Leema Pulse IV / Quasar ... coming soon?

[Andrewjvt]

Ah, me thinks I may have started this Leema 'bashing' off ...

See if I can put it right; I am sure it will be a very competent product, like most of them. I'd love to have a Tucana or this, new amplifier but simply can't afford one.

I say: its pointless no one was even bashing the product. Someone (not me) just mentioned another make at similar price and the nerves got fried

 

[Andrewjvt]

Stop spouting b######s, unless you are some sort of Leema expert. Have you had one on dem?

No i have not and most people on this forum have not heard or demod every single amp on the market. Neither have you.

I am entiltled to form any opinion i feel fit. Thats what these forums are for .

Now ill say this again for the 2nd time incase you never understood the first time i tried to explain to you....

I never said anything bad against leema or the sound quality or have any opinion on leema only that i originally thought 2300 was good value for the new amp as its a good amp and a good dac. But id rather have an hegel

Its the same as me wanting a jeep over a land rover . Its just my opinion.

Its not a personal attack on you or your taste in hifi.
I dont doubt you have a good system.

A good way to calm yourself down would be to lie in an empty bath and listen to your hifi.

 

[plastic penguin]

No i have not and most people on this forum have not heard or demod every single amp on the market. Neither have you.

I've actually dem'd more sub-£1000 integrateds than you might think.

As you have no practical knowledge of any Leema products how do you know you wouldn't prefer the proposed MK IV. It's like me saying I wouldn't want your beloved Hegel because....

Don't dismiss anything in this hobby: I've heard Naim Nait 5i and i with my old RS6s and it sounded dreadful. Change them over to PMCs and it was a polar opposite.

If I ever upgrade my Pulse the natural progression would be to a Tucana, but that doesn't for one moment mean I would dismiss Hegel, Lavardin, Electrocompaniet or any other make, only the Leema's sound I like immensely.

Anyway, this'll be the last you'll hear of me for a while as PC is going for repair.

 

[Andrewjvt]

Pp wrote

Anyway, this'll be the last you'll hear of me for a while as PC is going for repair.

?

Hope its not serious problem and next time im in a hifi dealer ill defo have a listen to the leema. Lots of people on here rave about them so they must be cracking amps.

Speak soon

 

[plastic penguin]

Pp wrote

Anyway, this'll be the last you'll hear of me for a while as PC is going for repair.

Hope its not serious problem and next time im in a hifi dealer ill defo have a listen to the leema. Lots of people on here rave about them so they must be cracking amps.

Speak soon

A malware issue with the computer. Probably be away for 2-3 days before it's fixed.

Regards hearing Leema: Sadly my MKI is long gone and after the MKIII they introduced the Elements range. Couldn't say how it compares to the Pulse - I doubt, though, there's much difference.

My long experience of amps there isn't a cavernous gap between a £1000 and £2000 integrated. I know when I dem'd a entry-level Bryston alongside my Pulse I was so disappointed by the Bryston, which I think retailed around £2500 (?) at the time.

I doubt also if you notice much difference between your Hegel and a Tucana (£3500 retail price). And then by the time you factor in the speakers - as you know aren't universal in SQ - my Pulse shouldn't be a million miles off your amp, but may just make it worthwhile purchasing a Tucana... again this is all guess work.

...And then factor in my Pulse has a cracking built-in twin phono stage (separate MM and MC stage), which Hegel and the Tucana doesn't, and you can see why I'm so reluctant to change it anytime soon. As an all-round package the Pulse is hard to beat for the money.

 

[paulsue38]

Just to go back to the original post. When I contacted Leema in February about the availability of the new Pulse amp I was told approx end of September.

Best wishes

Paul

 

[drummerman]

... and it is in my eyes prettier than the monolithic Hegel (though the large display is useful).

Has to be said, at that price (assuming the two will be comparable) there are quite a few alternatives.

None of which I can afford

 

[Vladimir]

Unlike many large integrateds boasting power figures over 2x100W @8ohms, this new Pulse IV actually has the real estate to work with. Those large external heatsinks are an amplifier designer's wet dreams. Large cooling facilities outside the box means more and bigger output devices per channel, which means more watts at less THD, sustained at longer time of loud listening. To keep them going, a lot of freed estate inside for a large transformer and bank of caps becomes available. My guess is for £2,300 you get a downscaled version of the £3,500 Tucana II, not an upgraded old Pulse. The DAC should be a good one, considering how much advancement Leema has made with DAC separates.

