The joint-development of high-performance digital amplifiers
incorporating Zetex Class Z direct digital feedback amplifier (DDFA)
technology, a “unique” performance-optimized digital amplifier
architecture, has been announced by NAD Electronics and Zetex
Semiconductors.
NAD is a brand known for delivering
audio products with outstanding performance and value for money. The
intelligent deployment of new technology is a cornerstone of the NAD
philosophy, but the overriding principle is that 'it must bring a
performance advantage'. Of digital amplifier technology itself, NAD has
set a high barrier for acceptance; the audio performance must match or
exceed that of the best linear amplifiers to be considered. The only
solution to pass this test is the Zetex DDFA technology, says the
company.
Greg Stidsen, NAD's director of product development, said: "The high
efficiency of Class D is well known and advantageous, but this alone
does not qualify it for inclusion in a NAD product. With the Zetex
technology we get the efficiency, but more importantly, the
no-compromise audio performance our customers expect."
The Zetex prime objective for DDFA products is to provide the
semiconductor technology to enable its customers to manufacture
products of the highest possible audio quality. Realizing the potential
of the digital amplifier concept, where the whole amplifier process is
performed in the digital domain, delivers fundamental advantages over
conventional approaches. Abolishing digital to analogue conversions and
implementing control functions in the digital domain brings performance
to a new level, says the company.
"Zetex is proud to partner NAD in such an ambitious development," said
Dr. Franz Riedlberger, CTO, Zetex. "Combining the technologies of Zetex
and NAD will deliver an outstanding and highly-specified product. All
the previous drawbacks of digital amplifiers are simply removed by use
of digital feedback; power supply noise and output stage distortion are
rejected and output impedance is very low. The result is the lowest
available distortion and noise coupled with outstanding linearity,
leading to a detailed and natural sound."
Source: Press Release
