Bang & Olufsen Beoconnect Core Expands Wireless Audio Options with UWB and LC3plus

Bang & Olufsen announced Beoconnect Core, described as a new streaming box that turns legacy Bang & Olufsen speakers into a wireless speaker system. But under the hood Beoconnect Core is effectively an extremely advanced hub that combines all legacy connectivity options found in the company's products for more than 30 years with the latest wireless technologies, including UWB, and using Fraunhofer IIS' LC3plus high resolution codec.

The current generation of Fraunhofer's technologies enables the creation, transmission, and experience of an entirely new universe of immersive and high quality sound. Looking to showcase tomorrow's audio experiences and cooperate with manufacturers to bring state-of-the-art audio technologies into their products, the research institute will be at CES 2023, in Las Vegas (January 5 - 8), at booth 15915 in the Central Hall.

The Bluetooth LE Audio set of specifications, introducing the LC3 codec as the mandatory option for wireless audio streaming, is an important evolution compared to the current default SBC codec. Nevertheless, unlike the current Bluetooth Classic A2DP profile that specifies optional audio codecs, LE Audio didn't offer any options. A recent article in the Fraunhofer IIS blog confirms that a new specification is under development to allow support for the LC3plus high-resolution audio codec.

The LC3plus codec, co-invented and licensed by Fraunhofer IIS, has received the Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification logo issued by the Japan Audio Society, following an extensive objective and subjective testing process. This shows that LC3plus High-Resolution meets the criteria set by the Japan Audio Society, in particular the support of a 96kHz sampling rate, at least 24 bits per audio sample, and the ability to reproduce frequencies of 40kHz and above.

In order to meet the quality expectations of their users, high-end consumer electronics manufacturer Bang & Olufsen decided on the new open standard LC3plus codec from Fraunhofer IIS for their wireless streaming devices. LC3plus is currently the most advanced solution that combines support for high-resolution audio with low delay. LC3plus has been standardized by ETSI as TS 103 634, and is the first solution to support high-resolution music streaming services also over wireless accessories.

On Tuesday, October 15, in New York, Sony, together with four music streaming services and an important number of music industry partners promoted a press event to announce the new 360 Reality Audio music ecosystem. This follows the presentations made early at CES 2019 and a repeat of the demonstrations at IFA 2019 in Berlin. At this event, Sony announced the upcoming commercial availability of 360 Reality Audio, an immersive audio experience utilizing object-based spatial audio technology.