the art of "silence" between the
notes that seems to make time stand still.
And it was right there in that eerie black
silence where I heard what the
Blackbodys were actually doing. The bass
possessed more snap and sounded crispier
without the adherent hardness or loss of
weight and body. This lends to a more
natural roundness to the human voice that
tube aficionados crave. The stop and start
of strings possessed less artifacts which in
turn reveal a truer more vivid presentation
of this already amazing recording. The
Blackbodys imbues a new meaning to the term
fluidity in motion. The music somehow comes
through with a new sense of harmonic
wholesomeness I had not experienced from no
other tweak. To think a device that is not
connected to any electrical outlet and is
designed to rest near a component and can
command this level of change is
scary. I sat in amazement for hours
listening into the wee hours of the morning.
Most of that time was spent with me just
shaking my head while enjoying dozens of my favorite
recordings.
Location, location. Location.
Taking the Blackbodys off the amplifiers and
placing them right behind my Sunny
Technology horn loudspeakers (nearest the
internal crossover section) actually
impacted the overall sound even further.
It's hard attempting to describe the feeling
I got upon first listen that my beloved
Sunny loudspeaker's internal crossovers lost
some of their restrictive qualities that
unfortunately impedes the music's delicate ebb and flow.
The increase in dynamics, ease and an
improved sense of PRaT (Pace, rhythm and
Timing) was noticeable in ways I still find
hard to comprehend. I'm convinced that
perhaps the crossovers inside most
loudspeakers can be more susceptible to EMI/RFI
distortions than we might ever believe
possible. This is the importance of keeping
an open mind to products like the Blackbodys
despite how wacky it may appear.
I couldn't wait to take the Blackbodys out
to other audiophiles, and tweakerholics who
would rejoice if they too could get similar
results. The first person I had in mind
works with Ben Piazza of Shakti (the guys
who manufacture the Shakti Stones and
Halographs) and his name is David Kaplan.
Shakti products have been around for years
and have demonstrated to work in many
systems all over the globe. I too still own
Stones and Halographs even after all these
years. When I informed Kaplan about the
tweaks I had, I was of course invited over
for a session. Nothing like having a
shootout against a noteworthy product. Upon
my arrival to his home located in downtown
Brooklyn NY, Kaplan too was impressed by the
build quality of the Blackbodys and found
them to be substantial in build but gave our
a healthy "YIKES!" when the price was
mentioned. I recommended he place them around
his digital rig (PS Audio's newest transport
and DAC combo and his amplifier which I
think was a Berning). Knowing what to expect
from passive devices such as the Shakti
Stones, I noticed Kaplan expected to hear
something positive. What he didn't expect
was anything this powerful and resoundingly
obvious. The look on his face within seconds
of playing a familiar track was all I needed
to know about the Blackbodys' effectiveness
here in this highly tweaked setup. Kaplan
uses an old pair of Apogee Duets loudspeakers and
has a tendency to play them louder and
beyond what I would think they're designed
for. Yet, with the Blackbodys in place, the
sense of sounding loud was diminished enough
to cause him to say "what the f*%@ is going
on?" I in turn, felt a sense of relief
because the system didn't sound as stressed
as he often takes it to. Bass sounded
quicker and lower than it had any right to
be via this old pair of Duets. Okay, if
the Blackbodys can do this to Dave Kaplan's
system, what can it do for pair of $45k Dynaudio
loudspeakers hooked up to Behold electronics
and also employs the newest Memory Player
64? I took three Blackbodys over to the home
of fellow ST contributor and fellow Behold
owner Dan Secula. Again, without a warning,
I just invited myself there for a listening
session one afternoon and pulled out the
Blackbodys.... The results were impactful
enough to have Dan report on his findings
below (Moreno Mitchell who also was smitten
by Sunny/Behold combo has illuminating
comments on the Blackbodys following Dan's).
My only
caveat about the LessLoss Blackbodys is
their hefty price tag. A single Blackbody
now retails for $1323.00. Worse, they're
very addictive. You'll want one for each
loudspeaker and/or component in your system.
