I suspect the deeper issue is NOS tube inventory has dried up. I actually spoke with him about it a couple of years ago. He mentioned that it was much harder to source the tubes and prices were getting steeper all the time. I’m disappointed as I just got turned on to tube amps the last few years.
We all know darn well there are collectors and investors who are hoarding and stockpiling these until they feel the time is right to unload them at sizeable profits. I am just waiting for gold prices to tank after some group decides now is the time to sell their 10 billion worth.
There is glass half empty scenario: The supply of quality tubes will get thinner, and those will have to pay exponentially higher prices to enjoy their tube gear.
And the glass half full answer: The higher the tube prices become, the more likely it will be for new manufacturers to develop more tube varieties, and just like CD players and DAC's over the years, the sound quality and reliability will become better and better- perhaps better than some highly regarded NOS ones.
I am not a collector, I don't care so much about the nostalgia part of it and just want the sound quality. Some say there are some tubes produced now that sound as good as any tube, I don't know this or not from my limited experience, as all my "new" signal tubes are bottom dwellers, so the NOS ones definitely clobber them for sound quality. are JJ or Rays reserves 6sn7 comparable? Maybe Takatsuki, EML etc. will start producing 12au7's, 6sn7's etc. if the incentive becomes great enough?
*Before posting this I just looked this up. I see their answer to producing a 6sn7 is "not yet", but they do have an option for a 6sn7 from EML, don't know if there is an amp manufacturer building one with them yet or not.