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Leak Stereo 30, 70 and Delta upgrades?

As with the 303 we'll have to agree to disagree re the performance of a stock Stereo 20... same problems to me. Too soft and rounded and lacking transparency. I want accurate NOT "nice"!:) My own Stereo 20 is extensively modded and I have regulated PSU boards I've designed and built for it which I may even get round to fitting at some point... All of this is completely reversible just in case I ever need to sell it as standard. Unbelievable what they go for these days! My first one was £20 in about 1984 and my present one was free (i got it one piece at a time and it didn't cost me a dime to paraphrase Johnny Cash).

I already offer repairs, upgrades, rebuilds to all the amps you mention... and indeed to all amps (with the exception of class D and Albarry power amps.. don't ask).

I was looking for a specific make and model to specialise in, the older the better as the older it is the worse the original design and parts will be and so the more spectacular the transformation.

it was just a daft idea as I'm pinning my future hopes on the manufacture of my own products.. it's good to have some more strings to the bow though!
 
I think Sugden a21 could be a good shout.

Or what about something Japanese? e.g. Yamaha CR 1010? Plenty of people excited about those these days!

I suppose it has to be something coveted enough for people to be willing to spend some £££'s on having it upgraded (which rules out NAD 3020 and Pioneer A400 etc) but also something popular enough for there to be plenty of them about (which kinda rules out exotica like Accuphase).

The obvious answer is Naim but there are already loads of people cornering that market.
 
Mike P said:
I think Sugden a21 could be a good shout.

Or what about something Japanese? e.g. Yamaha CR 1010? Plenty of people excited about those these days!

I suppose it has to be something coveted enough for people to be willing to spend some £££'s on having it upgraded (which rules out NAD 3020 and Pioneer A400 etc) but also something popular enough for there to be plenty of them about (which kinda rules out exotica like Accuphase).

The obvious answer is Naim but there are already loads of people cornering that market.
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It was a bad idea on my part....

I was thinking of quite the opposite to that ie something pretty crap and worthless which could be transformed into a very good piece of kit. Definitely not anything Japanese as it's pretty good all ready and often uses unobtainable parts. Definitely older than 1980. The older it is the bigger the transformation after the mods really. I'm kind of thinking something you can buy for £50 as no one rates it and then spend £300 on it and it's as good as a £500 amp.
Original A21 not enough potential and modern ones too modern. Naim out of the question as apart from the market already being cornered I can't stand Naim.

I was NOT talking about refurbishing it and putting "boutique" components in but about re-designing it into basically a different amplifier.
 
Just noticed this thread. I have a Leak Stereo 70 that I could let you play with. The Stereo 70 service manual has been promised to Jim's classic website. But it is still here. I would like to honour my pledge, however.

My only niggle will be the fact that it will become a different beast, and that the original parts will be lost. If I could be assured that either it could be reverted back to (better than) original, or the gutted parts could be used to keep other Leak Stereo 70s going, I would do it.

I have no idea as to the commercial viability of your business plan for this. All I can say is this: I have had a few enquiries for my Stereo 70 with a Stereofetic Tuner whenever I put them on the market, but some people seem to think that these nice-looking boxes in their veneered cases are worth practically nothing because there are better-sounding oldish kit out there. They like the design but think the sound quality makes the Leak Stereo 70 and Stereofeti Tuner worth less (or worthless).
 
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I don't think my plans for these would suit you from what you say... They involve extensive modifications which would not be reversible (well I guess they could be reversed but for the cost of the labour to put it back to standard you could probably just buy 6 standard ones!). I have several of them here already.

The power amp section would remain capacitor coupled and would end up rather similar to a modernised Quad 303 in basic topology, but hopefully with a few more improvements to it. Power would remain approx 35-40WPC but would have a lot more oomph to it and not shy from 4 Ohm loads.
All the tone controls and filters etc could be bypassed leaving it as a passive pre section driving the power amp section. Phono stage could be upgraded and have its output increased to be able to drive the power amp ok. Obviously the phono section would not need doing for those not using vinyl!

For those who value tone controls, filters, balance control etc another option would be to also uprate the circuitry used here but obviously it would be unlikely to sound quite as good as the "everything bypassed" version.
The topologies of the pre and phono parts are such that after mods and upgrades they would be very similar to those found in Naim pres such as a NAC32 (no I wouldn't be trying to emulate Naim! Naim's circuitry dates from donkeys years ago and is not dissimilar to that found in the pre sections of early 70's amps in general. After uprating the circuitry it would be much more similar.That's all)

The biggest issue is the too small heatsink and the awkward and inaccessible nature of the heatsink/output transistors etc area. This would all have to be removed and stripped, extra holes drilled for new drivers and for bias stabilisation parts, over temp cut out fitted etc. Very labour intensive and therefore very expensive as a commercial proposition...

All sockets, switches and pots would be left as is. It would be too expensive and impractical to do anything about them.

It amazes me how common these amps are, considering they were not cheap when new, around £900 in today's money in fact when a Quad 33 and 303 together would have been £1400 in today's money. They were available for quite a few years and they must have sold shed loads of 'em judging by how many are still around. Many enthusiasts have one in a cupboard and they are readily available for not much on the bay etc.... Stop press... A quick check just revealed that they are now going for a fair bit more than they used to though, especially ones in good aesthetic condition.

If I get round to it I'll do one of mine and report back... don't hold your breath!
 
Right now I am running the Leak Stereo 70 line in through the front DIN from my EAR 912 because my Amcron D150 Series 2 has developed a fault after one month's constant use. FYI the tone controls on the Stereo 70 work.

It is not a giant killer but there is nothing wrong with the sound. It is not as "relaxed" and base heavy as I am used to but it is still enjoyable.
 
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