
Infineon offers Merus-style switching class-D audio ICs
The branding exercise unites Infineon’s existing portfolio of discrete audio ICs and mutli-chip modules under one umbrella. At the same time Infineon is introducing a family of class D audio amplifier ICs that use multilevel switching.
Multilevel amplifiers use additional on-chip MOSFETs and capacitors to produce outputs with higher signal granularity, i.e. higher switching frequencies and scalable output signal levels. This results in a smaller form factor and virtually no switching loss measurable in idle mode, Infineon said.
The MA12040/P and the MA12070/P boast power consumption in the 250mW range making them suitable for portable, battery-powered applications.
Traditional class D amplifiers are at their most efficient at high volume levels but at realistic volumes consume up to four times more input power than Merus multi-level audio amplifier ICs.
The newly introduced devices support up to four channels, which can be configured in parallel bridge-tied-load (PBTL), in bridge-tied-load (BTL) or in single-ended (SE) mode. As such, a single IC can output up to 160 W peak (16 A max) in a single PBTL channel or, for instance, it can be set up as a 2.1 system with 2 x 20 W tweeters as SE channels and 1 x 40 W woofer speaker as BTL channel.
The Merus class D audio portfolio consists of two analog audio input versions, MA12040 and the MA12070, and two I2S digital audio input version, the MA12040P and the MA12070P. All four devices can be ordered now.
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