Quote:
Originally Posted by julianburke
I have often thought that just manufacturing *NEW* 15GP22's (even in china) would be a better alternative with better technology albeit an expensive project. It would be nice if a manufacturer could build say, 500 tubes in the $300-500 bracket. The more made, the lower cost per tube as you couldn't build just 100 as they would be in the $2000-3000 bracket.
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That sounds like it would work at first, but I bet they'd end up being a lot more expensive than $300-$500. After all, if they can make something as simple as a 2A3 filament triode and have it retail for over $100 (currently $108 each at Antique Electronic Supply-- made by JJ Electronic in the Slovak Republic), why bother making something as complex as a 15GP22 that only has a very limited market? (Very few pieces of equipment exist that use 15GP22's, and it's unlikely any new such ones will be made, whereas the audiophile crowd probably still builds new amplifiers around 2A3's.)
In any case, it's really a case of demand and what the market will bear, versus cost of development and construction. It's far easier to make (and sell) a 2A3 or a 6L6 compared with a 15GP22, and people will pay enough for them to make it worthwhile.