Wireless Audio Gets Simpler

Avnera Corporation’s AudioMagic and Voicemagic chipsets (Fig. 1) makes wireless speaker, headphone and headset design simple and reliable. Avnera claims its 16KHz sampling rate, plug-and-play design can be delivered at a 30 percent lower total system cost. It operates in the 2.4GHz spectrum. It dynamically selects one of 40 frequencies. Avnera’s wireless solution is designed for streaming audio versus a general wireless interface. Forward error correction allows dropped packets to be reconstructed instead of being reset. The system also employs psycho-acoustic techniques and time dispersion to spread out errors in time when correction occurs, hiding bursty interference. The chips support two separate antenna systems, utilizing the one that is sending/receiving the best signal. It also dynamically adjusts RF transmission power as the distance between systems varies. Parts count can be significantly reduced. A system requires just 2 chips and 65 passive parts. A range of third party products are also being released based on the chipsets. These include wireless headphones, cordless phones and speakers. Related Links Avnera