Trusted Reviews is supported by its audience. If you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.Learn more.
New Snapdragon Sound chips promise CD-quality wireless audio and much more
In This Article
During itsfar-reaching MWC announcements, Qualcomm has launched two new audio-centric processors that enable wireless transmission of CD-quality 16-bit lossless audio for thebest wireless earphonesand more.
The new chips, announced atMWC 2022, promise to solve a major pain point for the music streaming industry, which is launching high-res formats amid the relative incompatibility of high quality audio transmission over Bluetooth.
The Qualcomm S3 Sound Platform and S5 Sound Platform provide support for both 16-bit 44.1 kHz CD-quality lossless Bluetooth audio and 24-bit 96 kHz high resolution Bluetooth audio. The new additions to theSnapdragon SoundPlatform also bring support for both Bluetooth LE and Bluetooth 5.3 and will significantly boost the sound quality when listening via wireless headphones rocking the S3 and S5 chips.
The S3 and S5 Sound Platform chips, which will enable manufacturers to develop more advanced earphones, speakers and headsets, are also capable of connecting to an unlimited number of Bluetooth listening devices in secure environments.
“The Qualcomm S5 Sound Platform is designed to deliver studio master listening experiences, with seamless quality scaling to match the source file resolution,” thecompany writeson its website. “This includes Lossless CD quality audio with Snapdragon Sound, a first for wireless earbuds, achieved using our systems level approach.”
The company is also promising 68ms low-latency (25% lower) as part of a new gaming mode, which enables gamers to “fully synchronise your audio experience with the action you see on the screen. These platforms also offer a wireless voice back channel for in-game chat,” Qualcomm says. The new chips are also promising stereo recording for creators, 32kHz super wideband voice call quality, and integrated adaptive ANC.
James Chapman, Qualcomm’s VP and GM of Voice, Music & Wearables added: “In these tiny platforms, we integrated our Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation in a dedicated hardware block, and as a result are bringing substantial noise cancellation improvements, to whatever is in a listener’s earbud.”
Jabra, iQOO and Xiaomi have already announced they all be launching listening devices with the new chips at the heart.
You might like…
Chris Smith is a freelance technology journalist for a host of UK tech publications, including Trusted Reviews. He’s based in South Florida, USA. …
Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Why trust our journalism?
Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
