[sdiy] Philips sells most of chip unit. Any SDIY ramifications?

[scottnoanh at peoplepc.com]

> > NE5517s went tits-up after the fab burned up last year anyway. ON Semi
> > has them now.
>
> Yeah, but try and buy them.

Yeah, no kidding.  I noticed just yesterday that Mouser has started carrying
On Semi.  They offer the NE571, NE572 and NE570 (the NE570 is only
manufactured in surface mount, but the first two are available as DIP), plus
the 5532's, etc in onesies and twosies.  NE5517?  Sure, they offer it, but
you have to buy, like, 400 of them.

What's up with that?

Further - how does the NE5517 compare to the surviving few OTA's of the day?
Has anybody here worked with it?

Thanks,
Scott
Mount Hope, Kansas
"Where there is neither"