Romy 20SE – at last an integrated SET amplifier that kicks ass even when driving critical loudspeakers

As usual at Rike Audio, Romy 20SE has been designed around a tube type you’re not likely to spot in other integrated high end amplifiers. An original Siemens development from the 1960s by the name of RS1003 and further refined by RFT under its new designation SRS551, this remarkable transmitter pentode is a well nigh perfect amplifying tool for audiophile applications – provided you can guarantee it optimal working conditions. Which, to put it mildly, is not an easy thing to accomplish. In Romy 20SE a pair of carefully selected SR551s in triode mode deliver 20 powerful class A 2 watts, which thanks to an unusually high damping factor have a tight lock on your bass drivers’ diaphragms and won’t throw the towel even when driving difficult loudspeaker loads. What makes this sonically thrilling integrated tube amplifier further stand out from the SET amp crowd is the extreme longevity of its output tubes. Specified for medical use, SRS551 has always been good for 10.000 trouble-free hours. In Romy 20SE it should easily make 2.5 times that, even though Romy’s power rating tops traditional SET amps by 30 to 50%.

- Category: Integrated Single Ended Triode Line Amplifier
- Inputs: 4 x (RCA/Cinch)
- Output: 2 x loudspeaker (4 and 8 Ohm taps)
- Power Rating: 2 x 20 Watt (Class-A 2)
- Tubes: 2 x SRS551, 2 x ECF80 (selected and matched pairs)
- stable into critical loudspeaker loads
- high damping factor
- conservative circuit design for extreme tube longevity (typically > 25.000 hours)
- braced full-metal sandwich case with bronze subchassis für audio circuits
- individually fine-tuned to ensure lowest-possible parasitic resonances
- unsurpassed parts quality including our own Rike Audio paper-in-oil capacitors and extremely low tolerance measuring resistors
- oversized mains supply with massive power transformer and 2 output transformers (all of low-stray-field toroidal type)
- high-quality ceramic tube sockets
- hard-gold plated input terminals
- secure-contact binding posts for banana plugs, spades and bare wires
- outstanding artisanal finish made in Germany
- Warranty: 2 years (tubes excluded)