{"id":1193297,"date":"2023-10-17T13:30:34","date_gmt":"2023-10-17T17:30:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/?p=1193297"},"modified":"2023-10-17T13:30:34","modified_gmt":"2023-10-17T17:30:34","slug":"could-mems-be-the-next-big-leap-in-headphone-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/?p=1193297","title":{"rendered":"Could MEMS be the next big leap in headphone technology?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you have a pair of in-ear headphones, there\u2019s a good chance they are using a technology that\u2019s several<\/ins><\/a> decades old<\/ins><\/a>. Despite attempts to introduce different, exotic-sounding systems like planar magnetic, electrostatic and even bone conduction, most IEMs or in-ear headphones still use either balanced armature or dynamic drivers. But there\u2019s another contender, promising high fidelity, low power consumption and a tiny physical footprint. The twist is, it\u2019s a technology that\u2019s been in your pocket for the last ten years already.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re talking about micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), and it\u2019s a technology that\u2019s been used in almost every microphone in every cell phone since the 2010s. When applied to headphone drivers (the inverse of a microphone) the benefits are many. But until recently, the technology wasn\u2019t mature enough for mainstream headphones. California-based xMEMS is one company pushing the technology and consumer products featuring its solid-state MEMS drivers are finally coming to market. We tested the high-end Oni from Singularity, but Creative has also confirmed a set of TWS headphones with xMEMS drivers will be available in time for the holidays.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Where conventional speakers and drivers typically use magnets and coils, MEMS uses piezos and silicon. The result, if the hype is to be believed, is something that\u2019s more responsive, more durable and with consistent fidelity. And unlike balanced-armature or dynamic, MEMS drivers can be built on a production line with minimal-to-no need for calibration or driver matching, streamlining their production. xMEMS, for example, has partnered with TSMC, one of the largest producers of microprocessors for its manufacturing process.<\/p>\n

\"A
\n
xMEMS<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Of course, MEMS drivers lend themselves to any wearable that produces sound from AR glasses to VR goggles and hearing aids. For most of us, though, it’s headphones where we\u2019re going to see the biggest impact. Not least because the potential consistency and precision of MEMS should marry perfectly with related technologies such as spatial audio where fast response times and perfect phase matching (two headphones being perfectly calibrated to each other) is essential.<\/p>\n

For now, MEMS is best suited to earbuds, IEMS and TWS-style headphones but xMEMS hopes to change that. \u201cThe North Star of the company was to reinvent loudspeakers,\u201d Mike Householder, Marketing & Business Development at the company told Engadget. \u201cBut to generate that full bandwidth audio in free air is a little bit more of a development challenge that’s going to take some more time. The easier lift for us was to get into personal audio and that’s the product that we have today.\u201d<\/p>\n

To look at, the first IEM to feature xMEMS\u2019 solid-state drivers, Singularity\u2019s Oni<\/ins><\/a>, seem like regular, stylish high-end in-ear monitors. Once the music started to flow, though, there was a very clear difference. Electronic genres sounded crisp and impactful in a way that feld more . The MEMS drivers\u2019 fast transient response evidenced in the sharp, punch percussion of RJD2\u2019s \u201cGhostwriter\u201d and the Chemical Brothers\u2019 \u201cLive Again.\u201d The latter\u2019s mid- and high-end sections in particular shone through with remarkable clarity. Bass response was good, especially in the lower-mids, but perhaps not the strong point of the experience.<\/p>\n

\n

\"A
\n
Singularity<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

When I tried Metallica\u2019s \u201cFor Whom the Bell Tolls,\u201d I immediately noticed the hi-hats pushing through in a way I\u2019d never heard before. The only way I can describe it is \u201csplashy.\u201d It didn\u2019t sound weird, just noticeable. I asked Householder about this and he wasn\u2019t as surprised. \u201cYeah, the hi-hats, cymbals and percussion, you’re gonna hear it with a new level of detail that you’re really not accustomed to.\u201d He said, adding that some of this will be the tuning of the supplied headphone amplifier (made by iFi<\/ins><\/a>) so it\u2019s partly the EQ of that, mixed with the improved clarity of high frequencies from the MEMS drivers.<\/p>\n

