Leema Acoustics Element DAC & Preamp Review

[amirm]

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Leema Acoustics Element stereo DAC and analog input preamp. It is on loan from a member and costs US $2,195.

It is a substantial unit with controls that feel good. What sets this DAC apart from others like it, is larger number of digital input and importantly, analog input:

For people like me who are forced to use a pre-amp because we have an analog source (reel to reel in my case), this is a highly desirable feature.

As sent, the unit is rated for 230 volts so I powered it with my lab AC generator set to that. Initially I just plugged it into our 120 volts mains and everything seemed to work as far as the display but there was no output. Took me about half of our to realize it needed 230 volt input.

I see reviews dating back to 2014 so it is an older design.

For reasons I won't get into, this is an abbreviated review.

Leema Acoustics Element Precision DAC Measurements
Let's start with our usual dashboard:

This is nothing to write home about in this day and age but it is at least not broken:

RCA output is about the same:

Dynamic range falls in the same category:

You may have noticed that the above is with Toslink input. I could not get USB input to work with standard class driver. It oddly doesn't expose any sample rates below 96 kHz. They do have their own driver so perhaps that fixes things (I did not try).

Leema Acoustics Element Analog Input Measurements
I was most interested in this mode of operation and was pleased with the results:

Distortion is vanishingly low at below -125 dB. Noise is what dominates SINAD:

This is good enough performance for any analog source you may want to use.

Conclusions
As a DAC, this level of performance is not competitive for any DAC above $150 so that is not the real story here. What is important is inclusion of analog input for those who need it. The convenience of that is very important to likes of me and eliminates the need to use an external pre-amp. Same remote can be used to control both digital and analog input, making for a very convenient solution.

On the basis of analog input and performance, I am going to recommend the Leema Acoustics Element Precision DAC.
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As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

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[SuicideSquid]

Good enough digital performance, great analog performance, lots of features.

Not something I need, but for its niche, seems to be a good product.

 

[Vini darko]

Whats is the "lips" input? Never seen a input labeled with that.

 

[amirm]

Whats is the "lips" input? Never seen a input labeled with that.

It is some kind of proprietary control protocol.

 

[Vini darko]

It is some kind of proprietary control protocol.

Oh ok thanks.

 

[Matias]

I wonder why other manufacturers don't include analog inputs. Should not be a big deal. Maybe it takes some space in the back but come on, it's for a good cause!

 

[Billy Budapest]

Very expensive for this level of performance. Partially due to its UK manufacture, I’m sure. Its performance would have been very good in 2014.

 

[Madjalapeno]

I wonder why other manufacturers don't include analog inputs. Should not be a big deal. Maybe it takes some space in the back but come on, it's for a good cause!

I was looking for something that still had analog inputs. Ended up buying a Schiit Saga S just to be able to switch them.

 

[sarumbear]

Whats is the "lips" input? Never seen a input labeled with that.

LIPS is an acronym for 'Leema Intelligent Protocol System'. It is a communication bus that enables Leema components to communicate with other units in the Leema range. The communication enables simple control of power on/off from one unit, right up to the control of all functions in a Leema system comprising up to 15 individual components.

FAQ

Leema frequently asked questions

www.leema-acoustics.com

 

[nsfgp]

Cirrus CS4351 ... from the 2005 era. They did a great job with that DAC chip I must say with those test results.

 

[GWolfman]

As always Amir, thanks!

The analog in is RCA only, correct? Also, it looks like the analog in is not digitized (for the preamp functionality), right?

 

[levimax]

I wonder why other manufacturers don't include analog inputs. Should not be a big deal. Maybe it takes some space in the back but come on, it's for a good cause!

Analog inputs like these that are very well implemented are expensive and complex compared to just a DAC. If it was easy it would be done all the time. While expensive this item delivers on the analog side and considering how old it is does OK on the digital side. Good to see a product that works as expected.

 

[Ajax]

A better performing and less expensive Preamp/DAC can be found from the USA manufacturer Benchmark Media... they have been manufacturing DACs for over 20 years ....... DAC 1, DAC2 and DAC 3 series.

The sweet spot for me in their range is the older DAC 2L, which has a remote with volume and input control, and includes 2 x RCA analogue, 2 x optical, 2 x coaxial plus a USB for your computer. It has both RCA & balanced out. Their HGC models incorporate a high quality headphone amp, which I don't require.

Amir tested their DAC HGC3 here:

Review and Measurements of Benchmark DAC3

This is a review and detailed measurements of Benchmark DAC3 and headphone amplifier. The unit is on kind loan from member Dallasjustice and is highly anticipated evaluation by myself and I am sure many of you. As of this writing the DAC3 retails for USD $2195 from Benchmark site. Others...

www.audiosciencereview.com

I have purchased several of their DACs over the past 10 years, all of which have performed wonderfully well and have been 100% reliable. I purchased a DAC 2L second hand 2 years ago for only US$700, great engineering at a very reasonable price.

 

[naviivan]

Initially I just plugged it into our 120 volts mains and everything seemed to work as far as the display but there was no output. Took me about half of our to realize it needed 230 volt input.

Amirm, It concerns me that you didn't even bother checking it was 230V before plugging it in......... and it took you half an hour to figure it out.

 

[617]

This should be a mediocre/overpriced award, but for me, the inclusion of one RCA analog input is huge.

 

[naviivan]

This should be a mediocre/overpriced award, but for me, the inclusion of one RCA analog input is huge.

What were the other DACs like 8 years ago?

 

[PeteL]

Can we assume the volume control is an analog pot? if so it would bu interesting to see the usual channel balance, etc, if not… well if not that would mean the analog ins are digitised but since it is better than the DAC performance it raises questions. In all case it’s a nice package with useful features.

 

[amirm]

Can we assume the volume control is an analog pot? if so it would bu interesting to see the usual channel balance, etc, if not… well if not that would mean the analog ins are digitised but since it is better than the DAC performance it raises questions. In all case it’s a nice package with useful features.

No volume encoder is digital.

 

[jam]

Thanks for the review Amir. Pretty decent DAC/preamp combo unit. However, considering that one can buy a SOTA preamp like the Topping Pre90 for $600 with balanced analog inputs (+RCA) and pair that with any number of DACs that measure considerably better than this Leema for less than half the price, I just don't see the point of buying it.

 

[PeteL]

No volume encoder is digital.

Thanks, so the analog ins are digitised?