Hi Everyone,

[HectorPascal]

Hello to all on ArtOfSound!

I got to hear of this site because someone emailed me a link about old Leak tuners (I still have my parents unit) I wanted to read more on them.

In my home in the S UK I have Linn and in the bedrooms, Naim Mu-so.

I expect I will have some cause to pose a few questions quite soon but for the time being I’ll be doing some research on this old Leak kit which is 50-60 years old.

[struth]

hi and welcome ian.. is that the trough line tuner? meant to be good ... ive a leak delta system up in my spare room actually.. think its the 2300.. not bad actually..
enjoy forum

[HectorPascal]

hi and welcome ian.. is that the trough line tuner? meant to be good ... ive a leak delta system up in my spare room actually.. think its the 2300.. not bad actually..
enjoy forum

It is. The Through Line 3 Stereo - valve unit s/n 32,184. The amp (Stereo 30) that was bought new with it is one of the first with germanium transistors - s/n 34,661 and has a ‘Tested’ hand-signed tag attached to it dated 21st February 1968. My folks sold their caravan and bought this instead. In order that I could play some of their old LPs, I bought a Rega RP1 plus and it all sounds just great.... apart from the tuner has recently started to deliver sub-standard sound (by what it very recently was) a friend said to just change all the valves and that may cure it.

I am very attached to it as it is a keenly-felt link straight back to my boyhood and lots of happy memories. Also, after having just one cap changed in the amp, it sounds much better that it ought to given its vintage and the decades of electronic development that has happened since. There are precious few bits of kit that can boast a useful life spanning multiple generations.

[walpurgis]

Hello Ian. Welcome to AOS.

Leak equipment has its fans here, as does other good British vintage gear, so I'm sure members will be able to give opinions. Why not start a thread in our Past Masters section and ask any questions you may have?


Enjoy the forum,
Geoff.

[Barry]

Welcome to AoS Ian.

The Leak Stereo 30 was not a bad little amp in its day. Shamefully plagiarised by Harold Leak from the Jack Dinsdale and H.C. Lin design published in Wireless World magazine, it has a couple of minor weak points due to Leak not fully understanding the design. However it is old enough that a capacitor refresh will be beneficial.

The Leak Troughline Stereo tuner was always let down by the awful woolly-sounding solid-state stereo decoder. Unless this is replaced by one of the aftermarket decoders, it will never sound at its best, but changing the ECF80 might make some improvement.

Given a bit of TLC, both of these units will be able to provide many more years of enjoyment. :)