Apple Announces AirPods Pro 2 Are Now Officially Hearing-Aids

Apple confirmed that the latest AirPods Pro 2 - the ones with the new H2 processor - will offer improved Hearing Protection, a scientifically validated Hearing Test, and have a clinical-grade, over-the-counter Hearing Aid capability for users with mild to moderate hearing loss. This, with a simple software update, and on top of all the leading features that make Apple’s AirPods Pro the global best-selling product in its category. The new hearing health features will be available in fall 2024 for AirPods Pro 2 users in more than 100 countries and regions.

This article explores the significance of the Rds(on) specification of a MOSFET in a linear voltage amplifier and implications on Thermal Design - dissipation, thermal resistances, and heatsinking. It may be of interest to put this in perspective and highlight the connection between these subjects.

Last week I received the very sad news about the passing of Peter Janis, the founder of Radial Engineering. I always admired Radial Engineering for its ability to always surprise and delight with inventive and practical solutions that solved real issues for musicians and audio engineers, in many fields of application. Every time I had the chance to meet Peter Janis at any trade show around the world, I would find that he enjoyed as much to surprise and delight with those inventive and practical solutions.

Fear of Missing Out on Bluetooth LE Audio? Are We There Yet? How many more days? When should you trigger that OTA firmware update? Should you ship Auracast-enabled products now? Should you be the first? No one wants to be the first.

Series voltage regulators are a great way to provide almost-noise free and rock-stable DC to your audio circuits. But the load current often has distorted signal components that can generate a ‘dirty ground’ across the supply ground wires and tracks. This can introduce distortion components in other circuit sections using this ground. With shunt regulators we can keep the dirty ground localized and largely avoid the problem. Technical Editor Jan Didden explains.

Driven by the need to maximize battery life in portable devices, Class-D efficiency at low output levels is receiving greater attention. This is particularly important to achieve longer battery life in designs such as true wireless earbuds. Power optimized amplification is precisely the goal for Multilevel Class-D, and now there's also Fractal Class-D, a new technology developed by SiliconIntervention, a Canadian company formed in 2019 as the result of the pioneering research and development of its founder Martin Mallinson, the former Chief Scientist at ESS Technology.

Immersed in Audio Innovations. More than 20 demonstration cars. Record number of sponsors. Sold-out registrations for the 5th Audio Engineering Society (AES) Automotive Audio Conference at the spectacular Geely Uni3 Center, in the historic town of Gothenburg, Sweden. Roger Shively explains why the 5th International AES Conference on Automotive Audio, in Gothenburg, Sweden will be one to remember.

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024 keynote unveiled Apple Intelligence and was another historic moment for the Cupertino company. Apple Intelligence will be implemented in this year's and future devices, and will arrive with iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, and watchOS 11 updates. Everywhere in the demonstrations of the new features, we could see clear signs of artificial intelligence doing its thing in the background. A true milestone in the history of computing and consumer technology - when AI started to make sense.

audioXpress attended the HEAD acoustics' MOBILITY Voice and Noise Conference 2024 (May 8-9, 2024). An immersive event with the most advanced solutions and an application-based approach for testing and evaluating sound for automotive. On the southern shore of the Golden Gate strait, located on the headlands of the San Francisco Peninsula inside the Presidio, not far from the historic Officer's Club, HEAD acoustics hosted this conference as a way to provide an updated and practical look at all automotive and mobility voice and noise applications.

High End 2024. Digital music players, streaming players, music streamers. Music sources in audio shows are changing. The industry is embracing music streaming services. At AXPONA 2024 and at the High End 2024, the prevalent music source in all demos and listening rooms are the latest class of network music streamers and digital audio players. This is my second article expanding on my personal experience at the excellent Munich audio show.