Teenage Engineering PO 170

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he mid-level

offering in Teenage

Engineering’s new

DIY range of

modular Pocket

Operators, the PO

170 is a self-

contained instrument that combines

the PO 16 sequencer with ﬁ ve

modules that form a fairly

straightforward monosynth.

As with its siblings, the 170 comes

ﬂ at-packed, requiring a basic, if

slightly longwinded, self-assembly. The

metal chassis itself is folded into shape

and the module elements are slotted

and screwed into place. In theory, even

those with no electronics experience

should be able to handle the build.

We did have a few issues that

slowed us down, including a few ﬁ ddly

elements that didn’t seem to ﬁ t into

place naturally and a certain amount

of confusion caused by disjointed and

at times unclear instructions. It’s also

worth being aware of the fact that the

build uses proprietary screws and

tools, and there are no spares in case

any of these go missing while you’re

working. Despite taking a little longer

than expected though, the whole

process is ultimately satisfying, leaving

a nice sense of achievement and

ownership even before you turn the

instrument on.

The resulting synth looks great with

its eye-catching red faceplate and

classic angled design. In terms of feel

though, there’s undeniably something

‘DIY’ about the PO 170; the patch

points and controls, while not

necessarily loose, have more give than

you’d get with a pre-built synth, and

the uncapped rotaries are a little ﬁ ddly

and imprecise. We’ve also had issues

with the Arp and Hold buttons on our

170’s keyboard not working.

The lower element of the 170 is a

straight copy of the PO 16 sequencer

(reviewed over the page), and with its

multiple tracks and preset saving it

remains the most interesting element

of the range. The remaining modules

offer an LFO with two square and two

triangle outputs, a square wave

oscillator with PWM, a resonant

low-pass ﬁ lter, ADSR envelope, amp

and speaker/output.

The elements themselves are

decent-sounding but offer little that

deviates from a basic monosynth

setup. The highlight is the audio-rate

LFO that can be patched to create

gritty oscillator or ﬁ lter modulation

effects. There’s fun to be had

PO 170 could be charming – although

unclear instructions and unreliable

components remain troubling – but, at

£400, there’s no getting around the

fact that there are numerous better

value and considerably more

interesting options out there.

patching the sequencer’s multiple

tracks to the different modulation

inputs too, but on the whole the 170

feels like it’s ﬂ irting with, rather than

fully committing to, its modular

nature. A few additional patch inputs

or a utility to combine/divide signals

would be a good addition.

These elements would make a good

introductory tool to form a more

complex modular system though; a

beginner-friendly way to convert the

modules for Eurorack installation

would certainly add appeal.

We really wanted to buy into TE’s

compact modular concept, but sadly

the delivery isn’t convincing. Teenage’s

own website describes the PO Modular

range by saying “we have compromised

on everything except sound quality”,

which sounds right, but then why

aren’t these compromises reﬂ ected in

price? As a sub-£200 DIY project, the

THE PROS & CONS

Looks great

Synth elements

sound good

The PO 16

sequencer is a

powerful tool

Some components

ﬁ t together poorly

and have been

unreliable in

our tests

Synth elements are

fairly basic

It’s hard to justify

that £400 price for a

DIY kit

FM VERDICT

5.2

The modular concept here is

intriguing, but it’s sadly let

down by patchy execution

and a price that feels tough

to justify