[sdiy] SSM2164 last time buys

[blacet at blacet.com]

The Cool Audio IC is 1/3 the price but a $2000 minimum order is required.
They also charge a $100 handling fee for orders under $5K.

You can still buy the Analog device IC in smaller qtys.

I have never personally dealt with Cool, having bought some in a group
buy. It took quite a long time for delivery.

John


> Hi,
>
> Tom Wiltshire wrote:
>> Don't know if everyone is aware of this. If not, be advised.
>>
>> Analog Devices have listed SSM2164 as "Still In Production but Not
>> Recommended for New Designs", and have "last time buy" by the available
>> product models (leaded devices became obsolete some while ago).
>>
>> http://www.analog.com/en/amplifiers-and-comparators/variable-gain-amplifiers/ssm2164/products/product.html
>
> Yeah, David Dixon mentioned this a couple of weeks ago.  Digikey have
> ~6000 of the DIP variants in stock.  I quizzed AD about this and they
> don't have any replacement devices other than the SSM2018 (same price
> for a single VCA!!  I.e. 4x the equivalent cost).
>
>> Very disappointing. Seems like no sooner have we got a decent synth chip
>> than someone decides to take it off us. Hopefully CoolAudio will keep
>> making the clones for a while longer - indeed, cheap cloning may even be
>> why AD have decided to abandon it.
>
> Apparently the fab in San Jose has closed down so they aren't making
> any more from that line.  Fabs are very expensive to run, so I guess
> they're rationalising what facilities they have.
>
>> Still, it can't be a good sign for analog audio.
>
> Trouble is its a relatively small market, so you have the low-volume
> niche suppliers like THAT Corp keeping on selling low volumes at high
> prices.  Larger firms like AD just can't compete - the cost of making
> the chips turns them in a loss line, so they get canned whenever they
> do a product line rationalising.
>
> Or you have CoolAudio who are based in a low-cost country (China) with
> a backer with specific needs (Behringer).  If all their chips are on
> the same or similar process they just run batches of wafers through
> their fab and slice-n-dice-n-package them as they need.
>
> Neil
> --
> http://www.njohnson.co.uk
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