Accelerating the design of next-generation voice-enabled devices

Cirrus Logic has unveiled a development kit for the Alexa Voice Service, optimized for smart speakers, voice-controlled devices, hands-free portable speakers, and networked speakers, among other smart home applications.

The Voice Capture Development Kit for Amazon AVS, based on Cirrus Logic ICs and software designs, helps manufacturers quickly get to market with Alexa-enabled products that support high-accuracy wake-word functionality and command interpretation, even in noisy environments or during music playback.

The low-power voice capture development kit for Amazon AVS includes a reference board featuring Cirrus Logic's CS47L24 smart codec, CS7250B digital MEMS microphone, and SoundClear® algorithms for voice control, noise suppression, and echo cancellation. This turnkey voice capture reference design enhances Alexa's wake word detection and audio recognition capabilities in real-world environments, enabling voice detection even from a considerable distance in noisy environments.

It can also reliably recognize user commands even when playing loud music or Alexa responses. The smart codec supports hi-fi audio playback using a high-performance digital-to-analog converter (DAC) implemented on-chip and a 2-watt mono speaker driver.

“Leveraging our expertise in audio and voice ICs and software, Cirrus Logic is delivering an easy-to-use yet powerful voice capture development kit that will enable smart home product manufacturers to develop Alexa-enabled products,” said Carl Alberty, vice president of marketing for audio products at Cirrus Logic. “Our AVS development kit delivers superior voice command performance, and when combined with Cirrus Logic tools and software, OEMs can quickly bring to market hi-fi speakers with superior Alexa voice interaction.”