Oppo may have set a new standard for wireless hi-fi (and, more importantly, headphones), after introducing a new Bluetooth chip that it claims is capable of lossless hi-res audio.
Developed in-house, the company claims its new MariSilicon Y SoC can transmit 24-bit/192kHz audio, which exceeds the bit depth and sample rate of CDs, a feat that Oppo claims is a first in the industry. industry.
Oppo claims that the new chipset is capable of increasing Bluetooth bandwidth by 50% compared to the highest performing Bluetooth SoCs currently on the market.
The MariSilicon Y SoC chip would also be among the first Bluetooth audio devices to support the new L3C encoding standard, alongside established codecs like LDAC, LHDC, L2DC, L3C, AAC and (good old and classic) Sony proprietary SBC.
The Chinese consumer electronics giant made the announcement at its annual Inno Day exhibition event today.
Oppo also revealed the chip's custom audio capabilities, with its built-in processing enabling a music extraction feature that uses AI to isolate sound from specific parts of a song, such as vocals, drums, bass, and other instruments. A spatial rendering feature allows listeners to modify the spatial location information of the sound once the sound has been isolated.
(Image credit: Oppo)
Analysis: Oppo chip breakthrough could be a wireless tipping point for audiophiles
True wireless lossless audio has been something of a holy grail for manufacturers and hi-fi enthusiasts since the introduction of Bluetooth at the turn of the century.
Until now, SoC (system on chip) manufacturers have tended to focus on lowering power consumption and increasing range when it comes to Bluetooth audio (and the Bluetooth SIG itself), even recently focusing on the Auracast Audio feature. Sharing (part of Bluetooth 5.2). ), which is somewhat hesitant to offer the necessary bandwidth to achieve what audiophiles would consider full hi-res audio.
Capable of delivering a Bluetooth data rate of up to 12 Mbps, Oppo's MariSilicon Y SoC finally looks set to unlock that long-awaited world of wireless hi-fi.
It'll all depend on the codecs ability to exploit the extra bandwidth this chip seems to have to offer, but we could be about to see hi-fi heads finally ditch those wired boxes in favor of some of the better ones. wire-free headphones: if they're built around this new chip, of course (which none of our roundups currently are, as the Marisilicon Y has yet to be made into products).
We can't wait to see if the MariSilicon Y SoC chip lives up to its revolutionary billing. In the meantime, you can find out how to up your audio game with our current list of the best wireless headphones.
