Hi, I do not see a link or reference to which Canadian outfit. Curious about this, as I am considering getting another Hafler to upgrade, or something similar more modern if it is available, for another system.
Radial Engineering The Dynaco ST-70 Series 3 Tube Amplifier is Now (Finally!) Shipping Radial is based in BC. There are links for Dynaco and Hafler on the bottom of the webpage.
Thanks! And interesting! I have a Radial Engineering guitar ABY pedal for use with two guitar amplifiers which is very good.
Just to close this loop, I spoke to the western sales rep for the company, and he said the new owners killed the Hafler line, so no go.
I did not specifically ask, nor think to, until I was posting last night. My impression was no. They were focusing on Radial, which is guitar and pro audio production products, and Primacoustic, which seems to be some sort of room treatment products. Though you can find Hafler and Dynaco still mentioned on their pages. So seems like a dead end. Too bad, as it would be nice to see the Hafler and Dynaco designs and designer philosophy moved forward, if the new designers were any good.
I have never owned any Dynaco or Hafler amps so I cannot comment much. I have never owned any tube amp either. I would probably get the relatively new Carver tube amp if I really want a tube amp. Have owned a few Carver gears over the years and are quite happy with them ...
what can you say about the two. sp8 or sp8 mk II? I really want tape monitor function. If I can get 2 then great. if not then I'll get a switcher. This preamp will drive a mosfet amp.
I know theyre good gadgets but my few experience with hafler falls short in dynamics. Its like in the category of BSR
I doubt it. Tried visiting their website - seems to be off the air. Also looked up Audio Karma forum for opinions - seems the Series 3 (as they called it) was pretty much a flop, and didn't live up to the hype. It was more marketing than substance, apparently. But don't quote me on it, I'm just relaying what I read. At the same time, there was a lot of praise for Bob Latino's version of ST-70, and supposedly it's even cheaper than the $3K this Series 3 used to cost.
I had the SP-8 mk2. Heard the SP-8 but it’s been so long I have no real memory of differences. I doubt it was much. Had an SP-6, the SP-8 mk 2 and an SP-10 mk2. All were lovely. As great as the SP-10 was, it was a big piece and really pushed the tubes. In hindsight, the SP-8 would probably have been easier to live with long term. Be patient and good luck. Oh, and they do have a tape monitor switch.
Somewhere along the way I was able to pickup and old dynaco pas tube preamp in my swapmeet days 20 years ago. I paid 10 dollars. The seller was just a liquidator. I fast deoxite and tested it. It sounds analog but there is a missing ingredient in the modern analog sound. I'm pretty sure its a good preamp but sounds like a50's tube preamp that was a bit ahead of its time. that's all that I can say.
Okay sp-8 then. I just gotta make sure that the to choose between the all tube vs the hybrid. If I'm correct. I can wait for this setup is going to my house in another country. so I have 5 years to look for one.
I like to have two tower speakers as my front mains. I have a speaker/amp A/B selector switch to switch between them. This is the old rear projection TV, which was replaced in the summer of 2017. You can see the switch box on top of the inside right speaker, silhouetted by the window. After a while, I decided to dedicate a PrimaLuna KT88 amp to run the Zu Omen Definitions. Later I brought in a Line Magnetic 518iA SET integrated/power amp with 845 tubes, which drives the vintage A7-500-8, Altec Lansing VOTT's, (Voice Of The Theater) speaker's. I only run the Altec's off of tube amps. This is a later system photo showing the Line Magnetic 518iA, which is sitting on a table in front of the TV. I like to have the A7's playing during the day, because I am on the premises 24/7. I did decide that it is not the wisest choice to burn the tubes 24-hours each day. So I have relegated the task to two amplifiers, one tube and one SS. This way, I only need to light up the tubes, when I'm sitting and specifically listening, otherwise the SS amp is playing during the day. The SS integrated has an unusual tube like sound. I switch back and forth between the SS amp and the tube amp with a Russound AB-2.2 speaker/amp selector switch. The SS amp I bought is a 50-Watt Electrocompaniet. I am very impressed with it. It sounds incredibly tube like, where none of my other SS do at all.
Sharing my vintage Nikko Alpha II. Puts out 120 watts in a dual mono design. The previous owner recapped and added new LED lights for the VU meters. I had it hooked up with my NAD C370 as a preamp, but now it's sitting dormant. I might look for the matching Nikko Beta II pre. You don't hear too much about this brand, but I was super impressed with the amp, especially considering its value.
I just picked up a Marantz 7C from my tech. Unfortunately, it belongs to a friend, not I. It sounds pretty stellar with a pair of McIntosh mono blocks (also not mine).
