SLAA701B October 2016 – June 2026 TAS5342A , TAS5342LA , TAS5352 , TAS5630B , TPA3220 , TPA3221 , TPA3251 , TPA3255 , TPA3255-Q1
From the results of the inductor study with the TPA3251 device, it is clear that the inductor plays a large role in the audio performance and total system power dissipation. Inductance value, DCR, linearity, and core loss factor into the total system performance and must be considered based on the design goals of a specific application.
For the TPA32xx family of devices, a 7-µH inductor is a better value for performance-oriented applications due to improved linearity and generally improved distortion performance over higher inductances. However, for a more power-efficient system, 10-µH may be a better selection due to the reduced ripple current with a slight penalty on performance.
In both cases, core loss must be considered as well as DCR. Although a 10-µH inductor may show improved power dissipation for low output power due to reduced ripple current, if it has high DCR, the losses may be greater at high currents than a 7-µH inductor with higher ripple current.