{"id":19743,"date":"2019-09-17T07:53:19","date_gmt":"2019-09-17T05:53:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hifi-advice.com\/blog\/?p=19743"},"modified":"2025-02-18T15:35:27","modified_gmt":"2025-02-18T13:35:27","slug":"zesto-leto-1-5-preamp-andros-deluxe-phono-and-eros-300-mono-power-amps-part1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hifi-advice.com\/blog\/amplifier-reviews\/phono-preamp-reviews\/zesto-leto-1-5-preamp-andros-deluxe-phono-and-eros-300-mono-power-amps-part1\/","title":{"rendered":"Zesto Leto 1.5 preamp, Andros Deluxe phono, and Eros 300 mono power amps"},"content":{"rendered":"

Review samples supplied by Colab<\/a><\/h4>\n

Retail prices in the Netherlands <\/strong>including 21% VAT:<\/strong>
\nLeto 1.5 preamp 9.500 euro
\nAndros Deluxe phono 8.900 euro
\nEros 300 mono power amps 25.500 euro\/pair<\/h4>\n

Every year when attending the Munich High-End show, the Zesto rooms always appeal to me. These amplifiers have a soothing way with music that really draws the listener in. The first time I heard Zesto was at the 2016 HifiDeluxe show<\/a> in the Marriott hotel, after having visited all the rooms at the MOC. In a small room all the way up in the tower, a system of Zesto phono amp (Andros or Andros Deluxe), Leto 1.5 preamp, and Bia 120 power amp was demoed with Joseph Audio Profile speakers and all-Cardas Clear and Clear Beyond cabling. Quoting from that review:<\/p>\n

“This was the very last room that I visited, and perhaps this system produced the most emotionally involving music of them all! Timbre was full and the sound voluptuous and almost sensuous.”<\/em><\/p>\n

And I was not exaggerating. The years after that, the pattern persevered. Pierre Costers of Colab<\/a> also noticed and got in touch with me.<\/p>\n

Located in Meise (near Brussels) Belgium, Colab is a Zesto agent for the Netherlands and distributor for many other brands, including Joseph Audio. A review was arranged and shortly thereafter Francois Dewalque of Bel Hifi<\/a> arrived to drop off four boxes, two of which were positively huge. Not that Francois gave the impression of finding any of this remotely hard work. With a Jerom-like appearance (a very strong person from fictional comic Suske and Wiske), in my imagination, Francois had one power amplifier under each arm while juggling the other two boxes by an unknown means. In reality, we used a heavy-duty trolley but Francois did unpack everything by himself and in a mere matter of minutes!<\/p>\n

For review here is a complete Zesto system consisting of the Andros Deluxe phono stage, Leto 1.5 preamplifier, and Eros 300 mono amplifiers. The Zesto lineup is refreshingly orderly. There are three phono stages of which the Andros Deluxe is the middle model, one preamp, a stereo power amp, and mono power amps.<\/p>\n

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Leto 1.5 preamplifier<\/h3>\n

The Leto 1.5 preamp is unassuming with only the most essential functionality but as I will explain further down, its sound more than makes up for this. The heart of the preamp is formed by two gold pin JJ ECC83S\/12AX7 input tubes and two gold pin JJ ECC82\/12AU7 output tubes. The manual warns that these are not interchangeable and I made sure not to experiment with this.<\/p>\n

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There are two transformer-balanced XLR inputs and three cinch inputs. Conveniently, the Leto 1.5 offers a dual set of cinch outputs as well as a dual set of XLR outputs, the latter again transformer-coupled. As extra features, there is a 1\/4 TRS\/6.3mm headphone jack output, a cinema bypass input that even works without the preamp being switched on, and independent Left\/Right output ground lift switches which, I assume, disconnect the XLR signal’s ground from the component’s chassis ground. This function turned out to not only control the hum level but also to influence the sound. In my case and using XLR cables, the preference quickly formed for the off setting which results in the most free-flowing delivery.<\/p>\n

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There are internal gain switches to select between 3dB and 12dB of gain. The manual describes that at normal operating volume, the volume control should read around the 10 to 12 o\u2019clock position. If the setting is much lower or much higher than that, then the dealer or the factory can make the internal adjustment. For my demo sample, I’m not sure which setting was used nor was I usually aware of the volume knob’s setting because it was impossible to distinguish the small black dot on the knob from my listening position approximately 5 meters away. This is the only major thing that I feel is missing: an indicator LED. Naturally, there’s also an IR remote control with buttons for volume, mute, and mono. Frankly, though, for 10K, a more beautiful device would have been suitable but, in any event, it does the job just fine.<\/p>\n

There’s a nice section in the manual about tube rolling, playfully dubbed by Zesto as “the sport of audiophile kings”. First, it is stressed that the input- and output tubes are not interchangeable, but then, the manual continues with some very helpful hints.<\/p>\n