Leema Acoustics was originally founded in 1998 as a means of further exploring the fanatical interest in audio reproduction of its two founders ex-BBC engineers Lee Taylor and Mallory Nicholls. Their first project focussed on pushing the boundaries of loudspeaker design, determined as they were to create a miniature loudspeaker capable of outperforming a system many times its size. The design principles and mathematical models available at the time were incapable of creating the product Lee and Mallory envisioned, so they began four years of intense work, culminating in the Xen. A micro monitor of unsurpassed technical and musical excellence, Xen was originally only available to the professional audio market. As audiophiles became increasingly aware of the quality of Leema products, the Xen spread into the domestic market.