The direct competitor of this new Pulse IV at that price is the Hegel H160, which already on paper and from the looks of things on the outside, will be eating some Welsh dust in its face.

Hegel's H160 integrated amplifier is a well-engineered powerhouse, though owners should make sure it is well ventilated if they want to play music at sustained high levels. Its digital/analog circuitry is workmanlike rather than the state of the art, but a standalone digital processor offering better performance than this is going to cost as least as much as the Hegel's $3500.—John Atkinson[/b]

Two words: Very promising.

 

[drummerman]

Unlike many large integrateds boasting power figures over 2x100W @8ohms, this new Pulse IV actually has the real estate to work with. Those large external heatsinks are an amplifier designer's wet dreams. Large cooling facilities outside the box means more and bigger output devices per channel, which means more watts at less THD, sustained at longer time of loud listening. To keep them going, a lot of freed estate inside for a large transformer and bank of caps becomes available. My guess is for £2,300 you get a downscaled version of the £3,500 Tucana II, not an upgraded old Pulse. The DAC should be a good one, considering how much advancement Leema has made with DAC separates.

The direct competitor of this new Pulse IV at that price is the Hegel H160, which already on paper and from the looks of things on the outside, will be eating some Welsh dust in its face.

Hegel's H160 integrated amplifier is a well-engineered powerhouse, though owners should make sure it is well ventilated if they want to play music at sustained high levels. Its digital/analog circuitry is workmanlike rather than the state of the art, but a standalone digital processor offering better performance than this is going to cost as least as much as the Hegel's $3500.—John Atkinson

Two words: Very promising.

No doubt about it. - I was just quoting the probably ueber optimistic promo blurb.

True doubling of power into lower impedances is as far as I know, very rare/almost impossible.

It will nevertheless have a goodly amount of juice on tap.

Personally I prefer makers which take the cautious approach when stating performance related stats.

Who knows, this one may wildly exceed what's written ...

Useful facilities but did it loose the headphone and phono stages?

I would probably sell my grandmother to have one (or a Hegel etc). - Actually, anyone want ... ?

 

[iQ Speakers]

Vlad do you know another amp that doubled its power into 4 ohms? I'm in the naughty corner*stop* not to mention a service station on the M25.

 

[chebby]

Vlad do you know another amp that doubled its power into 4 ohms?

It couldn't possibly be the all conquering Abrahamsen amplifier could it?

 

[drummerman]

Based on Leema's Elements series topology, dual mono output sections allow incredible power and drive from such a svelte design.

Interesting. So the Pulse will be two Elements on steroids and the Tucana is a downscaled Altair.

BTW one can have an ex demo Tucana II for £2,395 aparently (no affiliation). No one wanted it sadly. I presume the market is low on Leema experts eligible of buying these gems at the moment.

Vlad do you know another amp that doubled its power into 4 ohms? I'm in the naughty corner*stop* not to mention a service station on the M25.

Ah yes. The Abrahamsen and Electrocompaniet amplifiers. They are in a different league when it comes to PSU design, power handling and linearity. If I had to pick between Abrahamsen, EC and Accuphase, I would really struggle.

Is that full doubling (not etching close) on the bench rather than paper?

 

[Vladimir]

Based on Leema's Elements series topology, dual mono output sections allow incredible power and drive from such a svelte design.

Interesting. So the Pulse will be two Elements on steroids and the Tucana is a downscaled Altair.

BTW one can have an ex demo Tucana II for £2,395 aparently (no affiliation). No one wanted it sadly. I presume the market is low on Leema experts eligible of buying these gems at the moment.

Vlad do you know another amp that doubled its power into 4 ohms? I'm in the naughty corner*stop* not to mention a service station on the M25.

Ah yes. The Abrahamsen and Electrocompaniet amplifiers. They are in a different league when it comes to PSU design, power handling and linearity. If I had to pick between Abrahamsen, EC and Accuphase, I would really struggle.

 

[Vladimir]

Is that full doubling (not etching close) on the bench rather than paper?

1000VA toroid, 100,000uF capacitance bank, 12 output devices, all for a 70W integrated. It has a 15A fuse in comparison to the 150W Roksan K2BT which has a 5A fuse. I'm no Abrahamsen expert but I'm guessing it's close.

 

[drummerman]

Is that full doubling (not etching close) on the bench rather than paper?

