2. amps-preamps
  3. 1147755090

Anybody with some thoughts on Hafler amps

Recently I picked up a Hafler 9300 amp along with a Hafler 945 series pre-amp. The (used) amp and pre-amp were purchased to drive a couple of Dali Euphonia MS4's. During the first hour or so of listening, the amp seems about as musical as a brick; when performing numerous comparisons against a Denon 3805 A/V receiver, the Denon had it beat all to Hell. However, after an hour or two of continuous play, some voodoo magic begins to happen (I know the amp warms up) and the amp begins to gain some essence and hence forth the music starts to flow, not sounding starchy or flat…I guess to get to my point, has anyone else with this amp or something similar had this experience where at the beginning it’s almost intolerable, and only later something decent occurs? In addition, if anyone else is driving some Dali speakers I would be curious to hear what types of amps you have used and some of the lessons learned. Musically I’m all over the map: The Rolling Stones to Rossini, Fats Domino to the Lords of Acid. Thanks for any comments. Cheers
bulldogrumble
cod0984418
1 posts
 
i have that same Hafler 945 preamp and i notice the same thing... but i am not totally sure if it has anything to do with my power amp
i love that preamp though... way better than the POS Toshiba i had before
analogphil
44 posts
 
It's not unusual for SS gear to need time to warm up, particullary older gear. I'm running a 35 year old amp and it takes a minimum of 1/2 hr to get happy with the music. The edigness falls away, bass deepens, and transparancy increases. Part of the phenomonen may be due to tempature and part may be due to getting all the caps filled. I'd like to leave it on all the time but that makes me nervous.
distincf5c9
1 posts
 
Anybody know where I can get a replacement remote control for the Hafler 945 preamp/tuner? Will universal remotes work as well?
rndawson
1 posts
 
I have Hafler DH-200 and Hafler preamp love them both.I'am a old hifi'er from the 50-70's,when JBL was the speakers made in USA. Reg Dawson
dne
139 posts
 
The 9300 Transnova is a fine amp -- essentially the same as the 9500 /9505 but with less power. I had the 9505 and it was truly a fine amp and is still highly regarded, esp. in pro circles.

I think your problem is the 945 preamp, which I also had. When I replaced it with a McCormick TLC-1 passive buffered preamp, the improvement was remarkable.

So, I think your amp is fine, it's the preamp that needs to be upgraded.
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