plastic penguin said:
Giving YOU a hard time?!
We've been waiting and waiting and ...
Anxiousness is setting in. Nervous breakdowns imminent and we are giving YOU a hard time?
C'mon, are you going to keep it?
Happy birthday!
Electro
Well-known member
I have feeling that someone is going to treat themselves on their birthday . *yes3*
Happy Birthday PP.
Happy Birthday PP.
Excellent review PP, as always. Guess that Leema is gonna stay *smile* Beauty is in the ear of the beholder.
hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004
Well-known member
I think you need to get naim into your life.lol.it's that lovely p.r.a.t that you crave.......really it is.
DougK said:
Yeah, I think the real fly in the ointment is the price tag. If it was more like £1200 then it would be a serious contender. 2k is little too much for what it offers sound wise.
This was always intended to be a 'suck it and see' dem anyway. I needed some sort of benchmark.
Apologies but I've been busy today. However, after long, dem of chopping and changing between the two amps. Have to say I'm going into pointless detail of each, but highlight the good the bad and uglyish. So I am going to adopt WH-Fi's for and against star system. There's a surprise:
Yamaha A-S 2100 (£2000) 5 star
For: Beautiful looks and bullit-proof build quality; big, bold soundscape; dynamic; tonal qualities very good. Excels with Jazz and well-crafted Soul or R&B.
Against: Needs the right speakers to hear at its best. Could sound a little more transparent.
Leema Pulse MKI (£750) 4 star
For: Eye-watering stereo imaging; dynamic and exciting; Fine tonal balance; Lean but well defined bass...
Against: ...some might prefer fuller bass; doesn't have X-Factor in looks or build compared to the Yam.
Verdict:
Have to say this is the first time I've heard an amp that has pushed the Leema from start to finish. Neither of the amps are better or worse, but are very different.
I now know why I've kept the Pulse for so long: Where it excels it does with more upbeat R&B and rock. I played some Northern Soul 'Band of Gold' by Freda Payne and Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon 'Blame it on the Pony Express' and it just sounds alive. And Maggie May by The Faces sounded as if old Rodders was sitting in the speakers.
By contrast, the Yam didn't quite have the impact with this genre but... play some Jamie Cullum and it proves what a winner it is. Likewise with Al Jarreau's thought-provoking tracks -- the Yam seem to bring the emotion of these songs out.
Where do I go from here? No idea at the moment. Although the Yamaha slightly out does the Pulse, is it worth 2k? Really couldn't say. I'm more confused than before. Even though the Pulse doesn't quite have the all-round game of the Yam, it's strengths are huge. By no way a on-trick pony, the Pulse's real bonus is it's massive transparent sound and it's ability to pound out tricky beats.
Yamaha A-S 2100 (£2000) 5 star
For: Beautiful looks and bullit-proof build quality; big, bold soundscape; dynamic; tonal qualities very good. Excels with Jazz and well-crafted Soul or R&B.
Against: Needs the right speakers to hear at its best. Could sound a little more transparent.
Leema Pulse MKI (£750) 4 star
For: Eye-watering stereo imaging; dynamic and exciting; Fine tonal balance; Lean but well defined bass...
Against: ...some might prefer fuller bass; doesn't have X-Factor in looks or build compared to the Yam.
Verdict:
Have to say this is the first time I've heard an amp that has pushed the Leema from start to finish. Neither of the amps are better or worse, but are very different.
I now know why I've kept the Pulse for so long: Where it excels it does with more upbeat R&B and rock. I played some Northern Soul 'Band of Gold' by Freda Payne and Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon 'Blame it on the Pony Express' and it just sounds alive. And Maggie May by The Faces sounded as if old Rodders was sitting in the speakers.
By contrast, the Yam didn't quite have the impact with this genre but... play some Jamie Cullum and it proves what a winner it is. Likewise with Al Jarreau's thought-provoking tracks -- the Yam seem to bring the emotion of these songs out.
Where do I go from here? No idea at the moment. Although the Yamaha slightly out does the Pulse, is it worth 2k? Really couldn't say. I'm more confused than before. Even though the Pulse doesn't quite have the all-round game of the Yam, it's strengths are huge. By no way a on-trick pony, the Pulse's real bonus is it's massive transparent sound and it's ability to pound out tricky beats.
Blacksabbath25
Well-known member
on my Dali's using XLRs and the audioquest speaker cable the Yamaha is transparent it comes down to what speakers you use and the quality of your dac inside your cdplayer or what ever you use .plastic penguin said:
best price I've seen the A-S2100 for online is £1800 but I brought mine open box for about the £1200 mark
you could ask your dealer if the Yamaha Rep has any open box for about the same price I paid it's all refurbished and repackaged by Yamaha you save loads .
