Audio amplifiers tout 3.2W/mm² power density

STMicroelectronics N.V. has rolled what it touts as a high-performance, analog class-D audio amplifier with best-in-class power density. According to the company, the TDA7498E will allow equipment manufacturers to combine superior audio quality with a small form factor in modern home and professional active-speaker applications and sound systems.

To maximize the speaker output power, sound-system manufacturers require high-efficiency amplifiers capable of driving speakers at low impedances of 2? or 3?, which creates a challenge by increasing device sizes, noted the company. ST designers have addressed this problem by managing to pack 320W of total output power—160W on each channel—on an area of 100mm², giving the amplifier a 20 percent power-density advantage over existing solutions on the market, claimed ST.

According to the company, the device's high-current capability not only delivers high output power, but also enables the design of platform solutions where the speaker impedance can be simply changed—from 8? down to 2?—without any power or current limitation.

ST's amplifier claims to integrate features that increase audio quality in the final application, including built-in suppression of pop/click noises, standby and mute functionality, and balanced input for best Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) noise rejection. TDA7498E embeds smart current protection that recognizes when the speaker requires a peak of current for a specific frequency range and automatically prevents any interruptions in the sound flow.

The TDA7498E amplifier offers flexible audio-system configuration, in both stereo and mono modes, and also includes the mono parallel feature for driving the subwoofer/woofer channel in 2.1 sound set-ups, boasted ST. The device exhibits a signal-to-noise ratio of 100dB and provides four selectable, fixed-gain settings at 23.8dB, 29.8dB, 33.3dB and 35.8dB.

ST's TDA7498E dual-Bridge Tied Load (BTL) class-D audio amplifier with a single power supply is sampling now and volume production is scheduled for February this year, with unit pricing at $6 for volumes in the range of 1,000 pieces.