Cirrus Logic DAC converter lowers system costs

AUSTIN, USA: Cirrus Logic Inc. has introduced the CS4354, its lowest-cost 24-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC) with integrated stereo line drivers. Targeting consumer home audio applications, such as video game consoles, Blu-ray Disc and DVD systems, TVs, set-top boxes and digital media players, the CS4354 is Cirrus Logic’s fourth-generation audio DAC with ground-centered 2Vrms line drivers.

The CS4354 marks significant progress in simplifying the design of analog output circuitry by reducing the need for multiple system components, which saves system cost and board space.

The CS4354 utilizes an on-chip charge pump to generate a negative supply and outputs a ground-centered, 2Vrms filtered line level signal from a single 5 V supply. This architecture provides improved low-frequency response and audio quality and offers significant savings in external component costs by eliminating DC blocking capacitors, mute and pop suppression circuits and the need for an expensive high voltage power supply.

“The CS4354 has 40 percent fewer pins and requires six fewer external capacitors than our third generation DAC in this product category,” said Carl Alberty, director of Marketing, Cirrus Logic’s Mixed Signal Audio Division. “We are excited to be delivering smaller and more cost effective DAC solutions to our customers without sacrificing the performance they have come to expect from Cirrus audio products.”

The CS4354 supports 24-bit conversion and automatic detection of audio sampling rates up to 192 kHz. Based on a fifth-order multibit Delta Sigma converter architecture with low latency digital filtering, the CS4354 provides 101 dB dynamic range and -86 dB THD+N with excellent out-of-band noise performance.

The device is powered from a single, +5V supply, supports direct interface to logic levels from +1.5V to +5V and consumes only 50mW of power during operation. It also features a power-on-reset circuit to further simplify system design and combines with the ground centered outputs and on-chip mute to provide a high performance, affordable audio DAC solution to designers.

The CS4354 is currently available in a 14-pin SOIC package, priced at $0.81 in quantities of 10,000.