Leema Stream IV CD Player and Streamer

Leema Stream IV CD player and streamer is a one-box digital hub for your music. It combines a high quality purist CD drive with network streamer and it can be controlled via the supplied remote or with your smartphone.

This is a substantial unit at 5.5 Kg and has a high build quality. The front panel features a slim CD drawer and a knob for turning the unit on as well as ejecting the CD. A knob on the left controls the playback functionality.

An excellent choice for those with a large CD collection who don’t want to lose the ability to play their CDs, want to enjoy the best possible sound from them and want to benefit as well from streaming capability.

Stream your music

Today most music is streamed. The files can be remote or local, on NAS drives. (Network Attached Storage). You can also stream files from a USB drive. Remote files are provided by streaming services such as Spotify. There are also many free podcasts and radio stations

With the Stream IV, music can be streamed via Ethernet or Wi-Fi. Notably, the streaming module features DLNA/UPnP (universal Plug’n Play). It can handle hi-res files and supports popular music services, such as TIDAL, Spotify and Qobuz. You can also connect to many internet radio stations via the supplied app.

Good connectivity

The two Wi-Fi aerials provide a stable and drop out free connection. Standard RCA outputs are provided along with two digital outputs, an optical output and a coaxial, giving you the option of using an external DAC. Finally, a wired Ethernet connection can be used. Bluetooth is provided using the hi-res AptX format.

Leema CD player

Stream IV has a built-in CD player. This is a precision mechanism with low background noise. The Noratel linear power supply also aids with this. Many people still have large CD collections and this unit is an ideal bridge between the old and the new. Moreover, the digital outputs will allow you to Rip CDs at the best possible quality.

DAC

The Leema DAC uses an ESS 9018 Sabre chip, and can play PCM formats up to 24 bit/192kHz. Sabre chips are recognized as the gold standard for DACs with jitter-free playback and unprecedented levels of performance.

A DAC is used to convert the digital audio signal back into analogue. It is the most important part of any modern audio system. Historically, audiophile DACs came about because of the poor-performing audio of early computer systems.

Once streaming took over something had to change. Many early DACs suffered from poor filtering and had bad shielding. The result was a grainy and harsh sound. The power supplies were also badly regulated, affecting the sound quality. Today much more attention is paid to the performance of the DAC.

Leema, made in Wales

Lemma was founded by two ex-BBC engineers, in 1998. They initially saw the need for an ultra-compact studio monitor speaker. This resulted in the development of the Xen micro monitor. Four years of development led to an award winning product. Originally aimed at the professional market the Xen soon escaped into the wild.

The success of the Xen led to the development of the Tucana Integrated amplifier. The Tucana won the Hi-Hi news amplifier of the year award in 2006. Another award winning product that came out the year after that was a CD player.

Today, Leema design and make high-end audio, at their manufacturing facility in Wales. There is also an integrated amplifier in the Stellar range.