Texas Instruments LM4700 chip amp

Why isnt there any information on the Texas Instruments site about their Overture high chip amplifier LM4700 ?

Search results - TI.com

4700 suggest its "the newer and follow up version of" 3886, yet it has become obsolete. Why?

Also how does this LM4700 compare to the LM3886 in terms of high fidelity audio quality?

Is TI's LM3886 after all those years still their "highest fidelity" chip amp in the critical 1W ~ 10W range?
 
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Texas Instruments LM3886 still unrivalled in 2018 for its THD+N?

Texas Instruments' LM3886 chip amp is over 10 years old. Is it still their "highest fidelity" chip amp in the critical 1W ~ 10W range?

Since I dont need more output power than say 5W for my tweeters, 10W for my mids and 50W for my 18" woofers, I wondered are the higher fidelity and better sounding chip amps than the LM3886?

I need the lowest distorting chip amp with that warm "class A/B" sound and the lowest "Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise" in the first critical 1W~10W range.

Will LM3886 still suffice in 2018 or are there better alternatives in 2018 which I should consider?
 
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If it is purely the THD, the TDA7293-7296 from ST have some lower figures.
The LM1876 has values compared to LM3886 but less power. I have one such amplifier and to me it sounds great.
Then to the sound: on this forum LM3886 has no doubt most supporters. Good sound and sufficient power makes it popular.
Sound qualities are very subjective and I am no expert.

I just checked the LM4700 and noticed higher THD (0.08%; a bit less in the graphs) and less power (30W). I do not see this as an improvement over LM3886.
 
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I posted a reply in your LM4700 thread.

I have not noticed any new class AB chips for quite a while, except those intended for automotive use (can run on single 12V supply). It seems class D has taken over the market in volume. NXP seems to have dropped class AB for higher power levels.
 
Most high-volume applications that require that sort of power will have a ton of benefits from using a class D amp like the TPA31xx-series or similar. They take up less board space, they are surface mount which is easier to do, the require cheaper external components etc. (the list goes on).

I'm not actually surprised that there are no more class AB-chips coming - but I am a little surprised that there are still any left.
 
I guess the investments in designing a class AB amplifier chip are important. When the design is ready and has even been tested substantially by customers, it is quite risk-free to ask a wafer-house to run another batch as long as there are customers.

My expectation is class AB will remain long for portable, low voltage constructions. For higher power levels, class D will only take over fully the day the analog->PWM modulation is abandoned and it will all be digital until the output filter.
 
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Hi, I just joined up resulting from, like many, looking for LM3886TF chips and was attracted to this old post.

I just wanted to say that I use the LM3886TF, but in an unconventional circuit... in 'Constant Current' (CC) output mode. This is easy to do with this chip and is pretty essential in my field... guitar amps. Guitar amps without CC don't sound very nice up against to tube/valve equivalent. However an LM3886TF + CC is, sonically, pretty indistinguishable from a tube power amp. CC has been the missing ingredient all these years. So, for me, analogue power amps 'must' remain. Discontinuing the LM3886 would be a very sad thing for the musical instrument business.

Word of warning... it's not a good idea to use CC with hi-fi speakers that have passive crossovers installed.