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TI NE5532 part change without changing the part number

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Background

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The Texas Instruments (TI) NE5532x operational amplifier is a standard electronic component that has been in manufacture since at least the 1990s."NE5532". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-06-02. It has become a stable multi-source component used by a wide variety of manufacturers, particularly in audio applications.

Changing Specifications of Device after 30 years

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In December 2025, the datasheet was updated, removing and reducing many of the core specifications of the original device.[1][2]These changes include the part's tolerance to human interaction and the type of power cord it can be connected to. The hardware continues to be sold under the same manufacturer name and part number, but is physically different from the original product.

Investigation by journalist-engineers led to speculation that these specification changes are related to a change notification dated 2023-11-15, in which the manufacturing process for the chips was changed and new chips were scheduled to begin shipping on 2024-02-14.[3]According to the investigation, the datasheet was not updated until December 2025, raising further concerns about when these new parts entered the supply chain. [4]


Consumer response

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The change in specifications is causing backlash among customers as concerns mount that products using the part may fail unexpectedly [5] Concerns raised by commentators include:

  • Customer expected a set of performance figures, received substantially different ones.
  • Change notification came late and took respected authorities 6 months to notice.
  • Damage to customers may has already occurred and will manifest as early failures of consumer devices.

Workarounds

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Switch manufacturers to those who have not changed specification of their parts.

References

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  1. ↑ "New NE5532 Dual Low-Noise Operational Amplifier Datasheet" (PDF). Texas Instruments. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  2. ↑ "Old NE5532 Low-Noise Operational Amplifier Datasheet" (PDF). Texas Instruments. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  3. ↑ "PCN20231114002.1 Product Change Notification" (PDF). Texas Instruments. 2023-11-15. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  4. ↑ EEVblog. "EEVblog 1752 - NE5532 Op-Amp Disaster? They Changed It!". YouTube. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  5. ↑ EEVblog. "EEVblog 1752 - NE5532 Op-Amp Disaster? They Changed It!". YouTube. Retrieved 2026-06-02.


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