Another clear honest and thorough review. Very insightful. I have been using the Leema Hydra II anniversary (power amp 'cousin') with a pair of Spatial M3 Sapphires. I suggest everyone who can checks these out. The result is sublime that I can strongly recommend at its price point. This was following your video on the Marten/Leema synergy. Thank you for putting me onto Leema when you did. Greetings to you and yours ,Terry. Keep up the great work.
Thanks Terry for letting us peeking to the inner belly of this impressive amp. Based on your description I would consider this amp to be transparent by not adding or substracting any colorization to your system with a lot of horsepower. Unfortunately the quality comes with a price to match.
Have the 1st gen Leema Pulse. I demoed Amphion Argon 1... very impressive little speakers. Used to own the original MK2 Tucana, great amp. After demoing Neat SX2, Iota Alpha, Monitor Audio Gold 100 but eventually plumped for Dali Rubicon 2. Leema/Dali: great combo.
the choice to review speaker with integrated amplifier costing a lot more is a good way to go about things. especially if its neutral sounding. I myself run a poweramp costing more than twice the standmount size speaker.
I heard Leema around 8 years ago and it was insanely fast and articulate, but the speakers it was hooked up with sounded super duper harsh, my ears were bleeding after listening to couple of tracks from the Scorpions. The amp looks and feels awesome though, one of my favorites when it comes to looks. I bet this would be a dream combo with Harbeth Super HL5 speakers! Heard them with a Naim combo and the sound was something to die for!
I just picked up this little puppy - don’t be concerned about its relatively small form factor - it’s a giant killer - input is Rega Planar 10 Turntable with Apheta 3 cartridge & Rega Aria Phono Amp and output is a pair of original series Dynaudio C4’s. Out of the box, I cannot get the volume dial above 5 dots from 0 without it becoming too loud ie. hurting my ears. Maybe I got lucky with the system matching but I get a holographic sound stage, speakers disappear and I get lost in the MUSIC (that is what it is all about for me). I was expecting the sound to be a lot brighter (on the edge of being overly bright) based on other reviews but it is actually got a subtle warmth to it. I have spent some $ on “Voodoo” (isolation pods, good cables, power filters etc.) but really nothing too silly and, I have been fastidious with speaker placement and room resonance. Terry’s review is SPOT ON (thank you) and based on my experience an accurate reflection of the Amplifier's “personality”. I could not be happier with my purchase and looking forward to hearing how it improves as it is run in. I don’t know how it deals with super heavy thumpy bass (not my thing) but it is quite exquisite in how it treats mid-range vocals M&F and the detail of all music is INCREDIBLE - my system is unforgiving on this point - flaws highlighted / poorly balanced recordings revealed. I have two things I do for S&G ( Sh.. & Giggles). Listen from another room - does it sound like someone is performing live in another room (answer - almost / close enough) and I sit in my listening spot - close my eyes and with my pointing finger, I track the location of one particular voice or instrument. Yes - until my C4s go-to speaker heaven - I am done done but then I might be easily satisfied. Either way, Good Times Ahead.
The led have half settings as well. I think I just might have perfect pairing. I generally listen at 3-4 leds. Don’t sweat about low level listening UNLESS you have very sensitive hearing and can discernibly notice a change in volume of a few decibels. Perhaps trial it - it might be worth the “inconvenience”. Good luck - I am still thrilled with my Leema. Happy to answer any further questions.
Don't know why I hadn't had Leema on my radar for amps as I'm well aware of the brand. Will certainly do more research into them now as that was a great review
Hi Terry, I've took your advice again, I've upgraded my chord epic xl speaker cables, interconnects, and XLR, I've now got Tellurium Q ultra black 2 speaker cables, interconnects and XLR, can already hear a difference, think they will sound better the more hours of use, thanks again for your great channel, and advice.
Great video Terry. Amp characteristics are not easy to pin down sometimes, especially when they are on the transparent side. Your insights into speaker/amp matching are wise indeed! Btw , gain settings are a really useful feature ... it should be more common place.
I almost made a big mistake with buying the non anniversary edition. It should be stated how much more low impedance current performance the anniversary edition has
Stunning video, Terry and what a beautiful (British-made) amplifier! You clearly rate it, too: "extremely impressed with the sound quality... a very even and neutral-sounding amp."
Hi what's your opinion about the Leema Acoustics Constellation Hydra II power amplifier. Is the power section of the Tucany II the same as in the Hydra II. I am considering the connect the Hydra II power amplifier with a Aurender A200 which has a preamplifier section and wonder whether this would be a good/great match together with Sonus Faber Olympica Nova II speakers. Best regards, Wil
Hot no, warm yes, it is important to ensure that all components can be ventilated/cooled. I find that Leema equipment only gets better over time. Those big amps/caps -headroom make for fast responses when watching suspenseful sound tracks on movies/TV shows. Jump factor = 10 (IMO) :) Out of interest what amp is in your system today @PursuitPerfectSystem ? Out of interest can any class D amps even touch the 'speed' of class A/B?
