The Magic Carpet Ride: Class D Audio Circuit Design And Some Live Testing Results

Focus:

As a field applications engineer, the author has demonstrated the IRAUDAMP7S class D audio amplifier solution to high-end customers in some of the finest listening environments. The testing always ended with customers expressing their disbelief that a switching amplifier can compare favorably against known-good linear solutions. But to walk that amplifier into his home theater and plug into his meticulously handcrafted loudspeaker creations required more than a favorable review. The author needed to overcome his own skepticism about Class D audio. To do so, he had to build the amplifier solution up proper, test it on the bench and address any concerns. In this article, the author explains the reasons for his skepticism, then takes the reader step by step through his process of designing, building, bench testing, and live testing a class D audio amplifier based on the IRAUDAMP7S reference design.

What you’ll learn:

• How to understand potential shortcomings of class D audio amplifiers
• How to understand key design considerations when designing a Class D audio amplifier

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Author & Publication:

Paul L. Schimel PE, International Rectifier, El Segundo, Calif., How2Power Today, Apr 29 2011

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