Cirrus Logic Unveils Newest CrystalClear PCI Audio Accelerator; Company Continues Industry Leadership With DOS Legacy Support.

FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 27, 1998--Cirrus Logic Inc. (NASDAQ:CRUS) today continues the expansion of its industry-leading CrystalClear(tm) brand of PC audio products with the announcement of its new SoundFusion(tm) PCI Audio accelerator (CS4614).

Based on the company's innovative SoundFusion DSP technology, the CS4614 delivers an unmatched PC audio experience while providing complete support for DOS legacy applications with integrated CrystalClear Legacy Support(tm) (CCLS).

Moreover, with many existing 3D games requiring legacy hardware compatibility, the single-chip CS4614 with integrated CCLS delivers rock-solid compatibility for users with existing libraries of titles and applications that won't run without legacy support.

"Today's announcement clearly illustrates our intent to leverage Cirrus Logic's audio market leadership into the emerging PCI audio space," said Art Swift, vice president of business development for Cirrus Logic's Personal Computer Products Division. "With the integration of CrystalClear Legacy Support and our award-winning SoundFusion DSP technology, the pieces are in place for Cirrus Logic to aggressively target the PCI audio market."

SoundFusion Technology

Cirrus Logic's SoundFusion DSP technology is based on the company's innovative SLIMD(tm) (Somewhat Long Instruction Multiple Data) architecture which allows add-in manufacturers and OEMs to provide specific features and scalability not found in fixed-function solutions. The concurrency capability of the SoundFusion DSP core allows functions typically found in costly, multiple-device designs to be provided by a single chip. This differs from many fixed function solutions, which heavily rely on host signal processing for one or more key functions. Cirrus Logic's SoundFusion DSP core is a powerful platform that will play a key role across multiple product lines in the company's strategy going forward.

At the heart of the SoundFusion CS4614 is a powerful 255 MIPs DSP engine and highly efficient PCI interface, that provides add-in card manufacturers, OEMs and consumers with a home theater-class audio experience on the PC. Specifically, the CS4614's SLIMD architecture, programmable DSP engine and DMA interface reduce the host CPU overhead required to manage the concurrent processing of multiple audio streams required by today's multimedia applications. Accordingly, OEMs and add-in card manufacturers, integrating advanced audio capabilities into their next-generation PCs, can optimize audio system performance in support of emerging PC games and multimedia applications.

SoundFusion CS4614 Features -0-

--   DirectSound, A3D and Hardware Acceleration - New interactive PC
     games such as Electronic Art's "Moto Racer" and Lucas
     Interactive's "Shadows of the Empire" use Microsoft DirectSound3D
     or Aureal's A3D application programming interfaces (APIs) to
     provide a fully immersive audio experience. The SoundFusion
     CS4614 accelerates these industry leading API's to deliver
     high-quality 3D positional audio while offering a significant
     reduction in host CPU loading.
--   CrystalClear Legacy Support (CCLS) - The CS4614 integrated CCLS
     delivers legacy support for both Windows DOS box and Real Mode
     applications through an advanced single-chip implementation. In
     addition, the CS4614 also supports industry standard PC/PCI and
     DDMA to provide OEMs and add-in card manufacturers several
     options to ensure legacy support.
--   64 Voice Wavetable Synthesis - The SoundFusion CS4614 audio
     accelerator features a Fat Labs Approved wavetable synthesis
     engine for delivery of interactive audio soundtracks. The CS4614
     delivers crystal-clear musical reproductions that satisfy even
     the most discriminating audiophile.
--   AC'97 2.0 Support - The SoundFusion CS4614 audio accelerator
     supports the multi-vendor AC'97 audio codec specification. AC'97
     is designed to significantly raise the quality of
     digital-to-analog signal conversion in PCs by separating the
     codec from the digital controller IC. For example, when combined
     with the CrystalClear CS4297 audio codec, the audio subsystem
     offers an industry leading 96 dB signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio for
     pure sound.
--   Standards Compliance - PCI Power Management (PPMI), Advanced
     Power Management (APM), Advanced Configuration and Power
     Interface (ACPI), as well as Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows
     NT driver support enables PC OEMs and add-in card manufacturers
     using the SoundFusion CS4614 audio processor to meet all of
     Microsoft's PC97 and PC98 requirements.

-0- Pricing/Availability

The SoundFusion CS4614 PCI audio accelerator will be sampling in June with production quantities set for July 1998. The device is available in a 100-pin MQFP package and is priced at $15.00 in 10K quantities.

Cirrus Logic

Cirrus Logic is a premier supplier of system-level integrated circuits that demand high-performance mixed-signal processing. The company applies its system expertise to enable high-volume applications in data storage, networking, and multimedia for both computing and consumer electronics markets as well as ultra-precision data acquisition applications for industrial automation and instrumentation markets. -0-

Cirrus Logic news releases may be obtained by fax by dialing 800/359-6414, or by dialing 510/249-4200 from outside the United States, or via the Internet on the world wide web at http://www.cirrus.com/

Note to Editors: Cirrus Logic is a registered trademark and CrystalClear, SoundFusion and CrystalClear Legacy Support are trademarks of Cirrus Logic, Inc. All other product names noted herein may be trademarks of their respective holders.

CONTACT: Cirrus Logic Inc.

Tom Lasiter, 512/912-3140

[e-mail]

or

Tsantes & Associates

Nancy Sheffield, 408/369-1500

[e-mail]