Mikewerner, one argument for tubes you may not have considered: semiconductors are going obsolete all the time. Just try finding output devices for a MOSFET amp made in the 1980s and you will see what I mean.
In the tube world we don't have this problem quite so much. Heck we can buy 6SN7s a hundred at a time no worries. That is a tube that was thought to be obsolete 40 years ago.
I own several analog synthesizers as I play in a band. The ICs in my Prophet 5 are a little hard to come by. Curtis Instruments, that made the ICs, is gone and the chips, if you can find them, are now going for $150 for single units on ebay. Right now the semiconductor industry really does not want to make linear power devices, so talk to any amp manufacturer and you will see why class D is up and coming- they are made from devices you can actually buy. FWIW, the semiconductor industry really does not care about what we audiophiles want.
In the tube world we don't have this problem quite so much. Heck we can buy 6SN7s a hundred at a time no worries. That is a tube that was thought to be obsolete 40 years ago.
I own several analog synthesizers as I play in a band. The ICs in my Prophet 5 are a little hard to come by. Curtis Instruments, that made the ICs, is gone and the chips, if you can find them, are now going for $150 for single units on ebay. Right now the semiconductor industry really does not want to make linear power devices, so talk to any amp manufacturer and you will see why class D is up and coming- they are made from devices you can actually buy. FWIW, the semiconductor industry really does not care about what we audiophiles want.