Audio Analog Design Engineer
The job description
Tech stack. Audio IC design, audio ADCs and DACs, Class-D amplifiers, Cadence Virtuoso, Spectre, THD+N optimization, psychoacoustics-aware design, pop-and-click suppression
About the role
You will design audio integrated circuits at a semiconductor company, creating the converters, amplifiers, and signal chains that reproduce sound with fidelity humans can hear and feel in products from smartphones to smart speakers. Audio analog designers work in a domain where specifications meet human perception: their circuits must achieve exceptional THD+N, dynamic range, and channel separation while operating efficiently in space-constrained mobile and consumer products. You will design audio ADCs, DACs, headphone drivers, and Class-D speaker amplifiers, validating performance with audio precision measurements.
What you will achieve
- Design audio ADCs and DACs achieving the dynamic range, THD+N, and linearity that premium audio products demand, with careful attention to the perceptual significance of each specification.
- Design headphone and line drivers delivering clean output into difficult loads with excellent PSRR, pop-and-click suppression, and efficient power consumption.
- Design Class-D speaker amplifiers with high efficiency, low EMI, and audio performance rivaling linear amplifiers through careful modulator and output stage design.
- Optimize audio signal chains end to end, budgeting noise and distortion across every stage from transducer interface through conversion to output drive.
- Implement features such as dynamic range enhancement, de-pop sequencing, and jack detection with the robustness consumer products require across millions of shipped units.
- Validate audio performance with precision measurements including THD+N versus level and frequency, dynamic range, crosstalk, and interchannel phase, supplemented by structured listening evaluations.
What you will bring
Must-haves
- 5 to 8 years of experience in audio IC design or precision analog design with shipped consumer products.
- Deep understanding of audio performance metrics: THD+N, dynamic range, PSRR, crosstalk, and their perceptual relevance.
- Strong circuit design skills for low-distortion amplifiers, references, and switched-capacitor circuits.
- Experience with Class-D amplifier design including modulator architectures and EMI considerations.
- Proficiency with Cadence tools and audio-specific simulation including distortion analysis.
- Audio measurement expertise with audio precision analyzers and systematic characterization methods.
- Appreciation for the relationship between measured specifications and perceived sound quality.
Nice-to-haves
- Experience with active noise cancellation or beamforming audio systems.
- Familiarity with smart amplifier algorithms and speaker protection.
- Knowledge of high-resolution audio standards and their circuit implications.
- Background in microphone interface design including digital microphones.
Qualcomm
Texas Instruments
Analog Devices
Broadcom
NXP