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Silicon Laboratories Inc. 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.

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.

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.

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.


Silicon Laboratories Inc.
http://www.silabs.com