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With a big order for WLM Acoustics coming in just then, team Trafomatic got seriously buried under a work avalanche but by April 19th, Sasa nonetheless managed to finalize the Kaivalya main circuit board layout. The 6th fuscia circle on the board is no belatedly added valve socket but an opening to feed through the interstage transformer leads.


At left are the raw aluminum back panels with their engraved markings and holes for the ground post, input RCA, output terminals and IEC power inlet.


Below is Sasa's partner Mica in charge of mechanical assembly. Here he puts together an enclosure from dual-layer wood panels with an inner copper liner foil shield. Just like vintage furniture makers, Mica uses string clamping and hand-made corner pulls during the gluing process of the mitered panels. A plywood base doubles as guide for perfect squaring.


The next photo shows the individual panels followed by the rear panel still on the router, then the IT bobbin parts during routing and finally assembled.






By May 11, the next batch of photos followed. Mica had prepped the enclosure and transformer cans with base coats. Without luxurious clean-room conditions, I expected that he was really sweating the final white glass layers in his vented paint booth. I'd reviewed the gloss-black 300B monos to know he was fully up to the task. But I still could appreciate the challenge involved.


The drying racks also held transformer covers in two different diameters. The smaller cans would be for the two frontal positions one behind the other, the bigger ones would anchor the rear side by side.



The prototype circuit boards were populated (finals would go to a domestic pro company)...



... the elusive interstage transformer had grown to eleven sections in the meantime but was wound and encased and the top plates cut. "A million and sundry things remain to be done but we have made progress." Sasa sounded nearly apologetic but I was in zero hurry. Considering that this custom commission had to rely on spare time whilst Trafomatic Audio ran its regular and WLM production to fulfill dealer and distributor orders in a timely manner, I was simply pleased to observe the gestation process from afar.


By May 25, Mica had five pairs of chassis ready. He mocked up a full assembly. Knob and top plate weren't yet attached, tube sockets not mounted so the valves simply sat in their holes. But watching this mere idea take form was exciting. 6moons too started as just a wild notion. The final result is more virtual than holding something concrete and weighty in your hands. It seemed I soon would have my hands full.


Sasa meanwhile was already off to the next project: "I have an idea for a smaller amp. It'll be the next in the White Range - dual mono single chassis, with two EL84 per side and P/P UL configuration as a pure power amp. Price should be about €1750 with shipping in the EU, about €1850 worldwide. This idea came from a personal need in my living room.


"With my CD player's quality variable valve output, I only need an EL84 power amp. This one won't be IT-coupled but it shall use the same ECC82 driver and some great tricks which I learned during the Kaivalya project. It will include the dual C-core output transformer with separate anode and G2 windings, peak-current control transistors and minimal local feedback. I'm even considering a headphone output. It would have three or four different impedances like our Head One all run off dedicated transformer secondaries. That's a lot better than using the speaker outputs through load resistors. We'll see. The name of the amp will be Homa. It's half of hommage because it's essentially half a Kaivalya and based on it. It also means fire ritual in Sanskrit. That too is fitting for a valve amp." (Below a solitary 'rushed' Homa on a Minueta chassis. Sasa whipped it up for a Dubai customer impatient to finalize a Zu Essence plus new Trafomatic Head One preamp system. The final Homa would of course get its own bespoke chassis. It simply hadn't been completed at this stage, hence one Homa would don WLM Minueta threads.) 


If I had needed confirmation that the Kaivalya project would kick off an entire new Trafomatic Audio line, this was it. Sasa was quick to be specific. "The White Range will probably be limited to just three models - the Homa stereo amp, the Kaivalya monos and, in 2011, a matching preamplifier. I'll sell those models exclusively direct to give my customers the very best price. Because the gloss lacquer turned out so fantastic, I've already decided to accommodate requests. If someone wants a particular lacquer color, we'll do it, never mind the 'white' in range."


Then he made an interesting comment that boded incredibly well for the Kaivalyas. "I think I'm done now designing 300B amplifiers."


After returning from my visit to the folks of the Grande Castine hornspeaker in Southern France, I had this photo from Sasa in my Outlook Express by June 28. " I was merely waiting for professional PCBs. I had made three prototypes and finally nailed the perfect layout and trace routing with a very good S/N ratio. The configuration of trafos on the top plate is very nice but from an electromagnetic perspective very critical. The IT picks up everything - from the PCB and outside. I use a very small separate transformer for the standby function. No matter where on the circuit board I placed that transformer, the IT would pick up noise. I finally had to take the standby transformer off the PCB altogether and mount it separately. It was a big struggle." 


Because I'd specified white or orange LEDs for the acrylic backlighting firing up through the two mounting slots, Sasa had made an executive decision and used both - orange for standby, white for play. Without telling me, he'd also engraved Trafomatic Audio in the acrylic. Superb! The end result even in his informal shot taken quickly looked beautiful. Sasa was off to Belgrade the next day to have his photographer run a professional shoot. His—unprocessed!—photos looked sensational. What would the Kaivalyas sound like?


"The sound was my primary concern of course. Everything hinged on that IT. I never built anything like it before and I lost a lot of time on that part. What I think about the final sound matters less. In the end you are the reviewer and customer. You will tell me whether I was right or not. Still, I've never been wrong about the sound before. In any case, be assured that this is the best we can obtain from a push/pull EL84 design." By July 5th, my pair was with FedEx. By July 7th, it had arrived.

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