Leema Xone

Had these speakers 5 months now and..... what can I say except there must be a small indentation on the floor just in front of my sofa where my chin keeps hitting the floor (!)... If they had DNA it would be 70% ATC and 30% Dynaudio. i.e. massively detailed and fast with just a tiny little 'sweetness' to add a touch of bass weight and treble sparkle to make recordings more enjoyable.

Compared to the other speakers I've heard with my setup (Dynaudio 52se, ATC SCM11, Spendor A6, PMC GB1i) the Xones are the most detailed and fastest. I never though the SCM11s would be beat on this but the way the Xones start and stop is amazing, fast paced melodies like the guitars on 'Friday night in San Francisco' and the drumming on LedZep's 'Achille's Last Stand' is very intelligeble.

Treble is, as I mentioned, not quite as flat as the ATCs (which I found a bit boring) and a little more refined than the Dyns. Midrange is all present and correct and to my ears correctly integrated. Did some sine wave tests on the bass and it's seemless from 100 down to about 35Hz... the Dyns used to have a hump at 40Hz which was fun but smeared the midrange a bit. They also go slightly lower (30Hz) compared to the Dyns/ATC.

Volume wise I've not a problem at high levels and the Xone's have a party trick - at low levels they just sound quieter. (SCM11s needed a bit of oumpf to come alive).

When the Xone's were launched in 2007 they had an RRP of around £2,000 to £2,200 and were pretty well reviewed... so you're thinking I'm being unfair comparing to less expensive speakers... well Leema cut the price to £1,600 ... and now the RRP is £1,000... and deals are to be done (if you catch my drift).. value for money is sky high in my eyes..

Build qulity is very good - same as the ATCs and Spendor I'd say but not quite up to the standard of the Dynaudios - the Danish company really are exceptional in this respect. Looks wise the Leemas are nice and minimalistically unobtrusive. I do also like the feet that extend well outside the base making them very stable.

As you might have guessed I've been completely blown away by these speakers.....

I own the stand mount version of these speakers, the Xero model, and have heard the Xones at my local hifi dealer. They are exceptional speakers in certain areas, timing, detail and such a sweet treble/midrange. True, bass could extend further but I advise you to at least get a demo of either of these speakers if they appeal. You wont be disappointed.

On the Xero subject, where has the review gone What Hifi, they got 5 stars a year or two ago but no mention on this site or in the listings in the magazine. They are surely too good to ignore!