The Total Harmonic Discussion / the THD Podcast. A weekly discussion on audio and headphone technologies and the people who bring the technology to market.

In episode 96, Stefan Liebich of Elevear joins to discuss their audio algorithms for hearables that cover occlusion, idle noise, and immersive 3D audio. Developed over many years and now being commercialized with key silicon partners.

OCCLEAR® TECHNOLOGY NATURAL OWN VOICE THROUGH OCCLUSION CANCELLATION

Existing headphones isolate the user from the environment, making their voice sound boomy and unnatural to them. This phenomenon is due to the occlusion effect, which attenuates air-conducted sound while amplifying body-conducted sound. A headphone user who is unhappy with the unnatural sound of their own voice. A headphone user who enjoys a natural own-voice sound thanks to the Occlear® technology. Our Occlear® technology eliminates the occlusion effect, allowing hearables users to perceive their voice and environment with natural clarity. Occlear® requires no specialized hardware and can be integrated seamlessly into ANC-ready hearables via a simple firmware update.

IDLE NOISE REDUCTION TECHNOLOGY WORLD-CLASS HISS-FREE TRANSPARENCY FOR YOUR HEARABLE

Hearables users often complain about microphone noise or hiss when using transparency mode. It stems from the low-cost, miniature microphones used in today’s hearables. To mitigate this noise, manufacturers often limit the bandwidth of their transparency mode, compromising the clarity of the sound. Our patented Idle Noise Reduction (INR) technology reduces the noise floor of hearable microphones by 10–15 dB, matching the performance of high-end studio microphones. The INR removes the hiss, allowing hearables manufacturers to achieve world-class transparency with low-cost components.

IMMERSIVE 3D AUDIO TECHNOLOGY INSTANT, UNALTERED 3D AUDIO WITHOUT LATENCY OR DISTORTION

Existing spatial audio solutions often struggle with head movement, resulting in a lag that disrupts the immersive experience. They also tend to compromise sound quality by adding reverb.

With imperceptible motion-to-sound latency, our algorithms ensure that the audio keeps pace with your every move. This seamless integration means you experience the world of sound most naturally as you navigate through it. Experience unaltered, high-fidelity audio that runs directly on your hearable device—no need for complex stack adjustments, including Bluetooth and app dependencies.

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Thanks to Barry Vogel and the ALTI Audio & Loudspeaker Technologies International for their support as well!

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