
Shutdown
The MAX9703/MAX9704 have a shutdown mode that
reduces power consumption and extends battery life.
Driving
SHDN
low places the device in low-power
(0.2μA) shutdown mode. Connect
SHDN
to a logic high
for normal operation.
Click-and-Pop Suppression
The MAX9703/MAX9704 feature comprehensive click-
and-pop suppression that eliminates audible transients
on startup and shutdown. While in shutdown, the H-
bridge is pulled to GND through 330k
. During startup,
or power-up, the input amplifiers are muted and an inter-
nal loop sets the modulator bias voltages to the correct
levels, preventing clicks and pops when the H-bridge is
subsequently enabled. Following startup, a soft-start
function gradually unmutes the input amplifiers. The
value of the soft-start capacitor has an impact on the
click/pop levels. For optimum performance, C
SS
should
be at least 180nF with a voltage rating of at least 7V.
Applications Information
Filterless Operation
Traditional class D amplifiers require an output filter to
recover the audio signal from the amplifier’s PWM out-
put. The filters add cost, increase the solution size of
the amplifier, and can decrease efficiency. The tradi-
tional PWM scheme uses large differential output
swings (2
V
DD
peak-to-peak) and causes large ripple
currents. Any parasitic resistance in the filter compo-
nents results in a loss of power, lowering the efficiency.
The MAX9703/MAX9704 do not require an output filter.
The devices rely on the inherent inductance of the
speaker coil and the natural filtering of both the speak-
er and the human ear to recover the audio component
of the square-wave output. Eliminating the output filter
results in a smaller, less-costly, more-efficient solution.
Because the frequency of the MAX9703/MAX9704 out-
put is well beyond the bandwidth of most speakers,
voice coil movement due to the square-wave frequency
is very small. Although this movement is small, a speak-
er not designed to handle the additional power can be
damaged. For optimum results, use a speaker with a
series inductance > 30μH. Typical 8
speakers exhibit
series inductances in the range of 30μH to 100μH.
Optimum efficiency is achieved with speaker induc-
tances > 60μH.
Gain Selection
Table 2 shows the suggested gain settings to attain a
maximum output power from a given peak input voltage
and given load.
Output Offset
Unlike a class AB amplifier, the output offset voltage of
class D amplifiers does not noticeably increase quies-
cent current draw when a load is applied. This is due to
the power conversion of the class D amplifier. For
example, an 8mVDC offset across an 8
load results in
1mA extra current consumption in a class AB device. In
the class D case, an 8mV offset into 8
equates
to an additional power drain of 8μW. Due to the high
efficiency of the class D amplifier, this represents an
additional quiescent current draw of: 8μW/(V
DD
/100
η
),
which is in the order of a few microamps.
M
15W, Filterless, Spread-Spectrum
Mono/Stereo Class D Amplifiers
_______________________________________________________________________________________
9
Figure 2. MAX9704 Efficiency vs. Class AB Efficiency
0
30
20
10
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0
6
OUTPUT POWER (W)
8
10
12 14
16 18
2
4
20
EFFICIENCY vs. OUTPUT POWER
E
V
DD
= 15V
f = 1kHz
R
L
= 8
MAX9704
CLASS AB
Table 2. Gain Settings
GAIN (dB)
INPUT DIFF
(V
RMS
)
R
L
(
)
P
OUT
AT 10%
THD+N (W)
13.0
16.0
19.1
29.6
13.0
16.0
19.1
29.6
0.67
0.48
0.33
0.10
1.23
0.86
0.61
0.19
4
4
4
4
8
8
8
8
9
9
9
9
15
15
15
15