How much does a tube amplifier cost, and what are you paying for?

Ask how much a tube amplifier costs and the honest answer is a question in return: which one, and built how? Tube amplifiers are sold as kits, as factory products and as pieces made to order one at a time, and the prices differ many times over. The tube on the front panel explains only a small part of that. This guide sets out what the price of a tube amplifier is made of, how the main kinds of amplifier differ, what a 300B amplifier costs, and what our own amplifiers cost and why.

How much does a tube amplifier cost? The short answer

• The build decides the price more than the tube type. Two amplifiers on the same 300B can differ in price many times over, because of their transformers, power supply, parts, wiring and the hours that go into them.
• The heaviest parts are the most expensive. Output transformers, power transformers and chokes, the “iron”, are usually the largest single cost in a good tube amplifier, and much of its weight.
• Made to order costs more than made in series. Custom-wound transformers, selected tubes, hand wiring and individual measurement are paid for one unit at a time.
• Our tube amplifiers are priced from $21,100 to $58,300 at the time of writing (October 2026). Shipping and insurance are paid by the buyer and shown as a separate line in your quotation. The table further down lists every model.

What makes up the price of a tube amplifier

Output transformers and iron

The output transformer couples the high-voltage, low-current world of the tubes to the low-impedance loudspeaker, and it shapes the bass, the treble and much of the character of the amplifier. In a single-ended amplifier it also carries the full DC current of the output tube, so its core needs an air gap, and to keep a full bass it needs more turns and more iron than a push-pull transformer of the same power. Good transformers use large cores of quality steel, a great deal of copper and careful winding: interleaved sections that keep the treble open, insulation between layers, and hours of work for each one. A transformer calculated for one circuit and wound in small numbers costs far more than a standard catalogue part.

Power supply

A tube amplifier needs high voltage for the anodes, current for the heaters and a supply quiet enough not to be heard in the pauses. A substantial power supply means a large power transformer, chokes, filter capacitors and, in many high-end designs, tube rectifiers (kenotrons) instead of silicon diodes. The large transmitting triodes raise the stakes: an 845 or a GM-70 runs from anode supplies around 1,000 V, and every part of that supply must be rated, insulated and laid out for it. Some designs put the supply in a separate chassis to keep its fields away from the signal circuit; that is a second case, a second set of metalwork and a heavy umbilical cable.

Tubes

Current-production tubes are moderately priced. New old stock (NOS) and vintage tubes cost more, and selected, tested and matched pairs more again. Rare types made in small numbers decades ago, such as the tantalum 4E27 pentodes of the 1930s and 1940s, are priced by their scarcity. A careful maker also tests every tube before fitting it and may supply a spare pair. Our guides to NOS tubes and tube life and care explain what you get for the extra cost. When delivering to countries that have imposed sanctions, we do not install sanctioned components; we fit vintage and modern equivalents instead.

Chassis and metalwork

A tube amplifier’s chassis carries tens of kilograms of transformers, holds high voltages safely and has to shed the heat of tubes working in Class A. A folded steel chassis is the simplest answer. A chassis milled from solid metal, a hardwood case or a custom finish costs far more in material and machine time. When an amplifier is made in small numbers, the cost of the metalwork is spread over a few units, not thousands.

Hand wiring and labour

In point-to-point wiring the parts are soldered to tube sockets, terminal strips and one another, with no printed circuit board in the signal path. It allows short signal paths and easy service years later, but it takes many times longer than fitting parts to a board, and its quality depends on the builder. Our guide to point-to-point wiring describes the method and its trade-offs. In a hand-built amplifier, skilled hours are a large part of the price.

Measurement, listening and documentation

Some makers run a finished amplifier for a period before final testing, then measure it and listen to it. Measuring every unit individually, and giving the owner the result, adds time and equipment cost. So does keeping a record of each unit, with its diagram and measurements, so that it can be serviced and returned to specification later.

Small batch or factory production

A factory spreads the cost of tooling, design and testing over many identical units, buys parts in volume and builds to a fixed specification. A small workshop builds a few units a year, often to the buyer’s configuration: mains voltage and plug, transformer windings, input tubes, connectors and finish. Each of those choices is a small project of its own. That is a large part of why a handmade tube amplifier costs what it does.

