New Low-Power Smart Amplifier from Texas Instruments Enables Big Sound from Small Devices

Texas Instruments (TI) today introduced a low-power smart amplifier that allows designers to develop next-generation smartphones with industry-leading audio quality at peak volumes while maximizing battery efficiency.

The TAS2555 Class-H audio amplifier with integrated speaker protection uses back electromotive force and low power of 5.7 W to produce bigger sound from small devices. TI is the first in the industry to provide both integrated and nonintegrated smart amplifiers, giving engineers a broad range of design options. For more information on the new audio amplifier, visit www.ti.com/tas2555-pr.

The TAS2555 is also the first low-power amplifier supported by the PurePath™ Console 3 software suite, which gives both advanced and beginner designers a path to meet diverse system requirements. The solution takes the guesswork out of speaker characterization and includes easy-to-use tools for tuning and integration into end products, thus accelerating time to market for smartphones, tablets and other audio-enabled portable electronics.

Key features and benefits of the TAS2555 smart amplifier

• Louder and clearer audio: Offers 5.7-W output power into 4 Ω and 3.8 W into 8 Ω at 4.2 V.
• Low idle-channel noise (ICN) simplifies designs: 15.9-µV ICN eliminates audible speaker noise when using the smartphone in a receiver or pause mode and also eliminates the need for external components.
• Integrated multilevel Class-H boost converter and automatic gain control: Dynamically adjusting audio output during periods of low battery voltage maximizes battery life. User-specified boost control helps customize boost on/off based on end-equipment power profile requirements.
• Reduces development time: Use any processor with an I²S output to enable on-chip speaker protection. This greatly reduces porting and integration time, enabling end equipment manufacturers to get to market faster.

Tools and support to speed design

TI offers a range of intuitive design tools for the TAS2555 smart amplifier to speed time to market and simplify evaluation. Along with the PurePath Console 3 software suite, TI offers a comprehensive evaluation module (EVM) and a learning board tool for speaker evaluation. The TAS2555YZEVM is available for US$149 from the TI store.

Support for designers using the TAS2555 smart amplifier is available via the Audio Amplifiers forum in the TI E2E™ Community, where engineers can search for solutions, share knowledge, and solve problems with fellow engineers and TI experts.