Interview: Class-D The Hypex Way - An Interview with Jan-Willem Winters

Recognized as one of the firms that pioneered Class-D amplification, today Hypex is an established manufacturer and OEM supplier. Jan-Willem Winters is the CEO leading the strategy behind the expansion that made Hypex one of the major players in the market for high-quality Class-D amplifiers. He started in R&D in 2010, and loves talking about audio amplification.

In this article in the Amplifier Series, where audioXpress explores the history, technological developments, and new generation products from some of the most innovative amplifier platform companies serving all segments of the audio industry, Ward Maas writes about Italian company Powersoft, focusing specifically on the brand’s OEM amplifier modules. This article was originally published in audioxpress, July 2019.

In his report of the High End 2018 show in Munich, Ward Maas shares his findings in speaker design, amplification, turntables, and anything that showed innovations, an important improvement, better design, or simply because he couldn't resist it... Enjoy all his highlights while he walks the Munich Order Center (MOC) in this exciting edition, which was also complemented by a small but very enjoyable concurrent CanJam show in a nearby building.

Continuing audioXpress' Amplifier Series, looking at the latest technologies and Class-D amplification platforms, Ward Maas writes about Axign, a new company from The Netherlands, founded by former Philips and NXP employees who worked on the pioneering Class-D efforts. Established in 2014, their efforts have resulted in the development of the AX5689m a Class-D audio amplifier controller chip in a QFN package. audioXpress visited the company to find out more and to receive a demo. This article was originally published in audioxpress, December 2017.

Ward Maas writes about Danish-sensation Merus Audio, the company founded in 2010 by Hans Hasselby-Andersen and Mikkel Hoyerby, and recently acquired by Infineon Technologies. The article recalls how this Copenhagen-based start-up quickly ascended in the audio industry with its new generation of energy-efficient integrated Class-D amplifier solutions. This article was originally published in audioXpress. September 2018.

Adam Hall Group created a new Experience Center at its headquarters, located in the Hessian town of Neu-Anspach near Frankfurt, Germany. The opening was celebrated with an exclusive celebration for customers, industry partners and employees worldwide, signaling another important component in the company's overall concept of helping people to realize their creative ideas in event technology solutions. Adam Hall Group also announced a major expansion of its co-located Logistics Park.

In this article, audioXpress visits Danish amplifier powerhouse ICEpower and we were given an insider’s look at its most recent advanced Class-D platform, ICEedge. The visit also provided the opportunity to look at several new products coming from the Danish amplifier specialists, but mainly focuses on the new ICEedge platform. This article was originally published in audioXpress, April 2017.

Texas Instruments (TI) introduced the first 2.1-MHz Class-D four-channel audio amplifier specifically designed for automotive applications. Supporting high-resolution 96-kHz digital input, the compact TAS6424-Q1 enables high-fidelity audio with low distortion in automotive infotainment systems. This impressive small footprint device combines low voltage and low noise, while providing lots of software settings, offering manufacturers more freedom to tailor their designs.