Patent ID: 7929718

Claim:
A system comprising: a plurality of audio amplifier channels each including a sample rate converter (SRC), a pulse width modulation (PWM) modulator downstream of the SRC, and an output stage downstream of the PWM modulator, and wherein each of the audio amplifier channels is configured to receive a corresponding digital audio signal having a corresponding sample rate, and to use the SRC of the audio amplifier channel to convert the corresponding digital audio signal to a common predetermined digital data format having a common predetermined sample rate; and a data transport medium coupled to each of the audio amplifier channels downstream of the SRCs of the plurality of audio amplifier channels; wherein the SRCs are configured to cause all the digital audio signals downstream of the SRCs in the plurality of audio amplifier channels to have the common predetermined digital data format having the common predetermined sample rate even when the sample rates of the plurality of the digital audio signals upstream of the SRCs differ from one another; wherein the data transport medium is configured to transmit digital audio signals in the common predetermined digital data format having the common predetermined sample rate from one or more of the audio amplifier channels to one or more others of the audio amplifier channels; wherein one or more of the audio amplifier channels is also configured to receive, via the data transport medium, audio signals in the common predetermined digital data format having the common predetermined sample rate from one or more of the other audio amplifier channels, to select one or more of the audio signals in the common predetermined digital data format having the common predetermined sample rate, and to provide an output signal based on the one or more selected audio signals.