What is 'quality'?

[Paul Schreiber]

Hmm....this is going into an interesting area. So here are a few more comments.

I worked at the world's largest 'quality cutter', Tandy/Radio Shack. I was just out of school, ink dripping off
my BSEE. I was in the 'consumer analog' group: telephones, answering machines, car stereos, etc.

What you learn REAL QUICK in designing this stuff is that the actual electronics are 35% of the cost. The
remaining 65% are MECHANICAL cost: case, jacks, pots, and switches.

So, where do you think the focus of 'cost reduction' is? Trying to get the resistor count from 14 to 12? Hardly.

You would be amazed at the price difference, and the resulting quality drop, in something like jacks. One of
the largest suppliers is Waka Japan. They had like 8 different cost/quality RCA jacks. Now most of you are
thinking 'What's the deal. It's just a stupid RCA jack!' But here's the breakdown:

Cheap jack was 6 cents. The plastic melting point was so low that you couldn't wave solder them. The plating
of the metal was only good for 5 instertions/removals. Yes, FIVE.

Super high quality: about 19 cents. gold flashed, color coded (not just red or black), hi temp plastic. Metal 3X
thicker.

So, guess what went into stuff? Especially when you buy 300,000 a month?

Same with pots. I was designing a small 4 channel PA mixer. The pots and switches were 80% of the cost
(I was buying 5534 op amps for 14 cents). I spent DAYS finding cheap enough pots. Quality was NOT
even a factor.

So in a big full modular, the pots are the #1 cost. And guess what the #1 thing you MUST have dependable,
low noise, low drift?

#2 is jacks. And that's why I paid $1.14 ea (at 1000 pieces) for Switchcraft. Have you heard anybody say,
"Switchcraft?? Boy, those suck!"

I had a choice in MOTM: same old crap or something better. A LOT BETTER.

Yes, in the end, it's the sound. That is subjective. Yes, a 35 cent Moog ladder filter can sound 'better' than a $30
design. That's a 'ear thing' I can only depend on my users to judge. But what I have DIRECT control over
is not to use a 70 cent Mouser open frame carbon pot. 

As far as my panels go, the #1 complaint of both PAiA and Digisound was thin sheetmetal. Gee, another
cost cut! Well, I use 0.125 aircraft aluminum. I don't think THAT'S an issue!

All of my pots are bolted to the panel, and then bolted to an 18ga steel bracket. They are not just poking
out the holes, like 99% of other stuff. So I use a DOUBLE SUPPORT system for the pots. Why? The
extra $6.40 it cost me is worth it. The pots take the most abuse. That's why mine have
stainless steel shafts. Also, my pots are sealed: you can dump a Coke on them. Try dumping a Coke on a
2600. Or a Mackie mixer.

OK, my kits are not $50. Yes, they COULD be. But how many people want to spend $500 on a modular, and
then find out all that time and effort is not worth it if the thing's unreliable? I can design a 3080 VCA with
offset, CV feedthrough, and high THD. But I'd rather not.

Yes, soldering is work. I've been doing it for 30 years. But part of MOTM is to LEARN SOMETHING! And
JH's point is well taken: if you build it, then you can fix it. But there won't be much to
fix.

Paul Schreiber
Synthesis Technology
www.synthtech.com