The kit shows how loose-fit true wireless earbuds can achieve selective noise cancellation for augmented hearing, while supporting features such as proximity sensing for automatic power saving and usability enhancements.
The ams ‘Adaptive Leakage Compensation’ technology in the AS3460 – the digital audio processor at the heart of the reference design – dynamically adjusts the frequency coverage and depth of noise attenuation to cancel out noise which enters the ear directly, bypassing the earbud’s silicone tip.
The Digital Augmented Hearing engine on which the AS3460 is based also provides a platform for new functions which make the earbud a core component of digital consumers’ lives, including personal health monitoring, selective sound awareness, and treatment for the symptoms of tinnitus.
Chris Feige, Executive Vice President for Ear Solutions at ams, commented, “Studies of consumer attitudes confirm that true wireless earbud users strongly prefer the loose-fit type because it is more comfortable to wear. The closed-fit earbud is a compromised design, sacrificing the user’s comfort in order to gain some passive noise attenuation and compensate for the weakness of conventional noise cancellation systems in loose-fit earbuds. With the AS3460’s Adaptive Leakage Compensation technology, ams has solved the leakage problem and is uniquely able to provide a closed-fit standard of noise-cancellation performance in the comfortable loose-fit form factor.”
Ams introduced the AS3460 Digital Augmented Hearing companion chip in 2019 to bring high-performance noise cancellation for the first time to loose-fit wireless earbuds. It is the first audio chip to provide up to 40dB of noise attenuation in the loose-fit type of wireless earbud over a broad range of audible frequencies, providing a quiet acoustic background in almost any environment. This means the user can take calls and listen to music at lower volume, which helps protect their long-term hearing health.
In the Earbud Innovation Demo Kit, ams also provides the AS3460’s Automatic Preset Selection technology, which detects different acoustic environments such as the interior of a car, an air plane cabin, or a crowded room, and automatically applies an optimised noise filter without the user having to do anything – and without compromising safety or comfort as the user moves from one place to another.