What can LE Audio, the new generation of Bluetooth audio technology standards, bring us?

20 years ago, the emergence of Bluetooth freed the shackles of wired audio transmission and created the wireless audio market. Today, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) announced that it will release a new generation of Bluetooth audio technology standard - LE Audio, a low-power audio standard. LE Audio will not only improve Bluetooth audio performance, but also provide more powerful support for hearing aid applications and support audio sharing. This is a new use case that will once again change the way we experience audio and connect us to the world in unprecedented ways.

Mark Powell, CEO of the Bluetooth SIG, said: “In 2019, shipments of Bluetooth wireless audio products approached 1 billion, making it the largest Bluetooth market. The Bluetooth community has been committed to promoting technology and product innovation to provide more complete and powerful Bluetooth audio products. The launch of LE Audio is the best example.”

Bluetooth audio will soon support two operating modes. The newly launched LE Audio will be based on Bluetooth Low Energy wireless communication, while Classic Audio will be based on Bluetooth Classic wireless communication. LE Audio can support the same audio products and use cases as Classic Audio, while its new features can improve performance and bring new usage scenarios.

Low Complexity Communication Codec ( LC3) enables higher sound quality and lower power consumption. LE Audio will use the new high-quality, low-power audio codec LC3. LC3 has the characteristics of providing high sound quality even at low data rates, which will provide developers with great flexibility, allowing them to better balance key product attributes such as sound quality and power consumption when designing products.

“Extensive sound tests have shown that LC3 will deliver higher sound quality than Classic Audio’s SBC codec, even at a 50 percent lower bit rate,” said Manfred Lutzky, Head of Audio for Communications at Fraunhofer IIS. “Developers will be able to take advantage of this by creating products with longer battery life or by optimizing the form factor of their products by using a smaller battery if current power requirements are met.”

Multi-Stream Audio can help create better-performing in-ear headphones. The multi-stream audio function will enable the simultaneous transmission of multiple and independent audio streams between a single audio source device (source device) such as a smartphone and single or multiple audio sink devices (sink devices).

“Developers will be able to use multi-stream audio capabilities to improve performance for products such as true wireless in-ear headphones,” said Nick Hunn, CTO of WiFore Consulting and chair of the Bluetooth SIG’s Hearing Aid Working Group. “For example, multi-stream audio can provide a better stereo experience, make using voice assistant services more seamless, and make switching between multiple audio source devices smoother.”

Bluetooth hearing aids bring good news to people with hearing loss. LE Audio provides more powerful hearing aid support based on low power consumption, high sound quality and multiple streaming functions. Currently, Bluetooth audio has provided great convenience to a large number of users around the world in terms of wireless calls, listening and viewing. LE Audio will promote the development of Bluetooth hearing aids and bring all the features of Bluetooth audio to the growing number of people with hearing loss.

“LE Audio is one of the most important enablers for users of hearing aids and implants,” said Stefan Zimmer, Secretary General of the European Hearing Aid Manufacturers Association (EHIMA). “EHIMA is committed to contributing its expertise to improve the audio experience, especially for people with hearing impairments. In the next few years, most new mobile phones and TVs will be able to accommodate hearing-impaired users.”

Broadcast Audio technology enables audio sharing. LE Audio will also add broadcast audio capabilities, enabling a single audio source device to broadcast one or more audio streams to an unlimited number of audio sink devices. Broadcast audio opens up important new opportunities for innovative use cases, including enabling a new Bluetooth use case - audio sharing.

Bluetooth audio sharing can be based on individuals or locations. With personal audio sharing, users will be able to share their Bluetooth audio experience with people around them, for example, sharing music on a smartphone with family and friends. With location-based audio sharing, Bluetooth audio can be shared in public places such as airports, bars, gyms, cinemas and conference centers, thereby enhancing the visitor experience.

“Location-based audio sharing has the potential to change the way we experience our environments,” said Peter Liu of Bose, a member of the Bluetooth SIG board of directors. “For example, in public spaces, TVs could be broadcast to allow people to hear the TV audio signal even when it is muted, while venues like theaters and lecture halls will be able to share audio to assist hearing-impaired visitors, with multiple languages ​​available.”