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Product category: Analogue and Mixed Signal ICs
News Release from: Texas Instruments (April 2001-March 2006) | Subject: TAS5086 and TAS5186
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 10 January 2005

Chipset powers six channels of audio

A new digital amplifier chipset boasts the highest channel density in the industry and is cost-optimised for 100 to 200W applications, such as entry-level DVD receivers and recorders

Helping drive the transition from analogue-based amplifiers and systems to digital, Texas Instruments revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) a new digital amplifier chipset, offering the highest channel density in the industry and cost-optimised for 100 to 200W applications, such as entry-level DVD receivers and recorders.

The TAS5186 is the world's first single package six-channel digital amplifier power stage.

The amplifier offers five 30W channels and one 60W channel, providing more than 200W in a single integrated device.

It reduces component count, simplifying design and shrinking board size, as well as improving manufacturing logistics.

The TAS5186 introduces a new system precharge feature that is unmatched in the industry, eliminating pops and clicks experienced on power up.

It also will support TI's latest innovation, a two-stage overcurrent detector, which manages overcurrents, avoiding unnecessary shut downs and protecting against short circuit conditions.

This feature allows the power stage to drive real world speakers with minimum audible artifacts during high power peaks in the audio source, while still protecting the power stage from high current conditions.

The companion TAS5086 is a cost-optimised digital audio PWM processor operating at 3.3V.

Providing an impressive 100dB+ dynamic range, the TAS5086 is the most cost-effective PWM at this level of performance.

It also offers bass management, as well as flexible signal routing capabilities, allowing designers to route any input channel to any output channel, easing the PCB trace routing.

'The cost pressures and footprint demands for the DVD receiver market are tremendous', said Will Strauss, founder and Principal Analyst, Forward Concepts, who recently released a report entitled 'Emerging markets for Class D power amplification'.

'With the impressive innovation behind the TAS5086 and TAS5186, TI continues to lead the transition from analogue to digital, reducing system cost and design complexity while improving the overall listening experience'.

Analogue Class AB amplifiers require an external DAC to convert the digital signal back to analogue before entering the amplifier.

Digital amplifiers accept the digital signal directly, creating a 100% digital signal path that experiences no losses or noise pick up inherent in analogue systems.

With an efficiency on the order of 90%, digital amplifiers reduce heat design issues compared with analogue amplifiers, which typically have an efficiency in the range of 50%.

As a result, the TAS5186 does not require a large heatsink, enabling the design of slim profile receivers, an important feature to users.

'Putting this much power into a single package is a major technological achievement from TI's engineering design team', says Jeff Akgul, Director of Home Audio Products at TI.

'TI has always been on the forefront of advancing the digital amplifier market'.

'With the TAS5086 and TAS5186 priced in the same range as Class AB amplifiers, TI can enable higher performing amplifier and receiver products with a much slimmer industrial design at the same price points'.

Building on the debut of the TAS5518 earlier this year, which is the industry's highest performance PWM processor with a dynamic range up to 118dB, TI now also has achieved the highest channel density power stage available with the TAS5186.

TI continues to demonstrate its commitment to increasing performance, while driving down the system cost for mass market audio applications.

The TAS5086, TAS5186 and TAS5518 are all part of TI's PurePath Digital technology family of products, which allows consumer electronics manufacturers to build completely digital, end-to-end audio products with cutting-edge sound reproduction and the most lifelike sound in a compact form factor.

By reproducing movie soundtracks or music exactly the way the artist intended, PurePath Digital technology offers the best in high-end digital entertainment to the everyday consumer.

PurePath Digital technology complements other TI digital and analogue products that support audio applications, such as digital signal processors (DSPs), switch mode power management, analogue Class D amplifiers and audio convertors.

Currently sampling, both devices are expected to be in volume production in Q1 2005.

The TAS5086 is packaged in a 38-pin TSSOP package and priced at $1.59 each in quantities of 1000 units, whereas the TAS5186 is packaged in a 44-pin HTSSOP package and priced at $5.12 each in similar quantities.

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