My 40 year old vacuum tube stereo system is still going strong and performing better than the average black box from Circuit City - there have been no real advances in audio amplifier technology in the last 40 years other than making things smaller, cheaper and disposable. Plus, ask any serious guitar player and they'll tell you that tubes are still better than transistors no matter what the industry is pushing. The death of vacuum tubes has been forcasted many times since 1950 yet they are still being produced and new equipment is still being designed around this "antiquated" technology.
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My 40 year old vacuum tube stereo system is still going strong and performing better than the average black box from Circuit City - there have been no real advances in audio amplifier technology in the last 40 years other than making things smaller, cheaper and disposable. Plus, ask any serious guitar player and they'll tell you that tubes are still better than transistors no matter what the industry is pushing. The death of vacuum tubes has been forcasted many times since 1950 yet they are still being produced and new equipment is still being designed around this "antiquated" technology.