There was another surprise with the supplied amp\/DAC also \u2014 it had a specific \u201cxMEMS\u201d mode. I originally planned to use my own, but it turns out that I needed this specific DAC as the MEMS drivers require a 10-volt bias to work. I asked Householder if all headphones would require a DAC (effectively ending their chances of mainstream adoption), but apparently xMEMS has developed its own amp \u201cchip\u201d that can both drive the speakers and supply the 10-volt bias. The forthcoming True Wireless buds from Creative, for example, obviously won\u2019t need any additional hardware.<\/p>\n

This is where things get interesting. While we don’t know the price for Creative\u2019s TWS buds with xMEMS drivers, we can be sure that they will be a lot cheaper than Singularity\u2019s IEMs which retail for $1,500. \u201cYou know, they’re appealing to a certain consumer, but you could just very easily put that same speaker into a plastic shell, and retail it for 150 bucks,\u201d Householder told Engadget. The idea that xMEMS can democratize personal audio at every price point is a bold one. Not least because most audiophiles aren\u2019t used to seeing the exact same technology in their IEMs also in sub $200 wireless products. Until we have another set to test, though, we can\u2019t comment on the individual character each manufacturer can imbue on them.<\/p>\n

\"Exploded
\n
xMEMS<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

One possible differentiating factor for higher-end products (and competing MEMS-based products) is something xMEMS is calling \u201cSkyline.\u201d Householder described it as a dynamic \u201cvent\u201d that can be opened and closed depending on the listener\u2019s needs. Similar to how open-back headphones are favored by some for their acoustic qualities, xMEMS-powered IEMs could include Skyline that would open and close to prevent occlusion, improve passive noise canceling and other acoustic qualities such as \u201ctransparency\u201d mode where you want to temporarily let external, environmental noises come through.<\/p>\n

For those who prefer on-ear or over-ear headphones, MEMS technology will likely be paired with legacy dynamic drivers, at least initially. \u201cThe first step that we’re taking into headphone is actually a two way approach,\u201d Householder said. The idea being that a smaller dynamic driver can handle the low frequencies, while MEMS drivers currently don\u2019t scale up so well. \u201cIt’s really the perfect pairing. The dynamic for the low end, let it do what it does best, and then we’ve got the far superior high frequency response [from MEMS],\u201d he said. \u201cBut the long term vision is to eventually fully replace that dynamic driver.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ultimate goal would of course be a set of solid-state desktop speakers, but we\u2019re a little way out on that it seems. For now though, there\u2019s a tantalizing promise that MEMS-based in-ears could modernize and maybe even democratize consumer audio, at least around a certain price point. Not to mention that xMEMS isn\u2019t the only company in the game. Austrian startup, Usound, already showed its own reference-design earphone<\/ins><\/a> last year and Sonic Edge has developed its own MEMS \u201cspeaker-in-chip<\/ins><\/a>\u201d technology. With some competition in the market, there\u2019s hope that the number of products featuring it will increase and improve steadily over the next year or so.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https:\/\/www.engadget.com\/could-mems-be-the-next-big-leap-in-headphone-technology-173034402.html?src=rss
\n
\nSource: Engadget – Could MEMS be the next big leap in headphone technology?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you have a pair of in-ear headphones, there\u2019s a good chance they are using a technology that\u2019s several decades old. Despite attempts to introduce different, exotic-sounding systems like planar magnetic, electrostatic and even bone conduction, most IEMs or in-ear … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[99,110],"tags":[98],"class_list":["post-1193297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-engadget","category-unfiltered-rss","tag-engadget"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1193297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1193297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1193297\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1193297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1193297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1193297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}