Red Roo tube amplifier kits offer the unique sound of a high-performance tube amplifier without breaking the bank.
All kits are professionally designed using top-quality audio-grade components and have easy step-by-step instructions.
Choose a quick and convenient solderless kit, or solder all the components yourself for the ultimate DIY experience.
Tube amplifiers are also known as valve amplifiers. Due to the way search engines work, we have swapped between both terms throughout this page.
You can say - "I built it myself" with a Red Roo DIY valve amplifier kit.
“Very first impression was a curtain was removed from the sound. A brilliant appearance of high and mid sounds. The music is there, touchable.
My sincere compliments for your SE5 project and thank you for your patience in supporting me”. Dario, Italy.
Why Do Tube Amps Sound Better?
Many musicians and audiophiles still prefer the sound of an old-fashioned thermionic tube amplifier 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. The Red Roo tube guitar amplifier is a fully-featured design that will allow you to create your own unique sound or the sound of your favourite classic artists. With a Red Roo tube stereo amplifier kit you will experience your favourite recordings just as the original musicians and their sound engineers intended. What is a tube amplifier?
Building a Tube Amplifier Kit
Five common questions people ask when building a kit audio amplifier:
How difficult is it to build a valve amplifier? You can do it - the solderless kit is very easy to build and should only take you a few hours. The solder-yourself kit gives you the DIY full kit-building experience but it will take you a lot longer.
How does a valve amplifier 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 tube amplifier: different tubes; triode, pentode, and ultra-linear connections; different output transformers; and different coupling capacitors.
There are many ways you can customise the sound of Red Roo 'Rockstar' Guitar amplifier. Apart from settings of the controls on the front panel, the operation "mode" of the output stage can be changed from push-pull Class-AB to single-ended Class-A and, for keen experimenters, sound altering components can be inserted into "voicing" pads on the PC board.
An SE5 audiophile upgrade is available for the SE5 stereo amplifier which includes audiophile-grade output transformers and Mundorf EVO or Auricap coupling capacitors. The upgrade makes a very noticeable difference to the sound for people with high-end loudspeakers and a good sound source.
Some people have even made timber side panels to give their SE5/PR5 amp kits that traditional look, or you can change the colour of the LEDs shining up through the input tubes.
What kind of tubes can I use? Although we recommend and supply JJ EL34 output tubes, and Electro Harmonix 12AX7/12AT7EH input tubes, you can experiment with a variety of different types. Each type of tube may slightly change the sound. Tube selections are shown in the manuals.
Please also read the pdf 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.