Hi-Fi quality stereo over BLE demoed in California

As demand for wireless audio has increased, True Wireless Stereo (TWS) systems, featuring no wires between earbuds, have emerged as the pinnacle of the technology for consumer and professional use alike.

These systems have proven challenging to develop: existing implementations make use of a combination of classic Bluetooth and Bluetooth low energy technology for sound distribution between left and right channels, often resulting in imbalanced battery usage and limited battery life for the products.

To solve this, Dialog has developed an audio over Bluetooth low energy proof of concept running on its widely adopted SmartBond SoC’s, the first implementation to make use of Bluetooth low energy only.

The implementation allows for best-in-class audio synchronisation between left and right channels, together with the low power consumption afforded by Bluetooth low energy technology.

“There is a clear demand from end-users for True Wireless Stereo audio, particularly in environments where even a single wire between earbuds can prove cumbersome and frustrating,” said Sean McGrath, Senior VP & GM of Dialog Semiconductor’s Connectivity Business Group. “This proof of concept demonstrates Bluetooth low energy’s potential to deliver the solution developers need, while overcoming the limitations of existing technology that have traditionally held devices back from their true potential.”

“By solving the issues of power consumption and synchronisation, we are showing how Bluetooth low energy could address two of the biggest complaints from True Wireless audio users. Manufacturers would have the ability to deliver True Wireless Stereo audio products that can simultaneously stream HiFi quality audio while delivering long lasting battery life for their products in the consumer and professional wireless audio market,” added McGrath.