Tubes becoming hard to get?

LOL!!!

I have SS and Tubes and tubes win every time.

I will pay extra as I can afford it.

I also have a 30 year supply of tubes. 

Auctions are wonderful. 

Simple - solid state is the way to go. No hassle, heat, turning on and off, worrying about tubes replacement, lots of power, etc.....You can get just as good SQ - it's not a technology issue, it is a design issue. If the SS design is good, it will sound just as good as a tube amp. They can last decades if treated right.

The main supply issue facing audiophiles is for power tubes - especially the big types for which there is no NOS / vintage alternative in quantity. The situation is especially dire for amps designed around KT120 and up (especially 150, 170).

this is true... but as also mentioned, the tube plant making these is indeed running and the tubes will just travel a more meandering route to the find end users needing them (just like russian fishing output, going through china processors on their way to costco...)

... and for users who are using high-spec amps running these tubes, i would guess they can afford an upcharge -- (reminds me of when porsche owners complain about the price of gas... not much pity should be offered, nor expected... 😁)

@fsonicsmith  - This whole site if for trolling obviously. Of course there are choices - tubes sound good on good amps as does solid state, "Design issue" is pretty self explanatory - keep the layout and components inside the box from creating noise and distortion. A good design with well executed build quality is most important versus the technology. Also, you should learn how to spell, "maroon".

Although I only play records I've been collecting for 40+ years, I can understand how digital may sound as good or better for some recordings, especially some SACDs with excellent transports/DACs/power supplies. If I was starting out with no records or equipment today, I would probably stream as high a resolution as I could get since the convenience factor is so advantageous.

Just like belt vs. direct drive, and analogue vs. digital, there is no such thing as one technology is better than the other.

Hey @jerryg123  - maybe you just haven't tried a good enough SS amp.

@sokogear LOL yep, McIntosh, Simaudio have a 600 v2, Pass, LFE, on and on. 

@sokogear

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NYFq7ZJg4c

As to the rest of what you have to say, I appreciate your serious attempt at expressing your thoughts rather than counter-attacking and for that I thank you. But that said, you evidently have a very flawed mental construct embedded in your brain. Different but "equally good" alternatives is the flawed mental construct you have been afflicted with. The mere fact that you subjectively believe they exist does not mean that they exist for anyone else.

Just like belt vs. direct drive, and analogue vs. digital, there is no such thing as one technology is better than the other.

If only I knew where to begin with this gem. I know what you were trying to say but the statement itself is again terribly flawed. Let me first point out that there is far more advanced and complicated technology in digital than in analogue and likewise in direct drive than in belt drive. The beautifully intellectual aspect of the pursuit of audio reproduction is that advanced technology does not always result in better sound. Even many so-called "objectivists" would agree with that. I hope I don’t need to draw this on a napkin for you, but if I do, step back in time to 1984/85 when Sony and Philips jointly came out with "perfect sound forever". At the time it represented the most advanced technology in the history of home audio and yet....it sucked. And as yet another example, take a look at how many people remain happy with the first two or three generations of Class D amps on the market. And within a single type of technology there are versions that are better and more sophisticated than others, i.e. some DAC's are better designed and implemented than others. This is part of "technology" too. 

I am glad to hear you do love vinyl. And yes, no one is going to argue that many times the only way to get a good version of a recording is to get the digital version. But none of that has anything to do with your statement that I labeled a troll.