World Premiere of Zesto Audio's Leto Ultra Preamp
Thousand Oaks, CA, October 14, 2019 - Zesto Audio is pleased to announce the world premiere of their newest product, the Leto Ultra Preamplifier. This product will debut at the annual Toronto Audio Fest in Toronto, ON, Canada, October 18-20, 2019 in exhibit room 219 at the Westin Toronto Airport.
George Counnas, President and design engineer of Zesto Audio describes the perfect Line amp as, “I look at the preamp as the unsung hero of your system. It’s like a great actor who never seems to be “acting” it does all the work without getting noticed. My design goal is to deliver the most musical, pristine signal from your audio sources to your power amps without coloration.”
George is most excited when he talks about the design of new Presence Control. He says, “This was born out of my frustration that the more resolved my system became, many of my favorite new and old recordings, became unlistenable due to the inconsistencies of the Mastering, regardless of the source. I realized the part that bothered me was the harmonic balance of the mid and high frequencies, the region that can be considered too bright, edgy, aggressive or fatiguing.” The 6 position Presence control easily allows you to dial it back without any technical knowledge required, just listen for the most enjoyable tonal balance for every song. George says, “It works great for your mood too, because sometimes I’m in the mood for lots of detail and sometimes I want it laid back and I can do it from my sofa with the remote.”
Top 7 New Features of the Leto Ultra Preamplifier
- New upgraded circuit topology delivers more musical detail with a tighter bass. It has a robust input design to handle higher output sources. Dynamic range is expanded by new circuitry that produces a higher output before distortion. Still 100% Analog tube circuitry throughout the signal path.
- New tube configuration with the 12DW7/ECC832 allows for the smoothest transition from the input section to outputs, providing the cleanest and most musical path for your signal.
- New 3 gain positions 3dB, 6dB and 9db make the Leto Ultra one of the most versatile preamps available. It easily accommodates the many volume differences from all your sources such as a high output DAC, as well as a low output phono. Your preferred gain settings are saved on each input and can be conveniently adjusted “on the fly” with the Remote or Manual control.
- New 6 inputs for your many sources include 3 true dedicated transformer Balanced Inputs and 3 Single Ended. All are high quality, gold plated connectors for better conductance and less corrosion for the most reliable connection.
- New LED indicators on the front panel clearly display all your adjustments.
- New 6 Position Presence Control adjusts the harmonic balance in the mid- and high frequencies allowing you to dial back what you may consider to be too bright, edgy or aggressive. This is an exceptionally useful tool that addresses the inconsistencies of mastering from any source. It’s easily adjustable “on the fly” with your remote or manually for each piece of music.
- New 9 button Remote control to conveniently adjust “on the fly” settings including Input, Volume, Presence, Mute, Mono and Gain. In case you misplace your remote, all features can be adjusted manually.
Easy to Use with lots of Inputs and Gain settings
The first Leto Preamp was launched in 2012 and won the "Preamp Product of the Year" from The Absolute Sound. You learn a lot in 7 years and George admits" I'm extremely proud to offer the new Leto Ultra, I have enjoyed it in my listening and I am certain you will too."
FYI, in Greek mythology, Leto is the mother of Apollo.
The Leto 1.5 will be discontinued and replaced by the Leto Ultra.
Please click here to see a Comparison between Leto Ultra and Leto1.5.
For more information and detailed specifications please check out our website.
The Leto Ultra Preamp is sold through our authorized dealers.
George Counnas is the founder, president and design engineer for Zesto Audio. He has loved music all his life and went from a musician, to an electronics engineer, to an audio engineer. As a young man in England, in his first shop class project he built a tonearm. Later in college he designed vacuum tube circuits and his first amplifier. He worked for DECCA Navigator (now Raytheon), at the time Britain's largest electronics company, as part of the research and development team designing airborne navigational systems for the Royal Air Force. George brings to Zesto Audio the unique set of talents of not only designing, creating and manufacturing the highest build quality of high-end electronic equipment, but also as an audio engineer, he knows how great music should sound.
Zesto Audio was established in 2010 in Thousand Oaks, California. Zesto Audio is a manufacturer of fine analog audio electronics, specializing in vacuum tube technology. Their award winning products include the Andros 1.2, Andros Deluxe Phonostage and Tèssera Phonostage, the Andros Allasso Step Up Transformer, the Leto Line Amp, the Bia 120 Stereo Power Amp, and the Eros 300 Monoblocks.
All Zesto Audio products are "Made in the USA."
