Powerful boost for digital audio

Digital amplifier power stages enable higher efficiency and sound quality in a variety of audio applications.

Texas Instruments has introduced two new PurePath Digital power stages.

The TAS5261 provides OEMs with the industry's highest power single-chip digital amplifier power stage, capable of driving more than 300W into a 4ohm speaker, and the two-channel TAS5162 digital amplifier power stage can drive 200W per channel at 6ohm and 125W at 8ohm.

The devices enable higher efficiency and sound quality in a variety of audio applications, including many previously restricted from using digital amplifiers due to power requirements, such as high-end DVD receivers and mid- to high-end audio/video receivers (AVRs).

"Digital amplifier and Class-D chips comprise one of the more promising audio markets, where we predict a compound annual growth of 40%", said Will Strauss, President of Forward Concepts, which published the June 2006 report "Audio chip markets: the foundation of multimedia".

"As the world leader in Class-D and digital audio amplifier technology, TI continues to set the bar in this market with the TAS5261, capable of driving up to 17A in a very small area of silicon".

Existing 300W systems (4ohm) such as AVRs have had to use less efficient Class-AB amplifiers or modules due to power and current limitations of available digital audio power stages.

Now, with the TAS5162 and TAS5261 single-chip power stages, designers can leverage TI's industry-leading Class-D technology, which offers an efficiency of greater than 95% and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 110dB.

The TAS5261 features total harmonic distortion plus noise (THD+N) of less than 0.09% THD+N at 125W (8ohm).

The TAS5162 can drive two channels simultaneously at 200W.

These enable a cooler-running system that uses less energy, while increasing performance and sound clarity.

In addition, unlike other high-power digital amp or Class-D solutions, the single-chip devices eliminate discrete components such as MOSFET H-bridges, reducing board size, easing layout, simplifying heatsink design and lowering manufacturing costs.

"TI's Class-D expertise allows OEMs to take advantage of all the benefits of a digital amplifier, including a cost-effective, all-digital, end-to-end implementation and crystal-clear audio with no signal degradation at even the highest power levels", said Art George, Senior Vice President of TI's High-Performance analogue Business Unit.

"The TAS5261 is unmatched in how much power and current it can reliably drive, more than doubling what is available in today's digital amplifier power stages".

The TAS5162 power stage is also pin-compatible with earlier TAS51x2 devices, enabling OEMs to design a single board that can drive 100W (TAS5142), 125W (TAS5152) or 200W (TAS5162) per channel, eliminating multiple designs and simplifying logistics.

Similar to the TAS5152 and TAS5142, these new power stages include improved gate drive technology, as well as cycle-by-cycle, two-stage over-current and under-voltage detection.

The TAS5261 300W digital amplifier power stage is available today in volume in PSOP-3 packaging at $5.25 each in quantities of 1000 or more.

The TAS5162 200-W stereo digital amplifier power stage, available in both PSOP-3 and HTSSOP packaging, is slated for volume production by December.

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