Conexant Launches HD Voice Capture IC
The firm says it is industry's first far-field class microphone ADC and enables high dynamic range audio capturing
Conexant Systems has launched the CX20810, a new high-performance, high-definition (HD) voice capture IC.
The device is targeted at voice interactive products, voice conferencing systems, Skype TV/STB webcam, and surveillance.
Conexant claims the CX20810 is the industry's first high-performance audio analogue to digital converter (ADC) with pre-amp, which maximises the signal-to-noise ratio of a microphone's input path with a constant, low gain across a long range (up to five metres).
This latest offering from Conexant complements its portfolio of turnkey Far-Field Voice Input Processor SoC solutions.
For designers with existing systems running voice processing algorithms, the CX20810 helps them unleash the system's true performance potential. Traditional microphone ADCs with limited dynamic range require dynamic adjustment of the PGA gain to avoid either saturation of the speech signal, or degradation of its signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) due to the high ADC self-noise floor.
Addressing this issue, the CX20810 has a significant dynamic range of 106dB and maximizes the signal quality to avoid saturation while maintaining the SNR from the microphone. When used in an acoustic echo cancellation (AEC) system, the CX20810 maintains the SNR of a low-level voice signal while avoiding echo saturation and therefore captures the full scale speech signal without the saturation caused by high echo feedback.
"There are a broad range of voice interactive and audio capturing devices entering the consumer electronics market," notes Saleel Awsare, vice president and general manager, Conexant.
"In light of this, designers must carefully select the A to D converter that best matches their particular system in order to deliver the intended user experience. Our new high-performance audio ADC with pre-amp removes system bottlenecks and eliminates audio signal artifacts caused by saturation," adds Awsare.
Conexant's CX20810 features high resolution digital and analogue gain control over a wide range "“ allowing for the selection of an optimum operating point for microphones with a wide range of sensitivity. A smooth gain ramping circuit enables the dynamic adjustment of microphone gain. The CX20810 supports a microphone array with up to four synchronized ADCs and programmable preamplifiers, each with a dedicated microphone bias supply to eliminate crosstalk.
EVKs are currently available to qualified customers and partners for $199.00. Pricing starts at $0.90 each in 10,000 quantities.
