Voice ICs & audio ICs

A voice chip is the part of a design that turns a spoken command into a decision the rest of the board can act on. For purchasing staff and hardware engineers, the practical questions are usually the same: which function the device performs, what it needs around it, and how much of that work sits in silicon rather than on a separate board. This page explains how Haiben's voice and audio range is organised, when a chip or a module is the better fit, and which published specifications to check before a part goes on the BOM.

The voice IC range in the group catalogue

The catalogues carry a dedicated group: Voice Recognition & Audio Chips & Modules. It is split into two product families — Voice ICs / Audio ICs, and Voice Modules / Audio Modules — with Printed Circuit Board Assembly available for voice PCBA. Our wholly-owned subsidiary runs the Weforsemi line, which covers R&D, wafer testing, packaging and AI voice chip production and sales in one chain. The Weforsemi line is our own-brand semiconductor business, sold alongside the wider component catalogue.

The core positioning is offline voice recognition: voice control that works locally, without an internet connection. That matters when a command has to act even if the network is down, or when the product simply has no network at all. The MIC store reflects this — it carries a dedicated Voice Recognition PCBA Board group with many offline-voice PCBA listings, including kettle mainboards, tea bar boards, night lights, fans and smart-home boards. Published examples include the AC42228-SH001 offline smart voice recognition kettle circuit board PCBA, the VC100GA-V1.0 tea bar module PCBA with ASR voice control, an ASR offline voice control night light PCBA module, a mosquito repellent lamp voice PCBA, and smart home voice control module PCBA boards. ASR here means automatic speech recognition. Buyers who need a ready-made implementation can browse voice recognition modules for the board-level options.

Voice ICs vs voice modules: chip or board

The same recognition function can be delivered in two forms, and the choice affects cost, board area, lead time and engineering effort.

• A voice IC is a component placed on the customer's own PCB. It gives the designer control over microphone placement, power topology and mechanical fit, but requires the customer to handle layout, firmware integration and tuning.
• A voice module or voice PCBA is a finished sub-assembly, typically including the recognition device, support circuitry and connectors. It shortens development and is convenient where the mechanical design is fixed and the command set is modest — kettles, lamps and small appliances being typical examples.

For projects moving from one to the other, the module listings at voice modules show the published board examples and their application areas, which helps scope a custom build.

The audio half: amplifier ICs the voice line pairs with

Recognition is only half the user experience; the product also has to answer. The audio amplifier family covers that side of the design. A useful anchor is the VC2033 mono audio amplifier IC: operating voltage 2.5 V to 5.5 V, with a Class AB/Class D switching function. It offers two anti-clipping options, with anti-clipping compression range specified at -10 dB. Class D output power is 3.1 W at VDD 5.0 V, RL 4 ohm, THD+N 10%, and 1.8 W at VDD 5.0 V, RL 8 ohm, THD+N 10%. The package is DFN2x2-8L. A sibling part, VC8210, is a single-channel Class AB/D audio amplifier IC in the same DFN2x2-8L package with 3.1 W class output.

The 2.5 V to 5.5 V range suits battery-operated and 5 V rail designs, and the AB/D switching lets a designer trade efficiency against EMI behaviour. The full family sits under audio amplifier ICs.

Specifying a voice IC for a design

Start with the use case rather than the part number. Ask:

• How many commands are needed, and are they fixed or likely to change?
• Is recognition fully offline, or is connectivity required?
• What supply voltage and power budget does the board allow?
• What output power and load (4 ohm or 8 ohm) does the speaker need?
• How much firmware and layout work can the internal team absorb?

Then match: a chip for full design control, a module where time-to-production matters more. Check that the amplifier's operating voltage, Class AB/D choice, output power at the stated load, anti-clipping range and DFN2x2-8L footprint fit the existing layout. Where a design is already running a working voice PCBA, a custom board can mirror it; otherwise the published boards give a realistic starting point.

Frequently asked questions

Does a voice chip need an internet connection?

No. The core positioning of this range is offline voice recognition, so commands are processed locally on the device.

Can I get the recognition function as a finished board rather than a component?

Yes. The catalogue includes Voice Modules / Audio Modules plus Printed Circuit Board Assembly, with published voice PCBA examples across appliances and smart-home boards.

What amplifier pairs with the Weforsemi voice line?

The VC2033 mono audio amplifier IC and the VC8210 single-channel part are the listed anchors, both in DFN2x2-8L with 3.1 W class output.