Making Overtures?

Our own "Stig" (refer to the BBC's "Top Gear" for an explanation of what a "Stig" is) here at GSPL talked me into buying some National Semiconductor LM3875 "Overture TM" power amp ICs.

I think "the Stig" thought it may help me easily bring to market the monobloc power amp I've been mulling over for some time.

One problem he mentioned however, was that these very same devices are used in an amp called a gain-clone so if people opened ours up, they'd simply say "Oh look, Slee's copied a gain-clone" (which is a copy anyway...)

By this time I thought to myself "so why are we talking about it in the first place"? But I must have said in a moment of weakness "OK, let's buy a few to test", because here I'm sat gazing at 6 of them sat on my desk and the data sheet PDF open in another window on the monitor, shaking my head and asking "Why"?

You see, just like (it seems) all National's hi-fi IC's, op-amps et-al, they have that "torch and pitchfork brigade" following - - forum mentality "these are the best and no other idea shall live and we'll make it so" - - "but if you dare to make anything with them we'll mock you" feel.

All these National IC's also feature an open loop frequency response "curve" falling at 45 degrees (-20dB/decade) from as near as darn it DC, which I'm sure most of you won't have a clue what I mean. But I'll tell you what IMO it means - it means "Hi-Fi" and definitely not music as far as my ears are concerned. A complete about face from the direction we've been going... perhaps?

So should we make "overtures" to the crowd, or should we follow my path?

I think the latter, so "the Stig" will be informed to build the "gain-clones" himself and at least we can have a listen....

....and if they work???