Wireless audio is the largest Bluetooth® solution area, and, though mature, members of the Bluetooth community continue to advance the technology in order to develop new and better solutions to meet growing market demands — whether it’s longer battery life, smaller devices, higher quality, or lower latency. Building on 20 years of innovation, LE Audio, the latest advancement in Bluetooth audio, will not only enhance overall Bluetooth audio performance, but it will also add much-needed support for people with hearing loss.

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) worked closely with the hearing aid industry to define and introduce LE Audio, ensuring LE Audio adds support for the development of advanced and standardized Bluetooth hearing aids and improved assistive listening systems (ALS) supported by the introduction of Auracast™ broadcast audio.

Bluetooth Hearing Aids

To date, support for Bluetooth® technology in hearing aids has been based on proprietary implementations. As a result, relatively few hearing aids include Bluetooth technology, and compatibility with other devices is limited.

According to Nick Hunn from WiFore Consulting, despite advances in the market, hearing aids still don’t have the flexibility of many consumer earbuds. “I think what we’re going to see is a vast explosion of capabilities for people with hearing aids,” said Hunn. “Everything that today’s Bluetooth headset can do, such as connect to phones, tablets, and TVs, will become standard on hearing aids. That is an absolutely life-changing thing for people with hearing loss. Equally, we’ll see features from the hearing aid industry percolating back into consumer products.”

By standardizing support for Bluetooth technology within hearing aids, LE Audio will drive the availability of more Bluetooth hearing aids and will enable true global interoperability. Thanks to LE Audio, people with hearing loss will be able to take advantage of the same Bluetooth audio benefits enjoyed by users of standard Bluetooth headphones and earbuds, including wireless calling, listening, and viewing.

“LE Audio will be one of the most significant advances for users of hearing aids and hearing implants.” 
– Stefan Zimmer, Secretary General of EHIMA

Also, the stigma of wearing a hearing aid caused many manufacturers to design them to be invisible, fitting behind the ear, not an ideal place for a microphone. With LE Audio, not only is there more flexibility in the design, but the hearing aid can access the microphone in a smartphone to pick up nearby audio and transmit it to the Bluetooth hearing aid, making it much more reliable and easier to hear.

Next-Gen Assistive Listening Systems (ALS)

Enabled by Broadcast Audio, a new feature of LE Audio that will allow an audio source device to broadcast one or more audio streams to an unlimited number of audio sink devices, Auracast™ broadcast audio will enable the next generation of assistive listening systems (ALS) and allow public venues — such as airports, bars, gyms, cinemas, conference centers, places of worship, and more — to use Bluetooth audio to enhance experiences for people with hearing loss. 

According to the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), ALSs are the gateway through which people with hearing loss access the sound being transmitted through a public address system or sound system. An ALS is used to improve hearing for people with hearing loss in situations where they are unable to distinguish speech in noisy environments, such as conference centers, auditoriums, and more.

Nikolai Bisgaard from EHIMA (European Hearing Instrument Manufacturers) says that many large venues around the globe rely on loop systems to assist visitors with hearing loss. A loop system provides a magnetic wireless signal that a hearing aid picks up when set to the T-setting (telecoil). These systems are designed to provide direct sound and cut out unwanted background noise, and they can be used by any number of users at the same time. These systems can be expensive, cumbersome to install, and are sometimes prone to interference. 

While current ALSs, such as inductive loops, have been providing tremendous benefit to people with hearing loss, they suffer from a number of challenges that have limited deployment, including quality, cost, spill-over, and privacy issues. Auracast™ broadcast audio will enable the deployment of an advanced type of ALS with higher audio quality and greater privacy that avoids spill-over challenges and will be easier to deploy at a lower cost. “It’s going to be a great move into a world where you can connect to sources in the public space and with better quality, less interference, and at a much lower installation cost,” said Bisgaard.

Lean more about how LE Audio will support greater hearing accessibility.

FEATURED INNOVATION

LE Audio

This latest innovation of Bluetooth technology supports a host of new audio features, including low power, high quality, and multi-stream capabilities that will enable hearing aids to bring all the benefits of Bluetooth audio to people with hearing loss.

LEARN MORE

The Bluetooth SIG Demonstrates New Audio Use Cases Enabled by Auracast™ Broadcast Audio

Recently, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) partnered with several Bluetooth® member companies, including…

Auracast™: Broadcast and Share Audio Seamlessly

Join a walk through of the Auracast™ Experience showcased at MWC 2023 to see…

Audiology Meet Auracast | HearTech2023

Auracast™ broadcast audio is a new Bluetooth® capability that will deliver life-changing audio experiences.…

The Auracast™ Experience Goes Global

Earlier this year, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), in collaboration with several Bluetooth®

3 Bluetooth Innovations That Will Have Major Market Impacts

A globally recognized standards body, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) supports industry-leading companies…

ABI Snapshot - 2023 Bluetooth Market Update

The Bluetooth® Market Update, released annually by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), highlights…

New Audio Streaming Market Forecastsオーディオストリーミング市場に関する最新予測

Building on nearly 25 years of innovation, LE Audio enhances the performance of Bluetooth® audio,…

Tour The Auracast Experience

Get an exclusive tour of The Auracast™ Experience, an immersive demonstration showcasing how Auracast™…

How to Share Your Audio with Auracast Broadcast Audio

Get an insider look at a recent demonstration highlighting how Auracast™ broadcast audio will…

2023 Bluetooth® Market Update

Featuring new market insights and industry forecasts from ABI Research and other analyst firms...

The State of Sound: Soundbites

In this Soundbites edition, we focus on the role of Bluetooth® LE Audio in…

How Auracast Broadcast Audio Technology Will Help You Engage With the World and Those Around You

Bluetooth SIG’s Ken Kolderup shares why you should be excited about LE Audio, and…

Low Energy Audio – Incoming Call Over Media (Multi-Device)

This document uses a Message Sequence Chart (MSC) to explain the Bluetooth® LE Audio…

Snapdragon Sound Drives Premium Sound Experiences In Audio Technica’s Latest Wireless Earphones

Audio Technica is one of the world’s most recognized audio brands with a mission…

Bluetooth® Core Specification Version 5.4 - Technical Overview

This feature overview summarizes and explains the updates introduced in Bluetooth®️ Core Specification Version…

The Switch from Bluetooth® Classic to Bluetooth® LE Audio

Bluetooth isn’t just for wireless speakers — audio providers are expanding Bluetooth use cases…

LE Audio: The Future of Bluetooth® Audio

ABI Research outlines how the arrival of LE Audio is set to transform the Bluetooth audio ecosystem and the impact it will have on Bluetooth® audio market forecasts.

Sizing the Opportunity for Auracast™ Broadcast Audio in Public Locations

Featuring data and research from Strategy Analytics, this report helps readers and decision makers…

Bluetooth audio’s biggest upgrade in years is coming soon to headphones

We’re on the cusp of a new generation of wireless headphones that are more…

Bluetooth SIG Announces Auracast™ Broadcast Audio, Allowing Unlimited Audio Sharing to Earbuds, Speakers or Hearing Devices

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), the trade association that oversees Bluetooth® technology, today…

Auracast is coming to Bluetooth, boosting movement, inclusion, and participation for hearing device users

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), the standards mover and shaker for the short-range…

Introducing Bluetooth® LE Audio

Now available for free digital download, get your copy of this in-depth, technical overview of the LE Audio specifications.

 Get Help