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Leak Stereo 20

Anyway, back to the Stereo 20 - I've just taken a sneaky upskirt shot:

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It was apparently sympathetically serviced a couple of years ago by a professional who used a set of paper in oil caps sourced from Classique Sounds, so I'm assuming they are decent. Next time a tube amp literate friend comes around I'll ask them to run a meter over it to make sure all is still within spec (I've no reason to suspect otherwise) - many of the resistors look original, but if it ain't broke, why fix it? All the caps look freshly done to me, and as I understand it those are the things that wear out. Looks nice and clean under there, there's no signs of heat damage anywhere.
 
"...but if it ain't broke, why fix it? ..."

Not really 'fixing it', but I can certify that I have heard a pair of LEAK TL12+ amps that had been upgraded simply by substituting Holco resistors for what was in there (I assume the original ones) and installing new electrolytics. The resistors in your amp look to me as if they are carbon ones.

Well worth doing, if you want more natural sound for minimal cost; it is easy to find a competent serviceman to do this job if you don't know someone you can ask.

In my Radford I have different brands of resistors in different places. I also (now) have only 1W rated ones; something well worth upgrading in any valve amp; 1W versions not only sound slightly better (assuming equivalent ppm), they are likely to be more reliable and last longer.
 
eguth said:
Not really 'fixing it', but I can certify that I have heard a pair of LEAK TL12+ amps that had been upgraded simply by substituting Holco resistors for what was in there (I assume the original ones) and installing new electrolytics. The resistors in your amp look to me as if they are carbon ones.

Well worth doing, if you want more natural sound for minimal cost; it is easy to find a competent serviceman to do this job if you don't know someone you can ask.
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Interesting, though my aim is to keep it as close as is technically possible to how it was born in March 1961 - I want it to sound like a nice fresh Leak Stereo 20, which I suspect it does. I don't know enough about electronics* to have any opinion about brands of resistors, capacitors etc, but my aim is to get it sounding like one acquired via the medium of time machine. To be honest I've no plans to do anything to it unless I found something that needs doing, e.g. something that has drifted out of spec. I've got enough to think about upstream at present!

* I don't know anything about electronics.
 
IMO...
You have an almost perfect ST20 there so please DON'T be tempted to "upgrade" anything. Classique know what they're are doing and many of those carbon resistors don't need to be accurate values e.g grid stoppers.
Certainly don't change the green power resistor - it's designed to get hot, melt its solder and drop off if there is a fault downstream that pulls too much current.
 
S-Man said:
IMO...
You have an almost perfect ST20 there so please DON'T be tempted to "upgrade" anything. Classique know what they're are doing and many of those carbon resistors don't need to be accurate values e.g grid stoppers.
Certainly don't change the green power resistor - it's designed to get hot, melt its solder and drop off if there is a fault downstream that pulls too much current.
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Cool, I plan to do nothing beyond asking the next tube amp literate friend who pops around for a brew to run a meter across it and just check it's happy (I have it's original manual and schematic). Just to clarify Classique Sounds have not serviced this amp, though they did apparently sell the paper in oil cap set via their eBay channel. I understand it was serviced by a professional electronics engineer around 2-3 years ago, but I know not who.
 
I thought we'd established it?
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I suppose so. It's just very odd that the P100 has such a pathetic output.

IIWY I'd change the phono amp, but I guess you'll go for a tube pre....

Paul
 
Paul R said:
IIWY I'd change the phono amp, but I guess you'll go for a tube pre....
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I am! I've decided to push the boat out and go for a Leak spec'd Croft Micro 25R. I like the idea of reducing the box count, plus getting some balance capability is a real bonus as vintage Tannoy pair matching seems somewhat marginal IME, certainly when compared to highly toleranced modern speakers. I suspect this is going to be a hell of an amp combo, I've certainly loved the Croft Micro 25 and Basic when I've heard them previously. There will be an transitional stage where I'll be using it with the P100 as I'm currently using a MC cart and the croft is MM, but my cart (an AT33PTG) is pretty much at end of life now as I must have had it about four years now, so I'll think about alternate options, e.g. Ortofon 2M Black, a wood Grado, or.... gulp... a Decca. That's a fair way off though, I'll run the AT33 / P100 / Croft / Leak for a few months first just to get used to everything, get a proper handle on the sound.
 
Tony, do you live in greater manchester? I have a mad collection of preamps some of which you can borrow. Quad 44, Cyrus aCA7, Creek passive, naim 32.5, B4.
 
mudlark said:
Tony, do you live in greater manchester? I have a mad collection of preamps some of which you can borrow. Quad 44, Cyrus aCA7, Creek passive, naim 32.5, B4.
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Thank you, very kind, though I'm not looking for any further confusion really so I've ordered the Croft - I know I like them already and they can be spec'd for the Leak, so not much risk. You are welcome to pop round for a listen though.

PS Regarding for the Troughline, my ariel came down when I had a chimney removed so I'm Skybox / internet radio now. It saddens me to say it but there is no point to FM these days, R3 goes through a compressor and the Peel Session equivalents are all on R6, which is non-FM. I was tempted to find a nice tidy Varioslope and gut it into a passive pre though, but things have taken another direction since then.

As for Deccas I thought modern ones were better behaved. I've certainly never heard anything with the life of a Decca, though whether I have the right arm is another matter. I'm just not going to think about carts for a while, I need to do one thing at a time, so I'll use the AT33/P100 for a while and then 'grow into' the Croft's phono stage over time. Obviously a pair of Sowter, Partridge or whatever step-up transformers is an option too, tons of room to mount a pair in the Croft preamp case if I was so inclined too, so it wouldn't even mean an extra box.
 
hi tony glad you like your leak, one thing i found with mine regarding hum is that it is very sensitive to the i/cs you use, and picks up hum via the ics very easly, worth play about with if like most of us you have a few sets knocking about
 
Tony, if you want to shift the DV and use the Croft MM stage from the word go I can loan you an AT SUT for as long as you like. I keep it as a spare.

I'm sure the Croft phono stage will be excellent. I tried a Croft SMA a few years ago and really enjoyed it.
 
I am! I've decided to push the boat out and go for a Leak spec'd Croft Micro 25R.
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Excellent.

I'm not sure any of it makes any rational sense, but I'm sure the result will be fabulous.

Paul
 
robin c said:
hi tony glad you like your leak, one thing i found with mine regarding hum is that it is very sensitive to the i/cs you use, and picks up hum via the ics very easly, worth play about with if like most of us you have a few sets knocking about
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Oh no no no... Maybe if you have the original phono sockets then some of them made a better connection than others but in general that is impossible.
 
Arkless Repairs said:
Oh no no no... Maybe if you have the original phono sockets then some of them made a better connection than others but in general that is impossible.
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i have new phono sockets-total rebuild by paul at classique, if my ics went near the transformers quite a bit of noise
 
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