External received clock sources often contain large jitter that will cause distortion and noise when used to clock audio converters. The new THAT7200 family of PLL ICs enables high-performance ADCs and DACs, and the entire audio chain, to reach their full sonic potential.
The licensed JetPLL technology combines a highly programmable digital loop for precision control with an analog loop that suppresses the digital loop’s quantization noise. JetPLL is adopted by virtually all major pro audio and the most respected reference master clock equipment manufacturers.
With this product launch, THAT is forging a new digital direction for a company that until now specialized in making high performance linear parts. THAT's new high performance PLL ICs in the 7200 family are specifically designed to optimize audio quality, attenuating received jitter by over 60dB and delivering less than 25ps of baseband jitter to coax maximum performance from latest-generation audio ADCs and DACs. They are essential components in networked audio and USB audio applications, where each audio device must recreate and synchronize its own local clock to outside clocks.
According to THAT’s President, Les Tyler, "These new ICs represent a significant evolution for our company. Until now, we’ve focused on analog and digitally controlled analog. But Chris Travis' powerful JetPLL technology enabled us to apply our audio expertise to clocking, which in its own way is just as tricky and ‘analog-y’ as microphone preamps and Analog Engines."
Dennis Fink, THAT’s Applications and Engineering Manager explains the three new ICs: "The 7200 is a complete audio-focused clocking system, generating a low-jitter Master Clock (MCLK) from a jittery Word Clock (WCLK) or its own internal generator. The 7210 is a clock cleaner, generating a low-jitter MCLK from a jittery WCLK. The 7220 is a clock generator, supplying a low-jitter MCLK and WCLK without the need for an external reference."
All three parts feature 25ps typical baseband jitter, a phase-aligned frame clock (conforming to AES11), and more than 60dB jitter attenuation as a clock cleaner. Each is pin- and code-compatible with one of Cirrus Logic's CS2x00 series of Clock Multipliers/ Generators.
"These ICs are ideal for networked audio systems, and contain integral features to improve the sound of any digital audio system. We at Sonopsis are proud and excited to have partnered with THAT for the first standalone implementations of JetPLL ICs," adds Chris Travis.
The three new parts include an SPI/I2C port that offers complete control over an extensive complement of useful features for audio clocks. As Dennis Fink explains: "Each IC initially starts up in compatibility mode: the THAT 7200 matches the Cirrus CS2000, the 7210 the CS2100, and the 7220 the CS2200. Additional registers to control additional unique JetPLL features are accessible after start up."
Key specifications for the 7200 family detail a baseband jitter of 25ps rms (typ, 100Hz-40kHz), wideband jitter of 50ps rms (typ, 100Hz-1MHz), and jitter attenuation >60dB (above 100Hz). The MCLK frequency range is from 6 to 50MHz, with analog and highly configurable digital loops. The clock multiplier and frequency synthesizer PLL devices generate MCLK/BCLK and Frame clocks, including a phase aligned Frame clock (according to the AES11 standard). All devices are available in industry standard MSOP10 packages and require +3.3V power supply.
THAT Corporation, founded in 1989, designs, manufactures, and sells high-performance (until now, mostly) analog integrated circuits for professional audio manufacturers. Besides the new JetPLL ICs, THAT offers InGenius input and OutSmarts output stages, low-noise analog-and digitally controlled preamplifiers, digital preamp controllers, Analog Engine processors, and Blackmer voltage-controlled amplifiers (VCAs). THAT also licenses Total Sonics audio technology under the dbx-tv brand name. The company is headquartered in Milford, Massachusetts, with semiconductor fabrication facilities in Milpitas and San Jose, California.
www.thatcorp.com
