Leema Quasar

[plastic penguin]

I'm seriously thinking about buying one. They come quite often on auction sites.

The reason is logical in my squiffy head: Hardly use the Cambridge DacMagic, the Pulse is getting old even though it sounds the biz, Bluetooth is becoming the order, as I recently purchased a Bluetooth module for the car. And the extra power will be good for the Dalis.

The only snag is the Quasar lacks a phono stage, but hopefully a cheapish external stage should be fine.

 

[matthewpianist]

Hi PP. It seems a perfectly sensible move to me - practical as well as building on the Leema sound you like. You can buy a MoFi, Project or Rega phono stage that will do a perfectly good job. I do have an i-Fi Phono, but the stage in the SA10 is considerably better so I'm using that.

 

[plastic penguin]

Hi PP. It seems a perfectly sensible move to me - practical as well as building on the Leema sound you like. You can buy a MoFi, Project or Rega phono stage that will do a perfectly good job. I do have an i-Fi Phono, but the stage in the SA10 is considerably better so I'm using that.

Hi Matthew

From some of the reviews I read, Bluetooth is amazing on the Quasar. Overall they gave it full marks. The only downside is it's not as ergonomic as some other brands.

Certainly looking more into it before deciding.

 

[plastic penguin]

This is from Audiophileman.

"SOUND QUALITY
I began with Bluetooth and pushed a bit of Marvin Gaye, residing in a lossy stream file, at the Leema via my iPhone 8. I paired the Leema to the phone via my phone’s Settings and then moved to the easy to use Leema app, MConnect Control, to do the actual playing of the music.

"In a word? Incredible! I was stunned. Completely…totally stunned. I am so used – fed up? bored? – with streaming music from my iPhone to a hi-fi unit. Why? Because I’m usually presented with a flat, lifeless, cardboard representation of the music being played. And I’m talking about some pretty high end bits of kit here, not just budget fare. The streamed file I played here was a 16bit AAC and I normally hear it as a bright, uncultured, mess brimming with midrange edge, treble tizz, lacking in detail and maturity with zero soundstage organisation and…zzzzz. You see? Normally, not very exciting.

"The Leema? My god, the Leema treated the AAC like…like…hi-fi (gulp). I’ve heard fully fledged CD players sound worse than the Quasar’s Bluetooth streamer. Streamers are not supposed to sound this good. Especially as part of a £3k all-in-one system.

"Put it this way, the soundstage was wide, Cinemascope wide. InstrumentPut it this way, the soundstage was wide, Cinemascope wide. Instruments were spread logically. Rhythm guitar on the left, sax left of centre, orchestra in the rear (yes there was a 3D depth here too), vocal centre, backing vocal right of centre, piano on the far right. Normally, Bluetooth streams say to the listener, “‘Ere, grab this. You sort it out, I’m off.”

"then moved to a the analogue ports and hooked up a turntable and played Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon plus Miles Davis In Berlin. Again, there was that thinning of the harmonics that I mentioned to give the music a lean yet fast moving and slightly solid state-esque element to the music. Just a tad, though. Nothing bad, its a style thing I suppose. Vinyl play remained extremely clean in nature with a sense of transparency.

"Nothing bad, its a style thing I suppose. Vinyl play remained extremely clean in nature with a sense of transparency in the mids that added the fresh aspect of the playback. Hence, bass was bouncy with a springy impact, brass was open and swift in nature, vocals were unsullied and freshly laundered which added to the diction of the performance, making lyrics easy to follow. Again, the low noise nature of the Leema helped".

 

[jjbomber]

This is from Audiophileman.

You don't need to convince us; you need to convince the Leader of the Opposition!

 

[podknocker]

I have the upgrade devil on my shoulder again. Leema Quasar and Monitor Audio Studio 89 on stands is making me consider selling a few things and upgrading again. A large outlay at £5600 and I would need to listen for a while before buying. If anyone builds this system, I would like an in depth assessment please!

 

[Al ears]

I have the upgrade devil on my shoulder again. Leema Quasar and Monitor Audio Studio 89 on stands is making me consider selling a few things and upgrading again. A large outlay at £5600 and I would need to listen for a while before buying. If anyone builds this system, I would like an in depth assessment please!

Like the look of those MA's, my floorstanders have a similar driver layout, would certainly need an audition

 

[plastic penguin]

I have the upgrade devil on my shoulder again. Leema Quasar and Monitor Audio Studio 89 on stands is making me consider selling a few things and upgrading again. A large outlay at £5600 and I would need to listen for a while before buying. If anyone builds this system, I would like an in depth assessment please!

I did suggest demoing a Quasar ages ago.

 

[podknocker]

I did suggest demoing a Quasar ages ago.

