The KillerDAC Audio forum
General HIFI => Amplification (Pre/Power) => Topic started by: stevenvalve on February 24, 2014, 09:16:58 PM
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Funny how things happen sometimes. A leak stereo 20 has just been offered to me at the right price, and attached is a mint leak preamp, how can I refuse another leak. What do I do with 2 leak stereo 20s, well what if I fill it full of toys, and then change it to run triode, half the power but it may sound incredible.
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The leak Stereo 20 and preamp arrived. It is all original by the look of it, even has the original electrolytic capacitors and all the original resistors and some original valves. After hooking up the pre to the amp, with plenty of problems.... it lives. So I decided to re valve it, and after half a day of stuffing around, here is the mess. How does it sound in standed form with the preamp. Quite good, but not nearly as good as the full on Leak behind it. Funny why I do all this mucking around just to have a second system, because it really does sound involving, even though its not close in performance to the main system. It still has heart and soul.
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Up for a fight with this little Japanese gem Steve? http://www.stereo.net.au/forums/index.php?/topic/62255-fs-almarro-a205-mk2-integrated-tube-amp-black/ 8)
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That Almarro amp looks pretty. Good value, considering some of the upgrades.
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I have been playing around with power valves on my main full on leak stereo 20. I am using Mullard EL84s the ones with the hole in the plate, long considered the best EL84, A statement i have to agree with, and the best I have heard to date. They are even better than the genuine Amperex EL84s with the half triangle but only a little. I decided to try a brand of tube that i must say is overrated, the Telefunken, So in went 4 expensive new Telefunken EL84s, I have about 20 of them, but never used them, well i must say these are very good indeed in many ways better than the Mullards, Impressive tubes they sound sweet pretty uncluttered and have a ease about them, always taking complex classical music in there stride, i may leave them in this amp, time will tell, They are definitely needed in the tube arsenal for this amp, but i am only talking about there EL84 Variety, other types of Telefunkens, will have to prove themselves at another time, and in another amplifier.
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Very nice Steven 8)
Sounds like I need a set of these tubes at some stage, still loving the Mullards though! Shinkoh's and the rest of the AB’s to go in next. Plus I want to replace the final electrolytics with Solens and the feedback caps...possibly with Mustard caps.
Loving the Leak ;D
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I did a little reworking of the my second stock leak stereo 20, bypassing the (Bottleneck) two - 22K resistor on the input, where the RCA interconnects attach, You don't need them there when you don't use the preamp, but don't touch the two -1M resistors to ground, or the amp will oscillate. I also removed the wire used by the preamp to switch the amp on. Now its a stand alone power amp. I put in some Australian vintage EL84s and then to lower the gain and make it sound more relaxed, one vintage 12AU7 Amperex Holland in the first position and then two 12AX7s vintage Yugoslavian valves in the next 2 positions, followed by a Mullard GZ34 rectifier. Sounds much better now. I also read somewhere that there are more manufacturers of valve amplifiers today than there was before transistors were invented. What message does that send out there.
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Any new pictures?
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I decided to try a brand of tube that i must say is overrated, the Telefunken, So in went 4 expensive new Telefunken EL84s, I have about 20 of them, but never used them, well i must say these are very good indeed in many ways better than the Mullards, Impressive tubes they sound sweet pretty uncluttered and have a ease about them, always taking complex classical music in there stride, i may leave them in this amp, time will tell, They are definitely needed in the tube arsenal for this amp, but i am only talking about there EL84 Variety, other types of Telefunkens, will have to prove themselves at another time, and in another amplifier.
These Telefunken? Maybe Siemens next time? They could be good too.
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The message is, beware of all the home brew valve amps coming out of china.
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The message is, beware of all the home brew valve amps coming out of china.
The Mingda amps look really well built to me, just change there not so good Chinese (no QA) valves.
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Single ended amplifiers, live or die on the quality of there output transformers, so do they need be replaced as well.
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Judging by the sound they make maybe not.....................
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The Mingda amps look really well built to me, just change there not so good Chinese (no QA) valves.
I don't consider Mingda "home brew".
But cheap ar$e amps like this one probably is,,,,,
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/HIFI-Valve-Amp-Class-A-Single-Ended-EL34-5Z3P-Tube-Audio-Amplifier-13W-2-/321143626376?pt=US_Home_Audio_Amplifiers_Preamps&hash=item4ac5a6da88 (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/HIFI-Valve-Amp-Class-A-Single-Ended-EL34-5Z3P-Tube-Audio-Amplifier-13W-2-/321143626376?pt=US_Home_Audio_Amplifiers_Preamps&hash=item4ac5a6da88)
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Steven, I am happy to host a "Leak Wars" GTG event at my house. Bring your 2 modded Leaks (one running in triode), William can bring his, Rawls, Bill's, Andys, anyone else can bring theirs. Would love to hear them all on my system. 8) What an event that would be !!
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Cool sounds great 8)
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Steven, I am happy to host a "Leak Wars" GTG event at my house. Bring your 2 modded Leaks (one running in triode), William can bring his, Rawls, Bill's, Andys, anyone else can bring theirs. Would love to hear them all on my system. 8) What an event that would be !!
