|
|
About de Havilland Electric Amplifier Company I've added this page to our my web site in support of Kara Chaffee,
the moving force behind de Havilland Electric Amplifer Company, and Kara Chaffee Engineering. Like myself, Kara is an artisan,
a one person show. Everything that Kara makes is designed, voiced, manufactured, assembled and shipped by Kara. And everything
Kara makes sounds wonderful. If you contact de Havilland, you will speak with Kara. If you want to buy your amplification gear from a craftsman who is responsible
for the product from design, to manufacture, to shipping, to customer service, consider Kara and her products. Kara is expert
at voicing each of her products so that they make real music.Good
examples are the 845 and GM70 single ended power amps, the 50A triode connected KT88 push pull power amps (derived from the
fabulous Fisher 50A circuit), the Ultra Verve line stage, the modestly priced new Model 444 line stage, and the
Model 222 tape head preamplifier. I've
heard the Chaffee Engineering 50A amplifier in shoot-outs with many other power amps with quite a few great loudspeaker
systems. In each case, to my ears, the 50A has always come out ahead, regardless of the circumstances. The 50 A uses
an interstage transformer to obtain 40+ watts per channel from triode connected KT88 tubes. I was so smitten with the sound
of tape through the Model 222 that I purchased one from Kara at full freight. At shows Kara's rooms have always been among the best of show. She has a great ear. I showed with Kara
at T.H.E. Show in Newport Beach in 2013. I still can't get the sound out of my head that we achieved in that room with Kara's
amps, my Woody tonearm, a George Warren turntable, a modest pair of Sonist Concerto 4 loudspeakers, and a simple Denon DL103
cartridge. We were using the a modified Model 222 as a phono stage, the Ultra-Verve as a line stage, and the 50A power
amps. The cables were from Snake River Audio (Jonny Wilson). The performance of Kara's amplifiers compares to that of the most expensive equipment on the market; and with
Kara you get the personal connection with the person who has crafted your equipment. Visit Kara's site at the following
link: At this time of writing Kara has not yet
put her modestly priced Model 444 line stage up on her web site. I asked her to send me a couple of images
which are presented below. I'm extremely pleased with the sound of this piece.
|