Lead time

Made-to-order amplifiers are not taken from a shelf. A unit enters a build queue, and the lead time reflects how many units the maker can build in a year. Some makers offer a faster build for a surcharge, because moving one order forward displaces the others.

Typical price bands

Prices change with currencies and over time, so the table describes the kinds of amplifier rather than quoting figures for them.

How much does a 300B amplifier cost?

The 300B is the classic directly heated triode, and a 300B amplifier can be found in every one of the groups above. The tube itself is one of the more expensive receiving tubes, but the price of a 300B amplifier is decided mostly by what surrounds it: a single-ended 300B stage needs a large gapped output transformer, a quiet high-voltage supply and a driver stage able to swing the grid cleanly. Selected NOS or vintage 300B tubes add to the cost. Our Atlas, a single-ended Class A integrated amplifier on 300B triodes, 5 W per channel, is priced from $24,800 at the time of writing. For how the 300B compares with other output triodes, see 300B, 2A3, 45 or 845/211.

What Demograf Audio amplifiers cost

These are the “from” prices of our tube amplifiers at the time of writing (October 2026), in US dollars. Each model’s page shows the current price, converted into your currency.

What the price includes

• The standard configuration. A single-ended, pure Class A amplifier with transformers and chokes custom-wound for its circuit, an external power supply with kenotron rectification, point-to-point wiring, and your mains voltage and plug.
• Measurement. Every unit is measured before it ships and comes with its own measurement report.
• Delivery. Shipping and insurance are paid by the buyer and shown as a separate line in your quotation. Every unit travels in heavy-duty flight cases and a wooden crate. Import duties and taxes are not included; they are paid by the buyer.
• Warranty. A one-year warranty on materials and workmanship; extra warranty is available for +1 or +2 years. After the warranty, paid repair is available for as long as parts exist.

What changes the price

• Options. A push-pull build, available on most models, which doubles the power; Tango, Tamura or Hashimoto transformers instead of our own; premium capacitors and connectors; other input or rectifier tubes; a spare matched pair; a milled metal or hardwood chassis and other finishes. Their cost is confirmed together with your configuration.
• Priority build. A priority build is available for an extra 50% of the price. For Atlas, for example, that adds about $12,400.

Lead time and payment

We build seven pieces of gear a year, all models combined. The current lead time is 6 months or longer from the queue deposit, depending on the model and the configuration, and delivery takes from one month after completion. A 50% deposit reserves your place in the build queue; the balance is due after you receive the measurement report, before shipping. The steps are on how to order, and the warranty terms on the warranty page.

What to ask before you buy a tube amplifier

• Who makes the transformers, and for which circuit? Standard parts or windings calculated for this amplifier?
• Which tubes are fitted? Current production, NOS or vintage; tested and matched; is a spare pair included?
• How is it wired? Printed board or point to point, and can it be serviced easily?
• Is the unit measured? Do you receive the measurements of your own unit?
• What does the price include? Delivery, insurance, duties, mains configuration and warranty.
• How long is the wait? And is the lead time written down when you order?

Which Demograf Audio piece fits

Price follows from the amplifier your loudspeakers and room need, so start there. Our guide to loudspeakers for single-ended amplifiers helps match the two.

• Sensitive loudspeakers of about 98 dB and above: Solaria (45, 2 W) or Eurybia (2A3, 2 W).
• Loudspeakers of about 93–97 dB: Atlas (300B, 5 W), or Helios MkII (G-811, 15 W) for more headroom.
• Less sensitive loudspeakers or larger rooms: Endymion (845, 211 or 805, 15–25 W), Ether (GM-70 Triode / GK-71 Pentode, 25 W) or Tantal Senior (4E27, 30 W).
• Loudspeakers and electrostatic headphones from one amplifier: Tantal (3C24, 3 W).

Browse our amplifiers for loudspeakers. Tell us your loudspeakers, your room and the music you play, and we will suggest a configuration and confirm its price.