How Many Bits Would You Like with Your Music? The Case of the SCL6 Scalable Codec

The Case of the SCL6 Scalable Codec. How Much Do You Want Hi-Res Audio? The candidates to become high-quality optional codecs for Bluetooth LE Audio are starting to line up. And SCL6 is leading the charge. This new scalable codec created by MQA was one of the best demonstrations at CES 2023, and is one of the most promising solutions for high-quality wireless audio. Yes, I said MQA.

Widely recognized as a high-quality audio compression algorithm, used in film sound to radio broadcast, studios and finally in Bluetooth, where its incorporated into billions of devices, the successful story of aptX technology is inextricably linked to the history of digital audio and a remarkable corporate journey, from APT to CSR and Qualcomm. This article offers an insider's overview of the aptX audio codec adoption and evolution, and how the technology was interlinked with the author's professional career for the past 28 years. This article was originally published in audioXpress, October 2022.

Audio Codecs, a new Belfast-based company and the developers of the Skylark digital audio data compression algorithm designed for low latency, joined forces with Virscient, a New Zealand based RF consultancy house, to launch a new wireless audio transmission module using Bluetooth Low Energy. The solution uses a Nordic Bluetooth LE SoC to transmit a 24-bit/48kHz high quality, low latency digital wireless microphone signal.