Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) has released what is said to be the industry's first digital-input, 20W stereo Class-D speaker amplifier with closed loop feedback. Closed loop architectures produce a richer, more accurate sound and lower system cost by relaxing power supply performance requirements.
Improving audio performance, the closed loop architecture enables the audio subsystem to have greater control over the speaker, reproducing a tighter, more accurate sound, with improved bass response. In addition, the closed loop architecture provides superior power supply rejection ratio (PSRR), which reduces power supply noise coupling into the audio band. Better noise immunity allows engineers to design lower-cost power supplies. In fact, for LCD-TVs, a TAS5706 audio amp can be powered off the existing +24V backlight power supply, making a dedicated power rail for the audio subsystem unnecessary.
Other sound enhancements are made possible by the on-chip audio processing capabilities of the TAS5706, including dynamic range compression (DRC), a dedicated subwoofer channel for 2.1 applications, and speaker equalization (EQ), which adjusts the audio to compensate for low-quality speakers or for sub-optimal speaker placement and size in thin form factors.
The TAS5706 provides flexible output configurations that allow manufacturers to use a single platform across multiple products. Stereo, quad and 2.1 output configurations are supported along with PWM headphone and subwoofer outputs.
In addition to versatile outputs, TI's PurePath Studio Graphical Development Environment reduces development time and makes programming simple.