Infineon is aiming to boost the adoption of its Class D audio amplifier technology which enables high-fidelity sound playback with a unique Class D modulation of up to 5 different output voltage levels.
“The ability to drive 2 x 37 W at full power, while supporting inductor-less, low EMI outputs and an idle power level at one-tenth of competitive products, offers OEM’s and ODM’s unique benefits,” said Dafydd Roche, Director Marketing of Class-D Audio at Infineon. “These benefits include smaller form factor products and lower system costs by removing big, bulky inductors and shielding and by lowering battery capacity for the same playback hours.
“Our ecosystem partners complement the system solutions we can offer. With their decades of audio expertise, they are a unique addition to design-in and product support of our MERUS amplifier generations, enabling customers a faster time-to-market.”
The MERUS multilevel switching technology delivers improved audio while consuming only one-tenth of the idle power of traditional Class D amplifiers. Multilevel Class D amplifiers need only ferrite beads instead of big inductors for the output low-pass-filter circuity, significantly reducing the PCB space and additional cost of inductors.
According to Infineon, two major associated partners are currently developing unique audio solutions based on the MERUS Class D audio amplifiers - Eleven Engineering and Volumio in the Global and EMEA business regions, respectively.
Eleven Engineering, the creator of the cutting-edge wireless audio standard SKAA, is a developer of high-quality audio designs for key audio markets such as home theatre, whole home, portable audio, and outdoor.
“Infineon’s Class-D amplifier topology significantly increases the battery life of SKAA wireless-enabled products, making them more desirable to customers,” said John Sobota, CEO, Director and Founder of Eleven Engineering. “This benefit is pretty obvious. What’s less obvious is the cost impact of using Infineon amplification. When you can eliminate costly items from the bill of materials, such as output inductors, chassis boxes, and dedicated heat sinks, it makes our joint offerings fantastically attractive.”
