Microwire currently has no meaning to me so I don't know how scared I should be of it.
See the flowchart somewhere at the end of the datasheet... yeah it seems more complicated than what it is :0)

Did you look at the site I posted with the DIP switch addressing unit? How did they make it work? I know from reading the 2000 series manual that it has five address pins, but depending on how many different sound bytes you can use anywhere from 2 to 5 of those pins. I need five sounds so 3 pins plus the play trigger still gives 4 total for the PIC to deal with. I just can't help but think the 4000 seires is overkill, but maybe in the long run it is easier to deal with.
Sure i look to. They use the parrallel adressing mode wich is not recommended by Winbond as they write in the datasheet. BTW if you feel more confortable with this serie, i've some here to do some test with. The most important thing is your way you understand each series. I don't mind to use one or the another. But since i'll not have the full control in the 2000 serie with few i/o pins, i still stick with the 4000 serie. Also it will give you a great knowledge of the SPI/Microwire stuff. Many other devices use this protocol. Could be handy one day or another. What do you think???