Hi everyone. Are there any Leema fans out there?. Anyone owning their products ?. If so please give some performance/quality advice on their products, pro and cons welcome. I am thinking of getting the combination Tucana II and Antila II to go with Spendor A6 spkr. Your advice will be much appreciated. Thanks.
-
When should you upgrade your hi-fi? How to control ‘upgradeitis’
Leema Tucana II Amp and Antila II CD player.
- Thread starter admin_exported
- Start date
Love Leema, can't afford their kit currently, but would certainly be shortlisting it were I looking for gear in the relevant price range. The Leema Pulse at £1200 or so looks like terrific VFM.
Frank Harvey
Well-known member
Do try them against the equivalently priced Naim alternatives. In an A/B demo between the two, I didn't feel that the Leema's offered anything over and above the Naim, and the Leema's were more expensive. Tha Naim's go extremely well with the Spendor's too.
Frank Harvey
Well-known member
I'm currently using - and loving - the Leema MkII (the tweak from original versions makes a difference) pairing at home; superb stuff, and a great combo with my Mordaunt Short Performance 6s. Incredibly well thought out, too, the Leemas, in terms of usability and connectivity; a doddle to integrate with my AV system, for example.
But yes, spend that level of money and an audition's a must- Naim and Plinius would be just two other options i'd consider, as well as the higher-end Cyrus kit (fantastic with Spendors).
But yes, spend that level of money and an audition's a must- Naim and Plinius would be just two other options i'd consider, as well as the higher-end Cyrus kit (fantastic with Spendors).
Thank you very much for all your kind responses. I think I will have a try out first when I have bit of spare time.
Clare, can you please tell me is it true that the Tucana II amp is a little bit too much bass ?. And also is there another componet (pre or signal processor) that can be added to this amp so that tone variation can be made ?.
Clare, can you please tell me is it true that the Tucana II amp is a little bit too much bass ?. And also is there another componet (pre or signal processor) that can be added to this amp so that tone variation can be made ?.
Frank Harvey
Well-known member
Choose your system carefully and you'll not need any tone controls
I know my name's not Clare, but it is my middle name
I know my name's not Clare, but it is my middle name
FRANKHARVEY.HIFI, thanks for your reponses. As you are in this field of HIFI expert, would you say pre-power combo compared to a similar price integrate amp, would sound better/same/worse ?. I am thinking may be dish out a bit more to get the Leema Pyxis and the Hydra combo instead of the Tucana II, or is it just a waste on money on having to buy extra interconnects. Some say the reason of having the pre so that you can have some degree of tweaking to your taste.
You will get a much cleaner output from the Pyxis - it has a far superior output stage to the Tucana II. On paper the power amp stage does look the same with the Hydra/Tucana but the Hydra benefits from a dedicated power supply. That in conjunction with the superior preamp in the Pyxis plus another dedicated power supply will lift the combination above the integrated.
We have just recently become a Leema dealer and I am very pleased with the quality of the product. Although it is not an indication of sound quality the feel of the volume control is like butter!
We have just recently become a Leema dealer and I am very pleased with the quality of the product. Although it is not an indication of sound quality the feel of the volume control is like butter!
Frank Harvey
Well-known member
With an integrated amplifier, you have pre-amp circuitry dealing with delicate low level signals coupled with hefty power amp circuitry, and a whacking great transformer. In a good amp, the negative effect of all this will be minimised, but to get the full benefit of both different sections of the amplifier, they're better off seperated in their own box with a power transformer that's designed and engineered to suit the individual needs of each section.
Pre/powers tend to give you a more accurate outlook on what's going on, mainly because the pre-amp isn't being affected by big power amp circuitry and transformers, and the power amplifier can be dedicated to just doing what it's supposed to do - drive speakers, and drive them well. Pwer amplifiers will normall be more powerful, providing higher SPL's and current levels - and damping factor
Whether you need to go as far as pre/powers is dependent on the speakers and their capabilities, but generally speaking most good quality speakers will always respond well to more capable amplification.
