Looking for a quality easy-to-build DIY tube power amplifier or tube preamplifier without breaking the bank?
Look no further than Red Roo DIY tube/valve amplifier kits.
Red Roo stereo amp kits, preamp kits, and guitar amp kits offer the unique sound of a high-end tube amplifier at an affordable price. Using top-quality components and professional design, these amplifier kits are easy to build and will last you a lifetime.
Choose between a quick and easy 100% solderless kit, or for the ultimate DIY experience solder all the components yourself.
You can say - "I built it myself" with a Red Roo DIY tube amplifier kit.
Why Are Tube Amps Better?
Many musicians and audiophiles still prefer the sound of an old-fashioned thermionic tube (aka valve) amplifier. Tubes have a typically "warm" and "open" sound produced by the synergy of many factors that solid-state devices just cannot simulate. With a Red Roo tube amplifier kit for headphones and loudspeakers, you will experience your favourite recordings just as the original musicians and their sound engineers intended.
Common Questions
Five common questions people ask when building a kit audio amplifier:
How difficult is it to build? You can do it - the solderless kit is very easy to build and should only take you a couple of hours. The solder-yourself kit gives you the DIY full kit-building experience but it will take you at least 6-8 hours.
How does it compare to a solid-state amplifier? Despite all the obvious technical advantages of solid-state musicians and audiophiles prefer tubes because, they say, tube amps simply sound ‘better’, subjectively. On the other hand, there are definite technical reasons why a tube amp will sound ‘different’.
See 'What is tube sound?'
What tools do I need? The Red Roo solderless kit is a great option because it saves a lot of time, and avoids having to painstakingly solder all the individual components yourself. If you can use a screwdriver you can build the solderless kits.
The solder-yourself kits require a set of electronic assembly tools, a small temperature-controlled soldering iron, a reel of 60/40 leaded solder, and patience.
Can I customise the design? If you are experienced working with DIY tube amps, there are lots of ways you can customise your Red Roo amplifier: different tubes; triode, pentode, and ultra-linear connections; different output transformers; and different coupling capacitors. An audiophile upgrade is available for the SE5 stereo amplifier.
Some people have even made timber side panels to give their amp kits that traditional look or you can change the colour of the LEDs shining up under the tubes.
What kind of tubes can I use? Although we recommend and supply EL34 output tubes and 12AT7EH input tubes, you can experiment with a variety of other types. See the manuals.
Please also read the section on tube/valve safety, and remember we are always here to help.
Tube (aka Valve) Safety
Tube amplifiers are safe unless they are physically damaged, misused, poorly located, or are being worked on without taking appropriate safety precautions.
Electrical Safety - Hazardous Voltages
Tube equipment contains hazardous voltages, (several hundred volts, or more), and it can hold that high-voltage charge for a very long time after the power is switched off. If you are working on tube circuitry make sure it is switched off and the high-voltage power supply is fully discharged.
Burns or Fire Risk
Tubes operate very hot and can cause a nasty burn. They can also ignite materials that come into contact with them, such as flapping curtains, etc.
● Position Tube equipment well away from combustible materials. Leave at least 200 mm clearance on all sides and the top for adequate ventilation.
● Never leave a Tube amplifier switched on when unattended. Keep out of reach of small children
Read more about tube/valve safety in the link below.