Sander deWaal wrote:

Courtesy of Eric Barbour, the 6L6.

"If you ever fnd yourself being harassed by a techie who insists upon
criticizing you for your interest in vacuum tubes, there is an easy
answer.
He can be silenced with a simple question. Ask him if any early type
integrated circuits will still be manufactured and used in new
products in, say, the year 2030. If he's honest, the answer will be
"no". Then tell him that the frst-ever beam power tube is still
selling in the millions today, and shows no sign of becoming
obsolete.....after 60 years. That should get rid of him. "

Well.. the 741 op-amp still seems to be going after 30+ yrs. 2N3055 etc.

There's a difference however.

The 6L6 ( or whatever ) is still around in its original form since it
isn't capable of being significantly improved. It's stuck in a time warp
so to speak.

Modern semiconductors are being improved all the time. The consequent low
demand for old ones makes them uneconomic to continue maufacturing.

I'm afraid your premise falls at the first hurdle - unless you like
unimprovable old products.


Graham.