Monoblocks
typical
Among the 25 monoblockss in the catalogue, this one is typical.
A band places a component against its peers and carries no price. It is deliberately the only price indicator on this page: a second one, measured against a different set, would narrow the two together far enough to give the figure away.
I/O: accepts both RCA and XLR. LIPS bus integration with Leema preamps.
Assessed against 14 rivals across the sixty systems: 4 head-to-heads won, 40 lost.
The dimension the engine names as the weakest link, counted across every head-to-head it lost.
13 lost · Anchored, Artisan, Characterful, PRaT, Reference, Romantic
Against the Anchored brief, the Longdog Audio P6100M Biamp 2x2 (4 units) keeps the slot decisively.
With the Emmae Reginae (custom), the pairing gives up most on bass control.
With the Audiolab 9000Q, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the Leema Hydra II (bridged-mono pair) is the weaker pair of monoblocks for that brief.
controlledPROXY: Leema Hydra II
4 lost · Characterful, PRaT, Romantic, Silent Path
Against the Characterful brief, the Audiolab 9000P keeps the slot decisively.
With the Audiolab 9000Q, the pairing gives up most on vocal presence.
On its own merits the Leema Hydra II (bridged-mono pair) is the stronger pair of monoblocks — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Audiolab 9000Q gives up vocal presence under the Characterful weighting.
THD just 0.002% at 1kHz, S/N >112dB A-weightedAudio Tailor 9000P review + manufacturer specs
3 lost · Vocals-First
No completion of this shape fits that slot's budget.
3 lost · Intimate, Silent Path
Against the Silent Path brief, the Audio Note P1 SE keeps the slot clearly.
With the Emmae Reginae (custom), the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.
With the Music First Audio Baby Reference V2, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.
On its own merits the Leema Hydra II (bridged-mono pair) is the stronger pair of monoblocks — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Emmae Reginae (custom) gives up low-level clarity under the Silent Path weighting.
SET 8W/ch tube power amp, classic Audio Note voicingAudio Note P1 SE positioning + Hi-Fi+ reviews
controlledPROXY: Leema Hydra II
3 lost · BBC Sound, Vocals-First
No completion of this shape fits that slot's budget.
3 lost · Artisan, Intimate, Reference
Against the Intimate brief, the NVA S300 Stereo (Artisan) keeps the slot clearly.
With the NVA P50SA MKII, the pairing gives up most on vocal presence.
With the ProAc Tablette 10 Signature, the pairing gains most on bass control.
On its own merits the Leema Hydra II (bridged-mono pair) is the stronger pair of monoblocks — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the NVA P50SA MKII gives up vocal presence under the Intimate weighting.
controlledPROXY: Leema Hydra II
3 lost · Artisan, PRaT, Reference
Against the Artisan brief, the Exposure XM9 Biamp 2x2 (4 units) keeps the slot clearly.
With the Exposure 3510 Preamplifier, the pairing gives up most on vocal presence.
With the Emmae Reginae (custom), the pairing gains most on bass control.
On its own merits the Leema Hydra II (bridged-mono pair) is the stronger pair of monoblocks — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Exposure 3510 Preamplifier gives up vocal presence under the Artisan weighting.
controlledPROXY: Leema Hydra II
2 lost · Intimate
Against the Intimate brief, the EAR Yoshino 890 keeps the slot decisively.
With the EAR Yoshino 868L (Line), the pairing gives up most on midrange truth.
With the Emmae Reginae (custom), the pairing gains most on bass control.
On its own merits the Leema Hydra II (bridged-mono pair) is the stronger pair of monoblocks — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the EAR Yoshino 868L (Line) gives up midrange truth under the Intimate weighting.
controlledPROXY: Leema Hydra II
1 lost· 3 won · BBC Sound, Twin Arms
Against the Twin Arms brief, the Leema Hydra II (bridged-mono pair) takes the slot decisively.
1 lost· 1 won · Characterful, Romantic
Against the Characterful brief, the Leema Hydra II keeps the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the Leema Hydra II (bridged-mono pair) is the weaker pair of monoblocks for that brief.
1 lost · Anchored
Against the Anchored brief, the Longdog Audio P6100M (pair) keeps the slot clearly.
With the NVA P50SA MKII, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the Leema Hydra II (bridged-mono pair) is the weaker pair of monoblocks for that brief.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the pair of monoblocks position.
1 lost · Twin Arms
No completion of this shape fits that slot's budget.
1 lost · BBC Sound
No completion of this shape fits that slot's budget.
1 lost · Silent Path
Against the Silent Path brief, the Quad Artera Stereo keeps the slot clearly.
With the Music First Audio Baby Reference V2, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the Leema Hydra II (bridged-mono pair) is the weaker pair of monoblocks for that brief.
Hydra II pair in bridged-mono operation Leema Hydra II bridged-mono pair· Physical impact
controlled PROXY: Leema Hydra II· Bass control
fast transients PROXY: Leema Hydra II· Transient attack
refined not grunty PROXY: Leema Hydra II· Physical impact
| is monoblock | True |
|---|---|
| is balanced internal | True |
| is dual mono | True |
| power class | AB |
| power 8ohm w | 392.0 |
| power 4ohm w | 785.0 |
| damping factor | 180.0 |
| accepts rca | True |
| accepts xlr | True |
| accepts din | False |
| input impedance rca kohm | 47.0 |
| input sensitivity rca mv | 380.0 |
| speaker terminal type | binding post |
| gain db | 28.0 |
| snr db | 100.0 |
| thd pct | 0.004 |
| dimensions mm | 440/110/320 |
| sold as pair | True |
| notes |