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 2. 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 3. 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 4. 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 5. 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 6. 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 7. 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 8. 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 9. Germanium and Silicon 166 Stereo 30 166 Stereo 70 and Stereo 30 Plus 173 Stereofetic FM Tuner 176 10. Loudspeakers 180 The 550 Loudspeaker 180 The Ionophone, Plessey and the “Duad” 181 Ribbon Speakers 182 Electrostatic Speakers 184 Leak Sandwich 187 11. 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 12. 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