Rollo SE — Tape Head Preamplifier for Reel-to-Reel Machines
Capless Master Repro | Single Ended | Ultra Low Noise — Your tapes, revealed
Rollo SE is an ultra-quiet, single-ended tape head preamplifier designed for open reel-to-reel tape machines. It takes the raw signal directly from the tape head and transforms it into a precise, line-level output — revealing the full depth, dynamics, and tonal richness of your analog recordings.
Built for master tape playback, it’s the missing link between the tape head and your high-end audio system.
Combined with the transport of a Reel-to-Reel tape machine, ROLLO SE becomes an essential part of a true Master Tape reproduction system, unlocking the full sonic wealth of original recordings.
By connecting directly to the playback head of your Reel-to-Reel tape machine, it bypasses decades-old compromises and reveals the sound exactly as it was recorded — pure, alive, and astonishingly real.
Capless Master Repro Technology
At the heart of ROLLO SE lies our new Capless Master Repro topology:
No capacitors in the signal path — nothing to smear transients, veil textures, or flatten dynamics.
Full compliance with NAB and IEC/CCIR standards — ensuring correct equalization and faithful reproduction of any tape.
Discrete JFET input stage with 100 kΩ input impedance — ultra-low noise, optimized for the delicate signal coming straight off the tape head.
Discrete JFET output buffer with 2 kΩ output impedance — preserving signal integrity and driving downstream equipment with ease.
The result? A reproduction chain that honors your tapes, your deck, and your music — without compromise.
Precision Steel Chassis, Pure Analog Heart
“The internal steel chassis, before assembly — precision-cut 1.5 mm steel for perfect rigidity and vibration control.”
ROLLO SE is engineered with the same obsessive attention to detail as our flagship models, but in a simpler, Single Ended form.
Chassis: precision laser-cut 1.5 mm steel, providing outstanding rigidity and shielding against vibration and electromagnetic interference ensuring stable performance in any setup
Finish: powder-coated surface for durability and a timeless aesthetic
Steel enclosure with precision-drilled ventilation for perfect thermal stability
Every opening is positioned to minimize magnetic interference and preserve absolute silence
Form factor: identical footprint to Cassius (300 × 200 × 55 mm), ensuring a clean, uniform stack in your system
Front touch interface — minimalist control, seamless response
Design philosophy: functional elegance — every detail chosen to serve both performance and longevity
Hand-assembled in Romania, each unit is built to deliver years of uncompromised performance.
Dedicated Power Architecture — Silentio Inside
Inside ROLLO SE lies a power supply derived from our SILENTIO 305 architecture — a dual-stage linear design with triple filtering, built entirely for ultra-low-noise performance.
SILENTIO power board — ultra-low-noise architecture
Each rail is independently regulated using LT3045 and LT3094 devices, ensuring vanishingly low ripple and perfectly symmetrical voltage delivery.
Close-up images of the LT3045 and LT3094 regulators from the SILENTIO power board inside ROLLO SE
Every detail of ROLLO SE was engineered with a single purpose: to achieve the lowest possible noise floor.
From the discrete JFET input stage to the dual-regulated, triple-filtered power architecture, every circuit path is optimized to deliver the darkest possible background, revealing maximum detail, microdynamics, and an exceptionally wide dynamic range.
This precision supply isolates the audio stages from the mains and inter-channel interference, allowing music to emerge from absolute silence — a hallmark of the ROLLO SE sonic signature.
Discrete JFET Audio Stage
The discrete JFET audio board inside ROLLO SE
Every signal in ROLLO SE passes through a fully discrete JFET input stage designed for the lowest possible distortion and noise.
Its carefully tuned EQ network ensures perfect tape equalization, while the short signal path and premium passive components preserve every microdetail.
The result is a presentation defined by maximum clarity, realistic texture, and a dark, quiet background that lets music breathe naturally.
Designed to Perform, Built to Last
Every aspect of ROLLO SE was designed for silence, precision, and musical transparency.
The single-ended JFET topology delivers an ultra-low noise floor and effortless dynamics.
Each channel is fully discrete up to the EQ stage, followed by precision op-amps for absolute linearity.
ROLLO SE audio board
Inside Rollo SE
Every ROLLO SE is built with absolute precision. The internal layout reflects our obsession with symmetry, silence, and detail retrieval.
Inside ROLLO SE — designed for symmetry, silence, and precision
Capless Master Repro Topology: No capacitors. No compromise.
At the heart of ROLLO SE lies our “Capless Master Repro” circuit — a topology that removes every single coupling capacitor from the signal path. Capacitors, even the finest, inevitably smear transients, soften textures, and introduce coloration. By eliminating them entirely, ROLLO SE delivers music with unmatched speed and transparency. You hear what is on the tape — nothing added, nothing subtracted.
