Audio codecs deliver twice the audio quality at 50% less power

By Carolyn Mathas, contributing writer

Dialog Semiconductor recently released the first three parts in its new DA740x family of highly integrated audio codecs . Targeting the burgeoning wireless headphone market, the chips deliver best-in-class active noise cancellation (ANC) and, no matter the environment, provide optimal audio performance, claimed the company.

Based on a digital implementation and software-based tuning tools, the DA740x family requires fewer external components while enabling faster time to market compared to analog-based solutions. The DA740x family supports feedforward and feedback ANC topologies in which noise-cancelling microphones are located either outside or inside the headphone cup. It also enables a fully hybrid implementation, delivering high-performance ANC and maximizing both audio quality and battery life. The DA740x form factor is a mere 6 mm² , suited for even the smallest in-ear devices.

The new chip family is effective in both wired and wireless applications.

The family consists of three chips, each addressing different segments of the mid- and high-end headphone market:

The DA7402  is a stereo high-performance (HP) codec with ANC supporting hybrid, feedforward, and feedback topologies. It features up to 35-dB suppression, dedicated calibration, and tuning tools. Designed for high dynamic range and minimum latency, it is one of the smallest digital ANCs on the market. It operates with half the power consumption yet provides twice the audio performance compared to competitive solutions. Applications include sport earbuds, hearables, true wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds, and unified communication headsets.

The DA7401 is a high-performance mono ANC codec designed for TWS and hearable applications. It offers a 115-dB playback dynamic range, a 10-dB record dynamic range, a hybrid ANC, and a flexible clocking architecture.

The DA7400 stereo HP codec provides similar capabilities as the DA7401, targeting consumer applications that require high-resolution and high-performance audio without ANC.