Leak 2060 (1975–1978)

They don’t shout, they don’t dazzle—just play music with a calm, lived-in grace that feels more like listening to life than to hi-fi.

Overview

The Leak 2060—sometimes affectionately called the "Sandwich 2060" for its pioneering driver technology—isn’t the loudest or flashiest speaker in the room, but it’s the one you keep coming back to when you just want to hear the music. Built between 1975 and 1978 by H.J. Leak & Co. Ltd., this 3-way floor-standing loudspeaker was designed with a singular goal: flat response and precise reproduction. At a time when British speaker design was hitting a golden stride, the 2060 arrived as a quiet statement of intent—no gimmicks, no hype, just honest engineering and above-average build quality. Priced at GBP 198.50 each (plus VAT) in 1977, it wasn’t cheap, but it wasn’t trying to be exotic either. It was meant to be a serious tool for serious listening, and that’s exactly what it became.

Unlike the active preamp of the same name from the 1950s (a common point of confusion), the 2060 speaker is a physical beast—each cabinet weighs in at 23.1kg and is built like a vault from 18mm plywood, internally damped with a 15mm layer of asphalt material to control resonance. The result is a speaker that doesn’t ring, rattle, or call attention to itself. It just plays. And what it plays, it plays with a warm, coherent character that owners describe as “magical” and “refined,” like a Wharfedale W60 that finally learned how to relax.

Specifications

Key Features

The Sandwich Woofer: A Quiet Revolution

The heart of the 2060’s design is its 300mm Leak “sandwich” cone woofer—an aluminium foil and expanded polystyrene composite that was ahead of its time. This layered construction helped suppress cone breakup and deliver cleaner bass with less coloration. The roll edge of the cone is damped with adhesive material to further reduce strain and distortion, while the treated cloth surrounds have proven more durable than the rubber types used elsewhere. It’s not the fastest bass driver ever made—owners note it’s “good, if not exactly lightning fast”—but it’s full, adequate, and never boomy. The cabinet’s infinite baffle (acoustic suspension) design contributes to tight, controlled low-end performance without the need for a port.

Mids That Don’t Shout

The 100mm plastic cone midrange unit, shared with the Leak 2030, is where the 2060 truly earns its keep. With a perforated structure and what look like rubber surrounds (prone to drying and cracking over time), this driver is consistently praised for its well-behaved nature. “You won’t find anything shrill, shouty, or peaky about it,” one owner noted. That said, some report the mids lack ultimate body and finesse—certainly not a flaw, but a trade-off in a speaker that prioritizes neutrality over drama. It’s a driver that doesn’t draw attention to itself, which in a world of hyped midranges, is a rare and welcome quality.

Tweeter Truth

Topping it off is a 25mm plastic dome tweeter—same size as the one in the 2030—often identified as a Wharfedale “purple job.” It’s not the most extended tweeter on record (rated to 20kHz ±3dB), and some users report that horns can get a little strident at high volumes. But in most setups, it integrates smoothly, avoiding the harshness that plagues so many speakers of this era. It’s not dazzling, but it’s honest—never fatiguing, never shouting. And if it does fail? Tweeters can be blown, but replacements are within reach for those willing to dig.

Engineering Grit

What really sets the 2060 apart isn’t just the drivers—it’s the engineering discipline behind them. The design team was among the first to use laser interferometry to measure driver breakup modes, a technique that was practically science fiction in most speaker labs at the time. This attention to detail shows in the speaker’s coherence and lack of resonance. The hand-finished cabinet, with its Spendor/Harbeth-esque gold badges on the rear, looks the part of a premium product, and the 18mm plywood box with asphalt damping ensures it performs like one. Build quality is consistently described as above average—this is not a speaker that feels or sounds like a compromise.

Collectibility & Value

The Leak 2060 trades today as a well-respected, if under-the-radar, classic. A pair recently listed in “very nice physical condition” and “full and perfect working order” sold for £235—remarkable value for a speaker of this size and pedigree. They’re not showpieces, not status symbols, but they’re deeply competent and deeply listenable. Owners who’ve restored them often report, “They sound excellent to me,” and “THEY ARE VERY WELL MADE AND SOUND EXTREMELY GOOD.”

But they’re not without issues. Capacitors in the crossover are often described as “as dry as the Sahara,” and the rubber midrange surrounds are known to harden and crack over time. The good news? Maintenance is straightforward. “It’s very easy to replace caps and resistors,” one restorer noted, making the 2060 a forgiving project for the DIY-inclined. As long as the drivers are original Leak units—something verified in at least one listing—the core sound remains intact.

They may not have “snob appeal,” but they have something better: musical integrity. They don’t do anything particularly horrible, and they play music fairly well. For many, that’s more than enough.

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Related Models

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• Luxman L-530 (1975)
• Luxman R-404 (1975)
• Luxman RV-371 (1975)
• Luxman SQ-38U (1975)
• Luxman T-14 (1972)