UK hi-fi manufacturer Leema Acoustics has announced its new Quantum range, with the inaugural offerings being the Neutron preamp/DAC and Graviton power amp. It’s the first new line unveiled by the Welsh company, co-founded by ex-BBC sound engineer Lee Taylor, in over a decade.
“Quantum takes much of the Leema Acoustics’ Constellation product design, yet simplified to meet a more affordable price point. However, no compromises have been made where it really counts,” Taylor says.
“The onboard phono stage is cloned directly from the award-winning Essentials Phono, USB is handled via an XMOS interface rather than the Leema M1 module, signal switching is via gold-palladium relays, not solid state, plus volume is regulated via an analogue resistor ladder; Leema Acoustics has used this method for nearly 25 years,” he adds.
The Neutron is a thoroughly modern preamp with 13 nameable inputs – four RCA and one XLR lines, one MM/MC phono stage, three optical, three coaxial and one USB. Outputs include a fixed-level record, two dedicated subwoofer, a headphone amplifier and a 12 V trigger.
The switchable MM/MC phono stage is based on Leema Acoustic’s’ proprietary design, and at the digital end, there’s an advanced asynchronous ESS 24-bit/192kHz USB DAC.
The Graviton stereo power amp benefits from “what could be the biggest toroidal power supply ever seen at its price point” for effortless control over a range of loudspeakers.
The Class A/B design offers 150 watts per channel into eight ohms and 260 watts into four ohms, via a high-current topology that deploys six output transistors per channel.
The Graviton has an over-specified single transformer supply and six matched Toshiba output transistors per channel for high instantaneous current delivery. Dual speaker binding posts are included to allow easy bi-wiring, plus line level loop through-outputs for bi-amping.
Leema Acoustics make its own circuit boards at its UK factory, and the majority of the PCB components are shared with the Constellation series allowing economies of scale to directly benefit the new Quantum range.
The Neutron retails at £1,500 and the Graviton at £1,500; bought together, £2,800.
The UK-made casework available in brushed black or silver finishes, with solid aluminium precision-machined front panels and control dials. Available now.
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