Internals look good. Nice review. Though, Enjoyed your recent Diablo 120 review. It’s performance is obvious and literally impactful as you get that out the gate with any gryphon. For me , I found myself getting a little bored with electronics that are neutral and coming back to characteristics that give liveliness, richness and immediacy but yet can still control and act upon big dynamics. My formula is finding the neutral-ness in the speakers and let the amps perform and punch right through them. Of course, comes down to synergy. Thx for another vid terry!
Hi mr. Terry. Excuse me please, for my asking. How do you can compare this amp with other one, which you have tested - Audia Flight Three S, or if you have on your hands previous models - Tucana MK1-2 and Flight Two? What´s your opinion, where is their strong and weak sites? Thanks...
The Tucana II Anniversary was said to partner well with Marten Parker Duo. Does the amp have good clarity, refinement and detail apart from sounding bold and dynamic? I currently have the Luxman L-590AXII with Marten Duke 2 and the sound is superb. Any idea how different will the Tucana II Anniversary be in comparison to the Luxman L-590AXII?
Great review Terry. Shortlisted this amplifier after your review. Please, you did not touch upon its DAC performance vs standalone ones (what price category does it fall into)?
I cannot speak to the speakers mentioned in this video but I question how well this amp works with high efficiency speakers over 90% such as some from Qacoustics?
Here's one for you Terry you might like to try progear the Wharfedale MP 2800 1400 Watts per channel goes down 2ohms ab/power amplifier £500 new of course set the gain very low and is better anyway! if you're driving the preamp harder especially analogue. the figures you given for that amplifier 50 amps is a current amplifier what is pro gear sure that figures is correct.
Super review. I could not agree more with your assesements, based upon what I have been hearing from it in your demo's, and double Mr.Larkins comments entirely. even the one about the gain control feature. Of course my hearing may be gone, 'cause I really had to strain to hear the wind noise. 🙂
Terry, I know you're busy with current projects and future ones you have planned, but I too would be fascinated to hear the Tucana II powering the SCM 50'S, and the ManleyLlabs or other tube amp powering the LS50 Metas, to hear if it add's the little bit of textural richness I feel they lack. Have never found a demo of them with a tube amp.
It’s either that, a NAD M33, Gato DIA400S, Moon 340i or Primare i35 Prisma. Not sure if you’ve heard the Gato amps yet but looking for something that’s great with electronica, sounds smooth with great rythmn around this price point🤔 Thanks for your thoughts Terry!! Great reviews by the way.
Another clear honest and thorough review. Very insightful.
I have been using the Leema Hydra II anniversary (power amp 'cousin') with a pair of Spatial M3 Sapphires. I suggest everyone who can checks these out. The result is sublime that I can strongly recommend at its price point. This was following your video on the Marten/Leema synergy. Thank you for putting me onto Leema when you did.
Greetings to you and yours ,Terry. Keep up the great work.
Thanks Terry for letting us peeking to the inner belly of this impressive amp. Based on your description I would consider this amp to be transparent by not adding or substracting any colorization to your system with a lot of horsepower. Unfortunately the quality comes with a price to match.
Have the 1st gen Leema Pulse. I demoed Amphion Argon 1... very impressive little speakers. Used to own the original MK2 Tucana, great amp.
After demoing Neat SX2, Iota Alpha, Monitor Audio Gold 100 but eventually plumped for Dali Rubicon 2. Leema/Dali: great combo.
the choice to review speaker with integrated amplifier costing a lot more is a good way to go about things. especially if its neutral sounding.
I myself run a poweramp costing more than twice the standmount size speaker.
I heard Leema around 8 years ago and it was insanely fast and articulate, but the speakers it was hooked up with sounded super duper harsh, my ears were bleeding after listening to couple of tracks from the Scorpions. The amp looks and feels awesome though, one of my favorites when it comes to looks. I bet this would be a dream combo with Harbeth Super HL5 speakers! Heard them with a Naim combo and the sound was something to die for!
Another excellent and enjoyable review with good editing. Thanks for your time and effort, its very much appreciated!
The new Mark Levinson 5902 integrated sounds awesome for around less money. It’s worth listening to! ~$7K US. Sound is smooth, layered, and wide.
5902 is inexistent
I just picked up this little puppy - don’t be concerned about its relatively small form factor - it’s a giant killer - input is Rega Planar 10 Turntable with Apheta 3 cartridge & Rega Aria Phono Amp and output is a pair of original series Dynaudio C4’s. Out of the box, I cannot get the volume dial above 5 dots from 0 without it becoming too loud ie. hurting my ears. Maybe I got lucky with the system matching but I get a holographic sound stage, speakers disappear and I get lost in the MUSIC (that is what it is all about for me).
