Active FETs vs. Step-up phono stage designs

One challenge facing designers who wish to use solid state these days is the rapidly dissappearing discrete transistor. Good low noise parts (both bipolar and FET) are becoming harder and harder to find, because the mass market electronics industry is moving to integrated circuits soley. That means OP amps at the minimum, with other mass market parts incorporating analog audio into LSI and VLSI parts. I-Phones, I-pads, MP3 players have no need of discrete semis. If there is no volume or demand, there is no product. High end audio demand is not even on the map.

I have trying to procure a discrete transistor hybrid class A operational amplifier that is used in the professional microphone amp industry. The manufacturer tells me the parts he has used as low noise input transistors have been discontinued by the manufacturers so he is scrambling to find replacements.

Ironicly, a technology long considered obsolete (tubes) seems to have better support from a parts perspective than discrete semis.

I am a solid state biased designer, as I don't care for coupling caps and transformers in the audio chain if they can be avoided.

Lewm:

I think that part MAT02 is the same part I was refering to. As the older analog device producers get aquired by larger companies, many of these parts get lost in the shuffle, unless the customer starts screaming. Couple that with the fact that fabs for discretes are becoming more expensive to maintain...not even the Chinese want to make discretes. Large power transistors are still available, but small signal are getting tougher to find.

Suprisingly, many of the early op amps are still available, probably due to replacement requirements in military and industrial equipment. All the late 70's TL070 and 080 series are still with us, as are the the very first 741s. But special parts from Burr Brown and PMI have dissappeared.

Have you noticed the pricing on this part? $15 in thousands quantity? No wonder folks are being driven to op amps.