Are Tube Amplifiers About To Cost A Lot More?

Tube amps usually require slightly more maintenance than their solid state counterparts. Over a long enough timeline, tube replacement is unavoidable. With recent impacts to the world’s supply chain, the strain on tubes inventory has been tumultuous this month.

On this week’s episode of The Occasional Podcast, Marc and Brian take a look at the current state of the world’s supply of analog tubes. Along with the help of EveAnna Manley from Manley Labs and Jason Stoddard of Schiit Audio, the conversation is a glimpse into some of the thinking and the latest run on the inventory which places like eBay experienced all through March.

The Occasional Podcast has just launched into their seventh season. Previous episodes include interviews, how to’s and more from audio’s greatest talents, including their picks for products of the season, another interesting conversation about the History Of The BBC’s LS3/5a Loudspeaker,  A Beginner’s Guide To Tube Amplifiers and A View From The Booth: Reference Systems, Accuracy & Why Audiophiles Love Jazz So Much: including rare interview with the late audio legend engineer Al Schmitt. The finale from season 5 includes the yearly “best of awards” and you can also find episodes covering British HiFi, Subwoofers/Setup/Tips, and the how to: Budgeting From Entry Level To High End. Season 4 highlights include Joseph Audio, Pro-Ject Turntables, and Rob Watts. One can still download this season’s educational show with TOP’s Beginners Primer To High Fidelity Digital Audio alongside the latest on Two-Way Speaker Design. Fan favorite What Is Mastering? What Happens When An Album Is Remastered? is also still available as well. If you are interested in further exploring the analog realm, the Guide To Buying A Turntable (and records) might point you in the right direction. 

Options to stream this week’s tube and tube amps podcast: direct from the embed below or subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast platform including iTunes, Android, Google, Deezer, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more.