Having said that, there are some extremely capable integrated amplifiers out there - Naim's SuperNait, ATC's SIA2-150, and Bryston's B60. That's about as much as I'd spend on an integrated amplifier - they're all around £2,500. After that, I would always go down the pre/power route to get more from the system.
As for the tweaking, some will mix and match pre and powers to achieve their goals, but many will stick to one manufacturer to ensure compatibility.
Pre/powers tend to give you a more accurate outlook on what's going on, mainly because the pre-amp isn't being affected by big power amp circuitry and transformers, and the power amplifier can be dedicated to just doing what it's supposed to do - drive speakers, and drive them well. Pwer amplifiers will normall be more powerful, providing higher SPL's and current levels - and damping factor
Whether you need to go as far as pre/powers is dependent on the speakers and their capabilities, but generally speaking most good quality speakers will always respond well to more capable amplification.
Having said that, there are some extremely capable integrated amplifiers out there - Naim's SuperNait, ATC's SIA2-150, and Bryston's B60. That's about as much as I'd spend on an integrated amplifier - they're all around £2,500. After that, I would always go down the pre/power route to get more from the system.
As for the tweaking, some will mix and match pre and powers to achieve their goals, but many will stick to one manufacturer to ensure compatibility.
Hi everyone, just got back from a blind test with a friend. We went to listen to the Tucana II/Antila II and the PyxisHydra combo/Antilla II, other components are the same in both set up. We HONESTLY can NOT differenciate the two set up. We tried some classicals and pops. We have not time to try another brand. All we can conclude is the two set ups were 'exactly' the same. We are not musicians, so may be our ears are not up to 'standard'. We are quite happy with the sound though.
Now I am totally lost between pre-power combo and integrated with the above system. With the above, it would save me a few grands and still sound just as good to me by going integrated. The electronics bits inside I think only an electronic engineer designing the system can really say whether pre-power separation will make much difference to the processing signal.
Now I am totally lost between pre-power combo and integrated with the above system. With the above, it would save me a few grands and still sound just as good to me by going integrated. The electronics bits inside I think only an electronic engineer designing the system can really say whether pre-power separation will make much difference to the processing signal.
If you dont hear it then save your money. There is a good price difference between the two options - a lot of new CD's.
plastic penguin
Well-known member
Clare Newsome:
I'm currently using - and loving - the Leema MkII (the tweak from original versions makes a difference) pairing at home; superb stuff, and a great combo with my Mordaunt Short Performance 6s. Incredibly well thought out, too, the Leemas, in terms of usability and connectivity; a doddle to integrate with my AV system, for example.
But yes, spend that level of money and an audition's a must- Naim and Plinius would be just two other options i'd consider, as well as the higher-end Cyrus kit (fantastic with Spendors).
I concur - I loved the Leema Pulse when I heard it back in the summer. Likewise, I heard the Naim XS earlier this week, both set-ups, although different source and speakers, were mind-blowing; that's a real turn-up for the old "plus fours", cause I've always been, until recently, a creature of habit......
I'm currently using - and loving - the Leema MkII (the tweak from original versions makes a difference) pairing at home; superb stuff, and a great combo with my Mordaunt Short Performance 6s. Incredibly well thought out, too, the Leemas, in terms of usability and connectivity; a doddle to integrate with my AV system, for example.
But yes, spend that level of money and an audition's a must- Naim and Plinius would be just two other options i'd consider, as well as the higher-end Cyrus kit (fantastic with Spendors).
I concur - I loved the Leema Pulse when I heard it back in the summer. Likewise, I heard the Naim XS earlier this week, both set-ups, although different source and speakers, were mind-blowing; that's a real turn-up for the old "plus fours", cause I've always been, until recently, a creature of habit......
Similar threads
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram