End-to-end audio platform for high-quality audio playback

Atmel Corporation, a leader in touch and microcontroller solutions, and Bang & Olufsen ICEpower, a specialist in Class D audio solutions (a subsidiary of Bang & Olufsen), have announced a joint end-to-end audio platform for high-quality audio playback. The result of this collaboration is a first-class audio reference design that combines the Atmel AVR UC3 32-bit microcontroller with Bang & Olufsen ICEpower's MobileSound 3 (a fully digital, low-power single-chip stereo Class D speaker amplifier, headphone amplifier and audio digital signal processor). The reference design allows users to access digital audio media, decompress music files using the Atmel UC3A3 32-bit microcontroller, and convert data into professional-quality audio using the MobileSound 3 device.

The jointly developed audio platform features a small form factor and low power consumption, making it ideal for mobile audio devices such as headsets, mobile phones and accessories, tablets and laptops. Furthermore, the output of the MobileSound 3 can be connected to a second high-power amplifier stage (such as the ICEpower 50ASX2) to ensure ultra-high audio quality for USB PC speakers, media player docking stations, and speakers connected to Bluetooth and WiFi devices.

"We are pleased to be working with Atmel to bring high-quality amplifier functionality to their popular 32-bit AVR audio platform," said Mads Emil Solgaard, Technical Marketing Manager, Bang & Olufsen ICEpower. "As the digital audio market continues to evolve, developers need high-quality, easy-to-run reference designs to reduce time to market."

The complete digital audio playback platform allows users to access digital audio files from an SD card, USB mass storage device or USB host device such as a computer. The reference design kit is easily expandable to connect to a media player docking port and Bluetooth or WiFi devices, and can compress audio files using the most popular compression algorithms such as ACC, MP3 or WMA.

Atmel's software framework features device and USB host protocols, with USB audio class device support and USB mass storage file software that can be plugged directly into user applications. The Atmel AVR UC3 32-bit microcontroller can run at 1.5 DMIPS/MHz, retrieve the audio file, decompress it, and send the data to the MobileSound 3 amplifier for playback on speakers or headphones. The speaker output is 2 x 1.5W, with less than 0.01% total harmonic distortion and better than 100dB signal-to-noise ratio. The amplifier has an efficiency of 92% and includes a built-in digital signal processing engine in a 3.0 x 2.6mm package, which can implement SmartBass adaptive dynamic bass enhancement, SmartEQ flexible, fully parametric 5-band equalizer, SmartDRC advanced parametric multi-stage compressor/limiter system, and digital volume control, all of which can be adjusted using Bang & Olufsen ICEpower's MobileSound3 Audio Suite software tool.

"Collaborating with a leader in analog audio processing technology like Bang & Olufsen ICEpower was key to developing a complete digital audio playback platform," said Geir Kjosavik, senior product marketing manager at Atmel. "This collaborative development resulted in low power consumption, small form factor, and very high audio quality for all speaker sizes."