Proprietary Servo Stability
To achieve a capacitor-free signal path, we developed NERENEAS proprietary servo loops. These intelligent control systems ensure the correct static operating point of the circuit, locking it in place with rock-solid precision and preventing drift over time. The result is a design that remains perfectly stable, even under demanding conditions — so the sound you hear today is the sound you’ll hear tomorrow, unchanged.
Ultra Low Noise Design
The signal from a tape head is vanishingly small — often in the microvolt range. Amplifying it without burying the music under hiss or interference requires an uncompromising approach. ROLLO SE uses a discrete JFET input stage with a carefully optimized 100 kΩ input impedance, offering an exceptionally low noise floor that preserves the finest musical nuances.
On the output, a discrete JFET buffer with 2 kΩ output impedance ensures effortless drive capability and seamless integration with any downstream equipment. This dual-JFET architecture guarantees that your music remains intact — powerful, stable, and pure.
Internal architecture — every millimeter engineered for silence
Ultra Wide Bandwidth for Exceptional Sound
A tape head preamplifier doesn’t just amplify the signal — it shapes the entire musical experience, determining how natural, spacious, and lifelike the playback feels. One critical factor is phase integrity: if phase shifts occur, instruments and voices lose their precise placement in the stereo field.
ROLLO SE is engineered to preserve absolute phase accuracy:
The “Capless Master Repro” topology delivers an ultra-wide bandwidth, ensuring the delicate tape head signal is amplified without introducing phase shift. The result is a soundstage that remains clear, deep, and natural, with instruments locked in place as if you were there.
The equalization curve is integrated directly into the input stage, avoiding additional gain blocks in the path. This keeps the bandwidth wide open and ensures that only the EQ circuit defines the tonal balance — nothing else interferes.
With no capacitors in the signal path, transient response is lightning-fast, textures are unblurred, and dynamics remain explosive.
With ROLLO SE, you experience a clean, full-bodied presentation that allows your tapes to reveal their true depth, clarity, and life.
Your settings, your sound — remembered forever
Most Reel-to-Reel tape machines rely on low-cost transistor switches placed directly in the signal path. These introduce leakage, distortion, and noise — subtle at first, but enough to veil detail and reduce clarity over time.
ROLLO SE avoids these compromises by employing high-quality latching relays, controlled by a dedicated microcontroller. Both the EQ curve and the two selectable gain steps are switched using these relays, ensuring precise, repeatable, and noise-free control.
Importantly, the relays themselves are never placed in the direct audio path. This guarantees that no distortion or artifacts are added to the signal.
To make the experience seamless, your chosen EQ curve and gain setting are stored in non-volatile EEPROM memory. Even after powering off, ROLLO SE remembers your preferences — so every listening session starts exactly where you left it.
“Precision relay control and memory retention ensure your signal stays untouched — and your music always plays your way.”
Silentio inside: ultra-low noise power for absolute purity
Power is the foundation of great audio. A tape head preamplifier is only as good as the supply that feeds it. That’s why ROLLO SE integrates our SILENTIO ultra low-noise power supply directly inside its chassis.
SILENTIO is built around the renowned LT3045 and LT3094 regulators, delivering exceptionally clean, stable, and ripple-free rails. This dual-stage design ensures the audio circuitry operates in absolute silence, free from interference and contamination.
By eliminating power-related artifacts at the source, ROLLO SE allows the most delicate tape signals to emerge unmasked — with blacker backgrounds, greater dynamic range, and breathtaking clarity.
ROLLO SE Rear panel — RCA inputs and outputs, plus 4-pin XLR connector for external Silentio PSU
With its capless topology, discrete JFET stages, and Silentio linear power design, Rollo SE stands among the world’s finest tape head preamplifiers, created to restore the authentic sound of analog tape — pure, transparent, and alive.
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Fully discrete JFET input stage
Ultra-low noise architecture with precision EQ network
Two gain steps for headroom and tape head matching
Switchable input capacitance for better tape-head matching
Input impedance: 100 kΩ
Output impedance: 2 kΩ
Front touch control for gain and EQ selection
Gold-plated RCA connectors for optimal signal integrity
Solid 1.5 mm steel chassis providing mechanical and EM shielding
Ultra-flat enclosure
Hand-assembled and individually tested in Romania
Can be connected to any Reel-to-Reel tape machine with a tape head output
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IEC/CCIR 38cm/s
IEC/CCIR 19cm/s
NAB 38cm/s
NAB 19cm/s
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Inputs: RCA, single ended
Outputs: RCA, single ended
Power: Standard IEC C14 inlet -
Width: 301 mm
Depth: 203 mm
Height: 70 mm (with feet)
55mm (without feet)
Weight: 3.5 kg