Two things decide these swaps, and neither is the part number. The first is the tab: in the Pentawatt chip-amp row the metal tab sits at the negative rail, so an insulated mounting kit is not optional — it is what keeps the supply out of the heatsink. The second is the class hiding behind one body. The TDA7388 and the TDA7850 are both Flexiwatt25, both the amplifier of nearly every aftermarket car radio, and one is a bipolar 4×26 W part while the other is a MOSFET 4×50 W part that will drive 2 Ω — the same socket, a different amplifier, and a real price gap between them. Match the class, then the body, then the tab.
Table of Contents (9 points)
The substitutes, and the class behind each one
| Original | Package | Verified substitute | Level | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LM386 | DIP-8 / SOIC-8 | LM386N-4 | drop-in | Same DIP-8 pinout across every class and every clone |
| LM386 | DIP-8 / SOIC-8 | JRC386 | drop-in | DIP-8 standard pinout: 1 gain, 2 minus, 3 plus, 4 ground, 5 out, 6 supply, 7 bypass, 8 gain |
| LM386 | DIP-8 / SOIC-8 | LM386M-1 | function only | SOIC-8 against DIP-8 — a socket swap needs the adapter route |
| TDA2030 / LM1875 | Pentawatt (TO-220-5) | TDA2050 | drop-in | Identical five-pin Pentawatt footprint; the tab sits at the negative rail |
| TDA2030 / LM1875 | Pentawatt (TO-220-5) | TDA2030A | drop-in | Same socket — check the protection-diode network on 2030-era designs |
| TDA2030 / LM1875 | Pentawatt (TO-220-5) | LM1875 | function only | Same five-pin socket, same tab-at-negative-rail isolation requirement |
| TDA7294 | Multiwatt-15 | TDA7293 | pin-to-pin | Same Multiwatt-15 vertical outline and pin 1 orientation; heatsink and mounting unchanged |
| TDA7294 | Multiwatt-15 | LM3886 | function only | TO-220-11 staggered outline — a different land pattern from Multiwatt-15 |
| TDA7388 / TDA7850 | Flexiwatt25 | TDA7560 | drop-in | Flexiwatt25 — check the orderable variant against the body |
| TDA7388 / TDA7850 | Flexiwatt25 | TDA7386 | drop-in | Flexiwatt25 standard body |
| TDA7388 / TDA7850 | Flexiwatt25 | TDA7851L | function only | Flexiwatt25 — verify the pin-25 requirement against the specific member |
| TDA7388 / TDA7850 | Flexiwatt25 | YD7388 | function only | Flexiwatt25 standard body; the pin-25 rule of the family applies |
| TEA2025B | DIP-16 (PowerDIP) | KA2206 | drop-in | Application circuit identical; verify the package body against the board footprint |
| TEA2025B | DIP-16 (PowerDIP) | CD2025GP | function only | DIP-16 standard |
| TEA2025B | DIP-16 (PowerDIP) | TEA2025D | function only | SO-20 against DIP-16 — different footprints |
| TEA2025B | DIP-16 (PowerDIP) | KA2209 | do not insert | DIP-8 — physically impossible in a DIP-16 socket |
The tab is live, and that is most of the job
In the Pentawatt row the metal mounting tab is connected to the negative rail, so a chip amp bolted straight to a grounded chassis shorts its own supply. That is why the family is described in one breath as a single PCB layout: TDA2030A, TDA2040, TDA2050 and LM1875 boards are routinely published together, because the five-pin socket, the tab position and the isolation requirement are identical. The insulation kit is part of the substitution rather than an accessory to it.
The same care applies one family over, where the mounting is a different shape but the principle holds. When you move between a Multiwatt-15 and a TO-220-11 you are not choosing a footprint, you are choosing a board.
One body, two classes: the car-radio row
The TDA7388 and the TDA7850 are the same Flexiwatt25 body and the same four-channel car-radio amplifier, and they are not the same part: the 7388 is a bipolar 4×26 W design and the 7850 is a MOSFET 4×50 W design that drives 2 Ω loads. The family also carries a pin-25 rule that varies by member, which is why the substitution table has to be read against the specific orderable variant rather than the family name.
The TDA7294 row carries a different kind of warning, and it is the one that matters in buying rather than in fitting: a 100 W-class Multiwatt-15 DMOS stage that has been in active speakers and hobby amps for thirty years is a natural target for relabelling, and the substitution that is documented and pin-to-pin is the TDA7293.
The suffix is a package, not a grade
The LM386 row confuses people who read the suffix as a specification. N means DIP8 and M means SOIC8, with the trailing digit naming the gain class within that package — so LM386N-4 and LM386M-1 are the same amplifier on two different footprints, and moving one way needs an adapter while moving the other way needs a board change. The TEA2025 row has the extreme version of the same lesson: KA2206 and CD2025GP are DIP-16 parts that share the application circuit, and KA2209 is a DIP-8 part of the same design that cannot occupy the socket at all.
What we will not claim
Every mapping above was checked against the manufacturer datasheet for package, pin count and output class, and where the datasheet did not support one it is not listed. One row carries do not insert because the package makes the swap impossible. Confirm against your own schematic and your speaker load before a redesign.
Parts named in this guide
CatalogEach of these is a part or part family this guide covers, linked to the catalog row we hold for it — specifications, package, lifecycle stage and the datasheet where we have localized one. Where the guide names a family, the row shown is the orderable part number we stock. A part the guide covers but that is missing from this list is one we do not currently carry; send the number and it goes out for sourcing with the rest.
| Part number | Manufacturer | Description |
|---|---|---|
| LM386N-4Datasheet | Texas Instruments | Texas Instruments LM386N-4, Class AB audio amplifier, 1-Channel (Mono), 1W x 1 @ 8Ω, 5V ~ 18V supply, 0°C~70°C, 8-DIP (0.300", 7.62mm) through hole, Tube. |
| LM386MMX-1/NOPBDatasheet | Texas Instruments | Texas Instruments LM386MMX-1/NOPB, Class AB audio amplifier, 1-Channel (Mono), 325 mW output into 8 Ω, 4 V ~ 12 V supply, 8-VSSOP surface-mount package, 0°C ~ 70°C operating temperature. |
| LM1875T/LB05Datasheet | Texas Instruments | Texas Instruments LM1875T/LB05, Class AB audio amplifier IC, 1-Channel (Mono), 25W x 1 @ 8Ohm, 16V ~ 60V or ±8V ~ 30V supply, Through Hole, TO-220-5 Formed Leads, 0°C ~ 70°C. |
| TDA7294VDatasheet | STMicroelectronics | IC AMP AB MONO 100W 15MULTIWATT |
| TDA7293VDatasheet | STMicroelectronics | IC AMP AB MONO 100W 15MULTIWATT |
| TDA7388Datasheet | STMicroelectronics | IC AMP AB QUAD 41W 25FLEXIWATT |
| TDA7850Datasheet | STMicroelectronics | STMicroelectronics TDA7850, Class AB quad audio amplifier, 85W x 4 @ 2 Ohm, 8V to 18V supply, through-hole 25-Flexiwatt (formed leads), -55°C to 150°C junction temperature. |
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How this guide is written
Written by the ICBOMS sourcing desk in Shenzhen and reviewed against the manufacturer documents and industry standards the guide cites. Statements are limited to what this desk does and how a part is judged — no indicative prices, lead times or stock counts, because those are quoted per line against a live check. Each guide carries the date it was last reviewed at the top of the page.