"Andy Evans" wrote in message
...
Hello Keith - I'm not sure about some of what you write he


OK, a quick reply - I'm on my way out. (In more ways than one! :-)


1) The prices will go up as valves become more popular
Prices for new production Russian, Czech and Chinese valves are pretty
static,
and there is a mountain of common valves out there (viz. guitar amp and
hifi
models like ECC***, 6L6GT, EL34 etc). Several mountains of less common
valves,
to the point that dealers just junk a lot of types to save rental on
keeping
them.


Facter life - as demand increases, so does prices. Jim Fish of Wilson Valves
said (all 'anecdotal' this - check me out by all means, but don't hold me to
it) that he doesn't handle KT88s any more as the prices has gone through the
roof and he does/didn't want to get involved.....


(as they have with secondhand vinyl, which is now about 10 times more
expensive in charity shops in the UK than it was a couple of years
ago....)
?????? all my information is that common vinyl, e.g. classical orchestral,
is
rock bottom. Jazz and pop is different, since this is now 'collectors'
rather
than consumer. Just try and sell a collection of 1,000 classical LPs (I
have
such a collection to sell - please give me 10 times what they were worth a
couple of years ago!)


2 days ago, vinyl prices in Sue Ryder, Camden - Max Freakin' Bygraves was
£6.50 (that's actually a 100 times more than it used to be), Frank Sinatra
was/is £7.50 and a few Heavy Metal at these prices. A few Classical at
£1.98 - most Classical here were 3 or 4 for a quid a while back!

Local prices? - No idea, I stopped looking a year ago! (I get 98% of my
vinyl from eBay - you can't beat it!)


NOS valves will disappear more quickly
Remember that vast quantities are being hoarded by valve users. And
anyway, new
production (EH, JJ, EI, Svetlana etc) is getting better and better and new
types are being manufactured every year.


Yes, but I've been told 'when these xxx (Mullards, usually) are gone, I
doubt if I'll be able to get any more....' on numerous occasions! (Don't get
me wrong - I'll take a 12AX7EH in lieu of a Mullard any day!)


This year sees, for instance, the 7591
and 7868 from Eh and JJ, plus new and greatly improved Chinese 845s.
and the increasing popularity will encourage more crap onto the market
Well, so far, more good stuff has come onto the market including some very
fine
new valves as above.


Oh aye, it's not all bad news by a long chalk!


(Offsetting this, of course, is that the same popularity will ensure
better
continuity of supply generally....) Agreed

2) Valves take a lot more 'work' than ss gear Agreed
OK if a support structure establishes
itself There is a good support structure - less than before but maybe
something like Leica owners or classic car builders.


OK, but I mean in the context that it's no good getting a 'VFM/budget' valve
amp if you are going to get seen off having it fixed. (Also the cost of
getting them shipped about is not insignificant....)


3) There is also the possibility that the greater danger of valves will
result
in a great raft of legislation swinging into place
Why wouldn't this have happened already in the century or so of valve use?
Why
would a government even bother with such a small issue these days?


Chatting with Len Gregory (The Cartridge Man) a year or two back, he was
having a bit of a rant about VAT/Maggie Thatcher and some legislation that
says (or will say?) that any appliance with a mains lead must be capable of
being lifted by that lead. He said 'not likely with a valve amp. is it?' I
said that's easy - just use kettle leads! (Placated him a bit ;-) Btw, I
asked him if he used valve amps - he said 'yes, of course, nothing else!'
like I was daft for asking..... :-)


I think we bottleheads are ultimately going to become rarities,


That's the point, done right we don't have to be. Plenty of people believe
the valve (OK, triode then... ;-) to be the ultimate 'audio amplifier'
(analogue OR digital) so why should it ever disappear? (What beats a pair of
scissors for cutting stuff, eh??)


but the sound
of valves lives on - musicians love them and use them, and a number of
musical
listeners, as you say, find they come closest to the sound they find
represents
the "musical experience".


Yep.


I think digital amps are coming up fast and I'd see
the future there rather than in analogue SS. Some digital amps sound
rather
fine. But valves will live on simply because of the investment people have
made
in them. I'd bet that when valve equipment becomes rare there will still
be a
mountain of unused valves out there. Andy


Not as big as the pile of obsolete PCBs.......

;-)