advertisement


Leak?

BenS said:
This looks like a very wrong product to me. This kind of nostalgia pastiche gets pretty tired, rather rapidly. It’s one step up from those icky Marshall Bluetooth speakers.
Click to expand...
I love those Marshall bluetooth speakers.
 
I just saw the blurb about it this morning in Daily Audiophile, my initial reaction was yuck. I guess I tire these days of the China syndrome of rebirthing all of these old, now defunct brands. Maybe some rebirths such as Technics brand, and a sprinkling of others, have been okay, but in general, nope, want no part of it.
 
I like the look of it. Updated for the current times. I’m not fussed where it’s made or who the brand is owned by.
They’ve taken a leaf out of the quad vena book. Good luck to them!

I’ll add that I do find it interesting that there seems to be a bit of negativity towards reborn brands that are now based in Asia, the days of dodgy fire hazard equipment has passed unless buying on wish or AliExpress?
Remember when Kia made terrible cars?
 
I guess for me it is about the lack of originality in general, more about it trying to ride the coat tails of something from years gone by. Maybe that is wrong thinking on my part, but I suppose I just continue to vote with my money, not some bygone new cheap and often tasteless product. Sad perhaps...
 
I do understand your point, I once had the leak amp and tuner as my first diy project around 15 years ago, I enjoyed repairing them and learning about the history of the company. I was 21 at the time and often lusted after the valve amplifier.
I suppose personally I’m glad that in some way these brands are now revived and available again even if they are no longer officially British based. Quad seem to be doing well as do audiolab.

A different example could be clothing, super dry is a brand that sells itself as wholly Japanese but it’s actually British pretending to be from Japan. I guess the market today has determined that brand or culture is just as important as the actual product?
 
jimmytwos said:
I do understand your point, I once had the leak amp and tuner as my first diy project around 15 years ago, I enjoyed repairing them and learning about the history of the company. I was 21 at the time and often lusted after the valve amplifier.
I suppose personally I’m glad that in some way these brands are now revived and available again even if they are no longer officially British based. Quad seem to be doing well as do audiolab.

A different example could be clothing, super dry is a brand that sells itself as wholly Japanese but it’s actually British pretending to be from Japan. I guess the market today has determined that brand or culture is just as important as the actual product?
Click to expand...

Oh vastly more so!
 
Given the fact that quad still make versions of the II, what chance is there that this is the first step by IAG prior to launching a remanufactured Stereo 20 or 12.1?
 
FWIW I really like the aesthetic, but then I like period properties & thatched cottages, vintage & classic cars and bikes and have since I was a boy but that's just personal taste.
It may do well given the current and ongoing revival of retro styling and could well have a high WAF at not an unreasonable price either, I wonder how much it would cost if built in the UK or EU ?
 
foxwelljsly said:
Given the fact that quad still make versions of the II, what chance is there that this is the first step by IAG prior to launching a remanufactured Stereo 20 or 12.1?
Click to expand...

I suspect very unlikely. The thing with Quad is they never went away, never stopped making seriously good high-end kit and have remained the jewel in the IAG line. I think it would be hard to relaunch Leak as anything other than a branding exercise and I can’t see a company such as IAG having the appetite to do something like a modern TL-12.1, Stereo 20 or whatever at an appropriately high-end level, i.e. with tag-boards, hard-wiring, seriously good transformers etc. Anything less that that would be sneered at by those who know and love these old amps. I’d really like to see a accurate and faithful reissue of the original TL-12.1 as they are one of the most valuable and collectable vintage amps on the planet, and for very good reason. I just doubt there is the ability to make transformers in that way these days, so I can’t see it happening.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GT
Tony L said:
I suspect very unlikely. The thing with Quad is they never went away, never stopped making seriously good high-end kit and have remained the jewel in the IAG line. I think it would be hard to relaunch Leak as anything other than a branding exercise and I can’t see a company such as IAG having the appetite to do something like a modern TL-12.1, Stereo 20 or whatever at an appropriately high-end level, i.e. with tag-boards, hard-wiring, seriously good transformers etc. Anything less that that would be sneered at by those who know and love these old amps. I’d really like to see a accurate and faithful reissue of the original TL-12.1 as they are one of the most valuable and collectable vintage amps on the planet, and for very good reason. I just doubt there is the ability to make transformers in that way these days, so I can’t see it happening.
Click to expand...

Indeed. I had 6 TL12.1's at one point and used a fully restored pair in my demonstration room at Hi-Fi shows, certainly at one of the Chesterfield shows. Usually with a Croft preamp and a pair of Posselt loudspeakers. I think many will remember that. I also did a couple of articles for Hi-Fi World back in the 1990s on the TL12.1. As you say Tony, it is a great amplifier, assuming it is carefully and sympathetically restored.
 
I like them - I like them a lot!

So, who do I contact to ask for the next product to be an updated pair of 3090 loudspeakers?!
 
IAG aquired the Leak brand yonks, yonks ago. It was in Hi-Fi World. And it's got to be less than 40 years since the name was last seen. A product range was intended at some point. There was at least a passive preamp (4 new on eBay) and I'm sure there was a power amp.

333407508165

Unless I dreamt it all...
 
JensenHealey said:
Or some new Leak Headphones. I had some of their planar headphones for many years.
Click to expand...

I had a pair of Leak 3000 isodynamic headphones back in about 1980 and remember them being very good if not especially comfortable (nothing is compared to the HD-414 I had previously). Laskeys, an old audio chain-store, were banging them out end-of-line for peanuts. I assume it was the time Rank Leak vanished. I’d love to hear them again!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top