audioXpress January 2022 Looks Ahead at Speaker Technology Developments

Great articles, practical projects, reviews, and audio technology previews start the year in full force! That's what our readers will find in audioXpress January 2022, starting with an update on new materials and engineering approaches for loudspeakers, and articles by Charlie Hughes, Scott Dorsey, Frans de Wit, Ken Bird and Mike Harkins. Brent Butterworth reviews the Olive Pro earbuds, while Raj Senguttuvan from Knowles discusses differentiation for True Wireless Stereo (TWS) design and development.

Making Audio Augmentation useful for everyone, or pursue the regulatory requirements of OTC hearing aids. This article offers a useful perspective regarding the guidance documents published by the US Food and Drug Administration regarding improved access to hearing aid technology. The agency proposes a rule to establish a new category of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids - to be sold directly to consumers in stores or online without a medical exam or a fitting by an audiologist. But most audio manufacturers are better off by not pursuing this FDA-approved OTC market. Doing so will simply hinder critical experimentation and innovation.

Olive Union - the smart hearing company on a mission to make affordable hearing health a reality for everyone - is officially making its 2-in-1 true wireless earbuds and smart hearing aids available for purchase in the US for $299. According to the company based in Tokyo, Japan, the Olive Pro design combines FDA-Registered class II hearing aids with true wireless stereo and was intentionally made to look like conventional Bluetooth earbuds to combat the social and economic barriers of hearing loss.