Hearables and Wearables

Jogger listens to music on earbuds and checks his vitals on a smart watch

 

Analog Devices’ hearable and wearable solutions combine market-leading technology such as audio codecs and amplifiers with battery management and power technologies such as single-inductor multiple-output (SIMO), fuel gauges, and vital sign monitoring. Our interface products deliver hardware solutions in areas such as true wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds, smartwatches, over the ear headphones, and smart glasses, among others. In addition to hardware, ADI delivers a suite of advanced solution-focused algorithms to enable superior performance in key hearable and wearable applications such as active noise cancellation (ANC), voice calling, and body/health measurement.

High Quality, Low Power Audio Solutions

Low power audio is becoming a popular alternative to power-hungry visual displays on battery-powered devices such as hearables and wearables. ADI has the audio solutions you need to embrace this trend, with an extensive history in high fidelity audio as well as expertise in low power electronics and battery management solutions.

ADI offers a broad portfolio of codec and Class-D audio solutions that deliver top performance and unrivalled signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) optimized for hearables and wearables. Our speaker amplifiers offer output power levels from less than 1 W up to 50 W. Innovative packaging technology provides the smallest Class AB and Class-D amplifiers available with design solutions that require minimal configuration. Our Dynamic Speaker Management(DSM) smart amplifiers combine high performance current and voltage (IV) sense amplifiers with a patented DSM algorithm to create louder and richer sound from microspeakers. Finally, our battery management solutions enable low power operations that extend run time and overall longevity for hearable and wearable technology.

In terms of software, ADI provides an enhanced offering of programming capabilities (such as SigmaStudio®) and an extensive algorithm library featuring both ADI and third party offerings.

Person wearing headphones looking at dramatic sunset

Webinar: ANC for Wireless Headphones

Active noise cancellation helps provide a more immersive and natural interaction between people and technology. See how ADI solutions can enhance headphones and other hearable technology.

View this on-demand webinar

Bowers & Wilkins Headphones and blue sound waves

Bowers & Wilkins Cancel Noise, Not Quality

Thanks to ADI’s power supply solutions, Bowers & Wilkins developed a noise-cancelling headphone platform with multiple levels of ANC and some of the longest playtime available, all without sacrificing sound quality.

Enabling Bowers & Wilkins’ signature sound

Audio Algorithms for Enhanced Conversation and Listening

ADI LISTN: Voice Solutions for Hearables

ADI's portfolio of voice processing algorithms lead to differentiating features for earbuds and headphones. Pure Voice improves voice calling quality in challenging acoustic environments and Hearing Augmentation adds personal sound amplification to widely used consumer devices.

Hear more about ADI LISTN

Close up of a couple of speakers

Dynamic Speaker Management

Dynamic Speaker Management (DSM) smart amplifiers combine high performance current and voltage (IV) sense amplifiers with a patented DSM algorithm to create louder and richer sound from microspeakers.

Learn more about DSM

ADI Engineer Joshua LeMaire presents audio technology for wireless headphones

Taking Wireless Headphones to the Next Level

This demo highlights advanced ADI technologies embedded in earphone/headphones showing how consumer electronic devices can provide a differentiated feature set.

Graph showing results of conventional PSAP solution

Antinoise in Hearables

Learn how personal sound amplification products (PSAPs) enhance the user’s listening experience in challenging environments by simultaneously reducing unwanted ambient noise and amplifying the desired ambient sound.

Woman on beach placidly listening to wireless earbuds

Great Sound. Long Life. Meet the Codec That Does it All

Users of small, portable electronics like earbuds expect great audio quality along with extended battery life. For enhanced audio quality, look for an audio codec with programmable functions designed to deliver the best listening experience.

Featured Products

Low Power and Battery Management

ADI’s battery management technologies support optimal battery health, safety, and longevity for hearable and wearable solutions. ADI’s battery solutions offer excellent noise performance, faster, safer charging, smaller total solution sizes, highest power density, and highest efficiency across the entire load range.

