Chinese LM308 Op Amps

[joelster]

Does anybody have experience with or opinions about current production LM308 op amps out of China?

I just ordered some to try. I installed one in a Rat clone and it seems to work fine. I have only been able to run it at low volume so far ('cuz that's how my life is...) but it seemed to sound ok.

Looks like this:


What's the deal here? Fakes? Re-labeled LM741s or something? Reproductions?

Anybody know?

Thanks.

[Mark Hammer]

As far as any of us know, there is precious little demand for through-hole LM308 chips, apart from the HUGE Rat market, which clearly outstrips iPad and Samsung Galaxy sales, and pulls in billions more than Hyundai and Kia together.

Sarcasm aside, worry about "fakes" when there is a sufficient market and sufficient profit margin to justify their production.  These are devices in very limited demand, that sell for peanuts, and likely have NOS supplies that we WISH existed for Panasonic and Reticon BBDs.  Is it possible that some of these supplies are still around because they're "seconds" in some sense?  Yeah, I suppose.  But there is NO economic justification for relabelling or otherwise faking LM308s, any more than there is an economic justification for cranking out counterfeit pennies.

[armdnrdy]

I'd like to add....if you are concerned about the tannish color of the printing...

I've sourced BBDs that upon initial inspection was sure were fakes. The tan printing didn't look like the images I had seen in product containing this model of BBD.

Low and behold...when inserted in a build with a known authentic BBD....same amount of delay and no issues!

What do they say about a book and it's cover?

The moral.....if it walks like a duck and.....well....you know the rest! 

[GGBB]

A colleague gave me two of the metal-can LM308H last year as a gift knowing that I was a bit of a RAT fanatic.  His source was a local electronics/hobby retailer and wholesaler - not one of the giants but a reasonable outfit nonetheless.  Their web site indicates a stock of 6 (and only handfuls of LM308N), but according to my colleague who is close with the supplier's owner, they have "plenty" but aren't making them generally available.  I have no idea why, but don't doubt that there's plenty around.

[Kipper4]

I woudnt know the real thing from the fake but i've bought quite a few and they seem good to me.
Sure made the rats i built sound good.