Why should we care about the Bluetooth LE Audio standard?

The LE Audio feature of the iEB110 IP allows manufacturers to develop low-power audio products that can offer some revolutionary new features that were not possible before, even with third-party proprietary solutions. The main highlight of this new version (referring to the Bluetooth 5.2 version with LE Audio) is the first audio support provided over the Bluetooth LE link. This is called one of the biggest developments in the history of the Bluetooth SIG. Bluetooth LE now not only supports audio, but its new feature set will also support multiple application scenarios that will change the way we use and share audio for many years to come.

At the heart of LE Audio is the new Low Complexity Communication Codec (LC3), which is now required for all LE Audio products and supports a wide range of sampling rates, bit rates, and frame rates, providing product developers with maximum flexibility to optimize their products and, in turn, bring the best audio experience to their end users. Compared to the SBC codec used in Bluetooth Classic, LC3 is more efficient in processing and delivering audio, and as you will see below, it provides high-quality audio in the real world.

The vertical axis in the graph below represents the degree of audio impairment based on the ITU-R BS.1116-3 specification, where 5 means no difference from the original source can be detected, 4 means there is a noticeable difference but it is not objectionable, and 3 means the difference is very noticeable.

Figure 1 LC3 and SBC codec performance comparison

The results show that LC3 can provide a much better audio experience than SBC even with half the bit rate.

The inherent limitations of SBC mean that manufacturers of audio products (such as Bluetooth headsets) have had to resort to proprietary solutions to improve sound quality, such as AC3 and AptX encoding. However, these require specific hardware support and inevitably increase the cost of standard-based implementation. With LC3, this problem is solved, and manufacturers no longer need to pay for the licensing fees of proprietary technology, so they can reduce product costs.

True multi-stream audio support

In addition, the low-power Bluetooth 5.2 version introduces a new feature - multi-stream audio, which is expected to revolutionize wireless audio. We know that classic Bluetooth can only support a single point-to-point audio stream on the A2DP profile. Therefore, developers have to resort to proprietary methods to implement some of the latest applications, such as true wireless stereo (TWS) commonly used in today's wireless earbuds. In the TWS solution, audio is sent only to one earphone, which then sends the signal to the other earphone.

However, it is much simpler with LE Audio, which was originally developed to handle multiple audio streams between devices and synchronize them perfectly.

Low-power audio makes products last longer

The ability to deliver high-quality audio at low bit rates means the LE radio does not need to be on for as long. This reduces power consumption and extends battery life. By taking advantage of LC3’s energy-saving benefits, developers can create more compact products using smaller batteries.

Broadcast audio support

LE Audio supports broadcasts, which can be private or public, opening up new possibilities for use cases in public places. For example, for airport announcements or departure lounges, broadcasts can be open to anyone to connect, just like an open Wi-Fi SSID. On the other hand, paid audio guides for museums and galleries can be provided as private broadcasts that can be set up to require listeners to enter a password before accessing.

Audio Sharing

Bluetooth LE’s Audio Sharing feature also offers a whole new way to consume audio over Bluetooth, with great potential to transform the user experience. This feature enables sharing personal audio with those around us to create a shared listening experience – just turn on sharing and your friends or colleagues can listen in.

There’s also location-based audio sharing, which allows public television to share audio in multiple languages ​​with simultaneous translation.

Hearing aid support

Bluetooth-based audio has brought huge benefits to a wide range of users over the years through hands-free calling and wireless music streaming. However, there are some people who cannot benefit from these technological advances: people with hearing impairments.

This group is estimated to account for 15% of the world’s population, and as people live longer, this number is increasing. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 1.1 billion young people worldwide may be at risk of hearing loss before the age of 35 due to unsafe listening habits.

LE Audio has explicit support for hearing aid applications built into the standard. The new high-efficiency codec will enable developers to create more miniaturized products, such as hearing aids with smaller batteries. At the same time, as TWS headphones become more popular, the feeling of shame about wearing hearing aids is gone.

Smartphone apps such as hearWHO from the World Health Organization enable people to self-diagnose hearing loss. By adding Bluetooth functionality to hearing aids, people can simply buy generic hearing aids and customize their features using a smartphone app to meet their hearing needs. It is estimated that 80% of people with hearing loss live in low- and middle-income countries, where there is currently only one audiologist for every 6 million people, so this could be a life-changing technology for them.

Figure 2 hearWHO, a hearing loss self-diagnosis application

Comprehensive Bluetooth Low Energy IP Solution

With these revolutionary application scenarios, we are excited about the possibilities these new products will bring in the coming years, and any manufacturer wanting to develop such products can get good support and service through Imagination’s iEB110 IP.