Are JFETs going away?

[jcknowles89]

So I couldn't help but notice that with J201s and 2N5457s both not in production on through hole form anymore only in SMD. And the lack of diversity in the market in general, mouser has 504 different types of JFETs but over 36,000 different options for MOSFETs, one can't help but wonder if the industry is trying to phase out JFETs as the next vacuum tube? What do y'all think?

[BetterOffShred]

Eh SMT is the now/future.   Through hole stuff is slowly disappearing just in the time I've been in this hobby.

[J0K3RX]

I think InterFET Corp will still be making J201 and a few others but, you won't see me forkin out $3.50 a piece... 

http://interfet.com/datasheet/J201/

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/InterFET/J201?qs=sGAEpiMZZMv4z0HnGdrLjo0W1AxRZQdlr4Y9S0sHX3DXCATSkEoEcg%3d%3d

[Danich_ivanov]

Through-hole, this particular models - yes, i started 2 years ago, and i couldn't get them at that time already, but there will always be through-hole jfets i think, just different models and less of them. My walk around is to focus on bjt's and use very little to no jfets. And one of the things i learned is that there's a lot of fuzz around jfets, but you can make magical circuits with bjt's if you get into it.

[jcknowles89]

Through-hole, this particular models - yes, i started 2 years ago, and i couldn't get them at that time already, but there will always be through-hole jfets i think, just different models and less of them. My walk around is to focus on bjt's and use very little to no jfets. And one of the things i learned is that there's a lot of fuzz around jfets, but you can make magical circuits with bjt's if you get into it.

Completely agree with your last statement! I've started doing the same thing with MOSFETs and have had great results so far!

From an engineering standpoint is there anything that a JFET is better than a MOSFET or a BJT? Like switching or whatnot?

[rankot]

Well, I presume MOSFET is a little bit more noisy than JFET. However, you can always design your PCB so it can use both SMD and TTH JFET transistors - I already design my PCBs that way.

[POTL]

Through-hole, this particular models - yes, i started 2 years ago, and i couldn't get them at that time already, but there will always be through-hole jfets i think, just different models and less of them. My walk around is to focus on bjt's and use very little to no jfets. And one of the things i learned is that there's a lot of fuzz around jfets, but you can make magical circuits with bjt's if you get into it.

Completely agree with your last statement! I've started doing the same thing with MOSFETs and have had great results so far!

From an engineering standpoint is there anything that a JFET is better than a MOSFET or a BJT? Like switching or whatnot?

Mosfets are a completely different story, a completely different design of circuits, they are noticeably noisier, and at a high level of distortion their sound loses its transparency and density.
I closely compared all the active elements with which you can obtain gain or distortion and I can say that MOSfet cannot replace Jfet, but you can look towards replacing germanium and silicon bipolar transistors.
Of the positive qualities, I can name the sound, but within certain limits - pure gain and weak distortion, no need for selecting transistors and setting their offset.

[Danich_ivanov]

Through-hole, this particular models - yes, i started 2 years ago, and i couldn't get them at that time already, but there will always be through-hole jfets i think, just different models and less of them. My walk around is to focus on bjt's and use very little to no jfets. And one of the things i learned is that there's a lot of fuzz around jfets, but you can make magical circuits with bjt's if you get into it.

Completely agree with your last statement! I've started doing the same thing with MOSFETs and have had great results so far!

From an engineering standpoint is there anything that a JFET is better than a MOSFET or a BJT? Like switching or whatnot?

You know, my general advice would be: don't focus on parts too much, they are all great in the right hands, and they can all be equally terrible, focus on the circuit and go with whatever is most available at the moment. I once bought a bag of mosfets and none of them worked, presumably due to the lack of care and static discharge thingy, and i was a bit put off after that experience, which is a drag because i actually like them, so i went with bjt's and discovered many great things that can be done with them, and that they are actually pretty great. It doesn't mean that you should avoid mosfets thought, it was just my experience)

[merlinb]

So I couldn't help but notice that with J201s and 2N5457s both not in production on through hole form anymore only in SMD.  one can't help but wonder if the industry is trying to phase out JFETs as the next vacuum tube? What do y'all think?

Eh SMT is the now/future.   Through hole stuff is slowly disappearing just in the time I've been in this hobby.

Most surface mount JFETs are going obsolete now too, so yes, we're going to see very few JFETs in the future. No doubt there will always be a handful of types available, but nothing like we've been used to.
https://media.digikey.com/pdf/PCNs/Vishay/PCN-SIL-0052008%20Rev%202.pdf

[rankot]

End of an era, definitely 

[marcelomd]

From an engineering standpoint is there anything that a JFET is better than a MOSFET or a BJT? Like switching or whatnot?

Check this out: http://sound.whsites.net/articles/fet-applications.htm

[Paul Marossy]

Eh SMT is the now/future.   Through hole stuff is slowly disappearing just in the time I've been in this hobby.

Yeah, I was just thinking this morning that probably thru hole anything will be virtually non-existent five years from now. So either we adapt and get used to trying to solder 3mm long capacitors etc to a PCB or settle for buying whatever commercial products are on the market for whatever price they are charging for their made in China stuff.