- Ascend Mate7 Headset: Allows you to quietly listen to music and make calls even in noisy environments.

March 3, 2015 – ams (Country Manager Jong-Deok Lee), a company specializing in high-performance analog ICs and sensors, announced that its speaker driver IC (product name: AS3415) implementing ANC (active noise cancellation) has been installed in Huawei's latest smartphone headset, realizing premium noise cancellation performance.

The ams ANC chip is built into the headset provided with Huawei's Ascend Mate 7, a high-end Android-based smartphone. The headset's ANC function significantly reduces external ambient noise ranging from low frequencies up to 3kHz, using a passive noise reduction method where noise is absorbed through the in-ear trim surrounding the speakers.

This headset provides an environment that allows users to immerse themselves in listening without being affected by external noise. Ascent Mate 7 makes the music or voices the user wants to hear clearer.

The method traditional earphone users commonly used to reduce ambient noise was to significantly increase the volume. This method increases the signal-to-ambient noise ratio and carries the risk of damaging sensitive internal ear tissues. When using the Ascend Mate 7 headset, since it features noise-canceling capabilities, all acoustic signals can be heard clearly even when played at an appropriate volume.

The Ascend Mate 7, powered by the AS3415 for high-performance ANC, provides excellent call quality even during voice calls. Users who have struggled to hear the other person's voice during calls in noisy environments will realize that they can converse much more easily in a near-silent environment realized by ams's ANC technology.

The AS3415, a feed-forward ANC speaker driver IC, is a good fit for the AscendMate 7 headset due to its low power consumption, high-performance audio, and compact size.

Competitor ANC systems include a digital signal processor (DSP) to drive software capable of forming the speaker's output signal. Unlike these competitor ANC systems, ams speaker drivers consist of purely analog circuitry. This feature enables power consumption that is less than half that of digital ANC systems. All the functions necessary for noise cancellation are integrated into the AS3415 circuit, and since it requires only a very small number of small components, it reduces the space required in the headset.

The AS3415's high-fidelity sound reproduction performance supports premium sound quality in the AscendMate 7 headset. The AS3415 has total harmonic distortion of only 0.004% and provides a signal-to-noise ratio exceeding 110dB (34mW output at a 32Ω load). The typical active noise cancellation effect achieved with the AS3415 is 95%.

Oliver Jones, Director and General Manager of ams’ audio sensor division, said, “Huawei has made a breakthrough in conveying the image of a premium smartphone to consumers by equipping the AscendMate 7 headset with ANC functionality. Users can enjoy crystal-clear sound and a quiet environment with almost no noise through the AS3415 ANC driver installed in the headset.”

Bruce Li, Vice President of the Handset Product Line at Huawei Consumer Business Group, said, “The Ascend Mate 7 is a top-tier premium smartphone that allows users to enjoy a more powerful and special experience with faster speeds and extended usage through today’s innovative latest technology. We will continue our efforts to ensure consumers can enjoy high-quality audio and the best possible experience through our collaboration with ams.”

The AS3415 is immediately available in mass production quantities.

An evaluation kit for the AS3415 ANC speaker driver is available on ams' online site. Detailed information and samples of AS3415 can be requested at www.ams.com/ANC/AS3415.