Why Can't Modern Tube Manufacturers Make a Proper Tube?

Current tube manufacturers, at least the ones I have tried should be utterly ashamed at their ineptness, apathy, ignorance, or whatever it is that makes them seemingly unable to make a tube properly.

And I never knew what I was missing before I tried reclaimed tubes from the 1950's, an era where people build things instead of ruining things.

The present manufactures are said to have the actual machinery to make tubes for which they have examples in hand and schematics on file, but they just can't do it.

Is this a case of Idiocracy? Are people just stupid today? The world and all creation do follow the 2nd rule of thermodynamics so I guess this is the case.

Listening to Black Plate RCA’s and Mullards in my system, even for a short time made it glaringly obvious that modern manufactures are embarrassingly inadequate. There is absolutely no comparison.

Why can't modern tube manufacturers make a proper tube?

1. lack of IQ?

2. Apathy?

3. Lack of Materials?

4. Lost knowledge?

tonydennison08-20-2023 5:44pm

Showing 2 responses by mapman

mapman Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 21,890 posts 08-21-2023 at 03:38pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete "I looked at the Tak’s and they were over $1K a piece....No way I’m doing that." Me neither. That’s one reason I have jumped off the tube bandwagon, along with convenience, the uncertainty regarding actual quality of what you buy unless from select sources, and being a fan of technical innovation and advances in general that cut into the value of an old time technology like vacuum tubes increasingly over time. As time goes on, like most anything of quality that is vintage and still desirable (much is not), the "best" tubes will only cost even more. How long can people make that work? I also like wine well enough but the best is not even something that I aspire to there.
mapman Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 21,890 posts 08-20-2023 at 08:18pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete If only more golden ear audiophiles made tubes…. Somebody better get on it before it’s too late and the age of tubes is over. Oh. wait….

More to discover