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[chenks]

The fashionable opinion is that the NTE5C is crap. And the master socket was an NTE5A at the start of the thread, so a MK3 would fit that master socket.

crap in what way?
just aesthetically or in performance too?

[RealAleMadrid]

I think it is OK performance wise but no better than the MK3, however the construction of the MK4 with no circuit board with soldered connections, just wires pushed into slots in metal sheet looks cheap and nasty. The tool free connections for the incoming pair and extensions along with the wobbly clip on front plate don't seem too clever either. I didn't want one of these master sockets but I had a noisy line and the first thing the OR engineer did was change it to the MK4, didn't do anything for the noisy line fault of course, they are just replacing the older sockets.

[highpriest]

The tool-less design of the front plate for me is the most irritating feature of the NTE5C. What I found is that it clips on reasonably well when the master socket is not installed but once the back plate has a bit of flex from the screws, the front plate no longer installs correctly. I prefer the old design where two screws hold the front plate secure.

[sevenlayermuddle]

Ref the unsoldered connections on some appuratus it is worth mentioning that expectations of long-term reliability of soldered connections, based upon a century or more of reliable electronic manufacturing experience,  can no longer be taken for granted, following EU bans on lead content in solder in recent years.   The following Nasa analysis (77 pages!) tends to suggest the EU ban was possibly misguided.  In particular,  discussions of “tin whiskers” is interesting.

https://nepp.nasa.gov/whisker/reference/tech_papers/2011-kostic-pb-free.pdf

Whatever the truth about lead hazards in solder, and whether or not the EU politicians struck the right balance, it just may be the case that the solderless constructions have advantages after all. Was that in the minds of the NTE 5 designers?   Who knows.

[Weaver]

So is it worth ensuring that the back part is not under too much tension from screws so that it does not get distorted? Is slightly reducing the torque on the screws a sensible option if there is such a problem?

I want my old unit back. Although the removable front is very convenient for Mrs Weaver as she finds it difficult to unscrew the fronts for tests.

[aesmith]

On mine the front plate was really insecure, the clips basically didn't grip properly.  One of the OR guys tried a few from his van and found one that fitted better.  Before that I was wondering about fitting a couple of self tapping screws to hold it in place.

[Weaver]

At that point we just need to go back to the old design that worked.

The new idea is nice but it needs real-world user/dog/hoover-proofness testing and very tight manufacturing tolerances and quality control plus monitoring of the performance of actual kit deployed. I think they need a v x.1 and a trial of it that whose results are observed properly.