LEAK STEREO 230

Overview
One of the biggest names of the mid-twentieth century British Hi-Fi scene burst back into the mainstream with the LEAK CDT and STEREO 130, in the year 2020.

Firmly re-established as a Hi-Fi mainstay, the LEAK product portfolio is expanding with the new LEAK STEREO 230 – a high performance, high fidelity integrated amplifier designed for the modern-day audio and movie enthusiast.
 

Building upon the class and style that made the STEREO 130 a rip-roaring success, the LEAK STEREO 230 adds more power, more functionality and more substance for the discerning audiophile.

Designed to be the perfect match for a wide variety of sources and providing higher levels of amplification, the LEAK STEREO 230 offers a 115w per channel output.

The LEAK STEREO 230 can be connected to a host of analogue and digital sources, thanks to its diversity of inputs. A built-in Moving Magnet (MM) phono pre-amplifier allows for direct connection to turntable record players.

To fully accommodate the modern-day music enthusiast, much effort has been made to ensure the LEAK STEREO 230’s digital circuitry delivers the level of quality one might expect of a high-performance standalone D/A converter, let alone an integrated amplifier solution.

You can also stream music to the LEAK STEREO 230 from any Bluetooth device, such as portable music players, tablet PCs or smartphones, via the built-in aptX and AAC Bluetooth codec. One can therefore enjoy CD quality audio over the Bluetooth wireless connection.

Carefully designed in line with the LEAK ethos of performance, reliability and craftsmanship, the LEAK STEREO 230 matches contemporary performance with stand-out, classic LEAK styling.
 

MOVIE & MUSIC ENTHUSIAST AT ITS HEART
The LEAK STEREO 230’s all-round performance is engaging, detailed and refined. Detail, timing and dynamics excel, regardless of source or medium.

Designed for the modern-day movie and music enthusiast with a nod to our heritage, the LEAK STEREO 230 does not discriminate when it comes to expression and enjoyment of your music and movie reproduction.

TURNTABLE READY
Traditional audiophiles will recognise the assured quality in the high-quality, low-noise turntable input of the LEAK STEREO 230. Optimised for moving magnet cartridges, the JFET-based circuit offers precise RIAA equalisation in accordance with de facto industry standards for vinyl record playback.

HEADPHONE USERS
The LEAK STEREO 230 uses a dedicated amplifier circuit with current-feedback technology for the headphone output. Equal in performance to standalone headphone amplifiers, beyond the price class of this complete system, the design offers high-speed output signal transition thanks to a high slew rate. The result is a dynamic, detailed and engaging performance with all manner of headphone types.

CONVERSION WITHOUT COMPROMISE
Utilising the acclaimed ES9018 Sabre32 Reference chip with ESS Technology’s 32-bit HyperStream architecture and Time Domain Jitter Eliminator, the LEAK STEREO 230 offers ultra-low noise, high dynamic range of digital audio files with a sampling rate of up to 384kHz (PCM) and DSD256.

ARC DE TRIOMPHE
Equipped with an Audio Return Channel (ARC) connection, the LEAK STEREO 230 integrates perfectly for home AV applications, bringing the LEAK Hi-Fi pedigree to your screen, too.
 

