Wolfson Hi-Fi Audio DAC With Class D Speaker Amp Extends Battery Life in Portable Multimedia.

EDINBURGH, Scotland -- Wolfson Microelectronics plc (LSE:WLF.L) is targeting the pocket multimedia market with a highly efficient stereo DAC with integrated 1W Class D stereo speaker driver and capless headphone output offering outstanding audio quality.

The new WM8956, the latest Wolfson product with integrated Class D technology, is aimed at mobile phones, solid-state media players, portable DVD, games consoles and other similar battery operated devices that require exceptional sound quality combined with low power consumption. A key feature of the WM8956 is the efficiency of its Class D speaker amplifiers, which achieve 87% at full power. This efficiency is delivered with uncompromised audio performance and just 0.03% total harmonic distortion at 1W per channel into an 8 ohm load. DAC and headphone playback power consumption is just 10mW while offering 98dB SNR, among the best in the industry.

The WM8956 offers many other features that help the designer reduce power consumption and system component count. The device itself replaces four discrete parts: speaker driver, audio DAC, headphone and microphone amplifiers. Low leakage, excellent PSRR and Wolfson pop and click suppression technology allow direct battery connection to the speaker supply. Flexible speaker boost settings allow speaker output power to be maximized while minimizing other analog supply currents. Unused functions can be disabled by using software control to save power.

The WM8956 supports differential microphone and line inputs specifically for baseband processors in mobile phones as well as offering a flexible analog mixer for stereo and mono inputs and outputs for other applications. It also features built-in 3D audio enhancement.

Price and Availability

The WM8956 is available for sampling in a very small and thin 5x5 32-pin QFN package, ideal for hand-held and portable systems. It is priced at $2.68 in volumes of 10,000.

About Wolfson Microelectronics

Wolfson Microelectronics plc is a leading global provider of high performance, mixed-signal semiconductors for digital consumer electronics applications.

Renowned worldwide for its audio and imaging technologies, Wolfson devices can be found at the heart of many of the world's highest profile consumer products, including mobile phones, MP3 players, gaming consoles, DVD players, DVD-RW, LCD-TV and multi-function peripherals. If a digital product can capture an image or play a sound, Wolfson's vision is to supply a product that will allow it to perform these tasks better.

Headquartered in Edinburgh, UK, Wolfson has sales and engineering offices in the USA, Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, India and Singapore. Wolfson Microelectronics plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE:WLF.L).

For more information about Wolfson Microelectronics, please visit www.wolfsonmicro.com or sign up for Wolfson eNews at http://www.wolfsonmicro.com/enews/.