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Leema Acoustics’ Xen is a true twenty first century mini-monitor, thinks Channa Vithana... Leema Acoustics was formed in 1998 by Lee Taylor and Mallory Nichols, who are both past BBC engineers. Mallory Nichols was involved in the manufacturing of MAGTRAX monitors for recording studios and mastering companies from the early nineties and Lee Taylor, the recipient of BAFTA and Palme d’Or awards, is experienced in recording and mixing for television, music and film. The company’s range of loudspeakers and electronics share common characteristics of superb design and build. The Xen mini monitor we have for review here was their first product. The original research focused on new design principles and mathematical models, and as software tools available at the time were simply not good enough, Leema had to write their own, the company says. This was because they found the existing optimising software only suitable for larger loudspeakers with greater internal volumes, and therefore not as accurate for the smaller dimensions of the Xen. The R&D timeframe for Xens was two years, including the writing of their bespoke software. The Xens measure 220x140x205mm and their front baffle is about the area of a hard-back novel. The cabinet is impressive in construction and build - it's very stiff and nicely damped, just free of ringing resonations. It is made from 1.6mm steel folded and gently rounded at the angles. The steel part of the cabinet is stiffened by a rod running through its centre which is held in place at both ends by a hexhead fixing. Leema says the rod is also used for breaking up the main panel modes within the cabinet for superior sound as well as adding mass damping. The front baffle is made from 22mm HDF rather than the ubiquitous MDF and is machined to be rebated within the steel section for cabinet stiffening. Internally there is a double 2mm layer of bitumastic lining with a combined thickness of 4mm which united with the steel panel makes for a thin walled cabinet of only 5.6mm. This combination of materials and connection ensures the Xens have a stiff yet lightweight cabinet that in conjunction with their crossovers and drive units explains why they did not inhibit the speed and attack of music during the sound quality assessment, but at the same time were damped enough to avoid nasty ringing distortions. And as such this design philosophy reminded me of a more musical version of the £950 (approx.) 305x165x190mm Spendor S3/5se mini-monitors (see HFW October 2004, p52) because they also used thinner than usual 9mm walls with 6mm bitumen-type damping panels. The Xens feature a 1-inch (255mm) Vifa Tymphany fabric dome tweeter that uses high-flux neodymium magnets and ferro-fluid damping. The 101.5mm (approx.) magnetically screened mid-bass driver is a SEAS P11 which utilises a polypropylene cone and magnesium chassis. The crossover uses handwound air-cored inductors and (Solen/‘Clarity Cap’) capacitors and PCBs with thinner multi track copper than a typical fatter single layer - this says Leema is for faster signal transfer. At the front baffle are two ports, semirestrictively filled for better control of air flow. On the rear panel are a set of biwireable binding posts. With minor detail, I would have preferred to see black hex-head fixings on the drive unit surrounds matching those already used instead of the uglier standard-looking cross head screws – this shouldn’t be a major manufacturing problem seeing as Leema already use plenty of hex-head fixings elsewhere.
SOUND QUALITY In a word, superb, but these speakers really do take some driving! ‘Maria T’ by the Balanescu Quartet had spatiality, depth and presence - cello, violin and violas were reproduced with outstanding tempo. The phrasing and subsequent layering of successive notes was faultless. This led to an engaging yet musically satisfying expressiveness, coupled to surprisingly good depth and spaciousness. The timbre of the cello, violin and viola was also excellent, and the Xens also had great instrumental separation - it was easy to concentrate on each element of the mix.
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