Sonical and XMOS Develop New UWB/Bluetooth Wireless Audio USB Dongle

Sonical, the company pioneering a fully integrated approach for the product development of headphones and hearables, with a real-time operating system that allows consumers to load their own apps, will partner with XMOS for its Headphone 3.0 demonstrations at CES 2024. The two companies will showcase a first joint development that will greatly enhance wireless audio quality with huge benefits to the feature set in Sonical's roadmap. Focusing on delivering actual improvements to the hands of consumers, Sonical and XMOS are working on a wireless dongle which will enable Hi Res (24-bit/96kHz) uncompressed audio to stream wirelessly from a PC to a headset (or other playback device) using low power Bluetooth or ultra-wideband (UWB) technologies. With UWB, in addition to precise reproduction of high resolution audio at 24-bit, 96kHz, the joint development will also support latencies under 5 milliseconds - performance figures that will enable applications in multiple markets, including musical instruments and live performance.

"The platform unlocks a wide range of new product experiences using a low latency wireless connection for premium audio devices. The DSP is a critical component as it makes products a lot more than "wireless DACs". And by making the device "appable" through downloadable plugins, we have enabled limitless possibilities," explains Gary Spittle, CEO and founder of Sonical.

Sonical and XMOS intend to deliver a practical solution for manufacturers who want to deliver new products that are free from the latency and audio quality constraints of current Bluetooth Classic wireless transmission. By working on a USB dongle form-factor, the two companies will be able to deliver a solution that will appeal to a broader market that is looking to evolve the experience available today. The dongle will not only address audio quality and latency but will also incorporate added features, based on xcore-ai, the third-generation of XMOS’ xcore architecture, combining high performance AI, DSP, I/O and control in a single economical device.
 
"We are delighted to be working with Sonical on the development of their wireless (UWB/BLE) dongle. This will usher the next generation of audio experiences and use cases for various devices including headsets. The device benefits from the low latency multiple threads available with our xcore.ai platform, simplifying the integration of critical DSP functions with predictable hard real time execution. This is great for audio platforms like Sonical. We look forward to the roll-out of this innovative solution and seeing the broad range of subsequent applications," adds Aneet Chopra, EVP Marketing & Product Management at XMOS.

Early demonstrations will take place at Sonical's suite at The Venetian during CES 2024 which takes place in Las Vegas, January 9-12. Interested manufacturers can contact Jonny Mcclintock to secure a meeting jonny.mcclintock@sonical.ai.

Gary Spittle founded Sonical in 2020 to enable the rapidly developing Headphone 3.0 market. Sonical is building a platform that encompasses developing their own operating system, CosmOS, along with dedicated silicon, specifically designed for hearables running downloadable plugins, and unlock the large number of app developers that have created advanced AI based algorithms. Sonical wants to empower manufacturers, as well as individual users, to select which features and combinations of apps they want to include in their new hearable's products in the same way one currently chooses which apps we want on a laptop, tablet or smartphone.
www.xmos.ai
www.sonical.ai