LEAK - Stereo 130 Integrated Amplifier

The amplifier that brought a 1934 British name back to life — 45 watts per channel, an ESS Sabre32 DAC, a JFET phono stage and a real walnut sleeve.

Harold Joseph Leak founded H. J. Leak & Co. in London in 1934 and built the firm’s reputation on measurable performance. The “Point One” badge worn by the amplifiers of the 1940s referred to total harmonic distortion below 0.1%, an audacious claim for the era; the TL/12 of 1948 became a BBC standard in 1951. The valve Stereo 20 arrived in 1958, the aluminium-skinned Sandwich loudspeaker in 1961, and the Stereo 30 of 1963 was among the first commercially available all-transistor integrated amplifiers. Leak sold to the Rank Organisation in 1969 and the badge went quiet for roughly four decades.

International Audio Group — which also owns Wharfedale, Quad, Mission and Audiolab — revived it in July 2020, and the Stereo 130 was the first product out. Its fascia, rocker switches and optional real walnut sleeve are a deliberate restatement of the Stereo 30.

Underneath it is thoroughly current. An ESS Sabre32 Reference ES9018K2M converter handles up to 384kHz PCM and DSD256 over USB, with two optical and one coaxial input alongside. There is a JFET-based moving-magnet phono stage for turntables, aptX Bluetooth, and a dedicated current-feedback headphone amplifier on a front-panel quarter-inch jack. A Direct switch takes the tone controls out of the signal path entirely.

At 45 watts per channel into 8 ohms it is a modest amplifier by specification, and it suits sensitive, easy-to-drive speakers rather than difficult loads — LEAK’s own Sandwich 100 and 150 are the natural partners. It comes in silver aluminium or in a genuine walnut veneer enclosure, and the two are physically different: the walnut sleeve adds about an inch of width and nearly three pounds, and it houses the Bluetooth antenna internally, which is why the external aerial ships only with the silver version.

Features

• 45W per channel into 8Ω, 65W into 4Ω
• ESS Sabre32 Reference ES9018K2M DAC — USB to 384kHz PCM and DSD256
• JFET-based moving-magnet phono stage for turntables
• Dedicated current-feedback headphone amplifier on a front-panel 6.3mm jack
• aptX Bluetooth for wireless streaming
• Two optical and one coaxial digital input, plus USB Type-B
• Optical and coaxial digital outputs
• Bass and treble controls with a Direct switch that bypasses them
• Preamp output for use with an external power amplifier
• Silver aluminium or real walnut veneer enclosure
• System remote handset supplied — the same handset operates the LEAK CDT

Specifications

• Type: Stereo integrated amplifier with DAC, phono stage and Bluetooth
• Power Output: 2 x 45W (8Ω) / 2 x 65W (4Ω)
• THD: Less than 0.005% (30W, 8Ω)
• Frequency Response: 20Hz–20kHz (±0.5dB)
• Signal to Noise Ratio: 108dB or better (A-weighted, referenced to 45W)
• DAC: ESS Sabre32 Reference ES9018K2M
• Input Sampling Rates: Optical and coaxial 44.1kHz–192kHz; USB 44.1kHz–384kHz PCM, DSD64, DSD128, DSD256
• Input Sensitivity: 480mV (RCA line); 4.1mV (phono MM)
• Input Impedance: 10kΩ (line); 47kΩ // 100pF (phono MM)
• Phono Stage: Moving magnet only, JFET-based with RIAA equalisation
• Headphone Output: Dedicated current-feedback amplifier, 6.3″ (1/4″) front-panel jack
• Preamp Output Level: 2.3V maximum
• Preamp Output THD: Less than 0.003%
• Preamp Output Signal to Noise: Greater than 110dB (A-weighted)
• Bluetooth: A2DP, aptX (priority), SBC
• Analog Inputs: RCA line x2 (AUX1, AUX2); RCA phono MM x1
• Analog Output: RCA preamp out x1
• Digital Inputs: Optical TOSlink x2, RCA coaxial x1, USB Type-B x1
• Digital Outputs: Optical TOSlink x1, RCA coaxial x1
• Speaker Outputs: One stereo pair of binding posts. No A/B switching
• Tone Controls: Bass and treble, with a Direct switch that bypasses the tone circuitry
• Mains Input: 100–120V, 50/60Hz (North American version). A separate 220–240V build exists for other markets; the unit is not switchable
• Finishes: Walnut real wood veneer, or Silver aluminium
• Dimensions (W x H x D): Walnut: 12.83″ x 5.75″ x 10.87″ (326 x 146 x 276 mm). Silver: 11.89″ x 4.65″ x 10.63″ (302 x 118 x 270 mm)
• Weight: Walnut 18.3 lbs (8.30 kg); Silver 15.5 lbs (7.02 kg)
• Carton Size: 18.70″ x 9.76″ x 17.72″ (475 x 248 x 450 mm)
• In the Box: Amplifier, IEC power cord, remote handset, user manual. The Bluetooth antenna ships with the silver version only — the walnut enclosure houses it internally
• Note: LEAK publishes no damping factor, channel separation or power consumption figure for this model. Bluetooth is aptX and SBC — both are lossy codecs, so wireless playback is not bit-perfect