Leak Stereo 20 - What Preamp ?

[hugog]

Hello everyone,

Many things have been written on this subject, but I have found no satisfactory answer until now. That is why I allow myself to write about it again.

I have a Leak Stereo 20 power amp, a Quad 44 preamp, a B&W dm70 hybrid speakers and a technics mk2 sl1210 turntable. I do not like my Leak / Quad couple. There is too much gain, I can not control the volume as I wish, and the bass is too powerful.

From all the researchs that I have done, I have come to the conclusion that a passive preamp would be more suited to Leak because of it's high sensitibity. So I plan to buy one, but I can't find a consensus in the user reviews about a great reference that works well with the Leak.

So, to all who have owned or tested a Leak st20, what is the best preamp that you have ever associated with it? Or which one would you recommend?

Thank you for your help, it's really appreciated
Hugo

 

[peterh]

Hello everyone,

Many things have been written on this subject, but I have found no satisfactory answer until now. That is why I allow myself to write about it again.

I have a Leak Stereo 20 power amp, a Quad 44 preamp, a B&W dm70 hybrid speakers and a technics mk2 sl1210 turntable. I do not like my Leak / Quad couple. There is too much gain, I can not control the volume as I wish, and the bass is too powerful.

From all the researchs that I have done, I have come to the conclusion that a passive preamp would be more suited to Leak because of it's high sensitibity. So I plan to buy one, but I can't find a consensus in the user reviews about a great reference that works well with the Leak.

So, to all who have owned or tested a Leak st20, what is the best preamp that you have ever associated with it? Or which one would you recommend?

Thank you for your help, it's really appreciated
Hugo

If you like the combination you have apart fom the sensitivity, then installing a damper in form of two
resistors per channel might be teh best solution. It looks like ample space is available in the leak at
the input rca connectors.

 

[MartinV56]

Leak Point One Stereo Preamp

 

[Gruvin']

Leak Point One Stereo Preamp

The Leak Preamps don't have the best reputation.

 

[rothwellaudio]

I do not like my Leak / Quad couple. There is too much gain...

One possible solution is a pair of attenuators at the inputs to the Leak.

They would allow you to use the Quad and Leak together without the problem of excessive gain.
The Leak has high sensitivity and the Quad has gain too, so I would recommend 20dB attenuators.
https://rothwellaudio.16.ekm.shop/in-line-attenuators-2-p.asp

Of course, a passive preamp would be a good option too.

 

[kward]

Try some inline attenuators first. They are going to be the least expensive solution that will allow you to keep your preamp investment.

Passive preamps can work but they don’t always work well in all systems. In the worst case passive preamps can make your system sound slow, anemic, lacking drive. In the best case they preserve speed and dynamics and remove one layer of electronic haze but only if there is already a decent match between source and amplifier.

If you want to pursue the idea, I would look first for a unity gain or low gain active preamp rather than a passive. Might be hard to find a unity gain preamp though. A unity gain preamp is essentially a buffer with a volume control. The act of buffering preserves those qualities mentioned above.

 

[maxhifi]

Attenuators are a great idea. You can make them, instead of buy if you like.