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Leema Neutron

Preamplifier

Relative price

below typical

Among the 29 preamplifiers in the catalogue, this one is below 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.

What it is

Borrows Constellation series tech but simplifies casework and reduces multi-transformer count to single transformer for affordability. Component quality NOT compromised — same MM/MC phono circuit as Essentials Phono (which is in catalogue), gold-palladium relay signal switching, Burr-Brown analog volume, ESS Sabre ES9018 DAC (24/192, DSD256 via XMOS USB).

Competition record

Assessed against 7 rivals across the sixty systems: it takes the slot in none of its 41 head-to-heads.

Where it gives ground

The dimension the engine names as the weakest link, counted across every head-to-head it lost.

  • quietness at rest ×31
  • vocal presence ×8
  • midrange truth ×3
  • low-level clarity ×2

Who it comes up against

Music First Audio Baby Reference V2

10 lost · Anchored, Artisan, Cavity-Native, Characterful, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Silent Path

Against the Silent Path brief, the Music First Audio Baby Reference V2 keeps the slot clearly.

With the Audio Note P1 SE, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

With the Whest Audio 60Se Pro, the pairing gains most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Leema Neutron is the weaker preamplifier for that brief.

had not heard a better preampStereophile (Art Dudley) — Baby Reference V1 review
had not heard a better preampStereophile (Art Dudley) — Baby Reference V1 review

Audiolab 9000Q

9 lost · Anchored, Artisan, Characterful, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Silent Path

Against the Anchored brief, the Audiolab 9000Q keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Leema Neutron is the weaker preamplifier for that brief.

S/N exceeding 112dB A-weighted, THD <0.002%Audiolab 9000P/Q HomeTheaterReview specs + Audio Tailor review

NVA P50 MKII

9 lost · Anchored, Artisan, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Silent Path

Against the Anchored brief, the NVA P50 MKII keeps the slot clearly.

With the Audiolab 9000P, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gains most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Leema Neutron is the stronger preamplifier — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Audiolab 9000P gives up quietness at rest under the Anchored weighting.

noise floor deliciously quietThe Ear (Butler) 2024

NVA P50SA MKII

8 lost · Anchored, Artisan, Cavity-Native, Intimate, PRaT, Reference

Against the Anchored brief, the NVA P50SA MKII keeps the slot clearly.

With the Longdog Audio P6100M (pair), the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gains most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Leema Neutron is the stronger preamplifier — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Longdog Audio P6100M (pair) gives up quietness at rest under the Anchored weighting.

pin sharp clarityNVA owner consensus (P50SA)
pin sharp clarityNVA owner consensus (P50SA)

EAR Yoshino 868L (Line)

2 lost · Intimate

Against the Intimate brief, the EAR Yoshino 868L (Line) keeps the slot clearly.

With the EAR Yoshino 890, the pairing gives up most on midrange truth.

On its own merits the Leema Neutron is the weaker preamplifier for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the preamplifier position.

868L line preamp, Tim de Paravicini valve designEAR Yoshino 868L + multi-decade Stereophile heritage

Exposure 3510 Preamplifier

2 lost · Artisan, Reference

Against the Artisan brief, the Exposure 3510 Preamplifier keeps the slot clearly.

With the Exposure XM9 Biamp 2x2 (4 units), the pairing gives up most on vocal presence.

Audio Note M2 Phono

1 lost · Intimate

Against the Intimate brief, the Audio Note M2 Phono keeps the slot clearly.

With the Audio Note P1 SE, the pairing gives up most on midrange truth.

On its own merits the Leema Neutron is the stronger preamplifier — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Audio Note P1 SE gives up midrange truth under the Intimate weighting.

Audio Note pre with onboard phono, classic SET-friendly voicingAudio Note M2 Phono + Stereophile heritage

Systems it is part of

What the reviewers said

Leema Neutron preamp with house clarity character Leema Neutron + What HiFi reviews· Tonal body
noise floor deliciously quiet The Ear (Butler) 2024· Low-level noise floor
plenty of detail... without harshness The Ear (Butler) 2024· Micro-dynamic resolution
naturalness of the vocals The Ear (Butler) 2024· Tonal body

How it scores

Voice

  • Tonal body 76 from listening evidence

LowerVolume

  • Low-level noise floor 76 from listening evidence
  • Micro-dynamic resolution 76 from listening evidence

Specifications

is balanced internalFalse
is dual monoFalse
has built in phonoTrue
phono typeMM/MC
rca inputs5
xlr inputs1
line input impedance kohm47.0
line input sensitivity mv380.0
rca outputs2
xlr outputs1
din outputs0
output impedance ohm100
output max v18.2
psu upgrade portFalse
headphone outTrue
internal bass managementnone
gain db12.0
thd pct0.0004
dimensions mm440/109/325
weight kg5.0
notes