Synaptics Launches Ultra-Low-Power Triple Combo Wireless SoC Family with Auracast
Synaptics has extended its Veros Triple Combo connectivity portfolio with the launch of the latest SYN461x family of ultra-low-power Wi-Fi 2.4/5/6 GHz, Bluetooth 6.0, Bluetooth LE Audio with Auracast, and IEEE 802.15.4 (Zigbee/Thread) systems on chip (SoCs). Designed for embedded applications in Edge AI connected devices, the Veros SYN461x family is optimized for system integration, size, and rapid time to market.
Orban Celebrates 50 Years of Optimod FM Processors
The Optimod FM audio processor is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025. 50 years ago, Orban shipped its first audio processor for FM radio broadcasting, the Optimod 8000, and it revolutionized the broadcasting business. Since that day, the company founded by Bob Orban has been leading in audio processing for broadcast audio and the name "Optimod" basically defines the whole radio processor category.
General Motors Introduces Dolby Atmos Across its Entire 2026 EV Lineup
Dolby Laboratories and General Motors announced that Dolby Atmos will be supported as an available feature across Cadillac's entire 2026 electric vehicle lineup. This will include the 2026 Escalade IQL, Escalade IQ, Lyriq-V, Optiq, Vistiq, and more. As previewed at CES 2025, select 2025 models will also receive Dolby Atmos through over-the-air software updates. Dolby reports over 2 million Dolby Atmos-enabled cars already on the roads.
03
NDI Joins AES70 Efforts as Latest Member of the OCA Alliance
The OCA Alliance, formed to promote the Open Control Architecture (OCA) according to the AES70 control and monitoring standard, announced NDI as a member to the trade association. NDI is now a de facto standard in audio, video, and metadata media networking, and a major update to its metadata capabilities was just announced, making the collaboration with the OCA Alliance even more pertinent. NDI has been adopted by more media organizations than any other IP standard, creating the industry’s largest ecosystem of compatible and enabled video products.
Qualcomm Acquires On-Device Machine Learning Pioneer Edge Impulse
A Californian company that was instrumental in multiple pioneering efforts to run machine learning on-device, particularly for voice recognition, Edge Impulse has agreed to be acquired by Qualcomm, which is aiming to boost its own development ecosystem for edge AI applications. Edge Impulse, founded in 2019 with the mission to streamline the creation of AI and machine learning models in embedded systems, says it will remain open to other platforms, while accelerating integration with Qualcomm devices and development kits.
Powersoft Introduces New Amplifier Platform for Touring Market
A few days past announcing the ultra-compact Nota PoE amplifier, its smallest product ever, and from the K-Array acquisition announcement, Powersoft announced Unica T, a new touring amplifier platform, designed for massive scale, power, and reliability, while optimizing space and ensuring seamless performance for touring professionals. The Italian manufacturer intends to expand its Class-D solutions on the market that originally projected the Powersoft brand globally.
Synseer Unveils HealthBuds Health and Wellness Monitor Earbuds
Synseer, a company focused on health and wellness consumer solutions, officially unveiled its HealthBuds essential biometrics monitor earbuds at SXSW 2025 in Austin, Texas. The company developed the design to help consumers access essential biometric data and better understand their bodies and personal health. The new HealthBuds have been designed to monitor hearing, heart, and health signals in a single device using Synseer's patent-pending infra and ultrasonic technology.
Rotel Launches DX-3 Headphone Amplifier, Preamp and DAC
In hifi circles, Rotel is renowned for its stereo amplifiers. But the Japanese company recognized growing demand for high-quality headphone listening experiences and the fact that more people are spending time at home or by their computers. The Rotel DX-3 Headphone Amplifier introduces a new product category with a new, modern, fully balanced design. The built-in ESS Sabre ES9028PRO DAC renders music via USB input (32-bit/384kHz), coaxial/optical (24-bit/192kHz), aptX HD Bluetooth, and legacy audio equipment via an AUX RCA input.
Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro Wi-Fi Support 24-bit/96kHz Lossless Audio at 4.2Mbps
A year past since Qualcomm announced its S7 Pro Snapdragon Sound platform with micro-power Wi-Fi, Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi unveiled the new Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro Wi-Fi earbuds at MWC 2025. The brand designed a premium model with a triple coaxial driver system, hybrid active noise cancellation (ANC) up to 55dB, support for AI-powered transcription, and Qualcomm XPAN for direct connectivity to smartphones, enabling 24-bit/96kHz lossless audio with an expanded 4.2Mbps bandwidth.
Outboard DSP: Danville Signal dspNexus
The first in a series of reviews of outboard DSP processors available in the market and of interest to loudspeaker engineers, this article explores an extremely versatile and powerful DSP audio processor and DAC, crossover, and control center for any audio system. The dspNexus comes with balanced inputs and outputs, USB, S/PDIF and Bluetooth aptX HD, and processing is handled by a latest-generation Analog Devices SHARC DSP, with Audio Weaver as the programming interface.