I was expecting the sound to be a lot brighter (on the edge of being overly bright) based on other reviews but it is actually got a subtle warmth to it. I have spent some $ on “Voodoo” (isolation pods, good cables, power filters etc.) but really nothing too silly and, I have been fastidious with speaker placement and room resonance.
Terry’s review is SPOT ON (thank you) and based on my experience an accurate reflection of the Amplifier's “personality”. I could not be happier with my purchase and looking forward to hearing how it improves as it is run in. I don’t know how it deals with super heavy thumpy bass (not my thing) but it is quite exquisite in how it treats mid-range vocals M&F and the detail of all music is INCREDIBLE - my system is unforgiving on this point - flaws highlighted / poorly balanced recordings revealed.
I have two things I do for S&G ( Sh.. & Giggles). Listen from another room - does it sound like someone is performing live in another room (answer - almost / close enough) and I sit in my listening spot - close my eyes and with my pointing finger, I track the location of one particular voice or instrument. Yes - until my C4s go-to speaker heaven - I am done done but then I might be easily satisfied. Either way, Good Times Ahead.
I am also concerned about brightness (pairing with Kef reference 3) . Your comments are very valuable
It's ounds like maybe it doesn't have enough range in the volume control.? Is it ok for finding good volumes at low level listening?
The led have half settings as well. I think I just might have perfect pairing. I generally listen at 3-4 leds. Don’t sweat about low level listening UNLESS you have very sensitive hearing and can discernibly notice a change in volume of a few decibels. Perhaps trial it - it might be worth the “inconvenience”.
Good luck - I am still thrilled with my Leema.
Happy to answer any further questions.
The only thing I love more than a BIG toroidal is 2 BIG toroidals.
Your presentation and very well done. Thank you
Don't know why I hadn't had Leema on my radar for amps as I'm well aware of the brand. Will certainly do more research into them now as that was a great review
Hi Terry, I've took your advice again, I've upgraded my chord epic xl speaker cables, interconnects, and XLR, I've now got Tellurium Q ultra black 2 speaker cables, interconnects and XLR, can already hear a difference, think they will sound better the more hours of use, thanks again for your great channel, and advice.
defo need lots of hours and patience :) hope they serve you well sure they will
@@PursuitPerfectSystem I've built a very good sounding system, with your help, I'm really enjoying my music, thanks.
@@davidgerald285 that's great David I am so happy to have helped you. Thanks for watching my videos
Great video Terry. Amp characteristics are not easy to pin down sometimes, especially when they are on the transparent side. Your insights into speaker/amp matching are wise indeed!
Btw , gain settings are a really useful feature ... it should be more common place.
I almost made a big mistake with buying the non anniversary edition. It should be stated how much more low impedance current performance the anniversary edition has
Hi Terry, I have the leema tucana 2 anniversary, and use it with dynaudio heritage special, if think it's a great sounding combination.
I heard the original Tucana 2 with Totem Mani speakers. Sensational realism
Agree - it also combos well with C4’s - original series.
Stunning video, Terry and what a beautiful (British-made) amplifier! You clearly rate it, too: "extremely impressed with the sound quality... a very even and neutral-sounding amp."
Hi what's your opinion about the Leema Acoustics Constellation Hydra II power amplifier. Is the power section of the Tucany II the same as in the Hydra II. I am considering the connect the Hydra II power amplifier with a Aurender A200 which has a preamplifier section and wonder whether this would be a good/great match together with Sonus Faber Olympica Nova II speakers. Best regards, Wil
Hot no, warm yes, it is important to ensure that all components can be ventilated/cooled. I find that Leema equipment only gets better over time. Those big amps/caps -headroom make for fast responses when watching suspenseful sound tracks on movies/TV shows. Jump factor = 10 (IMO) :)
Out of interest what amp is in your system today @PursuitPerfectSystem ? Out of interest can any class D amps even touch the 'speed' of class A/B?
I admire Leema 🎉❤
Internals look good. Nice review.
Though, Enjoyed your recent Diablo 120 review. It’s performance is obvious and literally impactful as you get that out the gate with any gryphon. For me , I found myself getting a little bored with electronics that are neutral and coming back to characteristics that give liveliness, richness and immediacy but yet can still control and act upon big dynamics. My formula is finding the neutral-ness in the speakers and let the amps perform and punch right through them. Of course, comes down to synergy.
Thx for another vid terry!
