Thomas Christoph has officially completed his latest reproduction project: the SID Symphony cartridge. True to form, he’s not just finished it—he’s already got it running perfectly.
Anyone familiar with the original SID Symphony might recall that it shipped with a 6582 SID chip. Since those are about as easy to find as an honest pirate, many thought the idea of a recreation was off the table. Fortunately, that’s not the case. The 6582 is actually just a rebranded 8580, using the exact same internal die. That means the new SID Symphony works seamlessly with any 9V SID or 9V-compatible SID replacement.
Thomas didn’t leave it at theory, either. He’s tested the recreation with an original MOS 8580R5, an ARMSID, a BackSID, and both the SwinSID and SwinSID Ultimate. If you were thinking of using a SwinSID, though, brace yourself: Thomas says they don’t sound good enough for serious use in this setup.
There’s still a little tweaking left to finish the 3D-printable case—just a few minor adjustments—but the cartridge itself is good to go.
Thomas plans to offer the SID Symphony in three configurations:
- PCB only: Source your own parts and build it yourself.
- Assembled and tested (no SID chip): Install your own SID.
- Assembled and tested (with ARMSID): Ready to plug in and enjoy.
Pricing (excluding shipping):
- Built/tested with ARMSID, case and label: €150 (about $160 USD)
- Built/tested without SID, case and label: €100 (about $107 USD)
- PCB with label and 3D-printed case: €50 (about $54 USD)
- PCB with label (no case): €25 (about $27 USD)
Thomas is now building a waitlist for those interested. To get on it, send him a private message with your name, email address, and which configuration you’re aiming for. He’ll reach out when units are ready to ship. You can do so from this Commodore Enhancements Facebook group.
If you’ve been waiting for a chance to double up on SID magic without the headache of finding rare chips, this could be exactly the kind of news your Commodore 64 has been longing for.
