Where do you predict the tube market will go?

[Chrispy]

Tube "market"? Whut?

 

[TLEDDY]

I cannot say anything about collectibility of tubes; I do think guitar amps will use them for the indefinite future.

Tubes have an euphonic character that many people like, even though solid state designs can be ruler flat. As long as dealers/makers can sell the “flavor” and even the romance of tubes, they will be around.

That said, my emotionally favorite amplifier was the audio Research D79B… I wish I still owned it to try on my Sanders 10e speakers.

Ah - nostalgia rules!!

 

[Chrispy]

I cannot say anything about collectibility of tubes; I do think guitar amps will use them for the indefinite future.

Tubes for production are just different than for reproduction.

 

[SIY]

Tubes have an euphonic character

Often claimed, never actually demonstrated.

 

[Noske]

Given that the OP, @win specifically requested "Let's not get into the sonic merits of tubes, that's a discussion for a different thread" does that give him the option, or right, to report anyone who deliberately disregards this request and goes against spirit and the good faith in which this was requested?

 

[Timcognito]

They are not as ubiquitous as one might think. NOS will certainly hold value as like all genuine things collectable do. They are best sold in bulk to a young energetic analog lover that will be around to keep the dream alive, not a speculator. People collect history, especially if it moves or makes music.

From the Pacific Coast Dream Machines held every year in my community of Half Moon Bay, CA.

 

[JeffS7444]

That said, my emotionally favorite amplifier was the audio Research D79B

Pity it took Audio Research so long to figure out that the power supply capacitors need to be mounted with the vents facing upwards, and I never did figure out why they ran them to within ~5v of rated voltage.

 

[JeffS7444]

My own tube enthusiasm is seasonal: During the hottest months, they're purely ornamental.

 

[win]

Given that the OP, @win specifically requested "Let's not get into the sonic merits of tubes, that's a discussion for a different thread" does that give him the option, or right, to report anyone who deliberately disregards this request and goes against spirit and the good faith in which this was requested?

After page 2 it's a free-for-all

 

[olds1959special]

guitar players

 

[Chrispy]

guitar players

That's on the productive end of things, not reproductive.

 

[JSmith]

Tubes are not available in a surplus status at the present time. This may change as time goes on, but there are not many manufacturers of tubes in the United States. Russia was once a source, but their production is not anywhere nearly as robust as it once was. There are also tariffs over their attack on Ukraine, which make getting Russian tubes even more complicated these days. Other countries in Europe have been effective suppliers of tubes at one time or another. Think places like Poland and some of the other similar European countries. At the time this article was written, Ukraine was a major tube manufacturer and was a supply partner to audio companies all around the world. With the war with Russia, how long Ukraine will remain a significant player in tube production is unclear. In a perfect world, we wouldn’t have to deal with geopolitics in our audio systems, but we don’t live in anything close to a perfect world, thus these are our realities.

Are Tubes Still Relevant to Today’s Audiophile Hobbiest?

Tube electronics is a passionate topic with audiophiles yet today's Class-D and Class-A amps sound like tubes but without the grief.

futureaudiophile.com

JSmith

 

[olds1959special]

The best current tubes come from factories in Russia set up by Mike Matthews of Electro Harmonix. I heard they took over old factories capable of producing military spec tubes. Tung sol, Mullard and Genalex are all made in the same factory, I think.

I have one headphone amp with built in DAC that is OTL and uses tubes. I have no particular preference for the tube sound but I keep it around because it’s fun to listen to with my Beyerdynamic DT880-600ohms. And I have put Genalex N709’s in there as well as Mullard 12AU7’s. The stock Psvane 12AU7 tubes were not working (one was broken.) The Psvane EL84’s went into another amp that I sold, but I remember them being bright in the treble. Those are made in China.

 

[SIY]

The best current tubes come from factories in Russia set up by Mike Matthews of Electro Harmonix.

"Best" by what criteria? And all tube types or...? That's a rather broad statement and a rather dubious one.

 

[olds1959special]

"Best" by what criteria? And all tube types or...? That's a rather broad statement and a rather dubious one.

It's a subjective statement based on my personal experience. I haven't tried the newer Psvane Horizon tubes though. I found the JJ tubes to be on the darker end of the sound spectrum, and usually not to my taste.

 

[SIY]

I found the JJ tubes to be on the darker end of the sound spectrum, and usually not to my taste.

Uh huh. Love to hear about how brand affects frequency response. I'm sure there's an imaginative explanation.

It's a subjective statement based on my personal experience.

IOW, made up.

 

[egellings]

When gasoline auto engines and gasoline lawn mowers are penalized to the point they are rarely actually operated at the same time electricity hungry tubes will be rarely operated just like those old timey steam operated farm tractors. Similarly, long ago people stopped using sea galleys, longships, the knar and the hulk. What's a knar and what's a hulk? And what is a vacuum tube?

I think that with tube amps being such a niche item within a niche hobby (audio), in the grand scheme of things, little difference will be seen if tubes stay or disappear in terms of overall electrical consumption.

 

[thewas]

Love to hear about how brand affects frequency response.

JJs are made in Slowakia where it can be hot in summer, therefore the darker/warmer sound compared to tubes made in Russia. Also Svetlana is a Russian woman name, which means "light".

 

[SIY]

JJs are made in Slowakia where it can be hot in summer, therefore the darker/warmer sound compared to tubes made in Russia. Also Svetlana is a Russian woman name, which means "light".

Now who can argue with that? I think we're all indebted to Gabby Johnson for clearly stating what needed to be said. I'm particulary glad that these lovely children were here today to hear that speech. Not only was it authentic frontier gibberish, it expressed a courage little seen in this day and age.