Maxim Class D amp targets flat-panel display apps

Maxim Integrated Products rolled out a high-power, highly efficient, Class D amplifier designed for flat-panel display applications, including LCD and PDP televisions and home audio equipment. The new MAX9708 offers audio quality for the audiophile with 87 percent efficiency, eliminating the need for a heat sink while delivering 40W of continuous output power (20W per channel).

Distinguishing itself from other Class D amplifiers, said Maxim, this new product is a filterless amplifier that requires very few external components, leading to a very low-BOM total solution cost.

The company's proprietary spread-spectrum-modulation (SSM) technology reduces the external filtering required to pass FCC low-EMI limits, enabling the use of low cost ferrite beads instead of large, expensive inductors. This saves up to 15 cents per channel on filtering compared to competitors' Class D amplifiers, said Maxim.

The MAX9708 also features a pin-programmable thermal flag, comprehensive click-and-pop suppression, and four selectable gain settings. A mono-mode option enables the part to deliver 40W continuous output power to a single 4-ohm speaker, making the amplifier a suitable solution to drive a subwoofer.

The MAX9708 is available in 56-pin TQFN and 64-pin TQFP packages. This device includes short-circuit and thermal-overload protection and operates over the -40°C to 85°C industrial temperature range. Prices for the MAX9708 start at $3.30 (1,000-up, FOB USA).