Audio Emotion would have given me a £1000 trade in using my Audiolab Omnia and then when I decided, the Omnia was discounted to half price at £799 and then I couldn't get a decent trade in to buy the Leema. I don't regret it too much and will still to try and get the Leema at less than £3125 although some sites have increased the price to nearly £3500 which is too much. If I can sell a few things and get the Leema with the MA speakers for £4500 eventually, then I might be tempted. If I miss a bargain, it's not the end of the world. Decent kit and speakers, but still a lot to part with and this combo would really need to grab my attention and keep it, to part with £4500 never mind full retail at £5600

 

[Revolutions]

Audio Emotion would have given me a £1000 trade in using my Audiolab Omnia and then when I decided, the Omnia was discounted to half price at £799 and then I couldn't get a decent trade in to buy the Leema. I don't regret it too much and will still to try and get the Leema at less than £3125 although some sites have increased the price to nearly £3500 which is too much. If I can sell a few things and get the Leema with the MA speakers for £4500 eventually, then I might be tempted. If I miss a bargain, it's not the end of the world. Decent kit and speakers, but still a lot to part with and this combo would really need to grab my attention and keep it, to part with £4500 never mind full retail at £5600

£4,500 leaves you £1k for a turntable 😁

 

[podknocker]

£4,500 leaves you £1k for a turntable 😁

 

[plastic penguin]

Audio Emotion would have given me a £1000 trade in using my Audiolab Omnia and then when I decided, the Omnia was discounted to half price at £799 and then I couldn't get a decent trade in to buy the Leema. I don't regret it too much and will still to try and get the Leema at less than £3125 although some sites have increased the price to nearly £3500 which is too much. If I can sell a few things and get the Leema with the MA speakers for £4500 eventually, then I might be tempted. If I miss a bargain, it's not the end of the world. Decent kit and speakers, but still a lot to part with and this combo would really need to grab my attention and keep it, to part with £4500 never mind full retail at £5600

There's this one:

Leema Quasar Power Amplifier

Leema Quasar integrated amplifier is part of Leema’s Stellar range and features a machined aluminium billet for the front panel and has classic looks with modern functionality. This fully featured amplifier will blend in with any décor. The unit is a dual mono design with 200 watts per channel...

www.audioaffair.co.uk

 

[podknocker]

Cheers for that PP. They are coming down at last and I hope I can get the funds and grab a bargain this year. I have a Richer Sounds not too far away and although they sell the amp for £3125 it comes with a free 6 year warranty. I'll be watching their site every day from now on.

 

[plastic penguin]

Cheers for that PP. They are coming down at last and I hope I can get the funds and grab a bargain this year. I have a Richer Sounds not too far away and although they sell the amp for £3125 it comes with a free 6 year warranty. I'll be watching their site every day from now on.

Depends where you buy it from, I suppose.

The Quasar should be very impressive if the reviews are anything to go by and they are keepers. I've had my Pulse since 2010 and that entry-level model ticks all of my boxes.

 

[podknocker]

Depends where you buy it from, I suppose.

The Quasar should be very impressive if the reviews are anything to go by and they are keepers. I've had my Pulse since 2010 and that entry-level model ticks all of my boxes.

I've been unable to find many reviews. AV forums reviewed it many moons ago. It's a pity WHF don't review the latest iteration, with 2 antennae not the 3 on the original. They could easily review this amp and include their assessment of the streaming app and how easy or difficult it is to use. With my Omnia, I use the phone app to attach it to the network and then I can use Spotify Connect on the phone and another 3 devices to choose music. I'd be annoyed if I found the Leema to be less intuitive and flexible than my current setup. You would think with all their technical prowess, Leema would also provide a slick and modern interface, with a better display to navigate. The current displays seem to be similar to the Cyrus efforts. Not very good. Incredible sound quality can swing it, but if it's annoying to use, it loses its charm.

 

[plastic penguin]

I've been unable to find many reviews. AV forums reviewed it many moons ago. It's a pity WHF don't review the latest iteration, with 2 antennae not the 3 on the original. They could easily review this amp and include their assessment of the streaming app and how easy or difficult it is to use. With my Omnia, I use the phone app to attach it to the network and then I can use Spotify Connect on the phone and another 3 devices to choose music. I'd be annoyed if I found the Leema to be less intuitive and flexible than my current setup. You would think with all their technical prowess, Leema would also provide a slick and modern interface, with a better display to navigate. The current displays seem to be similar to the Cyrus efforts. Not very good. Incredible sound quality can swing it, but if it's annoying to use, it loses its charm.

Only demo will decide if the Leema is intuitive or not, likewise with the sound quality.

In terms of flexibility with speakers, it won't be a problem based on my Pulse: I've owned MA RS6, PMC and Dali.

Also demoed it with Focal 'V' series, Neat, Amphion and Spendor.

 

[plastic penguin]

I've decided to knock the Quasar on the head for the timebeing. Our Internet keeps crashing, frustrating for a good quality streamer. The Internet connection has always been pants for some reason. That's the main reason why I haven't frequented the forum that much over recent times.

We are looking at changing our phone provider in the near future. Until then, I'm more than happy with trad analogue amp.

C'est la vie.

 

[Revolutions]

I've decided to knock the Quasar on the head for the timebeing. Our Internet keeps crashing, frustrating for a good quality streamer. The Internet connection has always been pants for some reason. That's the main reason why I haven't frequented the forum that much over recent times.

We are looking at changing our phone provider in the near future. Until then, I'm more than happy with trad analogue amp.

C'est la vie.

That’s a shame, sorry to hear that 😢

Have any of your neighbours got good, consistent internet from other providers?

 

[plastic penguin]

That’s a shame, sorry to hear that 😢

Have any of your neighbours got good, consistent internet from other providers?

I'm not sure in all truth. Most are pensioners. Some, I guess, are unlikely to have anything other than a basic laptop.

I still love the notion of the Quasar, once the internet is sorted I'll just buy one without a demo. I'm confident the sound signature is the same or very similar throughout the Leema range. If it gets close to a Tucana, it'll be very special indeed. And no need to change the speakers, the Dalis sound full-bodied and beautifully balanced with the Pulse. 👍