Happy to bring mine. Would be a fun day! 8)
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I have two, so mine is bigger than yours.
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So do I ;D
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Bring all the Leaks you want fellas.
Blind Testing can settle the winner. haha :P
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Bring all the Leaks you want fellas.
Blind Testing can settle the winner. haha :P
I'm gunna bring some class D mono blocks just to show you guys you are all full of siht (Tounge in cheek) :P
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Bring all the Leaks you want fellas.
Blind Testing can settle the winner. haha :P
I'm gunna bring some class D mono blocks just to show you guys you are all full of siht (Tounge in cheek) :P
Don't bother, we heard class D last year. Being your Godzilla instead. Screw the wars, I want a party! :P
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I'm gunna bring some class D mono blocks just to show you guys you are all full of siht (Tounge in cheek) :P
Bring the KillerBee's G, and maybe I can convince you to leave them here. ;D
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Carn Guys make you minds up.
You want bumblee bees or crickets? hahaha
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Not the pharken crickets !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-X :-\ :o
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My standard Leak Stereo 20s performance is very good but not at the leading edge of performance. Compared to my other full on leak, its not in the race. I am saying if you what your leak to perform you must rebuild it with the right weapons, that includes removing all the electrolytic capacitors, I used PB Solens, and VSF Duelunds, they are very good in the leak. Replacing the resistors with the right resistors, a combination of Allen Bradleys, Shinkoh, audionotes, all 2 Watt, then critically you must put them into the right spots. The standard wiring is OK but it looks to be tin plated solid core. The leak will sound even better if all the wiring is replaced with Cat 5 solid core copper in a Teflon sleeve, (remove the cat 5s plastic coating). Also you need great tubes, In my leak the first tube vintage German Siemens 5814A / 12Au7, second tubes two vintage English Mullard long plate 12AX7s, Power tubes are vintage English Mullard EL84s with hole in plate with 1950-60s date codes or German Telefunken EL84s. Against all my other push pull amps, Including Mullard EL34 base amps, a pair of Quad 2 GEC KT66 mono amp and many more, the leak is supreme. The leak is not perfect, the main drawbacks include low power and they can have weak bass, but after modifying very good. I am very tempted to change it to triode mode and knowing how crazy we audiophiles are, probably will. PS PB Solens can sound ordinary in many HI FI applications, the trick is to understand how and where to use them. In the right spot, superb.
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Wow, Leak bettered the QUAD 11's, has the same attention been lavished on the Quads SV?
I have owned both in the past and my thoughts were that the Quad 11's were more relaxed and the Leak had greater 'tone density' with the different tube line up; that was using a pair of ESL57's, some corner horn Lowther PM6's and Yam NS1000's.
The lowether's had far better richness of tone with the Leak as they are prone to sound thin with a lot of alternatives.
I found with the Quads you could just listen all day without any fatigue whereas the S20 was exciting and inviting for the first few hours eventually falling off, but there again I had not been to the enth degree in carefully tuning each component part, I can imagine (and one day look forward to hear) that in the hands of some one as skillful as SV the leak could be made to play in the senior league for most things except raw power. I hope you guys have a great time comparing them with some great music in the best company ;).
V
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V, the Quads 2 amplifiers are stock and all original, I changed the tubes for genuine GEC black glass KT66 1950s, and put in my best sounding new EF86s, plus the ants pants mullard black plate (hole in the plate),5V4=GZ32 1950s. They are much better sounding than most of the rebuilt Quads 2s out there. Most of them are rebuilt with the sh!t that the technician had laying around. I have seen Quad 2s with 1/4 watt resistors replacing the originals, sh!t electrolytic everywhere and very different parts between the individual amps so they are no longer a matched pair, Will the Quad 2s sound better with a full-on rebuild like the leak stereo 20. Its very possible because they are very good now.
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Well theres some food for thought Steve ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) I rebuilt mine around 20 years ago with PP caps and unfortunately, HOLCO 2 watt resistors in the main, this could well have robbed some of the richness that the likes of other resistors can bring but generally they bounced along quite nicely and nothing offended about its natural sound.. One of our club members begged me to sell them to him and unfortunately, I needed some piggy bank top up so the only personal kit I ever sold :(
Yes agree that a lot of Q2's have been the victim of the spare parts box with no real feel or care for the results providing they make sound! They are so easy to work on that it's easy to put right the wrongs.
I'd love to see what YOU think of the sound if as much love were lavished on the Quads, not my favorite all time British valve amps, the Williamson and Radford's as well as the Leak TL12 would step up here but a simple nice design nevertheless. The do attract a fair old premium these days compared to 20 years ago. Maybe we should keep Mum about the great old amps....... :-\
One of the best sounds I have ever heard at a show was a pair of reworked stacked ESL57's driven by a williamson with a Garrod 401 TT, sublime, no effort, clean, clear as a bell and HUGE sound compared to all the other closed in boxes droning along to the music. Just because its old does not mean its no good!
V
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Blind Testing can settle the winner.
Only if it's from drinking Grange - preferably a great year like 1990 or 1986.
:P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P
Thanks
Bill