History of this impressive British audio company and their unique and innovative designs are chronicled with great attention to detail. Includes over 300 illustrations and presents 30 circuit diagrams from the company's product range.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction 11

Acknowledgements 12

Foreword 14

1. Personalities 16

Harold Leak 16

Frank Hawkins 20

Ted Ashley 21

Phil Biggs, Fred Blackman and John Leak 23

1. Inception 24

The Beginnings 1924-34 24

1934 to 1945 25

Standard 13 Watt Chassis 29

Standard Telephones and Cables 30

GEC and the Type 15 Point One 31

Negative Feedback and Stability 35

1. Operations 38

Company Structure and Staff 38

Staff Recruitment 39

Staff Numbers 40

Sporting Clubs 41

The Annual Henley Weekend 44

Company Premises 45

Uxbridge Road 46

Out Workers 47

Brunel Road 50

Downham Market 52

Factory Output 53

Quality Control 53

Company Publications 57

1. The TL/12 61

The Birth of Hi-Fi 61

The Move Away from Sub-Contracting 62

Industry Personalities 64

The TL/12 67

Production Variations 73

RC/PA 76

1. The Leak Idiom 78

Construction Practice 78

Transformers 80

Laboratory Facilities 82

Industrial Design 83

Export Markets 86

American Distribution 87

Australian Distribution 90

Simon Gray Pty Ltd 90

H. J. Leak (Aust) Pty Ltd 92

Other Countries 95

1. More Products 96

Mark 1 Moving Coil Pickup 96

Mark 2 Moving Coil Pickup 98

Stereo Pickup 102

Truspeed Turntable 104

VS-Tuner 107

FM Tuners 109

Trough-Line FM Tuner 110

Trough-Line II 113

Trough-Line 3 and Trough-Line Stereo 115

Equipment Cabinets 119

Portable TL/12 System 121

1. Pre-Amplifiers 123

Evolution and Design 123

RC/PA/U 126

Vari-Slope 126

Steep Cutting Filter 129

Varislope II 130

Point One 131

Varislope III 134

Point One Plus 136

Point One Stereo 137

Varislope Stereo 138

Stereo Adaptor 139

Varislope 2 Stereo and Varislope Mono 140

1. Power Amplifiers 143

Evolution and Design 143

First Stage 143

Second Stage 144

Output Stage 145

Development 146

TL/25 and TL/25A 148

TL/10 150

TL/12 Plus 152

TL/25 Plus 155

TL/50 Plus 158

Stereo 20 160

Stereo 50 162

Stereo 60 164

1. Germanium and Silicon 166

Stereo 30 166

Stereo 70 and Stereo 30 Plus 173

Stereofetic FM Tuner 176

1. Loudspeakers 180

The 550 Loudspeaker 180

The Ionophone, Plessey and the “Duad” 181

Ribbon Speakers 182

Electrostatic Speakers 184

Leak Sandwich 187

1. Rank-Leak 198

The Selling of Leak to Rank 198

The Rank-Leak Era 199

Leak Delta Series 200

Leak 2000 Series 203

Leak 3000 Series 205

The Finale 208

1. Reference Data 210

Circuit Diagrams 210

RC/PA Pre-Amp 211

RC/PA/U Pre-Amp 212

Vari-Slope Pre-Amp 213

Point One Pre-Amp 214

Varislope II Pre-Amp 215

Varislope III Pre-Amp 216

Varislope III (Series N) Pre-Amp 217

Point One Plus Pre-Amp 218

Varislope Mono Pre-Amp 219

Point One Stereo Pre-Amp 220

Varislope Stereo Pre-Amp 221

Varislope 2 Stereo Pre-Amp 222

“Point One” Type 15 Power Amplifier 223

“Point One” 30 Watt Power Amplifier 224

TL/12 Power Amplifier 225

TL/10 Power Amplifier 226

TL/25A Power Amplifier 227

TL/12 Plus 228

TL/25 Plus 229

TL/50 Plus 230

Stereo 20 231

Stereo 50 232

Stereo 60 233

Stereo 30 234

Stereo 30 Plus 235

Stereo 70 Amplifier 236

T.R.F. Tuner 237

VS-Tuner 238

Trough-Line FM Tuner 239

Trough-Line II FM Tuner 240

Trough-Line Stereo FM Tuner 241

Stereofetic Tuner 242

Leak Product Listing 245

De-Emphasis Circuits for the Trough-Line Stereo 248

Amplifier Restoration 249

Resistors 250

Capacitors 250

Power Transformers and Chokes 252

Output Transformers 253

Connectors 254

A Modified Sandwich Mark II Loudspeaker 255

Harmonic Distortion 257

Suppliers 258

Leak Internet Resources 258

Leak References 259

Advertisements 261

General Audio Bibliography 262

Index 265