Wireless audio chips claim 'wired quality' sound

Avnera Corporation has announced wireless audio ICs for wireless speakers, microphones, headphones and headsets that deliver uncompressed CD-quality sound and claim to solve the interference problems that have been typical of previous wireless audio solutions. The new chips - AudioMagic and VoiceMagic - use a streaming transmission technology designed specifically for music and six layers of interference protection to provide single-chip solutions at a lower system cost than competitive solutions, according to the company.

The AudioMagic AV71101/11 and AV7102/12 transmitter/receiver ICs enable uncompressed CD-quality sound for wireless music applications. The devices operate in the 2.4-GHz ISM band and feature fixed latency, integrated power management, and a typical range of 45 ft (without a PA) and 100 ft (with a PA).

The VoiceMagic AV6101/2 transmitters and receivers offer wideband voice (16-kHz sampling rate) transmission, fixed end-to-end voice latency to support echo cancellation, and a small form factor. They are optimized for PC-based VoIP applications.

The company's technology is based on the following key features:

• Audio-specific forward error correction to let the receiver repair lost data due to bursts of interference.
• Psycho-acoustic techniques and time dispersion to spread out errors in time.
• A small-spectrum footprint in the 2.4-GHz spectrum, allowing the use of 40 possible channels.
• The use of a dynamic frequency selection algorithm to choose the optimal channel for communication.
• Support for two separate antennas with instantaneous switching to the one that is sending/receiving the best signal.
• Dynamic power control to allow the RF amplifier to increase power if the receiver is far away, or decrease if it's close.

Production-ready FCC-certified and tested AudioMagic and VoiceMagic modules are also available.

Avnera Corporation, (503) 718-4100, www.avnera.com

Product details:
AudioMagic information page
VoiceMagic information page