Wolfson Microelectronics announced the WM8523 and WM8524 2 Vrms ground referenced DACs, the latest in its family of chips for home audio devices. Both DACs deliver the outstanding audio performance demanded in today's consumer electronics products at a lower total system cost than has previously been possible. By removing the need for as many as 18 external components, and freeing up valuable PCB area, the WM8523/24 has the lowest off-chip support component count on the market today, dramatically reducing the bill of materials (BOM) and simplifying power distribution, allowing manufacturers to achieve high performance audio while minimizing cost.

The WM8523/24's proprietary charge pump architecture generates a pop-free, 2 Vrms stereo output from a single standard 3.3 V rail without the need for separate op-amps or an expensive noisy, high voltage 9 or 12 V power supply. Delivering 106 dB SNR, with excellent mute and crosstalk performance, the WM8523/4 creates an intense, clear audio experience for the user.

Capable of driving a 1 k line load, and generating a ground-referenced output with the lowest DC offset on the market today, the WM8523/4 eliminates the need for a separate mute circuit and costly DC capacitors, as well as effectively guaranteeing elimination of pops and clicks. Manufacturers now have a much easier and lower cost route to solving the problem of achieving 2Vrms output from a single 3.3 V supply, with absolutely no compromise in audio performance.

The WM8523/24 supports 24-bit conversion of all audio sampling rates between 8-192 kHz, using all common MCLK fs rates. The WM8523 is software controllable and configured either via the I2C/SPI compliant serial control interface providing -100 dB to + 12 dB volume control. The WM8523 and WM8524 are also hardware controllable. Both devices are available in low pin count TSSOP packages, with the WM8523 also available in a space-sensitive QFN.

Availability and pricing:
The WM8523 is available for sampling now in a 20-pin TSSOP or 24-pin QFN package. The WM8524 is available in a 16-pin TSSOP package. Pricing starts at $0.93 for WM8524 and $0.97 for WM8523 for 10k volume.