Audio hub to boost sound quality in portable products
Wolfson Microelectronics is aiming to establish a benchmark for audio performance in the next generation of multimedia products through the development of its Audio Hubs.
Its latest offering is the WM8958, which is targeted at portable multimedia capable devices such as smartphones and tablet computers.
However, one of the problems which Wolfson is addressing is the lack of standards for what is becoming known as high definition audio. "It's wide ranging and means different things for different applications," said Duncan Macadie, product line manager. "But a good definition is being able to hear and be heard in any situation."
Because of the number of potential applications, Wolfson is not looking to adhere to one approach. "Flexibility is important because of product complexity," Macadie noted.
The WM8958 is a multichannel hub with a 100dB signal to noise ratio during digital to analogue playback. It features an integrated stereo Class D/AB speaker driver and a Class W headphone driver, along with an audio enhancement dsp, which runs a multiband compressor. According to Macadie, this enables louder and clearer sound from small speakers.