LEAK 230 Specifications
General Description    Integrated Amplifier
Design Philosophy and Core Technology    · 2 x 75W (8ohm) / 2 x 115W (4ohm) Class AB
· ST MOSFET TDA7293 Dual Parallel Amplifier
· ES9038Q2M 32-bit DAC
· Built-in Certified Hardware MQA Full Decoder (PC USB, Coax, Optical)
· Support Bluetooth 5.0 (aptX / aptX LL) streaming
· Low Noise Moving Magnet Phono stage
· Dedicated Current-Feedback Headphone AMP
· Support USB Upgrade
Inputs    2 x Analogue, 1 x Phono (MM), 1 x SPDIF (Coax), 1 x SPDIF (Optical), 1 x HDMI ARC,
1 x PC USB (USB B), 1 x Bluetooth (aptX/aptX LL), 1 x 12V Trigger
Outputs    1 x PRE Amplifier, 1 x Stereo Speaker, 1 x Headphone, 1 x 12V Trigger
Sampling Frequency    Optical/Coaxial: 44.1kHz ---192kHz
PC USB: 44.1kHz-768kHz (PCM) / DSD64, DSD128, DSD256, DSD512
Preamplifier Section    
Gain    +41dB (Phono MM)
Input Sensitivity    550mV (Line, Volume =MAX)
4.8mV (Phone MM, Volume=MAX)
Input Impedance    10K (Line)
47K // 100pF (Phono MM)
Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)    <0.001% (1kHz @2V, TONE=On)
Frequency Response    20Hz-20kHz (+/-0.1dB)
Output Voltage    2.3V max. (Volume = MAX)
Output Impedance    100ohm
Signal-to-Noise Ratio    >110dB (Line, A-weighted); >75dB (Phono MM, A-weighted)
DAC    
D to A Converter    ES9038Q2M
Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)    <0.002% (1kHz @ 0dBFS)
Output level (0dBFS, 1KHz)    2.3Vrms
Max. Sampling Frequency    Optical, Coaxial: 192kHz, PC USB: PCM768kHz, DSD512
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (S/N)    >115dB (A-weighted)
Power Amplifier Section    
Gain    +32dB
Rated Power Output    2 x 75W (8ohm, THD<1%); 2 x 115W (4ohm, THD<1%)
Frequency Response    20Hz-20kHz (+/-0.3dB)
Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)    <0.003% (1kHz @30W/8ohm)
Input Sensitivity    550mV
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (S/N)    >109dB (A-weighted
Headphone Amplifier    
Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)    <0.01% (1kHz, 50mW)
Output Impedance    4.7ohm
Load Impedance    16-600ohm
General    
Standby Power Consumption    <0.5W
Net Weight    12.7kg (Walnut) / 11.1kg (Silver)
Gross Weight    15.2kg (Walnut) / 12.7kg (Silver)
Dimensions (mm) (W x H x D)    328*147*414 (Walnut) / 300*115*414 (Silver)
Carton Size (mm) (W x H x D)    514*428*210 (Walnut / Silver)
Finish    Walnut / Silver
Power Requirements (depending on region)    220-240V ~ 50/ 60Hz
100-120V ~ 50/ 60Hz
Standard Accessories    Power Cord, Remote Control, User Manual, Antennas, etc.

濃濃人文氣，功能數不完
Leak Stereo 230綜合擴大機

文‧U-Audio編輯部

英國音響老牌Leak Audio，在2020年，IAG集團讓這個曾經結束營業的公司，死灰復燃，重新復活。他們先以內建DAC的綜擴Stereo 130和純CD轉盤CDT打響名號，配上實木外框的復古造型，讓許多人即便初識這個重出江湖的Leak，眼睛也不禁為之一亮。接著，他們再推出新產品，預告將來將陸續出現的一系列產品。

Leak最新推出的綜合擴大機Stereo 230，雖然外觀看起來與Stereo 130差不多，但功能卻進化許多。第一，Stereo 230的功率一舉提升到75W，對應4歐姆喇叭更有115W，比起Stereo 130推力要大上許多，搭配喇叭就更沒煩惱了。第二，內建的DAC晶片換了，Stereo 130用的是ES9018K2M，新的Stereo 230用的則是更新、更高階的ES9038Q2M ，讓Stereo 230解碼可支援到PCM 32bit/ 384kHz，以及DSD256。第三，Stereo 230增加了一個HDMI ARC的輸入，這樣就可以連接電視，再搭配它豐富的數位與類比輸入，以及12V trigger觸發端子，讓Stereo 230可被整合到家庭的影音系統之中。
 

除此之外，Stereo 230內建MM唱頭放大，讓你可以接黑膠唱盤，享受類比美聲。前面板上還有一個6.3mm的耳機插孔，可應付16~600 ohms的各式耳機。Stereo 230還有一組前級輸出，可以讓你外接其他的後級，玩bi-amp雙擴大機也沒問題。 前面板上還有高音與低音量感調節、左右聲道平衡調節，以及不加EQ的直通按鍵。

如果你喜歡復古味、人文氣的東西，Leak的產品一定討你歡喜；如果你喜歡簡單的音響系統，Leak整合數位和類比多元功能的綜擴，必然適合你；如果你嫌45W的Stereo 130功率太小，那麼，你還有75W的Stereo 230可選。
 

器材規格

Leak Stereo 230
型式：綜合擴大機
輸出功率：75W @ 8 ohms；115W @ 4 ohms
類比輸入：RCA x3、RCA（MM）x1
數位輸入：同軸x1、光纖x1、HDMI ARC x1、USB x1、藍牙（aptX/ aptX LL）
類比輸出：RCA Pre out x1、6.3mm耳機輸出x1、喇叭輸出
數位輸出：同軸x1、光纖x1
內建DAC：ES9038Q2M 32bit DAC
支援最高解碼：光纖/同軸 192kHz、USB 768Hz PCM/ DSD512
頻率響應：20Hz-20kHz
訊噪比：前級/ >110dB、DAC/ >115dB、後級/ >109dB
尺寸：328 x 147 x 414 mm
重量：12.7 kg（木框版）、11.1 kg（無框版）