Leo is a mini headphone amplifier that emulates the warm tone of vintage audio equipment. Connect Leo to any smartphone or music player to your favorite headphones to experience the sound that vinyl lovers have been raving about without the expense and hassle.
Works with any pair of headphones and audio player
Leo brings the tone of vinyl to any device – without the pops and cracks
Leo brings a presence to music, as if listening to a live performance. The tonal quality provides warmth and power while preserving delicate high frequencies. Leo brings out the best performance from any pair of headphones.
Big sound from a small device
Leo looks as clean as it sounds. Constructed with a rugged extruded aluminum body, CNC carved aluminum knobs, and precision laser cut faceplates available in a choice of black acrylic, walnut veneer, or smooth black leather. Units come standard with soft yellow LED backlighting. Premium units come with UV LED backlighting.
Back Connections (mini-jack audio out, mini-jack audio in, power)
Modern audio equipment only delivers audio within a flat and narrow range of tones. Leo delivers a much larger range of frequencies while recreating the exact tonal quality of premium vintage amplifiers. While we can’t hear tones below a certain range – we can feel them. The unique tonal curves correct for psychoacoustic phenomena leading to a sound quality full of warmth, feeling, and presence.
Simulation and CAD drawings for Leo
We spent the last year designing Leo from the ground up to deliver you the best audio experience. We started our journey measuring many vintage amplifiers and turntables to discover how they deliver so much character. From there, we engineered equations that modeled the vintage equipment and coded simulations to find the optimal circuit for the sound. The final electronics of Leo are a work of precise calculation optimization and design iteration. We designed an intuitive interface and rugged enclosure to stand the test of time while remaining true to the equipment it emulates.
Leo is a hand assembled piece of electronic art and the utmost care will be taken during assembly. With collective experience of delivering multiple electronic products, we are familiar with the challenges ahead. With many working prototypes, we are confident in our design. Production of electronics is a complex task and there is always a chance of error in manufacturing, or difficulties in obtaining parts, which can delay delivery. We are confident of our partners’ abilities to assist us in the most complex processes of the build. Pending successful funding, we have arranged production to start in March 2015. We have already developed extensive electronic testing and benchmarking software and procedures to assure that every shipped Leo performs to the highest standards.