Fortunately, I found my most optimum
location was at the loudspeakers crossovers
first and the digital components second and
AC conditioner third. That said, a set of
three is really ideal. Anything after that
will give you added improvements but not as
impactful as that first listen. LessLoss
does offer a package savings if you choose
to purchase more than one. As usual, they do
also offer a try before you buy policy as
well. I feel LessLoss has acquitted itself
quite well with the introduction of the
Blackbodys
Conclusion
As good as all the other tweaks,
mentioned here, are to some degree
they're all additive in their basis of
operation. Meaning, they actually add to
whatever the signal or system seems to lack.
The resonators add harmonic weight and
color. The Steins add dimensionality and
also seem to give greater insights into the
music. The Blackbodys on the other hand
appear to be subtractive in character. Lots
of noises and distortions are diminished by
their mere
proximity to a component. Hence, they impart
purer tones and harmonics: qualities the
single-ended lovers and vinyl enthusiasts
claim their wares are most prolific at,
while hitherto was near impossible to yield
from solid-state and digital devices.
I've always been of the conviction that one
can achieve audio nirvana by merely by
keeping an open mind and a tight wallet. You
do not have to own the best of everything in
order to achieve state of the art
performance. The LessLoss Blackbodys are a
testimony to that. Though not cheap they do
as advertised and have taken my listening
pleasure to a level I could not have
believed prior to their installation.
Products
like the LessLoss Blackbodys will certainly
challenge many belief systems. But at the
same time, once you get a grasp of its
power, it will
challenge everything you thought you
previously knew regarding noises and other
contaminations in and
around components. Trust me, I was once a
Doubting Thomas too. If you're looking to
upgrade to another amplifier or loudspeaker
system, please take a listen to your system
via a set of LessLoss Blackbodys first. You just
might thank me!
______________________________
 As
an avid audiophile without formal technical
training I understand their information
about this product to mean the
electromagnetic radiation of our electronic
audio gear creates a sort of hazy grunge
that ultimately affects the signal,
preventing the clean, clear information at
our sources from getting to our speakers
unimpeded, in my case, Dynaudio Temptations.
The sound is not as crystalline as it could
be without the Blackbodys(s) doing its
“thing” adjacent to the components.
Achieving the most from this product
required me to have patience and to be
willing to experiment. I found it very
productive to try different locations for my
Blackbodies with reference to the distance
and location relative to my components. For
me a distance of four to six inches angled
toward a component’s corner worked best.
LessLoss goes on to say, “Tweaking the
position of the Blackbodys is much like
focusing binoculars or a microscope.
Sometimes only a few centimeters’ difference
can drastically alter the sound because you
have hit a “sensitive nerve” in the
circuitry's layout.
I might add that sometimes it’s frustrating,
as it was for me, if you are limited to
placement when your components may be in the
confined space of a cabinet as mine are. My
suggestion is to carefully stay at it
because the reward is significant. I even
experimented with one at the circuit box
switch in the basement that feeds the home
run electric circuit that services all of my
audio gear. I found the Blackbodys' position
also yields promising results.
What did the Blackbodies do for my sound?
I listen to
an eclectic body of music but if pressed I
lean toward classical, jazz, and opera. Once
the Blackbodies were finally placed next to
my components for optimum effect I could
hear my recordings through a cleaner “audio
window.” Voices floated in space with more
reality, there was less digital hardness,
and there was a sense of being closer to the
original event, more dimensionality, and
most importantly, a greater sense of “being
there.” My sound now has much more of a
satisfaction factor with the three
Blackbodies in my system. When I made a
direct listening comparison between having
them in and out of my system, the experience
was a no brainer. For me, it was a reality
check. Once I heard how they appeared to
supercharge my components’ virtues I
realized I couldn’t listen without them in
my system anymore! I am a happy, happy
camper with this new tweak. Starting with
one will certainly pay dividends. Depending
on your resources, adding more will increase
the effect as it did for me.
