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March 2000FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THAT and ATI Ink
Exclusive License Agreement for
Advanced Balanced Output Stage
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Win Craft & Larry Droppa after the signing
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THAT
Corporation and Audio Toys, Inc. have entered into an exclusive
license agreement under which THAT will design and manufacture
integrated circuits incorporating ATI’s patented "Electroformer"
balanced output stage technology. Using its own innovative adaptation
of the Electroformer, THAT has developed a design that significantly
improves on the circuits used in conventional output stages. ICs based
on the advanced circuitry are expected from THAT early in 2001. The
agreement was signed at the 108th Audio Engineering Society Convention
in Paris, France.
"The combination of ATI’s
circuit technology with our robust complementary Dielectric Isolation
IC process will advance the state of the art in balanced output
stages", said Win Craft, THAT’s VP for Marketing and Sales.
Larry Droppa, ATI’s President, explained the technical advantages of
his circuitry. "Active balanced output stages use both negative and
positive feedback to maintain the two output currents in balance. In
the conventional approach, the balance between positive and negative
feedback is dependent on precise resistor ratios, which requires ‘knife
edge’ precision to maintain stability. The genius of ATI’s
technique is to separately control the common-mode and differential
feedback loops, which greatly enhances stability under real-world
circuit variations."
Gary Hebert, THAT’s Chief Technology
Officer and the designer of the planned ICs, will explain how he has
adapted the basic ATI concept, originally developed by Chris Strahm,
to improve clipping performance in a paper offered at the 108th Audio
Engineering Society Convention held in Paris during February of this
year. "When a conventional balanced output stage clips into a
remotely grounded single-ended load, high current flowing through the
ground return results in audible artifacts that sound much worse than
simple clipping," he explained. "But our design always
maintains equal and opposite currents in both driven lines, even with
such single-ended loads. This eliminates ground currents, preserving
the purity of the sound." THAT has applied for a patent on the
concepts involved.
Balanced output stages are used
primarily in professional audio, broadcast, and telecommunications
products to convert audio signals into a 2-wire differential format.
These balanced electrical signals can then be transmitted between
different pieces of equipment with less noise pickup than the
single-wire ("single-ended") format used in consumer
products. Because balanced outputs are often connected to single-ended
inputs in practice, their performance in this mode is an important
consideration for equipment designers.
The first balanced output IC to be
introduced with the new design, the THAT 1646 (formerly the THAT
1420), will be pin-compatible with existing ICs from other manufacturers, and priced competitively.
A low-offset version is also on the drawing board.
THAT Corporation,
founded in 1989, provides high-performance analog integrated circuits
to the professional audio manufacturer, and is best known for its line
of modular and IC voltage-controlled amplifiers (VCAs) used throughout
the pro audio industry. The company is headquartered
in Milford, Massachusetts, with offices in Tokyo, Japan, and IC
fabrication facilities in Milpitas, California. In addition to its IC
business, THAT also designs and manufactures a variety of finished
electronic products for pro audio OEMs, and licenses noise reduction
technology to the TV broadcast and reception industries.
Audio Toys, Inc., a
part of the ATI Group, is a leading manufacturer of high quality sound
reinforcement equipment for the professional audio industry. ATI was
founded in 1988 and is located in Columbia, Maryland. The company has
played an important role in determining the direction of the design
and usage of touring sound consoles. ATI’s products are utilized in
fixed sound installations, recording studios and touring sound
systems, and include the Paragon Sound Reinforcement Console, Pro6
Audio Processor and the 8MX2 Preamp/Mixer. ATI has been awarded a
design patent both for the Electroformer and for its unique compressor
circuitry.
For more information
contact:
THAT Corporation, 45 Sumner Street, Milford, MA 01757-1656, U.S.A.
Telephone: +1 508 478-9200; Fax: +1 508 478-0990
Email: info@thatcorp.com
Larry Droppa
Audio Toys, Inc., 9017-C Mendenhall Court, Columbia, MD, 21045, U.S.A.
Telephone: +1 410 381-7879; Fax: +1 410 381-5025
Email: sales@audiotoys.com ;
Web site: www.audiotoys.com
Photo by Claude Gourbin
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