THAT’s First Dual Voltage Controlled Amplifier IC

New York, NY, USA – THAT Corporation will unveil the new THAT 2162, the company’s first dual Blackmer® voltage controlled amplifier (VCA) IC at the 123rd Audio Engineering Society (AES) Convention. The part is a low-cost, space-saving solution for multi-channel VCA applications.

Les Tyler, THAT’s president, noted “The 2162 is basically a pair of our famous Blackmer VCAs integrated into one package. The part delivers great performance in a tiny package, offering 118dB dynamic range, 130dB gain-control range, and distortion under 0.1% without any adjustment. Performance-conscious designers can reduce THD further by using an external trim, if desired.”

Packaged in a 16-pin QSOP package, the 2162’s two VCAs are independent of each other, sharing only their power supply connections. Both positive- and negative-sense control ports are brought out separately for each VCA. As a result, the part can be configured for a wide range of stereo and multichannel applications.

Gary Hebert, THAT’s chief technology officer and designer of the IC pointed out that “the 2162 operates over a wide range of (split) power supply voltages, from ±16 Vdc to as low as ±2.25V. It draws only 3mA at ±5V supplies, so it is suitable even for for battery-operated applications. Moreover, our Blackmer architecture uses current, not voltage, for input and output signals. So, the 2162’s wide dynamic range is hardly compromised by low-voltage operation.”

Fabricated in THAT’s proprietary dielectric isolation (DI) process at its Milpitas, CA IC foundry, the 2162 delivers discrete analog circuit performance with the reliability and cost benefits of an integrated circuit. Mr. Hebert explained, “Conventional junction-isolated (JI) ICs suffer from parasitic diodes (and their associated capacitance) between critical components and a common substrate which can compromise performance. Discrete implementations (on a PCB) suffer from temperature drift, and difficulty in matching the discrete components. Our DI process significantly reduces many of the parasitics suffered by JI ICs, and maintains excellent thermal tracking and device matching over the entire circuit. We get the best of both discrete and monolithic design, which we put to good use in the 2162.”

The THAT 2162 is available immediately in a RoHS-compliant 16-pin QSOP package. Samples, 2162 datasheets and additional information on the 2162 and other THAT Corporation ICs are available at THAT’s booth at the 123rd AES Convention or by contacting THAT Corporation at the address below.

About THAT Corporation
THAT Corporation, founded in 1989, designs and sells high-performance analog integrated circuits for professional audio manufacturers. THAT’s ICs include analog input and output stages, digitally controlled low-noise preamplifiers, Analog Engines® and its original line of voltage-controlled amplifiers (VCAs) – all used throughout the pro audio industry. The company also licenses patents, trademarks, and other intellectual property to the TV broadcast and reception industries. Licensed products include the dbx-tv® Total™ series of audio enhancement technology and digital implementations of legacy TV audio receiver standards. The company is headquartered in Milford, Massachusetts, with offices in Milpitas, California.

For more information, contact:
THAT Corporation, 45 Sumner Street, Milford, MA 01757-1656 , USA
Telephone: +1 (508) 478-9200; Fax +1 (508) 478-0990
Email: More Information

Editorial Contact:
Ken Nevard, IC Marketing Manager
Tel: +1 (508) 478-9200 x108
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