United Kingdom

LEAK, a brand with deep roots in the history of audio innovation, was established by Harold Joseph Leak in 1934 in London, England. Known for its high-quality audio components, LEAK carved out a reputation for affordability combined with high performance, a hallmark that defined the brand for decades.

Harold Leak, identifying himself as a 'Sound Engineer – Technician,' alongside Ted Ashley, who became Chief Engineer, propelled LEAK to the forefront of the home audio equipment market. Together, they led the company through an era of significant technological advancements in amplifiers, loudspeakers, pickups, and turntables.

The mid-20th century was a transformative period for LEAK, as the brand navigated the challenges of wartime disruption to focus on developing purposeful audio technology. Post-war, the emphasis shifted towards high-fidelity systems, marking LEAK's entry into an era of low-noise, high-performance products that gained international acclaim.

A pivotal moment came in 1945 with the introduction of the LEAK Type 15 amplifier, which featured innovative 'negative feedback' and 'push-pull' triode connected KT66 valves, achieving an impressive 15 watts output. This product laid the groundwork for the brand's reputation in high-fidelity sound reproduction.

The late 1940s and 1950s saw LEAK introducing groundbreaking products like the TL/12, which became a standard for high-fidelity sound, and embarking on marketing campaigns that directly compared live versus reproduced music, showcasing the superior quality of LEAK systems. These efforts culminated in LEAK's products being adopted by prestigious institutions like the BBC.

Innovation continued with the introduction of the LEAK Sandwich loudspeaker in 1961, a design that utilized a novel approach to reduce vibrations and resonance, leading to more dynamic audio reproduction. This period also saw the development of the LEAK Stereo 30, a transition to transistor amplifiers that offered a more accessible price point to a broader audience.

Despite its innovations and contributions to the audio industry, LEAK faced challenges from global competition and changing market dynamics, eventually leading to the brand's acquisition by the Rank Organization in 1969 and a gradual fade from the forefront of the audio market.

After years of dormancy, LEAK was revived by the IAG Group, bringing the brand back to the market with a focus on blending classic styling with modern audio technology, ensuring LEAK's legacy continues for new generations of audiophiles.

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Leak

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Firmly re-established as a Hi-Fi mainstay, the LEAK product portfolio is expanding with the new LEAK STEREO 230 – a high-performance, high fidelity integrated amplifier designed for the modern-day audio and movie enthusiast. Building upon the class and style that made the STEREO 130 a rip-roaring success, the LEAK STEREO 230 adds more power, more functionality and more substance for the discerning audiophile. Designed to be the perfect match for a wide variety of sources and provide higher levels of amplification, the LEAK STEREO 230 offers a 115w per channel output. It also offers a newly developed HDMI ARC connectivity function to realise the highest quality audio in AV applications, for a fully equipped integrated amplifier to meet the demands of modern audiophiles and cinephiles.

The LEAK STEREO 230 can be connected to a host of analogue and digital sources, thanks to its diversity of inputs. A built-in Moving Magnet (MM) phono pre-amplifier allows for direct connection to turntable record players. To fully accommodate the modern-day music enthusiast, much effort has been made to ensure the LEAK STEREO 230’s digital circuitry delivers the level of quality one might expect of a high-performance standalone D/A converter, let alone an integrated amplifier solution. You can also stream music to the LEAK STEREO 230 from any Bluetooth device, such as portable music players, tablet PCs or smartphones, via the built-in aptX and AAC Bluetooth codec. One can therefore enjoy CD quality audio over the Bluetooth wireless connection.

Carefully designed in line with the LEAK ethos of performance, reliability and craftsmanship, the LEAK STEREO 230 matches contemporary performance with stand-out, classic LEAK styling. Traditional audiophiles will recognise the assured quality in the high-quality, low-noise turntable input of the LEAK STEREO 230. Optimised for moving magnet cartridges, the JFET-based circuit offers precise RIAA equalisation in accordance with de facto industry standards for vinyl record playback. The LEAK STEREO 230 uses a dedicated amplifier circuit with current-feedback technology for the headphone output. Equal in performance to standalone headphone amplifiers, beyond the price class of this complete system, the design offers high-speed output signal transition thanks to a high slew rate. The result is a dynamic, detailed and engaging performance with all manner of headphone types.

Stereo 230

by Leak

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