Radial Engineering President Peter Janis (sitting) with some of the Hafler-Dynaco redevelopment team.
David Hafler may be long gone but his name can still gather appreciative nods from engineers of a certain age.
His Dynaco electronics kits, hi-fi equipment was their specialty, hit a sweetspot in the burgeoning home hi-fi market of the 1950s and 1960s — notably the ST70 tube amplifier.
His later eponymous company had a nice run in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s producing reliable, good-sounding and inexpensive solid-state amps for home and professional audio studio and live sound markets. It was also in on the ground floor of the powered speaker market in the 1990s. An acquisition by a consumer electronics giant in the late 1980s eventually led to the demise of the name and company.
Peter Janis and Radial Engineering never forgot Hafler and Dynaco and have now purchased the names and some intellectual properties. He promises products reminiscent of the past and some for today’s needs.
It’ll be the first big step by the company into the consumer market. Janis promises that the products will be made in North America and under Radial’s control. “One of the first questions we regularly receive is whether the products are truly made in Canada or are they simply relabeled offerings from some Chinese OEM supplier. The answer is a resounding, Yes! Hafler and Dynaco products are currently and will always be made in Canada!”
Janis has also indicated that an ST70 rebirth will be coming: “We will be showing an updated version of the venerable Dynaco ST70 at the High-End show. Although the new model looks dramatically different, it has the same sonic character as the original with improved signal-to-noise and damping in order to better address the source material and loudspeakers that are in use today.”
