Digital audio ICs target home entertainment market

The STA381BW and STA381BWS system on chip ICs are designed to enable smaller designs and run at a lower temperature to help designers meet product safety requirements. They combine digital audio processing and speaker drivers on a single chip. Other features include a headphone driver, line driver output and an independent digital to analogue converter. The integrated DAC is said to provide an extra analogue output that can be connected to the headphone input or to an external circuit. It uses ST's F3X technology to simplify external filtering. The headphone driver and industry standard 2Vpp line out require no dc blocking capacitors and are optimised to save external components and maximise reductions in pc board size and manufacturing costs. ST claims the STA381BW and STA381BWS deliver best in class thermal performance through a combination of high energy efficiency, proprietary ternary pwm modulation and enhanced package design. They are designed to deliver up to 15W output power, maintaining the IC's temperature at 55.4°C.