Tiny MEMS ultrasonic drivers are already making a big difference in the sound quality of true wireless earbuds. Now xMEMS Labs, the company behind these “sound from ultrasound” speakers, is aiming for open-fit earbuds, smart glasses, and smart watches with its new Sycamore microdriver. xMEMS says it is the first full-range, all-silicon, near-field micro speaker to deliver full-range audio to open-air devices.
Sycamore is based on the same platform as xMEMS’ Cypress drivers for active noise cancellation (ANC) earphones. This means that this component uses ultrasound to generate full frequency sound from a 1mm thin chip. The company explains that Sycamore can match the mid-bass performance of current drivers while boosting sub-bass by up to 11dB. This new speaker-on-chip also has improved treble, delivering up to 15dB better clocking above 5KHz when compared to currently used drivers. And of course, there’s the clarity and detail that MEMS units provide.
“Everything you get from our in-ear speakers translates into Sycamore,” Mike Housholder, vice president of marketing and business development at xMEMS, told Engadget. “These early products that we benchmarked continue to convey the clarity of sycamore, so you’ll get that benefit as well.”
xMEMS Sycamore (xMEMS)
In addition to improved audio performance, another key benefit of the Sycamore driver is its ultra-compact size. According to xMEMS, this microspeaker is one-seventh the size and one-third the thickness of conventional dynamic drivers. It’s also 70% lighter. This size reduction gives product designers more flexibility and can result in sleeker, more appealing products. One of my main complaints about smart glasses is the thickness of the earpieces. So if a company can make something that more closely resembles real glass and still improve the audio, that’s a win in my opinion.
“These are fashion-forward products, so you need something really thin and really light, and that’s where Sycamore comes in,” Householder continued. “The benefit Sycamore brings to these categories of products is next-level thinness and lightness.”
Sycamore is based on the same platform as the XMC-2400 micro cooling fans on Cypress and xMEMS chips, so this new driver uses the same manufacturing setup. This means that xMEMS can not only deliver it faster, but also facilitate industrial processes for future microproducts. Samples of the open-air Sycamore driver will be available in Q1 2025, with mass production expected to begin from October next year. Considering this timeline, we could see the first products with Sycamore drivers in 2026.
