Raising the bar on digital sound quality, Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) announced a new digital amplifier featuring the highest performance all-digital solution available today. The new chip is the first solution available to operate at the sampling rate of 192 kilohertz (kHz) with a Dynamic Range of 110 decibels (dB) measured at the speaker. The TAS5015 features highly flexible inputs supporting all major audio standards on the market, including DVD-Audio, with sample rates ranging from 32kHz to 192kHz.

The TAS5015 Pulse-Width Modulator (PWM) includes a discrete power stage, enabling the digital audio amplifier solution to drive speakers digitally for greater power efficiency and higher audio fidelity. This allows the device to perform with power levels exceeding 300W with THD+N below 0.03%.

"With the TAS5015 chip, TI is the first IC supplier to offer these performance levels in an all-digital audio chain compatible with DVD-Audio," said Niels Anderskouv, WW Marketing Manager, Digital Audio. "As the market moves toward the higher quality sound possible at 192 kHz, TI is committed to offering customers products at the forefront of digital audio technology." The TAS5015 is aimed at the high-end market and will be offered to a set of exclusive high-end equibit licensees. 192kHz DVD-Audio chipsets aimed at the mass market will be available in Summer 2001, enabling new and exciting consumer and PC audio products in the mainstream market.

More Power Efficiency, Higher Sound Fidelity

The TAS5015 chip provides signal quality that pushes digital sound reproduction to the highest level of fidelity available today. The TAS5015 modulator accepts standard I2S, left and right justified 16- to 24-bit data streams sampled at 32 to 192 kHz, then processes the pulse-code modulated (PCM) input into a pulse-width modulated (PWM) output. A discrete power stage (available under equibit license from TI) then converts the PWM signal into the digital power level required at the speaker, providing a very clean and crisp all-digital sound, while dissipating less than one-tenth the power of conventional Class A and Class AB amplifiers.

New Benchmarks in Digital Audio Performance

Improving the sound experience for the end user, the TAS5015 chip features a Dynamic Range (DR) ratio at 110 dB. Alternatively, a total dynamic range of 130-140 dB can be achieved by using a variable power supply, also available from TI. The high audio performance, power efficiency, low weight and small size of the true digital amplifiers make them well suited for all audio products including DVD-Audio, professional audio systems, and small form-factor end equipments that can benefit from the reduction in size of power supplies and heat sinks.

TI's Complete Digital Audio Solution

The new digital amplifier chip, combined with TI's previously announced TAS5000/TAS5100 chipset, provides a full range of high-performance and affordable digital audio amplifiers. All members of the TAS5xxx family are based on industry-leading equibit technology from Toccata Technology, a company acquired by TI in March 2000.

When I have talked with TI about these digital products the company has been extremely open about the technology and what is happening in the parts; when discussing these parts in the public domain, however, TI has been treating things like performance as akin to state secrets; I don't understand why and the close-chested behavior will probably hurt the product line in the end. The fact is that these parts do not have performance determined by the limitations of themselves but by the quality of the input signals.