Integrated Amplifiers

Trafomatic's founder, Saša Čokić, looks like he was in a Balkan heavy metal band in the 1980s, and not just because of the Hard Rock Cafe t-shirt and the shades. There's a cool genotype in Eastern Europe – in this case, Serbia – which suggests a hardy nature, as if they had to smuggle LPs from the West to hear rock music. All this reinforces my belief that hi-fi designers' personalities are often reflected in their equipment. So the Rhapsody rocks, unlike your typical 300B-powered SET.

Čokić explained that while Trafomatic was established in 1997, the manufacture of Trafomatic electronics did not start until 2007, under the name Trafomatic Audio. He says, 'I didn't work for other [audio] companies, but Trafomatic made output and power transformers for other hi-fi brands. Although I started making amplifiers officially only in 2007, the first amp I ever made, aged 13 years, was a guitar tube amp from parts I found in old radio sets'.

Serbia has a strong hi-fi scene, Čokić citing, 'successful brands like Karan Acoustics, Auris Audio, RAAL Requisite, NAT Audio, Acoustic Invader, Velikinac Audio Lab, Way Cables and probably more'. How much of the iconoclastic nature of Trafomatic and its homeland brands is due to Serbia's previous detachment from hi-fi's mainstream is hard to say, but Čokić says, 'I don't look for inspiration in other brands. Inspiration comes to me from within – I can't explain it'. What Trafomatic practices, though, is a dedication to music. Like I said, the brand/the man even looks like a rocker!