AUSTIN, Texas, Sep 27, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Silicon
Laboratories Inc. (NASDAQ: SLAB), a leader in high-performance,
analog-intensive, mixed-signal ICs, today introduced the industry's
first 5 Watt stereo Class D amplifier that effectively mitigates
electromagnetic interference (EMI), bringing affordable fidelity to
consumer audio electronics. The first member of Silicon Labs' Class D
amplifier family, the new Si270x amplifier is ideal for use in a wide
range of price- and noise-sensitive consumer audio products including
smart phone docking stations, tabletop radios, TV sound bars and
monitors, boom boxes and battery-powered radios.
For years, consumer audio engineers have wanted to replace power-hungry
analog Class A/B amplifiers with power-efficient digital Class D
technology. Until now, two issues have impeded the adoption of Class D
amplifiers: the high EMI emissions inherent to traditional Class D
solutions, which interfere with AM/FM radio and smart phone operation,
and the high cost of adding expensive filtering and shielding for EMI
regulatory compliance. While other Class D suppliers have attempted some
level of EMI protection, Silicon Labs' Si270x changes the shape of the
audio amplifier market with power-efficient Class D technology that
substantially suppresses EMI emissions for operation with radios using
inexpensive filters.
"With its groundbreaking EMI mitigation technology, Silicon Labs has
solved difficult Class D technical challenges for which no other
semiconductor company appears to be developing an effective solution,"
said Susie Inouye, research director and principal analyst at Databeans.
"Silicon Labs' new audio amplifier product combines a novel Class D
implementation with sophisticated digital audio processing to enable
cost-effective digital system designs for the growing consumer audio
market. Silicon Labs has entered this market with a new product family
that will greatly impact the consumer's experience with digital audio."
According to Databeans, the Class D amplifier market is expected to
reach $347 million (USD) this year and is projected to grow 11 percent
(CAGR) over the next five years, well over the industry average for the
audio market.
Effective EMI Mitigation
The Si270x amplifier uses multi-layer EMI mitigation technology to
suppress traditional Class D interference at its source, enabling easier
EMI compliance, AM/FM radio co-existence and smart phone compatibility
in consumer audio products. Compared to existing Class D solutions, the
Si270x amplifier reduces radiated interference by 10X in the EMI
compliance band, by 100X in the FM radio band and by 1000X across the AM
band.
"The Si270x Class D amp is groundbreaking technology for consumer audio
designers who have been forced to use inefficient Class A/B amplifiers
to avoid EMI headaches or to spend extra bill of materials and design
time on shielding to cope with inadequate approaches from existing Class
D amplifiers," said James Stansberry, general manager of Silicon Labs'
Audio products. "The Si270x's smart phone-friendly digital architecture
is a game changer for the audio industry."
Smart Phone-Friendly Digital Architecture
Traditional Class D amplifiers emit large amounts of EMI radiation in
the 900 MHz transmission and reception band, which undermines the
over-the-air (OTA) transmission and reception quality of smart phones
and docking stations. In addition, analog architectures employed by most
docking platforms are highly susceptible to time division multiple
access (TDMA) transmission noise pickup. The Si270x amplifier's smart
phone-friendly all-digital architecture is inherently immune to radiated
noise pickup, and Silicon Labs' EMI mitigation technology enhances OTA
performance and compliance.
Power-Efficient, Battery-Saving Design
To avoid the EMI generated by traditional Class D amplifiers, audio
engineers often resort to using low-cost but inefficient Class A/B
amplifiers, which require larger, costlier power supplies and heat sinks
- some with 9 or 12 V battery configurations. The Si270x amplifier
allows developers to use smaller, cost-effective power supplies and
fewer batteries in portable audio systems such as boom boxes without
sacrificing performance.
The Si270x Class D amplifier can enable a 2.5X increase in play time
over Class A/B-based systems while using only half the number of
batteries (four instead of a typical eight). For example, a consumer
audio system based on the Si270x amplifier can provide up to 8.4 hours
of play time using four AA alkaline batteries.
Complete Consumer Audio Platform Solutions
The Si270x Class D amplifier is designed to be combined seamlessly with
Silicon Labs' popular Si473x
AM/FM radio tuner products to enable complete consumer audio
platform solutions. The latest Si473x devices offer a stereo analog
input and internal analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) multiplexed with
the radio tuner front-end to support auxiliary analog system inputs
without the need for additional external ADCs. The complementary Si270x
and Si473x combination provides a cost-effective platform solution for a
wide range of consumer audio products such as tabletop radios, docking
stations, boom boxes and mini-stereo systems.
Pricing and Availability
Samples and pre-production quantities of the Si270x Class D audio
amplifiers are available today in a 24-pin QFN package. Pricing in
10,000-unit quantities for the Si270x amplifiers begins at $1.17 (USD).
To help accelerate application development, Silicon Labs offers audio
engineers a full-featured Si270x-A-EVB evaluation board priced at $325
(USD).
For additional Si270x product information, please visit www.silabs.com/pr/ClassD.
Silicon Laboratories Inc.
Silicon Laboratories is an industry leader in the innovation of
high-performance, analog-intensive, mixed-signal ICs. Developed by a
world-class engineering team with unsurpassed expertise in mixed-signal
design, Silicon Labs' diverse portfolio of highly-integrated,
easy-to-use products offers customers significant advantages in
performance, size and power consumption. These patented solutions serve
a broad set of markets and applications including consumer,
communications, computing, industrial and automotive.
Headquartered in Austin, TX, Silicon Labs is a global enterprise with
operations, sales and design activities worldwide. The company is
committed to contributing to our customers' success by recruiting the
highest quality talent to create industry-changing innovations. For more
information about Silicon Labs, please visit www.silabs.com.
Cautionary Language
This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on
Silicon Laboratories' current expectations. These forward-looking
statements involve risks and uncertainties. A number of important
factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in
the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of factors that could
impact Silicon Laboratories' financial results and cause actual results
to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements,
please refer to Silicon Laboratories' filings with the SEC. Silicon
Laboratories disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise
any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.
Note to editors: Silicon Laboratories, Silicon Labs, the "S" symbol, the
Silicon Laboratories logo, and the Silicon Labs logo are trademarks of
Silicon Laboratories Inc. All other product names noted herein may be
trademarks of their respective holders.
Follow Silicon Labs on Twitter at http://twitter.com/silabs.
SOURCE: Silicon Laboratories Inc.
Silicon Laboratories Inc.
Dale Weisman, +1-512-532-5871
dale.weisman@silabs.com
Copyright Business Wire 2010