Active production, 25 mW per channel into 16 Ω
The MAX9725DETC: Delivers 25 mW per channel into a 16 Ω load, which is the typical sensitivity for consumer and portable headphone drivers — enough to drive most earbuds and on-ear headphones to a comfortable listening level without external gain stages.
Supply rails and temperature range
Operates from a single 0.9 V to 1.8 V supply — this lets it run directly off a lithium-ion cell (nominal 3.6 V stepped down) or a 1.2 V/1.8 V digital rail, eliminating a separate audio power regulator in many portable designs. Rated for -40°C to +85°C ambient, so it handles the industrial temperature band — suitable for outdoor handhelds, dash-mount devices, or equipment stored in unheated warehouses.
Package and footprint for layout
Housed in a 12-WQFN with exposed pad (12-TQFN 4x4 mm), the thermal pad under the package sinks heat to the PCB copper — the layout should stitch vias under the pad to the ground plane to keep junction temperature within limits at full output. Surface-mount only — no through-hole variant. The 0.5 mm pitch QFN demands a solder stencil with appropriate aperture ratio for the exposed pad to avoid voids.