As black sabbath says personally I would keep your current amp & aim for something higher as I think amps in the sub £2k bracket are not going to give you that 'upgrade' but merely a sideways different presentation effect
I went from an Elicit R to a Primare i32 ( purely because of reliability which has been well documented on here ) and tbh I can't tell them apart - they are both transparent clean sounding amps.
Im sure a SuperNait 2 would give you that lift & they can be found pre loved & ex demo for a little over £2k - hell of a lot of money - then of course it may unbalance your speakers & sources.
I went from an Elicit R to a Primare i32 ( purely because of reliability which has been well documented on here ) and tbh I can't tell them apart - they are both transparent clean sounding amps.
Im sure a SuperNait 2 would give you that lift & they can be found pre loved & ex demo for a little over £2k - hell of a lot of money - then of course it may unbalance your speakers & sources.
As black sabbath says personally I would keep your current amp & aim for something higher as I think amps in the sub £2k bracket are not going to give you that 'upgrade' but merely a sideways different presentation effect
I went from an Elicit R to a Primare i32 ( purely because of reliability which has been well documented on here ) and tbh I can't tell them apart - they are both transparent clean sounding amps.
Im sure a SuperNait 2 would give you that lift & they can be found pre loved & ex demo for a little over £2k - hell of a lot of money - then of course it may unbalance your speakers & sources.
I went from an Elicit R to a Primare i32 ( purely because of reliability which has been well documented on here ) and tbh I can't tell them apart - they are both transparent clean sounding amps.
Im sure a SuperNait 2 would give you that lift & they can be found pre loved & ex demo for a little over £2k - hell of a lot of money - then of course it may unbalance your speakers & sources.
hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004
Well-known member
I still stand by my previous post that your sources really need to be addressed PP,decently good as your cd player and turntable are...no disrespect intended here,but they're just not up to the task of sourcing a 2-3k amplifier a vast imbalance lies in this set up and probably is the reason your going to come away unimpressed by any amp you audition.....as you well know the moto of linn and naim is source first.....obviously this moto isn't as important as it used to be with the technological advances in dac technology but in the case of the arcam cd73 it is easily bested by a decent 1k (rrp)cd player (I have heard the comparison).So please do yourself a favour and dem (if you can)a source component of equal standing along with any further amp dems.even from a different dealer if possible.
I think the Tucana will give you more of what you have. You can't really go wrong as you clearly like the Leema sound.
Question is, do you need more than what you have?
I think we all hunt pointlessly and forever for the 'perfect' sound. It doesn't exist. - Until the next upgrade.
Question is, do you need more than what you have?
I think we all hunt pointlessly and forever for the 'perfect' sound. It doesn't exist. - Until the next upgrade.
Blacksabbath25 said:
I can see why you like the Yam so much BS. It is a cracker but it is let down by the price. You got yours at a great price. *i-m_so_happy*
Unfortunately the dealer I got it from doesn't stock 2-channel Yams, only multi channel receivers, so he had to order one over from his suppliers.
In terms of transparency, the Yam is good but I was only comparing and commenting on how it stacks up against the Leema -- like Cyrus and Rega the Leema really excels in this particular area.
drummerman said:
After hearing the Yam, probably not.
The Tucana seems to tick all my sonic boxes.
stevebrock said:
I seem to remember that Colin had the Pulse and purchased a Sugden A21, which was a grand more than Leema's original retail price -- he wasn't impressed by the extra he paid.
As regards Naim - I quite like their amps but I don't get excited by them. You tend to know when an amp sounds just right.
Based on the above I am prepared to go the extra mile and see which ones tug my rug, even though the Tucana seem the logical direction.
And why not.
Personally I'd want to listen to the two big Onkyos. No meters and butt ugly imho. 9070 and 9000R. Loads of amp/facilities for the money.
You could change without much cost if liked.
Personally I'd want to listen to the two big Onkyos. No meters and butt ugly imho. 9070 and 9000R. Loads of amp/facilities for the money.
You could change without much cost if liked.
Why not a receiver, DM? Quite simply they are BIG. It's true the Yam is bigger than the Pulse, as is the Tucana but these new receivers are very high.
I suppose I could dem one of the newer Cyrus. Again, I heard the newer 8 at SSAV, but had nothing to compare it to as my amp was at home.
What are the pros and cons of the Cyrus outboard power source?
I suppose I could dem one of the newer Cyrus. Again, I heard the newer 8 at SSAV, but had nothing to compare it to as my amp was at home.
What are the pros and cons of the Cyrus outboard power source?
Blacksabbath25
Well-known member
PP the A-S2100 has a very good phono stage
if it helps I could get hold of the shop where I got mine from and get them to get one from the Yamaha Rep for the price I paid but can not promise I could get one at that price as it was 12 months ago .
but understand if it's not for you
if it helps I could get hold of the shop where I got mine from and get them to get one from the Yamaha Rep for the price I paid but can not promise I could get one at that price as it was 12 months ago .
but understand if it's not for you
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