Component count reduced

By removing the components from the WM8523 and WM8524 2Vrms ground referenced DACs, the company has been able to free up the pcb area. According to Wolfson, the WM8523/24 have the 'lowest off-chip support component count on the market today'. John Crawford, high performance audio manager at Wolfson, said: "One of the biggest challenges faced in the design of audio systems in home entertainment products is the suppression of 'pop' noises which can occur particularly when the product is switched on. To eliminate pops designers often have to add a costly mute circuit. Wolfson's innovative charge pump technology solves this problem by generating an output signal with less than 1mV DC offset, so that no pop is produced – removing the need for a mute circuit. Audio is a key differentiator in the end user's multimedia experience, and there is a clear need for a high performance solution at an affordable price." The WM8523/24's proprietary charge pump architecture is said to generate a pop-free, 2Vrms stereo output from a single standard 3.3V rail without the need for separate op-amps or high voltage 9 or 12V power supply.