How to Evaluate a 3D Audio Solution - Head Tracking Accuracy

Immersive 3D/spatial audio - combined with XR/360 video - can transport you away from your home and into the middle of a lush forest with the sound of twigs crunching below you, a deer running off in the East, and the flapping of wings as your eyes follow a cardinal flying away. Accurate head tracking helps deliver a true-to-life user experience (UX), and understanding which factors are key in evaluating a solution will help you navigate this growing industry.

DSP Concepts announced the availability of a new toolkit for True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds powered by its Audio Weaver development platform. The toolkit features a reference design optimized to run on the Cadence Tensilica HiFi 5 DSP in partnership with Airoha, a MediaTek subsidiary and manufacturer of low-power TWS Systems on Chip (SoCs). The development kit also includes a reference design with a fully operational earbud prototype designed by Knowles.

With the audio industry apparently determined to push forward the evolution towards spatial audio reproduction, manufacturers need tools to add the experience to their new product designs. Starting now, brands building on Audio Weaver can easily deploy THX Spatial Audio to bring immersive sound home entertainment devices to market. The partnership adds valuable new IP to DSP Concepts's library of 500 market-proven Audio Weaver modules.

CEVA and VisiSonics are promoting a joint webinar to promote 3D audio technology and emerging applications for immersive listening experiences. 3D Audio for Everyone is the motivation behind this session, targeted directly at audio system engineers, product managers and developers looking to add 3D Audio capabilities to Hearables, Smart Home, Mobile, and Automotive products. Getting spatial audio to work across all platforms is the next exciting frontier in audio. November 23, 2020 at 08:00 AM PST / 11:00 AM EST.

CEVA and VisiSonics, a developer of patented 3D spatial audio technologies, announced that the companies have collaborated closely together to develop a comprehensive 3D spatial audio solution for embedded devices, including true wireless audio (TWS) earbuds, headphones and other hearables. The collaboration combines VisiSonics' RealSpace 3D audio software optimized for CEVA’s low power audio and sensor hub DSPs together with CEVA’s MotionEngine head tracking algorithms running on its BNO080 9-axis System in Package (SiP).

Demand for True Wireless Stereo (TWS) products reflect the growing demand for multi-function, health care, and connected wearable solutions, all requiring smaller and longer battery life devices. Asahi Kasei Microdevices (AKM) has recently introduced the AKM AK4336ECB ultra low power audio codec, a 4-channel ADC and one channel DAC that supports active noise cancelling designs, complementing its complete portfolio of audio systems and sensors for TWS development.