National Semiconductor Corporation

Hiroshi Hirayama

Toyojiro Naokawa

An audio amplifier with no turn-on pop noise is achieved by the following features: (i) an input stage which operates under zero common-mode input voltage, (ii) an output stage which provides the low voltage end of its voltage swing very close to ground voltage, and (iii) a system of shunt circuits for discharging external capacitors, so as to prevent, upon subsequent power-up, pop noises due to residue charges in the external capacitors. In one embodiment, two peripheral collector transistors are provided to implement a window comparator for discharging the input terminals, the bias voltage and the output terminal of the audio amplifier.

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Nara, Japan

Hiroshi Hirayama