Spatial array IC provides immersive sound for tablets

The National LM48901 quad Class D spatial array is the first in the company's range of audio ICs that use distributed sound processing and loudspeaker array technology to produce an immersive audio experience for space constrained applications, such as tablets. Tablets are subject to limited soundstage because they are placed so closely together, resulting in the fact that multiple speakers sound like only one. According to TI, the LM48901 and accompanying software tool can resolve this problem with audio effect programming that converts a small soundstage into a more immersive sound. This, says TI, can be deployed in a range of products from tablets to sound bars with two to 16 speakers. The IC integrates a spatial processing dsp, four Class D amplifiers, an 18bit stereo a/d converter, phase locked loop and I2S and I2C interfaces. The software tool has been designed to eliminate the need for algorithm tuning, while the immersive audio effect enables an expanded soundstage which TI claims to be superior to any competitive devices. The device's multichannel capability enables multiple LM48901s to be daisy chained to support up to 16 speaker channels and multiple subwoofer configurations. Four Class D speaker drivers are designed to deliver 2W per channel of continuous output power into a 4Ohm load with less than 1% total harmonic distortion plus noise.