1000VA toroid, 100,000uF capacitance bank, 12 output devices, all for a 70W integrated. It has a 15A fuse in comparison to the 150W Roksan K2BT which has a 5A fuse. I'm no Abrahamsen expert but I'm guessing it's close.

Many amplifiers come close, few, if any truly double power afaik. I've read lots of Paul Millers bench tests and can't recall one that has achieved that.

However, I may be wrong.

 

[drummerman]

Is that full doubling (not etching close) on the bench rather than paper?

1000VA toroid, 100,000uF capacitance bank, 12 output devices, all for a 70W integrated. It has a 15A fuse in comparison to the 150W Roksan K2BT which has a 5A fuse. I'm no Abrahamsen expert but I'm guessing it's close.

Many amplifiers come close, few, if any truly double power.

None do, unless they have a compensating circuitry for the few watts lost in heat from all the electronic components on the PCB. Such circuit would be a wank factor, with no discernable advantage really.

... which really was my point in my original/first post on this thread

 

[Vladimir]

Is that full doubling (not etching close) on the bench rather than paper?

1000VA toroid, 100,000uF capacitance bank, 12 output devices, all for a 70W integrated. It has a 15A fuse in comparison to the 150W Roksan K2BT which has a 5A fuse. I'm no Abrahamsen expert but I'm guessing it's close.

Many amplifiers come close, few, if any truly double power.

None do, unless they have a compensating circuitry for the few watts lost in heat from all the electronic components on the PCB. Such circuit would be a wank factor, with no discernable advantage really. I asure you, very few amps come close. It's very much a Zeno's paradox.

 

[Vladimir]

Is that full doubling (not etching close) on the bench rather than paper?

1000VA toroid, 100,000uF capacitance bank, 12 output devices, all for a 70W integrated. It has a 15A fuse in comparison to the 150W Roksan K2BT which has a 5A fuse. I'm no Abrahamsen expert but I'm guessing it's close.

Many amplifiers come close, few, if any truly double power.

None do, unless they have a compensating circuitry for the few watts lost in heat from all the electronic components on the PCB. Such circuit would be a wank factor, with no discernable advantage really.

... which really was my point in my original/first post on this thread

Roksan do it too. But I'm optimistic Lee(ma) is more successful performance wise at this price point, especially considering the announced dual mono construction.

 

[Andrewjvt]

I can only really play the hegel on 45(out of 99) as it gets too loud for next door people

Ive felt the top of the amp casing and it has never been more than luke warm

 

[Vladimir]

I can only really play the hegel on 45(out of 99) as it gets too loud for next door people

Ive felt the top of the amp casing and it has never been more than luke warm

John Atkinson goes a bit extreme during those tests. You wouldn't probably have any issues unless you were driving 4 ohms speakers very loud and had a CDP stacked on top of the H160.

 

[Andrewjvt]

Next door will get hot before the amp ha

 

[Jota180]

I'd be suspicious of any amp makers claims of doubling power. Someone would have to measure the amps output into 8 Ohms to see it wasn't a fair bit higher than the manufacturers claimed max output into 8 Ohms.

'Doubling' the output of deliberatley under-stated 8 Ohm levels isn't really doubling. It's marketing.

 

[Andrewjvt]

Reviewers testing the amps claimed output etc and showing the claimed v reality then giving us examples how it would excel or struggle

Also a data base of suppliers claimed v actual so we can see which companies are honest and which add on a few watts for wow factor or sales.

Also discussing the power supplies and internals more in depth so most people wont think a 70wpc with quality components and large power supply will sound less powerful than a whimpy 100 wpc amp

 

[plastic penguin]

... and it is in my eyes prettier than the monolithic Hegel (though the large display is useful).

Has to be said, at that price (assuming the two will be comparable) there are quite a few alternatives.

None of which I can afford

Yup, my MKI better looking than the Pulse MKIII and many other makes, although in pretty stakes, can't say any modern amp reaches that level. This is why I still lust after vintage stuff: Big VU meters and proper knobs.

In terms of power the MKI has 80 watts per channel into 8 ohms - I've had Totem Arros, Spendor SA-1s which record low ohms (4-6 I think) and the Pulse has no issues powering the said speakers beyond normal listening levels. Hence why I take little notice of spec sheets.

Looking on the spec of the new MKIV it doesn't seem to have any phono stages. A deffo no-no for my needs.

 

[Andrewjvt]

But cant you add a seperate phono stage to any amp?