NTE1641 as a sub for the MN3007...what's the final word?

[skiraly017]

I did use the search button and read all the threads and from what I gathered the NTE1641 could be used but I didn't see anything that said "this is the way to go". Peter Snowberg made a reply that basically stated that NTE has a tendency to re-brand IC's and that the 1641 most likely started out as someone elses MN3007. So what do we think? What are the possible issues with using the 1641? I'd like to hear from someone who's built a Small Clone using the 1641. Thanks.

[Mark Hammer]

The 1641 is a replacement for an MN3007, period.  I'm not sure what your misgivings are. 

[skiraly017]

Thanks, just wanted to make sure there wasn't some sonic difference.

[Mark Hammer]

There HAVE been some sonic differences between different BBDs (e.g., noise levels on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation MN3xxx chips), and some folks will swear that they hear the difference between Beiling and Matsushita. Quite frankly, though, when you consider the huge spectrum of both clock speeds, filtering, input levels, and all other possible contaminants, I'm a little skeptical of such matters being so consistent and consistently obvious.  I'm not saying that a given manufactuer might NOT have some quirk in their version of the chip that finds certain circuit contexts inhospitable.  I'm just saying that to the best of anyone's knowledge, there is no such thing as a given "sound" to a particular BBD completely indepedent of the circumstance in which it is used.  They are inherently noisy and have modest headroom at best.  And from that we try and salvage musical tone.

And for what HTE charges for their replacement parts, I don't think they can afford to give people a reason to badmouth them by offering up triple-priced copies of chips that don't live up to what cheaper original-source ones can do.

And just so we're clear, it's the 1641 that is the BBD and the 1639 that is the clock, right? 

[Aharon]

I've used a 1641 for every project that requires it incuding the Small Clone,nothing to report against them.
Aharon

[skiraly017]

This was actually an offshoot of my "How do I know my IC's aren't relabled?" thread. I bought some MN3007's off Ebay and I'm hoping for the best, but in case they're not what they're supposed to be I was looking for a suitable replacement and wanted to know how the NTE1641 would hold up. I have a little more faith in Mouser than I do some seller on the other side of the globe.