Bluetooth LE Audio – Better audio quality, longer playtime and new features
LE Audio is a newly introduced Bluetooth® standard designed for audio transmission. It operates on the Bluetooth® Low Energy radio and will change the way audio is experienced and consumed. Because of its low power consumption, the battery life of wireless audio devices will be significantly extended. Optionally, the size of those devices can also be drastically reduced. This new standard will also allow devices to mesh with Auracast™, where today's products can only connect two devices at a time. As a result, new ways of listening to music and new applications can be expected.
Getting started – nRF5340 Audio DK
The nRF5340 Audio Development Kit (DK) is the recommended platform for Bluetooth® LE audio products and supports all Auracast™ features. It includes everything needed to start development. The kit is configurable and can function as a USB dongle to send or receive audio data from a PC. It can also function as a business headset, a broadcast receiver, or a True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbud. For most use cases, it is recommended to use two or more DKs. The three main components of this development kit are the nRF5340 SoC, the nPM1100 PMIC, and Cirrus Logic's CS47L63 audio DSP. The CS47L63's high performance DAC and differential output driver are optimized for direct connection to an external headphone load. It is ideal for mono-only headphones and direct speaker output. The nRF5340 Audio development kit is typically powered via USB and has a battery connector for a Li-Ion/Li-Po battery. The current consumption can be measured by using the dedicated current measurement pins. It is recommended to use Nordic's Power Profiler Kit II for that. The new "Low Complexity Communications Codec" (LC3), which replaced the "Low Complexity Subband Codec" (SBC) of Bluetooth® Classic, is also available for this development kit. The LC3 codec has superior audio quality compared to SBC, even at about half the wireless data rate. This low data rate is a key factor in minimizing the power consumption of your products.
Key Features
- Bluetooth® LE Audio support
- Based on the nRF5340 SoC
- 2.4 GHz antenna
- Two 3.5 mm audio jacks
- Cirrus Logic Audio DSP CS47L63
- 1,350 mAh Li-Po battery
- SWF RF connector for direct RF measurements
- 5 user-programmable buttons
- 4 user-programmable LEDs
- SEGGER J-Link debugger on board
- Pins for measuring power consumption
- SD-Card holder for additional storage
Using the new nRF54H series to level up your BLE Audio device
The nRF54H20 is a compact, ultra-low power SoC with superior processing power, a generous memory, and excellent efficiency. It has a new best-in-class multiprotocol radio and state-of-the-art security features. Its unique combination of features, all integrated into a compact SoC, is ideal for creating innovative IoT applications that haven't been possible before. In addition to advanced wearables, smart home, medical, and LE audio applications, the nRF54H20 SoC also enables applications that require complex machine learning (ML) and support for sensor fusion at the edge.
The SoC's high level of integration enables developers to shrink their designs by replacing multiple components – such as the application MCU, external memory, and wireless SoC – with a single, highly compact device. In addition, its excellent energy efficiency enables the use of smaller batteries, further reducing design size and cost.
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