Is there anywhere I can get my valve amplifier repaired?.

SS radio mill lane Wallasey.
0151 638 6910.

Why not replace it with a transistor amplifier? They are much better and will probably cost you less than the repair.

I've designed built and used both, and valves are a pain in the arse. They are limited life components and the emissivity falls with time. You get a steady increase in distortion, and they sound worse and worse. Also, they are a lot heavier and less efficient. Finally, they use high voltages which means increased stress on components, and are dangerous to work on live (and in some cases for many minutes after they've been switched off!)

Valves were abandoned for many excellent reasons. There is no good reason to continue with them.

Why are there so many valve amplifiers on the market then ?

Mostly for the same reason as there are £100+ t-shirts out there - pure vanity and people believing in market hype.

There was a good reason guitarists liked them at one time but that was because of the type of distortion not purity, exactly the same sound can be reproduced much more cheaply now.

Mind you, I still have a very early hybrid stereo tuner which I can't seem to let go.

DD is right.

There is one born every minute, and companies ready and waiting to take advantage. The Hi-Fi market is particularly prone to nonsense like 'oxygen-free copper' speaker leads and gold plated mains leads. They don't make the slightest difference to the quality of the sound of course, but SOMEONE buys them despite the eye-watering price tickets.

Until recently we were down to only two 'valves' in our house. The cathode ray tube in the telly and the magnetron in the microwave. We are now down to one - the magnetron - but I read recently that it won't be long before these too are replaced by semiconductors, and a jolly good thing too! One of the advantages is that by varying the frequency, you can move the standing waves around about and eliminate the need for rotating the food and waiting a minute after cooking for the heat to even out. The oven will be lighter, cheaper, will last longer, and will not involve lethal voltages like 2,500v. Better in every way!