Ultra low quiescent current enables the longest battery life by maximizing run time, standby, and shelf life. Our SIMO power converter architecture offers space savings while maintaining high efficiency. Together, these solutions enable the IC to extend battery life for space-constrained, battery-powered electronic products such as smart watches and other wearables.

Our switched capacitor converter provides up to 98% efficiency while our low power power management ICs (PMICs) enable low operating current, high efficiency power conversion, and compact form factors that are critical for hearable and wearable products.

Woman wearing multiple biometric trackers and listening to earbuds while jogging

SIMO Makes Space for Added Functionality in Wearables

With scalable, low power SIMO PMICs in your design, you can regain board space for value-added modules enabling functions such as voice commands, biometrics, gesture control, GPS, and more.

Watch the webinar to learn more

Focused young man listening to audio while working late in the office

Take Charge of Battery Charging with AccuCharge Technology

As rechargeable batteries become more and more prevalent in personal electronic devices, see how ADI’s novel AccuCharge™ technology can help ensure safe charging, comprehensive protection, and the most accurate fuel gauging.

Explore solutions in the webcast

Woman smiles while listening to earbuds and reading her smart phone

SIMO Saves Power and Space in Hearables

New SIMO architecture offers the smallest form factor, ultralow standby power, and high system efficiency for hearables. See how SIMO can reduce power dissipation and overall component count in less than half the space.

View this webinar

Futuristic young woman in VR environment with smart glasses

Everything You Need to Know About SIMO

SIMO architecture helps extend battery life for space-constrained electronic products. Learn how it works and see how you can combine the SIMO regulator with PMICs for space and power savings in hearables and wearables.

Read the article

Featured Products

Wearable VSM Solutions

ADI provides a range of discrete and integrated signal chain products ideal for wearable MCUs and health sensors. Our wearable solutions for VSM and health offer a range of merits including low power, low noise, and multichannel capability. ADI’s solutions provide clinical-grade accuracy in the smallest possible footprint while achieving the lowest possible power consumption, with various PMICs available to ensure the longest run time and lifespan for these small, battery-powered devices.

MAXREFDES104 smart watch

MAXREFDES104: Health Sensor Platform 3.0

Watch the video and learn about the MAXREFDES104, a reference design ready to collect blood oxygen, ECG, heart rate, body temperature, and activity data.

Watch now


Illustration of PPG using one LED and four PDs

Clinical-Grade PPG Without the Battery Drain

A key challenge for designers is how to make high quality HR and SpO2 measurements in a way that doesn’t place a heavy drain on the battery of the device. Our sensor IC uses a novel architecture to substantially reduce power consumption while making clinical-grade measurements.

Read the technical article

Hiker checks her blood sugar with phone and smart tracker

Actionable Insights in Wearable Healthcare

A revolution in wearable patient monitoring is allowing medical professionals to proactively manage preventative care needs and chronic conditions. Learn how wearable device developers can improve the accuracy of actionable insights for remote patient monitoring.

Watch the on-demand webinar

Featured Products

Hearables and Wearables Featured Resources

Software, Algorithms, and Tools

ADI and the Metaverse: The Edge of What’s Possible

Intelligence at the edge is the key to a truly immersive 3D experience in the Metaverse and beyond. ADI provides innovative edge solutions for next-generation extended reality devices, as well as cloud, network, and energy solutions to support the infrastructure upgrades these devices require.

Learn about ADI’s edge devices

Father and daughter sitting at a desk to study earth sciences. The daughter is wearing a virtual reality headset.
Face speaking with sound waves shown

Speech Processing Solutions

The versatile speech processing solutions from ADI enable a wide range of applications such as basic communications, gaming, conferencing solutions, and voice UI. Visit our EngineerZone™ to explore more and reach out to ADI engineers with any questions you may have.

Learn about ADI speech solutions

SIMO Calculator

SIMO Calculator

SIMO calculator helps you explore the tradeoffs associated with SIMO parameters, and provides guidance on ways to enhance your design. This spreadsheet tool is used to estimate if a DCM SIMO regulator can support a given set of output voltage and load current conditions.

Download SIMO calculator

Evaluation Kits

Featured Reference Designs

Signal Chains

(3)

Click on a part in the diagram below