Leak amps relaunch

1/2 decent mechanicals but bodywork and everything else is rubbish.

Very sorry to hear that. My local economy is very deserving of any help we can give it. Ideally communities should become as self sufficient as possible, something we have learned from the present crises. If we can rebuild and be strong then we are able to help others who are not self sufficient.

I often listen to discussions and hear various people from Africa are dubious about foreign aid. They want expertise to teach them how to be more self sufficient, not simply a donation from a charity. To give them money so they can buy things from us doesnā€™t seem right.

It worries me the number of nurses we have who come from abroad as I do not believe these nurses are not needed at home. If there is a surplus of nurses in third world countries then they are very welcome, but I canā€™t believe that is so. I fear we may be poaching them from where they are needed most. Perhaps they gain experience here that is invaluable at home.

However, I think that points to different ways of thinking about solving world problems and is beyond the scope of this thread.

I do not like the use of classic brand names by companies who have no association with that brand. It is a cynical marketing ploy.

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You described me when I turned 40.

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And how is it now, Zen? If Iā€™m correct you got kids after that age. (I used to call my kids parasites when Iā€™m in a cynical mood).

Personally I have no issue with any country buying a brand name. Most of these brands would not have survived at all if they were not bought over and Leak was already dead for many years.
If China can produce products and turn a profit when it could not be done in the Uk then I say go for it. Itā€™s hopefully giving someone a decent job somewhere.
To me a person is a person no matter where they live and if using an old brand name helps someone put dinner on the table then its all good and not something to get worked up about.

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The kids arrived a little before 40. My wife calls them "LB"s. Stands for Little B######.

Started out as a code word to talk about other peopleā€™s kids in their presence. Never imagined it would be used for our own. But if the shoe fitsā€¦

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The brand hasnā€™t survived - only a mock brand.

I donā€™t think it is about putting food on the table as Iā€™m sure these guys can do that and more. It is about honesty in marketing (perhaps those things do not go hand in hand anywhere).

Iā€™m not worked up about it - as long as I take my tablets Iā€™m fine.

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ā€¦will they bring back the Sandwich ???
I could see the native market buying, but I canā€™t see myself having two hammed up brown sandwiches in the living room.

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Not being funny, but arenā€™t we talking serious hifi enthusiasts here. The name, or even famous name, gets you an audition (perhaps) and after that a product stands or falls on its own merits. Reviving names, selling names, happens everywhere. Once a change takes place, let the dust settle, and see where the new company has pitched itself in the market. If you buy a lemon just because the name is the same as something that you remember from 30 years agoā€¦

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What might be interesting is to know if the Leak brand name (trademark) was purchased, or just used. Trademark rights expire after a period of non-use; the new proprietor may simply have started using the name because it was freely available. There may have been no rights that needed to be purchased.

The Wikipedia entry says that the Lead brand name went out of use in the 1970ā€™s. If thatā€™s the case, anyone could just pick it up in 2020, with no obligation to prior owners.

Itā€™s good that the company are trying to develop something new for todays market, but there needs more attention to details, proportion, positioning and choice of materials.

The ā€˜STEREO 130ā€™ would look better to the right of the LEAK logo (which could be a bit smaller), and use one sub font for all control buttons and product name. That would keep the white space around the controls clear.

Text should be consistent across all new products - the CD drive has REPEAT and POWER in all caps whereas they have used all lower case on the amp.

They might sound really good, but people will want to live with these for a long time, which is why the need to up their style game.

BTW I think someone messed up the ā€˜rear left footā€™ - that position does not look correct!
leakamp

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Do I spot tonecontrols?

I am sure reviews will pop up in What HiFi and HiFi Choice , suspect they will be capable given the experience of IAG

I d wonder given the way the goods are physically presented whether these will be lamb dressed up as mutton?

You donā€™t need to be sorry. Iā€™m just saying that Iā€™m equally empathetic to a business, employee or other person dependant on an ā€œeconomyā€, regardless of where they live. I live in Canada which is an extremely wealthy country. Particularly in my local area, people have for more than they would ever need. They donā€™t need my support or help any more than anyone else does (they probably need it less).

Indeed. Me too. But the styling to me is aimed at a very specific market That, and the low price to me says affluent hipster wannabes (rather than actual hipsters). It competes with one box lifestyle products for a place in the home of people who know enough to know the brand but who look down their nose on hifi expenditure beyond a certain entry level price point because it has to not contradict the message they send by the paint splattered industrial loft apartment they live in. It will sit next to the massive vinyl collection they bought at car boot sales but never actually play.

Regardless, at their price level it still might be very good (or not). Letā€™s see.

Is the brand recent enough in the UK to be known to hipster wannabes? It sounds like itā€™s been on the outs for almost 40 years.

Isnā€™t the whole thing with hipsters that they go out of their way to look up old obscure things that donā€™t seem cool anymore?

There might also be an element of ā€œOh my grandad had one of those. Thatā€™ll do nicely! Now if I can just find a pair of speakers with tweed grilles, Iā€™m in hipster heavenā€

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You might be right!

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