After disappearing off the world stage, Loewe has risen from the ashes like a phoenix, launching a range of new products (even a coffee machine). But would you imagine that they’ve never released a pair of headphones before?
That’s now been ticked off the list. Say hello to Leo, Loewe’s first pair of over-ear headphones, a pair that fetches quite a price at $1299 (UK TBC).
Backed by brand ambassadors Kylian Mbappe and David Guetta, Loewe aims to make more than a splash in the premium headphone market. It’s got the likes of Bang & Olufsen, DALI and Focal in its sights with its impressively specc’d pair of headphones.
All the specs
The best place to start with the Loewe Leo is to figure what it doesn’t have. So feature rich are these headphones, Loewe considers these over-ears to be a “standalone HiFi audio solution”.
So what do you get for the £1000+ spend? There’s adaptive noise cancellation to block out the sounds you don’t want to hear and a transparency to pick up on the sounds you do.
Support for wireless Hi-Res Audio is baked in, with support for Bluetooth LC3+ at 24-bit/96kHz (better, ahem, than Spotify Lossless can manage). You’ve also got Spatial Audio, Dolby Atmos and Bluetooth LE Audio to count on to.
There’s also Mimi Sound Personalisation that’s acccessible through the Loewe app, and tailors the sound of the headphones’ output to the listeners unqiue hearing profile. Not quite so good at hearing the bass or not too senstive with the highs? That’s what Mimi Sound Personaltion can rectify so you can hear what’s being fed through the drivers.
Those drivers are large 50mm units, powered by a high-end amplifier from Texas Instruments. We’ve seen TI amplifiers in full-sized DACs, we can’t say we’ve come across a pair of headphones that have that technology built in. The aim for the sound is to produce one with “clear vocals, detailed highs, and smooth, controlled bass”.
Listen to me
Battery life is 65 hours, though Loewe doesn’t say whether that’s with ANC on or off. Either way that’s a substantial amount of time.
More interesting to us is support a built-in AI voice assistant that offers real-time AI translation. Loewe does not go into any detail about how this real-time translation works, other than the Loewe app is likely required to run the Leo Assistant. Intriguing.
Your audio companion for the forseeable future
Loewe claim that most of the components of the Loewe can either be repaired, replaced or upgraded; taking some inspiration from Bang & Olufsen in that respect.
Luxury is obviously high on the list of priorities with a headphones that costs as much as the Leo, though we suspect animal lovers won’t love. The Leo has been designed to “provide both durability and comfort”, with the frame made from aluminium, but the earpads use “genuine leather”.
Colours come in midnight blue and moonlight beige, and for those who have money to spare, there’s an even more expensive edition to collect; as Loewe have partnered with luxury jeweller Jacob & Co. to create a bespoke edition of the Leo that feature 12 carats of gemstones built in. Expect that pair to fetch six figures with only 10 pieces available worldwide.
