How Sennheiser Is Using Auracast™
Broadcast Audio to Create an
Enhanced Audio Experience

With more than 75 years of experience delivering audio innovation, Sennheiser strives to create unforgettable moments in sound. Developing high-quality audio products for consumers, Sennheiser specializes in premium and audiophile headphones, earbuds, soundbars, and enhanced hearing solutions. As such, they have gained a reputation for providing cutting-edge technology and exceptional sound engineering.

I recently met with Frank Foppe, senior product manager at Sennheiser to talk about how they are using Auracast™ broadcast audio to support enhanced audio capabilities in their portfolio of high-quality audio devices.

Q&A With Frank Foppe From Sennheiser

What benefits will Auracast™ broadcast audio provide for your customers?

We strongly believe that Auracast™ broadcast audio has enhanced the wireless audio experience and will enable many new audio-sharing use cases. Auracast™ broadcast audio removes any limitations from consuming audio individually and moves towards a shared audio experience.

What was the collaboration process like with Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) and other partners while integrating Auracast™ technology?

The Bluetooth SIG enabled Auracast™ broadcast audio by specifying and standardizing this innovation, and we implemented the technology into our products together with our technology partners like Qualcomm. It has taken an amazing global effort with many partners to make the first Auracast™ enabled Sennheiser products. 

Can you explain how Sennheiser ensured the interoperability of Auracast™ earbuds with various devices and platforms?

Interoperability is ensured by three things:

1. 1. All Auracast™ products are qualified by the Bluetooth SIG
   2. Systematic interoperability tests with devices by our system testing group, which is part of our development team. We have a team in Germany and India that works closely together.
   3. Field testing with a focus group of internal users who receive prototype devices and test features in their real-life conditions. This group also helps to improve the UI/UX concept with their user feedback.

How does Auracast™ broadcast audio differ from traditional Bluetooth technology in terms of sound quality, latency, and connectivity?

Auracast™ broadcast audio utilizes the new high-quality Low Complexity Communications Codec (LC3) of Bluetooth® LE Audio, the next-gen Bluetooth audio standard. This guarantees superior audio transmission, and the data is transferred into sonic waves representing the Sennheiser sound signature by our TrueResponse transducer technology. The Auracast™ latency goes down to 30ms for a lip-synced audio experience thanks to its broadcast characteristics, which is perfect for watching movies, gaming, and listening to a conference.

How does Auracast™ technology improve the multi-device connectivity experience for users of your earbuds?

Auracast™ broadcast audio enables listening to one wireless audio stream on many headphones. This is great for sharing music with friends, watching movies together on one screen, or broadcasting audio from a TV.

Beta testers liked that it provided a hassle-free connection to a wireless audio stream without any time-consuming device pairing process. They strongly believed in the benefits of getting connected to audio information wherever they are, even while locations that support Auracast™ broadcast audio are still in development.