New Welsh-Fi, I mean Leema!

[nopiano]

Good to see some home-built amps joining the rarefied ranks of Exposure, ATC, Fell, Audio Note, Sugden etc. Leema had definitely gone off my radar for a while, so I hope these are good!

https://www.whathifi.com/hi-fi/stereo-amplifiers/this-welsh-hi-fi-brand-is-catering-to-different-hi-fi-tastes-with-the-launch-of-four-new-amplifiers

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

I think I prefer the aesthetic of their earlier stuff.

 

[Al ears]

I think I prefer the aesthetic of their earlier stuff.

Agreed, those amps are pretty instinct in the great scheme of things. I would love to see the inclusion of a Balance control as well but that's probably hoping for too much.

 

[nopiano]

Agreed, those amps are pretty instinct in the great scheme of things. I would love to see the inclusion of a Balance control as well but that's probably hoping for too much.

I guess it may be in a sub menu. The two controls may be simply volume and input selection, but quite often there are further settings. We’ll have to wait for a review I guess! Or I can ask them at the Bristol show assuming I go…

 

[The_Lecht_Rocks]

I like them. And arguably taking the fight to Cambridge, Naim and Rega.
Does the volume look like the new Cyrus ?

 

[PieterG]

It's interesting how many UK hifi brands have very little exposure in mainland Europe. The name Leema only sounds vaguely familiar. That black finish in the pictures does look nice. Reminds me a little bit of Arcam but with blue accent instead of yellow 😉.

 

[Al ears]

I guess it may be in a sub menu. The two controls may be simply volume and input selection, but quite often there are further settings. We’ll have to wait for a review I guess! Or I can ask them at the Bristol show assuming I go…

I keep forgetting that amplifiers have to have menus these days..... 🙂

 

[nopiano]

I like them. And arguably taking the fight to Cambridge, Naim and Rega.
Does the volume look like the new Cyrus ?

Are you thinking of the full sized Cyrus 80? This looks similar but the dimensions weren’t stated.

 

[Gray]

Good to see some home-built amps joining the rarefied ranks of Exposure, ATC, Fell, Audio Note, Sugden etc. Leema had definitely gone off my radar for a while, so I hope these are good!

https://www.whathifi.com/hi-fi/stereo-amplifiers/this-welsh-hi-fi-brand-is-catering-to-different-hi-fi-tastes-with-the-launch-of-four-new-amplifiers

I like the look.
And nice to see tape outputs - never hurts to have a fixed output.
(May even have the monitor loop for your Nakamichi 🤔)

 

[Jasonovich]

I don't mind the Leema's aesthetics, they all seem to be doing the double dial Hegel thing, even Onkiyo is at it with their new streamer.

Thank God the Scandinavians are not supplying flat-pack integrated amps or streamers!

 

[nopiano]

I like the look.
And nice to see tape outputs - never hurts to have a fixed output.
(May even have the monitor loop for your Nakamichi 🤔)

It’s definitely got the output, but not the monitor loop I think. Anyway, I bagged an old Arcam preamp which is providing a solution!

 

[The_Lecht_Rocks]

In the pics the LEEMA doesn’t look so well finished as the Onkyo.
I find the HEGEL too boring, but will admit that they do sound great. The H150 is an especially good integrated

 

[Al ears]

In the pics the LEEMA doesn’t look so well finished as the Onkyo.
I find the HEGEL too boring, but will admit that they do sound great. The H150 is an especially good integrated

For £2750 the H150 needs to be especially good.... 🙂

 

[daytona600]

£2750 Hegel high price for made in China by a 3rd party
£2750 gets you a made in the UK like Sugden that will last decades & future value will be higher

 

[Al ears]

£2750 Hegel high price for made in China by a 3rd party
£2750 gets you a made in the UK like Sugden that will last decades & future value will be higher

I guess it depends entirely on what you want out of an amplifier.
As far as I am aware Sugden do not make anything like the equivalent of the Hegel.

 

[daytona600]

As far as I am aware Hegel do not make anything like the equivalent of a Sugden

 

[record_spot]

Have to say I think the new Leema gear, including the recent Neutron pre-amp from a year or two back which shares the same fascia, looks fantastic. I'd have it in a heartbeat.

 

[Al ears]

As far as I am aware Hegel do not make anything like the equivalent of a Sugden

Which is why I said it depends entirely what you want from an amplifier.
The thread is about Leema amplifiers after all .
These are also nothing like Sugden... 🙂

 

[skinnypuppy71]

I'd really like a Tucana mkii Anniversary edition....proper old school modern amp if that makes sense 😁
I've ticked off a few brands on my..amps (to own) bucket list and Leema is one of them along with Luxman and Sugden.

 

[The_Lecht_Rocks]

Leema priced like the EXPOSURE 3510 and the ATOLL IN300 and HEGEL H150…
Real competition I reckon is the 3510. That is a cracking amp and I’d like to think the LEEMA could compete…
LEEMA I150 at £2650 seems great value compared to some other British stuff of similar specification…..Bee real interested in seeing the specifications and internal architectures.

 

[nopiano]

Well the i85 was being demonstrated in the Leema room at the Bristol Show and it sounded jolly good. Nice finish too. The transformer, the power amp board, and the solid aluminium control knobs were displayed too as separate items, to show the engineering. Very impressive I must say.

I wasn’t so keen on the blue display. It looked nice enough, but I could scarcely read it at barely two metres away. Even the rep squinted at it, when adjusting the volume, because it is on the second row of the display. Better would have been a double-size volume display - like the 20 year old Arcam preamp has that I recently bought!

Credit to them using Scansonic speakers costing £1450 a pair, so the whole system wasn’t much more than three grand. Especially as pretty much everything is discounted 15% or more at the show. Other retailers are matching the prices too!