The panic selling of tube audio had begun.

@rickdoesaudio

I just repaired that same model  not worth that price unless completely upgraded.

Happy Listening.

If history has taught us anything, anytime the supply side fails and there is unserved demand someone will spring up to serve the unserved market. Once Chinese manufacturers  sense that there’s a vacuum in the supply I’m sure they’re start a few tube plants. Sure there will be a shortage for a year or so and the new supplies will be unreliable but eventually the dust will settle and new champions will rise from the chaos. Who knows, there might be some small tube factory waiting to be turned on in the former iron curtain countries. Exciting times! 

Most of the conjecture here is that an increase of listeners rotating out of tubes and into solid state is because of Issues with Tube Availability from Russia going forward. And that might be the final straw for many tube owners. But the reality is that many of them have heard truly high end Class-D (Hypex/Purifi) and then realized how cool it runs and how much less power it consumes and are sold. Whatever the issues are with solid state that tube aficionados seem to detest, they seem to be missing from these high end Class D offerings. Hell, when Atmo-Sphere announces a shift away from tubes, that would be the fat lady singing IMO.

I ordered 4 tubes from The Tube Store on 3/11 and they shipped that day. Got them on 3/14. They were certainly efficient. I guess this was just before the panic buying. I already had replacements for my preamp. These were for my phono preamp. FYI these were Gold Lions. The day after I ordered, the price went up from $53.95 to $79.95 per tube. 

I think that's why The Tube Store website really went down for "maintenance". Not because of too much traffic on a poor web server, but to give them time to raise their prices. I don't support businesses that price gouge.   

Yes, seems silly to be talking about tubes when people are being murdered by a mad man who has something against “oysters and gender freedom”. Suspect someone will put a bullet in his head at some point…and the world will be a better place.

but back to tubes… I will never buy a Russian tube again, or any other product.