Zetex Semiconductors and NAD Electronics have announced the joint development of a line of high-performance digital audio amplifiers incorporating Zetex’s Class Z direct digital feedback amplifier (DDFA™) technology—a unique, performance-optimized digital amplifier architecture.
According to NAD’s Product Development Director Greg Stidsen, “The high efficiency of Class Z is well-known and advantageous, but this alone does not qualify it for inclusion; with Zetex technology we get the efficiency, but more importantly, the no-compromise audio performance our customers expect.”
Zetex believes that abolishing digital-to-analog conversions and implementing the whole amplifier process in the digital domain can raise audio performance to a new level of performance.
Dr. Franz Riedlberger, chief technology officer for Zetex, says, “All the previous drawbacks of digital amplifiers are simply removed by the 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. Zetex is proud to partner with NAD in such an ambitious development.”
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