Cirrus Logic offers a voice capture development kit for Amazon Alexa Voice service

Cirrus Logic has announced a development kit for Alexa Voice Services (AVS) for smart speakers and smart home applications, including voice-controlled devices, hands-free portable speakers and network speakers. The Voice acquisition development kit for Amazon AVS uses Cirrus Logic's IC and software design to help manufacturers quickly bring new Alexa products to market with high-precision wakeword triggering and command interpretation, even in noisy environments and during music playback.

The low-power voice acquisition development kit for Amazon AVS includes a reference board using the Cirrus Logic CS47L24 smart codec and CS7250B digital MEMS microphone, as well as the SoundClear algorithm for voice control, noise suppression, and echo cancellation. The complete voice capture reference design further enhances the Alexa wakeword detection and audio capture capabilities under real conditions, allowing users to reliably interrupt high-pitched music or Alexa response playback, even at medium distances in noisy environments. The smart codec uses an on-chip high-performance digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and a two-watt mono speaker driver for high-fidelity audio playback.

Priya Abani, Director of Alexa Voice Services, said: "We are excited to work with Cirrus Logic to help Oems implement Alexa in more smart speakers and a variety of other audio devices. Cirrus Logic's Voice acquisition development kit for Amazon AVS provides advanced acoustic tuning capabilities along with proven hardware and software, enabling device manufacturers to bring their products to market more quickly and efficiently."

Carl Alberty, vice president of Audio product marketing at Cirrus Logic, said: "With our experience in audio and voice ics and software, we have provided smart home application manufacturers with a powerful and easy-to-use voice capture development kit to help them develop Alexa-enabled products. "Our AVS development kit delivers excellent voice command performance, and when combined with Cirrus Logic tools and software, it will help Oems bring Hi-Fi speaker products with superior Alexa voice interaction to market faster."

Cirrus Logic voice acquisition technology helps further improve performance

Cirrus Logic's voice acquisition solutions suppress noise and other physical interference, making voice interactions more accurate and reliable, resulting in a better user experience. This technology enhances Alexa's wakeword detection capabilities in quiet and noisy environments, which can be achieved from a few meters away from the device. Cirrus Logic's echo cancellation technology, which allows users to "insert" or interrupt high-pitched music playback and Alexa response, is key to a great user experience, so Alexa can accurately respond to new command requests.

The ultra-low noise base and wide dynamic range (130 dB) of Cirrus Logic's MEMS microphones ensure accurate speech acquisition under harsh noise conditions. Enables Cirrus Logic's SoundClear algorithm to block noise that interferes with Alexa wake words and command accuracy.

Cirrus Logic's smart codecs integrate Hi-Fi Dacs, stereo headphone amplifiers, and mono speaker amplifiers, helping Oems reduce material costs for products ranging from high-end speakers to simple digital assistants. Designed with the needs of ultra-low power portable devices and accessories in mind, the power consumption is typically 80% lower than competing solutions.

The suite is a complete solution with a voice acquisition board that includes a high performance dual microphone array, Raspberry Pi 3 (Rpi3), speakers, and a microSD card with all the required firmware pre-installed for rapid productivity gains. Cirrus Logic's console simplifies the operation of various RPi3 applications, providing a powerful, user-friendly interface for acoustic tuning and diagnostic capabilities. The voice capture reference board's schematic design and bill of materials are designed for most AVS applications and require minimal custom changes, further reducing time to market.