SPARK Microsystems was thrilled to join our audio industry peers at AES Europe 2024 in Madrid recently, where we had opportunity to connect with some of the world’s leading audio manufacturers and innovators. Sponsored by the esteemed Audio Engineering Society, the event is an important steppingstone to the AES Show 2024 NY (Jacob Javits Convention Center, New York, October 8-10), the flagship AES event gathering 10,000+ audio professionals, enthusiasts, and exhibitors from around the world.
The event theme for AES Europe this year: “Echoes of the past inspire the sound of the future.” It’s a theme that couldn’t be more fitting.
These AES events throw a spotlight on the many ways our audio technologies – and our expectations for these technologies – have evolved in recent years. Legacy wireless platforms, Bluetooth chief among them, have served us well in the past and will continue to excel in some applications going forward.
High-quality audio isn’t one of them.
With the legacies of Bluetooth and power-hungry Wi-Fi echoing in the past, UWB is firmly positioned to deliver the wireless sound quality of the future.
It already is. SPARK Microsystems made history when the first ultra-wideband powered wireless speakers came to market last year via Sonus Faber’s Duetto speaker system (recognized by Forbes as “The Best Way To Listen Without Wires.”) At this year’s AES Europe event, SPARK was happy to share the perspective we’ve gleaned at the vanguard of UWB wireless audio. Gathered with industry peers and audience members, SPARK’s subject matter expert provided an overview of our UWB solutions for transporting low-latency, high-quality uncompressed audio, and shared our experience in getting real-world products to market.
THE WIRED PERFORMANCE STANDARD, ACHIEVED WIRELESSLY
Among SPARK’s recent audio achievements, we unveiled the Golion headset reference design, leveraging SPARK UWB Audio technology to deliver an unparalleled wireless audio experience.
SPARK’s groundbreaking UWB Audio offers exceptionally low latency of just 5ms to ensure perfect audio-video synchronization, complemented with the ability to deliver uncompressed audio data. With support for up to 24-bits resolution, the SPARK UWB Audio featured in the Golion headset reference design ensures that consumers can finally enjoy their music wirelessly to the highest possible quality standard.
Will consumers notice the difference for themselves?
Almost anyone who has listened to a pair of wired headphones since the turn of the century will tell you the answer is yes. Because anyone who’s listened to a pair of wired headphones in recent history was no doubt reminded of how much sound quality we sacrificed in order to accommodate wireless, mobile-friendly listening some two decades ago. The difference in sound quality between wired and Bluetooth wireless listening is still stark after all these years.
To this day, wired connectivity has remained the audio performance standard – Bluetooth hasn’t come close to matching it. It doesn’t take an audiophile or a roomful of audio experts to distinguish the superior audio quality that wired headphones deliver compared to literally any Bluetooth wireless headphone alternative in the market today.
SPARK’s Golion headset delivers a comparable audio quality experience to wired headphones – without the wires. UWB enables 10X more data throughput than BLE, and as a result, there’s no need to compress the audio signal for wireless delivery. Consumers will hear the difference. And they’ll enjoy virtually latency-free audio, another thing of the past that Bluetooth forced us to give up going wireless.
SHOW ME THE DATA
As mentioned above and elsewhere on the SPARK blog, consumer expectations are evolving – we expect more from our electronic device ‘experiences’. These products need to upgrade our enjoyment in order to justify the expense.
For those who’ve experienced the sound quality of the SPARK UWB-powered Sonus Faber Duetto wireless speakers or Golion wireless headsets, you’re probably already convinced of UWB’s advantages for delivering pristine, lossless audio.
The time has come to demonstrate these advantages with real-world data. It’s time to put SPARK UWB Audio technology to the test. Literally.
At AES Show 2024 NY, SPARK Microsystems looks forward to sharing the results of an exhaustive third-party expert analysis comparing SPARK UWB digital audio performance versus the performance delivered with a digital wire (S/PDIF or I2S).
What will the data show? Watch this space to find out! And be sure to visit SPARK at AES Show 2024 NY in October where we’ll be showcasing our latest advancements in UWB Audio technology. Don’t miss our workshop at 11 AM on Thursday, October 10, in Demo Room 3D04. Stay tuned for more details!
In the meantime, for more information about SPARK’s UWB Audio technology, check out our Audio Applications page.
