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LEAK STEREO 230 Integrated Amplifier - Retro design meets state-of-the-art technology

With the LEAK STEREO 30 as a model, the English hi-fi company LEAK HiFi designed the new LEAK STEREO 230 as a flexible stereo integrated amplifier, which is supposed to offer classic design, fine sound, but above all modern features.

IAG Ltd. describes the new LEAK STEREO 230 Integrated Amplifier, now presented, as a high-performance hi-fi amplifier that is intended to expand the product range of the hi-fi manufacturer LEAK. The new LEAK STEREO 230 builds on the qualities and design of the LEAK STEREO 130, which made it a resounding success, says LEAK in its description of the latest solution.

It is also promised that the new LEAK STEREO 230 offers more performance and more functionality and thus, as they explicitly emphasise, proves to be the ideal solution for audiophiles.

Classic design or even vintage hi-fi look

At first glance, it is clear that the new LEAK STEREO 230 Integrated Amplifier also relies on a classic design, in this case one may even speak of vintage hi-fi, because the new stereo integrated amplifier presents itself with a silver aluminium housing, which can be integrated into an optionally available walnut-look wooden frame.

The new LEAK STEREO 230 Integrated Amplifier weighs 12.7 kg with dimensions of 328 mm in width, 414 mm in depth and 147 mm in height.

Two times 75 watts of power

The stereo integrated amplifier is designed as a Class A/B solution, whereby the manufacturer relies on the MOSFET TDA7293 Dual Parallel Amplifier Technology. This enables the LEAK STEREO 230 Integrated Amplifier to deliver a power output of two times 75 watts to speaker systems with an impedance of 8 ohms and two times 115 watts to speakers with an impedance of only 4 ohms.

Equipped for everything – phono preamplifier included

A striking feature of the new LEAK STEREO 230 Integrated Amplifier is that it comes with a flexible set of features and thus seems to be well equipped for all requirements of a modern hi-fi chain.

First of all, there are two analogue inputs in the form of pairs of cinch sockets, and a phono preamplifier, even if it is only designed for drives equipped with MM cartridge systems. According to the manufacturer, the JFET-based circuit offers precise RIAA equalisation.

S/PDIF, HDMI and USB

For digital sources, an optical and coaxial S/PDIF interface are available. In addition, the new LEAK STEREO 230 Integrated Amplifier has an HDMI connection, so that a TV can be connected directly and the sound can be output via the hi-fi system using ARC (Audio Return Channel). The central control is handled via HDMI CEC.

As if that wasn’t enough, the new LEAK STEREO 230 Integrated Amplifier also has a USB port, a USB-B port to be precise, so that it can be connected directly to a PC or Mac.

Bluetooth including aptX and aptX LL

Via Bluetooth 5.0, source devices such as a smartphone can be connected directly. In addition to the lossy codecs SBC and AAC, aptX and aptX LL are also supported.

Roon-tested DAC

For processing digital data, this solution is equipped with an ES9038Q2M Reference DAC with 32-bit HyperStream Architecture and Time Domain Jitter Eliminator from the specialist ESS Technololgy Inc., which supports signals in Linear PCM with up to 32 bits and 768 kHz, DSD up to DSD512 and also the lossy MQA.

It should be explicitly mentioned that the D/A converter of the new LEAK STEREO 230 Integrated Amplifier is Roon-tested. This means that it can be easily integrated and optimally used via the media management and multi-room hi-res audio streaming solution from Roon Labs LLC.

Integrated headphone amplifier

It should also be mentioned that the new LEAK STEREO 230 Integrated Amplifier has a headphone amplifier and, in addition to the obligatory screw terminals for reliable connection of the speakers, a preamp out and a 12 V trigger connection are provided.

Prices and availability

The new LEAK STEREO 230 Integrated Amplifier is available immediately from specialist dealers. The recommended retail price is € 1.299,- if you choose the silver version. If, on the other hand, you want the silver version with a wooden frame in walnut, you will have to pay € 1.499,- for this solution. By the way, the new LEAK STEREO 230 Integrated Amplifier is manufactured in China.

Getting to the point

According to IAG Ltd., the new LEAK STEREO 230 Integrated Amplifier is a particularly flexible stereo integrated amplifier of the LEAK brand, which is positioned above the previously available and very successful LEAK STEREO 130 model. The new addition, of course, picks up on its recipe for success, is also more powerful and, with an HDMI port, is even better equipped to meet the demands of modern hi-fi chains.

PRODUCTLEAK STEREO 230
PriceLEAK STEREO 230 Silver € 1.299,-
LEAK STEREO 230 Walnut € 1.499,-
BRANDLEAK
ManufacturerIAG Ltd.
DistributionIAD GmbH
More about this manufacturer at HIFI BLOG
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Michael Holzinger

Michael Holzinger, founder and editor-in-chief of HiFi BLOG and sempre-audio.at, has been working for years as a journalist in the fields of IT, photography, telecommunications and consumer electronics.

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