Ben Hanson wrote:
Hi Scott. I have heard this about the Symetrix 202 vs. 302, is it because if
the 2017 (or 2107, etc.) change? Isn't that a transistor of some sort? Don't
recall all that I have read about the issues. I wonder if you can mod the
3023 to make it better as well.

Basically, a company called PMI made a bunch of audio circuit on a chip
things, including two nice mike preamps. Using a single chip preamp is
a lot easier and cheaper these days than designing a discrete circuit.
PMI designed chips and had them made on a large chip manufacturer's
semicustom fab line, then did the marketing and sales themselves.

When PMI got bought out by Analog Devices, they started having to make
their products on the AD fab lines instead of their competitor's semicustom
line. So all of the PMI products either got revamped (and basically
changed completely) or discontinued. The SSM2015 and SSM2016 mike preamp
chips went, and were replaced with the poorer-sounding SSM2017 chip.

Burr-Brown makes a drop-in replacement that might be an improvement, but
I have not done direct testing.

How would you quantify the differences? Would the 302 still be considered
top of the field in that price range despite these issues? I have not had
the chance to listen to either of the Symetrix units yet.

Well, considering that a used 202 will cost you less than a new 302, that
is even more reason to go the 202 route.

As far as the 302 goes, it's really just an SSM2017 in a box with some output
stuff and a power supply. There are a bunch of other more or less identical
boxes out there under various names from various manufacturers.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."