maverickronin
limited production has no connection with automatic production
smt can be used to build 100k hdvd800's but I dont think is the case here
by the way discrete passive components sound better than smt
when building and designing precision and closed tolerances amplifiers as needed for low thd they are better implemented by
using discrete components (that are selected individually and those are not coming preselected in a smt components tube
smt assembly is mostly used to cut costs (1500 E?!) and quick transfer from development to production
for the digital components smt are better and mostly used , because most of the digital chips are only in smt packages
and the best way to solder them is by an automatic soldering process (wave soldering ,IR soldering etc)
an example about this is the lehmann BCL discrete amplifier versus the reihlander (smt version of the BCL) that it cost much less
than the BCL but at the same time has poor sound (same circuit but smt )
Edited by baritone - 4/26/12 at 11:39am