Updated situation as of 1Jun 06

First, the Good News:

Prices of RoHS compliant components are stabilizing (but are still much more costly than their predecessors.)

Now, the Bad News:

Even at this "eleventh hour", only about 1/2 of the components we currently use in REDGUM products are available in their equivalent  RoHS compliant form. Though many of these components are industry standard "building blocks", they are either quite non-existent  in catalogues (presumably discontinued) or 'still to be completed'.
When questioned, the suppliers usually reply 'we will be compliant by the due date'. This time frame, however, does not allow development and testing of new, compliant product in time for release on the 1st July 06.

In early May 06, we ordered a new PCB (RoHS-compliant) from one of Australia's leading PCB manufacturers. Their email reply was (quote): 

" Please advice what is RoHS mean." (sic)

(Sigh...)

Meanwhile... there has been substantial evidence surfacing to suggest that it is environmentally unfriendly to change to lead-free soldering... (See PushBack website)

All the while, the clock is still ticking...

Stop Press

As a result of the EU directive (2002/95/EC) regarding Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS)  most of the components in (not only REDGUM) amplifiers will no longer be 'allowed' to be used from the time it comes into full force on 1st July 2006. Predictably, manufacturers of these components are 'scaling down' production, and the items are becoming scarce. 

As a result of the speed of implementation of this directive, many RoHS compliant replacement parts have not yet been developed. To add to the potential chaos for designers,  a lot of the suggested RoHS replacements are of substantially different specifications and that begs the question of lesser quality sound being a likely result. Ho hum - just a design/manufacture problem that will sort itself out in time? 

Sadly, no! As a serious Audio consumer, you will definitely be aware of it from 1st July 2006, if not sooner! The most direct and obvious consequence is that the new generation of RoHS compliant products will cost a lot more, simply as a reflection of the "new" components costing between 10x and 100x their current price!!! So if you are considering purchasing a REDGUM, we suggest that you do it sooner rather than later because the prices are REALLY going to skyrocket unpredictably, and the reliability and sonic quality of the likely end result are completely unknown at the present time (Ed. Jul 05). 

(Just a smart sales pitch for REDGUM? We fear not - feel free to apply these criteria to ANY electronic products in the foreseeable future)

What is this RoHS??

Reliability problems? - Tin Whiskers!

There is only one certainty so far! 

Component costs are ramping up already.... the longer you leave it, the worse it will be!!!