Hoffman Amplifiers Tube Amplifier Forum

Amp Stuff => Tube Amp Building - Tweaks - Repairs => Topic started by: LooseChange on November 26, 2011, 06:46:14 am

Title: Traded for a Leak! (A 60's British tube stereo)
Post by: LooseChange on November 26, 2011, 06:46:14 am

Got myself a Leak power amplifier (Stereo 50) and Preamp (Leak Point One Stereo).
It was a mess when I got it but I have been restoring it. I had a few challenges... unavailable parts and now lead length. I decided I would look for some general tube amp stereo information on the web and then make my own decisions trying to scrape the "BS" off the surface.

If interested, I'll discuss more about the circuit and what I've done. Gut shot too.

Below are some pictures.
Top two are before and the third is where I am now.

The bottom picture is NOT mine. It's what it is supposed to look like new.

Title: Re: Traded for a Leak! (A 60's British tube stereo)
Post by: eleventeen on November 26, 2011, 01:51:00 pm

Absolutely delightful looking amps from the golden age. No doubt the originality fetish is huge on those. There's tons of info on the net about them,  though certainly not as much as for Dynas or Macs or probably any other high-end brand. 

You could put a hell of a lot of hours and also money into restoring one of those. A labor of love, no doubt.

I had that Radio Craftsmen amp some time back that I bot a a garage sale for $25. I contemplated that for a while before deciding to sell it for a lot. But of course, it was just a mono amp, so restoring it for full value would have meant finding a mate, with all that entails. And, my RC had a wonderful pair of high test and high match KT66s which were worth a solid $200 by themselves. Yours is stereo. Pretty cool.

Title: Re: Traded for a Leak! (A 60's British tube stereo)
Post by: LooseChange on November 26, 2011, 07:19:30 pm

I've got the rig working pretty well. I need to sub a few more parts but it sounds really good.
The preamp had four Mullard EF86's inside. All perfectly healthy and extremely quiet.

I don't think this project will cost me more than $150 in parts!
Lots of time.

Title: Re: Traded for a Leak! (A 60's British tube stereo)
Post by: stingray_65 on November 26, 2011, 10:33:44 pm

That is so cool!

What speakers are you running that into?

I hope you can find a nice set of EV's or Klipsch's for it.

Ray

Title: Re: Traded for a Leak! (A 60's British tube stereo)
Post by: Madison on November 27, 2011, 06:27:28 am

Man,I'd love to have something like that for home listening.
Plug yer geetar into it yet? JK.
Looks like a great project!

Title: Re: Traded for a Leak! (A 60's British tube stereo)
Post by: John on November 27, 2011, 06:43:36 am

Quote

If interested, I'll discuss more about the circuit and what I've done. Gut shot too.

Heck yeah!

Title: Re: Traded for a Leak! (A 60's British tube stereo)
Post by: kagliostro on November 27, 2011, 03:06:33 pm

Nice Score LooseChange

I think that if you restore it will be also a good investment

Kagliostro

Title: Re: Traded for a Leak! (A 60's British tube stereo)
Post by: LooseChange on November 27, 2011, 04:45:15 pm

I've got a pair of book shelf Dynaco speakers.

Title: Re: Traded for a Leak! (A 60's British tube stereo)
Post by: stingray_65 on November 27, 2011, 07:37:23 pm

Quote from: LooseChange on November 27, 2011, 04:45:15 pm

I've got a pair of book shelf Dynaco speakers.

NICE!

Now to blow the dust off those old LP's and get a new needle for the Gerrard TT :icon_biggrin: