Leema Acoustics has launched the Tucana II Anniversary Edition integrated (£4,995), a significantly upgraded version of a much-loved amplifier. The new model, which has been improved and updated by Leema’s Lee Taylor, celebrates 10 years since the original Tucana amplifier, Leema’s first electronics product, was introduced. Leema has returned to the original award-winning design and refined it for even greater performance.
The amplifier retains all of the original qualities that made it a favourite amongst consumers and critics alike: great dynamics, excellent timing and generous power reserves. It has been sympathetically upgraded with Leema revisiting the key areas of circuitry that define character and sound quality delivery.
The Tucana II Anniversary Edition also benefits from a number of aesthetic enhancements to include a new front panel with a machined and chrome-plated solid billet Leema Delta logo and ‘ANNIVERSARY EDITION’ badge.
Improvements under the hood
Internally, the new amplifier features upgraded printed circuit boards with twice the amount of copper to further reduce the resistance of PCB traces and improve power delivery. All relevant capacitors have been upgraded to Nichicon’s high-quality audio-grade MUSE Series and the PCB-to speaker-terminal wiring is now Leema’s new Reference 2 cable which features 16 woven cores plus multi-strand high-purity copper with individual strand silver-plate.
As with the previous Tucana II, all transistors are hand-selected and precision-matched in amplifier sets for optimal performance and the lowest distortion. The power amplifier transformers are Noratel ‘xtra quiet’ units, ensuring perfect power delivery without undesirable hum or excessive heat-generation. As with its Constellation Series stablemates, the amplifier is supplied with Leema’s new Focus remote.
Passport at the ready
In a further nod to the amplifier’s special edition status, Leema has included a number of additional documents. Each amplifier will be supplied with an innovative ‘passport’ integrated into the manual, where the three key stages of production are signed off by the
engineer responsible along with measurement results.
The new amplifier extends both the performance and features of the original, with improved dynamic drive, greater resolution of fine detail and remarkable clarity. It features enormous power reserves to comfortably drive even the fussiest loudspeaker loads. Its dualmono design uses three heavy-duty toroidal power transformers: one for each channel and one for the control circuitry. The design, coupled with a robust and highly refined multibipolar output stage, ensures that music is delivered with a vice-like grip and precise loudspeaker control.
Like its predecessor, the Anniversary Edition also features a 3.5mm front-panel input, fixed gain input for A/V connections, balanced XLR inputs as standard, plus a dedicated highquality headphone output. The user interface offers balance control and individually adjustable input gains, both of which were originally developed for the Reference Series Pyxis preamplifier.
Full LIPS® implementation (Leema’s proprietary communication system) allows for easy system integration with other Leema products and home automation systems. Finishes include black and silver.
– All printed circuit boards significantly upgraded to higher-spec copper and gold: twice the weight of metal on the board!
– All relevant capacitors upgraded to high-quality ‘Nichicon’ audio-grade types
– All transistors hand-selected and precision-matched in amplifier sets for optimal performance and lowest distortion
– Power amplifier transformers upgraded to Noratel ‘xtra quiet’ low-noise/lowtemperature-rise spec, with silicon-steel belly band magnetic shielding.
– Amplifier cable to terminal wiring is now the recently launched Leema Acoustics’ Reference 2 speaker cable: 16 woven cores, multi-strand high-purity copper with individual strand silver-plate
– Terminal and PCB output wiring uses silver solder
– Custom front panel with machined and chrome-plated solid billet Leema Delta logo and ‘ANNIVERSARY EDITION’ badges.
– Each amplifier will have an individual passport, with each stage of assembly signed off by the production engineer responsible.
– Each amplifier will include a duplicate of the production testing and measuring result documentation signed off by the test engineer.
– Amplifiers will now be supplied in a re-usable cloth bag with printed Leema logo. Packaging inserts are upgraded to 100% recycled high-impact black cellular foam. Entire packaging is now 100% recyclable.
Specification
– Output power: 150W rms 8 Ohms/Ch
– Output power: 290W rms 4 Ohms/Ch
– Output power: 520W rms 2 Ohms/Ch
– THD: 0.004%
– Noise: <-100 dB
- Frequency response: 5 Hz - 100 kHz (+0/-3 dB)
- Number of balanced inputs (XLR): 1
- Number of un-balanced inputs (RCA): 6
- Tape input: 1
- Tape output: 1
- MP3 inputs: 1
- Headphone outputs: 1
- Pre-out outputs: 1
- Channel gain adjust for each individual input
- Mute button: Yes
- Balance adjust: (left/Right)
- Thermal protection: Yes
- LIPS® system: Master or Slave
- Dimensions: 440x320x110mm
- Weight: 18kg
Price and availability
The Tucana II Anniversary Edition is available now priced at £4,995 in black/silver
