steve announced that coolaudio is no longer manufacturing bbd's. he is trying to find another reliable source but it looks like analog elays are only gonna get harder to build in the future. I for one don't have an aversion to digital. to my ears digital delays sound (in most cases) as good or better than analog. I am surprised that with as much as our hobby has grown ( just look at the suppliers we have to choose from today, that didn't exist a few years ago...) that there isn't enough of a demand for bbd's for someone to start producing some. I know I would pay a premium for reliable devices with decent specs.
The BL3208 will likely be around for a long time since EHX uses them. So, there is at least an alternative.
Someone of a DIY Facebook group I belong to contacted CoolAudio, they're still making chips and don't have any plans to stop production of delay chips anytime soon. Have you contacted CoolAudio themselves? This is a pretty nasty rumor to be spreading otherwise (one I'm guilty of propagating myself :( )
Response from Coolaudio: It is not true that the analog line of delay chips are about to become obsolete. We have most parts available and some shortages that we will be replenished soon.
Someone needs to ask them to properly clone the MN3005
Quote from: Effectsiation on March 26, 2013, 04:14:52 PM
Someone needs to ask them to properly clone the MN3005
Been done, from several people apparantly, but no dice. I've heard everything from being ignored to outright refusal.
Part of the reason may be that Cool Audio's parent company, Berhinger, really sets the 'needs' of Cool Audio. Berhinger made/make analog delay products, and so they needed a chip to do so. Thus Cool Audio makes chips, at a very low cost, that in the end don't sound good to those of us spoiled by using the real deal.
Berhinger isn't interested in audio fidelity, they're interested in as low cost manufacture as they can manage. When you can buy a DMM clone from them for under $100 (perhaps as low as $69), you have to know it's gonna be pretty inexpensive to make.
Jacob
Well to bring this back full circle then, what say Steve now that Cool Audio denies this?
Yeah, I'm sure it is hundreds of thousands to tool up for making a proper clone. Probably more. EHX put their money in the BL3208, so you can at least expect those to be around for a good long while. Which is fine because they are better anyway.
It's simply a matter of diminishing returns for through-hole designs. Not just in BBD technology, but lots of other types of components. If there is a 'tipping point' we probably already crossed it!