Knowles Partners with Ole Wolff to Offer Compact Hybrid Driver for TWS Earphones

December 16 2021, 05:10
Knowles Corporation and Ole Wolff, the Danish manufacturer of high quality speakers, receivers, and provider of acoustic system integration, announced the result of their cooperation to improve the comfort and performance of True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earphones with high-definition audio and active noise cancellation (ANC). The two companies have announced an innovative dynamic driver matched to a new balanced armature tweeter that meets the premium sound, high-performance ANC, and hearing personalization in a smaller size.
 

The combination of Knowles new high-performance, balanced armature RAN model tweeter with Ole Wolff’s 8mm dynamic woofer is said to offer unprecedented performance for its small size. "With the bass performance of a larger driver, the Ole Wolff woofer delivers rich bass and excellent ANC performance in a tiny size that allows greater comfort and gives product designers room to add additional features. The Knowles RAN tweeter delivers exceptional treble performance, with output up to 40 kHz for JAS Hi-Res Audio certification. Its high sensitivity also facilitates improved hearing personalization and enhancement," the two companies announce.

Designers of TWS earphones increasingly face a complex set of performance requirements that must be contained in a small form factor that can deliver long-wear comfort. The collaboration between the two leading companies, created a smaller driver option that could bring greater flexibility to OEMs while delivering premium performance to meet consumers increasing demands for HD quality audio in TWS earbuds.

"Ole Wolff is excited to partner with Knowles in developing a compact market-leading hybrid audio solution for TWS earphones. A correctly designed dynamic driver can reproduce bass frequencies with vanishing low distortion while delivering the loudness necessary for ANC and/or leaky (i.e., not sealed) earphones with anti-occlusion designs. By combining the bass performance of a Ole Wolff driver with a Knowles BA, each component can be tailored for maximum performance in their respective frequency range. In other words: The hybrid approach is a “no compromise" approach,” says Gary Brind, Ole Wolff General Manager. "We believe that the cooperation between Knowles and Ole Wolff will enable more audio companies to integrate a hybrid audio solution in their products with a fast ‘speed to market’ and thereby bring the excellent audio performance of the hybrid solution to a wider audience."

"Knowles has always been about pushing the boundaries of what is possible in acoustic solutions," says Jon Kiachian, Vice President and GM of Knowles Hearing Health Technologies. "As the inventor of the micro balanced armature driver and leading supplier for in-ear monitors used by professional musicians, Knowles is delighted to bring that same premium listening experience to consumer TWS earphones together with Ole Wolff."
www.KnowlesPremiumSound.com
www.owolff.com
 
related items