Why are people paying these stupid tube prices?

The manufacturer New Sensor / Electro Harmonix sells the tubes on their own online store. Their prices have increased drastically in the past month or 2. Take a gander - KT120 for $150 each. Gold Lion KT88 $170 each. You can imagine the KT150 and 170 prices. Between double and triple the previous "usual" prices, across the board. That may or may not be indicative of prices going forward. But in a worst case scenario, those are the "new" tube prices, and any onshore vendors selling for anything less than that are simply burning through existing stock on hand.

In a better case scenario, these are just temporary price spikes intended to keep hoarders from wiping out existing stocks before we get a better picture for the long-term prospects of Russian manufacturing.

The only place Iam willing to pay is Grant Fidelity, some tube dealers they just recycled.Be careful, and don’t panic.

@lowrider57

And with New Sensor, the Russian government stopped tubes from being exported, causing a supply chain interruption.

I believe this is mutual with the US banning imports from Russia

The executive action bans imports from key sectors of Russia’s economy, such as seafood, alcohol and nonindustrial diamonds, according to the text of the order.

That action will block more than $1 billion in Russian revenues and help ensure American citizens are not “underwriting” President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, the White House said in a fact sheet.

Banned imports

Maybe if people didn’t buy $200 headphone amps and burn up rare tubes for mediocre sound we wouldn’t have this problem

I was told  by a reputable source that WE will be producing small signal tubes and power tubes .....not might, will be

I would not expect them to be inexpensive.