@Terry Jom okay wait. They have to look good too lol. Maybe even sinister like the gryphons or sexy like the luxmans
Hi,terry,do you think this could be a good match for the dali rubicon 2? Thanks,keep the good work
Hi mr. Terry. Excuse me please, for my asking. How do you can compare this amp with other one, which you have tested - Audia Flight Three S, or if you have on your hands previous models - Tucana MK1-2 and Flight Two? What´s your opinion, where is their strong and weak sites? Thanks...
Looks like the RCA connectors are fastened to the circuit board and not supported by the chassis . Am I correct?
The Tucana II Anniversary was said to partner well with Marten Parker Duo. Does the amp have good clarity, refinement and detail apart from sounding bold and dynamic? I currently have the Luxman L-590AXII with Marten Duke 2 and the sound is superb. Any idea how different will the Tucana II Anniversary be in comparison to the Luxman L-590AXII?
Great review Terry. Shortlisted this amplifier after your review.
Please, you did not touch upon its DAC performance vs standalone ones (what price category does it fall into)?
There is no DAC in it, its more of a pure integrated but it has a headphone amplifier but they are never of interest to me so I dont mention them :)
Very good review. Might find it a little bit bright paired with my Focal 936's. Can you recommend any alternatives?
Did you get the chance to compare this Tucana II and ATC's own amplifiers when listening to the SCM50?
I cannot speak to the speakers mentioned in this video but I question how well this amp works with high efficiency speakers over 90% such as some from Qacoustics?
can it play,,, martin logan esl... no ringing,,or noise,,, pls dont say u dont know,, pls ask leema
Hi great review very informative. In your opinion how does it compare to a Naim Supernait 3?.
Can you provide some column sets that you think are a good setup for leema tucan 2 in the $1000-4000 range
I’ve always been so curious about this amp, they seem so well made and being British I’ve wondered how they stack up against Naim Supernaits
A great review and the amplifier. I feel ashamed that 80% of my collection in a digital format and the amplifier is useless.
100% of my music is digital
Magnetic battery cover? Great review Terry.
Have to unscrew the little feet on the back
Here's one for you Terry you might like to try progear the Wharfedale MP 2800 1400 Watts per channel goes down 2ohms ab/power amplifier £500 new of course set the gain very low and is better anyway! if you're driving the preamp harder especially analogue. the figures you given for that amplifier 50 amps is a current amplifier what is pro gear sure that figures is correct.
Hi can you review the ROKSAN blak integrated amplifier.
Hello, very amazing channel. Anyone has compared this amplifier with NAIM SUPERNAIT 3
? Thanks in advance.
Some folks feel the Tucana II Anniversary to be comparable to 282/250DR so it's surely above the Supernait 3.
hmm, interesting amp. It costs about the same as Hegel H390 (that have great DAC onboard).
Get the Tucana and pair it with a better (R2R) DAC from Holo Audio.
I wonder how the Tucana II compares with another well regarded, powerful and neutral amp, the Luxman 509?
They are different one is very neutral the other is more about tonality and boldness
Do you think then Its worth spending 5k more on the gryphon Diablo? For driving kef reference 3
Tough one that as it might depend on a number of factors but you need to listen to both mate as it’s so much money to spend
Thanks for the Swift reply! Awesome work
Finally at home...I can assure perfect match with Kef Reference 3. Great control and speed!
Super review. I could not agree more with your assesements, based upon what I have been hearing from it in your demo's, and double Mr.Larkins comments entirely. even the one about the gain control feature.
Of course my hearing may be gone, 'cause I really had to strain to hear the wind noise. 🙂
Terry, I know you're busy with current projects and future ones you have planned, but I too would be fascinated to hear the Tucana II powering the SCM 50'S, and the ManleyLlabs or other tube amp powering the LS50 Metas, to hear if it add's the little bit of textural richness I feel they lack. Have never found a demo of them with a tube amp.
Are you able to check out the Accuphase E-480 by chance?
I havent got any contacts with them right now sorry
Hi Terry. It sounds like from your description, pairing this amp with something like my pair of Dynaudio Contour S1.4s could be a good balance?
I dont know those speakers specifically but based on my recent experience with other DynAudio yes its worth checking that pairing out
It’s either that, a NAD M33, Gato DIA400S, Moon 340i or Primare i35 Prisma. Not sure if you’ve heard the Gato amps yet but looking for something that’s great with electronica, sounds smooth with great rythmn around this price point🤔 Thanks for your thoughts Terry!! Great reviews by the way.
@@iainrobertson6867have you got any further in your search?
I have it and love it 😉
I don’t like the aesthetic of this amplifier but I’m sure it sounds fine. Looks a bit dated to me in a 1990’s kinda way.
Common man goes with high tech measurements not high end high price. Purifi amp design is taking over by storm in 2020.
To many LED's...
There is only ever about 3 on at once, thats a normal amount
@@PursuitPerfectSystem
no bluetooth input? no digital input? no sub output??? no balanced output? well, it's an old school design, all analog????