Hand-made in Wales, Leema Acoustics’ new Pulse IV amplifier is a ‘hub’ for contemporary music-listening with turntable connectivity, Bluetooth playback and seven digital inputs enabling a huge range of devices to connect.

The Pulse IV is a versatile and powerful integrated amplifier that enables a world of music to be enjoyed with Leema Acoustics’ sound quality thanks to a huge connectivity suite bringing together music playback in all its forms, whether on vinyl, streamed from smartphones and tablets via aptX Bluetooth, or stored on computers, laptops and more. 

Leema’s ex-BBC sound engineers have reworked the company’s Pulse amplifier for the digital age, improving performance over its predecessor while adding contemporary features, including a super-high-quality phono stage for vinyl playback (£595 value), aptX Bluetooth for wireless streaming, plus a 32-bit/384kHz DAC enabling the playback of today’s high-resolution audio. In addition to its generous digital connectivity, the Pulse IV caters for the vinyl resurgence with the addition of a high-quality phono stage taken from Leema’s award-winning standalone Essentials phono stage which can be bought separately for £595. The Pulse IV offers both Moving Magnet and Moving Coil compatibility for vinyl, so all turntables can be connected, regardless of type.

Now in its fourth generation, the Pulse IV retains all of the original qualities that made it a favourite amongst consumers and critics alike, with the addition of contemporary touches including all-new metal casework and an advanced 32-bit/384kHz-DSD capable Sabre DAC with an XMOS USB Type-B input to improve digital sound quality from connected devices. 

A further six digital inputs: three optical and three electrical S/PDIF, plus aptX Bluetooth, enable an even wider range of digitally connected devices to be used. A powerful 80-watt design, the Pulse IV has sufficient capacity to drive all speaker types, including those with difficult loads. In addition to its generous output power, the Pulse IV also features a high-quality front-panel-mounted headphone amplifier.For added flexibility, the Pulse IV also features two pairs of preamp outputs enabling connection to a range of devices, including power amps and subwoofers, plus a dedicated fixed-level record output adds further versatility for archiving music. The new Pulse IV forms part of the re-introduced Spectrum range and like all Leema Acoustics’ electronics, the Pulse IV is hand-crafted in the Welshpool factory.

Technical specifications

• Inputs (analogue): 5x line level 

• Phono input: MM/MC (taken from Essentials phono stage)

• Inputs (digital): 3x electrical S/PDIF; 3x optical S/PDIF; 1x USB Type-B 32-bit/384kHz PCM-    and DSD-capable Sabre DAC; aptX Bluetooth 

• Outputs: 2x pairs of preamp outputs; single speaker outputs; headphone output; 1x fixed- level record output

• Nominal power: 80W RMS in to 8 Ohms

• Connections: all unbalanced RCA (no XLRs)

• Weight: 11kg

• Dimensions: (WxHxD) 435 x 90 x 375mm

Price and availability

The Pulse IV is available now priced at £2,295 and offered in black/silver