Analog Devices' First Digital Audio Processor

Analog Devices is celebrating the birth of a new digital audio processor for automotive and home stereo systems. ADI is touting the new processor as a milestone in the migration from the analog to the digital domain in audio processing. The first member of the new SigmaDSP family combines 112 dB, digital-to-analog converters (DACs) with a digital signal processor (DSP) that's built to execute audio algorithms. The AD1954 features a digital audio processing engine configured through a GUI, which is intended to speed up the digital development process because DSP programming isn't required. The Because the AD1954 integrate audio converters with a DSP optimized for audio processing on a single chip, it allows the signal to remain entirely digital from the audio source to the system output. Features include 3 channels of digital audio; a 7-band, 48-bit stereo equalizer; delays for loudspeaker location adjustment; Phat Stereo spatial enhancement; and a dual-band dynamic processor. Its three DACs achieve 112 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at 48 kHz. Other features include tuned bass boost to enhance low frequencies, algorithms that virtually increase loudness by removing distortion at high volumes, "Midnight mode" which reduces loudness in high-volume instances (like sudden loud scenes on DVDs), and low-level expansion to lift low-volume signals above road noise for car stereos. The AD1954 SigmaDSP digital audio processor is available in either a 44-pin MQFP or a 48-pin TQFP package and is rated for a -40 degrees C to +105 degrees C temperature range in case you want to build a stereo for the space shuttle or something. The AD1954 is sampling now and production begins in Q1 2002. Prices begin at $5.88 in 10,000-piece quantities.