ams AG, a leading provider of high performance sensors and analog ICs, announced that the earphones supplied with the new Z1 smartphone from ZUK use the AS3415, an analog speaker driver from ams offering outstanding noise cancellation and very low power consumption.
The Z1 from Chinese startup ZUK, backed by Lenovo, is designed with a 5.5” screen and features only one button named U-Touch. Designed for heavy smartphone users, ZUK Z1 features a fingerprint sensor, Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, 64GB eMMC storage, 4100mAh battery and USB 3.0 Type-C.
Benefiting from advanced analog semiconductor technology proprietary to ams, the AS3415 Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) speaker driver provides impressive noise reduction of up to 30 dB over a wide audio frequency bandwidth of 3.5kHz. The device’s typical power consumption in normal operation is just 10mW with a 1.5V supply. In addition, the speaker driver offers an internal bypass mode with zero power consumption, disabling the noise-cancellation function while maintaining the audio output to the speakers.
In the Z100 in-ear headset, an accessory supplied with the Z1 smartphone unveiled by ZUK on 11 August 2015, the AS3415 helps to produce a high-fidelity audio output undisturbed by ambient noise. This provides a more pleasing and comfortable listening experience, whether the user is enjoying music, video or other content, or taking part in a voice call.
The Android-based Z1 is ZUK’s flagship product, and the Z100 headset is expected to enhance the phone’s consumer appeal because of its combination of audio quality, sleek design and new technology: it is also the first ANC headset in the world to feature the new USB Type-C connector rather than the traditional 3.5mm audio jack.
Since power is supplied to the noise-cancellation circuit from the phone’s battery via this USB connection, there is no need for a separate battery in the headset itself, enabling ZUK to realize an extremely small and light design that is comfortable for the user to wear.
In addition, the Z100 has a configurable noise-cancellation feature, giving the user a choice of noise-cancellation profiles selectable on the phone’s touchscreen. This enables the user to adjust the bandwidth and amplitude of the noise attenuation provided by the AS3415 depending on the way they are using the phone and the environment in which they are using it.
“The Z100 headset offers an attractive and must-have accessory for ZUK Z1 smartphone users as it combines sleek design with near-zero background noise, thanks to ams’ AS3415’s active noise-cancelation technology. We are delighted to have partnered with ams on the Z100 development - the company offers comprehensive support, outstanding ANC performance along with unparalleled expertise in mechanical and filter design,” says Mr Icer Liu, Director of the Accessory Business of ZUK.
“The AS34x5 is a fully integrated, analog ANC solution for headsets, headphones and ear pieces. Thanks to its ultra-low power consumption, cost-saving bill of materials and superior audio quality, the ams ANC portfolio provides a benchmark for integrated solutions targeting the ANC market,” added Oliver Jones, Director of the Audio Sensors business line at ams.
The first smartphone model by ZUK is also the first product powered by Dirac Power Sound. Due to the limited size of their internal speakers, mobile devices typically suffer from low output levels, weak bass and an unnatural and unpleasant overall sound. Dirac Power Sound is a combination of technologies designed to improve the sound quality from small speakers for mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets and portable speakers. By addressing the innate imperfections in small speakers, the solution maximizes the potential of a small transducer to reproduce the best sound quality possible at the highest volume with minimum distortion. The results are much louder sound and more impressive bass with astonishing detail and clarity.
The solution’s key technologies like frequency response correction, impulse response correction and bass optimization have been used by Dirac in premium automobiles and HiFi markets for years. Additional advantages of Dirac Power Sound are that it optimizes bass response and volume depending on playback and signal level. Through dynamic high-precision processing, the algorithm continuously adapts to the music in order to fully leverage the speaker's potential.
The AS3415 is available immediately in production volumes. An evaluation kit for the AS3415 ANC speaker driver is available online from ams.
www.ams.com/ANC/AS3415
