By Julie Mullins
As every audiophile knows, David Hafler is a hi-fi legend. Among other advances, he’s known for his work, along with Herbert Keroes, on Blumlein’s ultra-linear circuit. In 1954 he founded Dynaco and soon became a household name. The Dynaco ST-70, one of the best-selling amplifiers of all time (it sold more than 350,000 units in its lifespan)—and considered one of the greatest classic amps—needs no introduction. Ditto the beloved Dyna-Kits, affordable ready-to-assemble kits for building preamplifiers and power amps that also proved very popular, even ubiquitous, during the 1950s and 60s. (ST-70 fans, rejoice: A newly updated version of the ST-70 will be reviewed in TAS soon.)
In 1977, he founded the David Hafler Company, which pioneered the use of MOSFETs; certain models such as the swarthy DH-500 stereo amp became successful in both home audio and studio applications. Such consumer hi-fi and pro-audio overlap would presage the brand’s future—and present.
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