Final Thoughts
This is a
tweak that doesn’t come cheaply. On their
site LessLoss shows their pricing structure
dependent on number purchased. Buying just
one will set you back $1323.00. I am very
pleased with the three currently in my
system and may even add another. Once you
have discovered your component’s sweet spot
best suited for the Blackbodys placement,
you won’t have to listen very long before
you too have reached that wonderful but
elusive place we call audio nirvana. Highly
recommended.
______________________________
In attempts at reproducing the live event in
a two-channel home audio setup, hundreds of
products have been introduced to solve the
myriad of problems surrounding EMI/RFI's
grasp on Alternating Current (AC). AC Line
noises adverse impact on our hobby have been
well documented over the years. Attempting
to quell its negative effects through a
series of sophisticated AC isolation devices
appears to have created another industry on
its own. The upsurge in expensive dedicated
AC lines, grounding devices, filters,
conditioners, regenerators, purifiers, and
even specialty fuses has increased
tremendously in the past decade. And now the
LessLoss Blackbodys? Are you kidding me?
Louis Motek, who in my mind is either, a
sound field genius, or a mad scientist (and
possibly both). I had leaned more towards
the latter when I first heard about his
latest invention in the LessLoss Blackbodys.
My first thoughts were, “here we go again.”
Someone else looking to fill their already
deep pockets by introducing some magical AC
device to the unsuspecting or gullible
audiophile.
After being informed of how much of a
positive impact the LessLoss Blackbodys' had
on Clement Perry’s system, even before
speaking with CP, along with being offered a
chance to audition them at zero risk, I
reluctantly agreed to give them a try. To be
honest my thoughts were to appease the offer
and satisfy my curiosity and then send them
back as quickly as I had received them. To
make a long story short, here’s exactly what
happened from start to finish. Answer the
door; take possession of a large heavy
package from the FedEx delivery man. Unpack
the box containing three excellent packed
white boxes housing one Blackbody each
measuring approximately 4 square inches and
weighing close to eight pounds apiece. Next
up, read and follow the placement
instructions, sit down for a “here we go
again but somewhat open-minded listening
session”…..then after about an hour ask
myself what the “H” just happened.
My listening room was instantly transformed
into a live studio!
Not really,
but to put it mildly without sounding too
over the top, the music was at once purer:
totally devoid of grain or strain. I have no
other way to put this other than truthfully
write exactly what took place within the
first hour of my experience with this newly
installed device. Vocals became more
realistic and focused although I was pleased
before the Blackbodys' were added with how
my system handled the voicing aspect, I was
in total shock and awe with how much noise
and artifact were removed from the vocal
presentation after the Blackbodys' were also
placed right behind my Sunny horn
loudspeaker's crossover section (Clement was
adamant that I try that position and it
appears to be the most effective position
yet).
The music
took on greater contrast and appeared more
livelier, as the background became as
velvety black as I’ve ever heard it. As much
as I was enjoying my system prior, the
Blackbodys' I was instantly taken to an
entirely new level of musical enjoyment with
the Blackbodys (and even higher since I’ve
subsequently added two more into my system).
Upon
recently adding the Stein Music Harmonizers
and now the Lessloss Blackbodys, I’ll never
convince myself that I’m at the end of the
line again. Contented and enjoying the music
like never before thanks to companies like
LessLoss. Thank you very much Mr. Motek. top
of the heap. I’m now convinced beyond a
shadow of a doubt that capturing the
ultimate sound may be in our grasp by virtue
of tweaks and not that shiny new $80k
amplifier or loudspeaker.
Price:
$1323.00 USA each
2 units - 12% off
3+ units - 15% off
Free UPS shipping! All prices include
international
Contact Us:
LessLoss Audio Devices
P.D. 1231
46005 Kaunas
Lithuania
Phone: +370 698 48706
Phone: +370 37 390515
Website:
www.lessloss.com
Email:
info@lessloss.com (Your contact is Louis
Motek. I'll be happy to hear from you.)
Skype: liudasliudas
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