KNOWLES BLOG
Knowles Showcases the Future of Sound at the 2025 Asia AI Audio Conference
At the recent 2025 Asia AI Audio Conference hosted by 52 Audio, Staff FAE Engineer from Knowles MedTech and Specialty Audio Zak Li presented a keynote titled “Knowles Balanced Armature: Leading the Future of Sound.”
The conference, formerly known as the China Bluetooth Headset Conference, has been one of Asia’s most influential audio industry events since its founding in 2017. Now in its 8th year, it has hosted 14 sessions and welcomed over 50,000 participants. The 2025 event featured one main summit, 9 keynote speakers, more than 20 exhibitors, and over 50 AI audio solutions — highlighting the technologies shaping the next decade of intelligent sound experiences.
Li’s presentation explored how Knowles Balanced Armature (BA) technology brings high-quality, full-scenario solutions to customers across four key application areas: Hi-Res and TWS earbuds, open-back headphones, gaming headsets, and Hi-Fi headphones. By combining Knowles’ heritage of acoustic excellence with forward-looking innovation, Li demonstrated how BA drivers continue to push the boundaries of performance, efficiency, and sound quality. See a summary of the presentation for Asia AI Audio Conference below.
Knowles Redefines Listening: The Science Behind a New Era of Earphone Design
Through 75 years of research and innovation, Knowles has continually pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in audio performance. From capturing the first words on the Moon to enabling the first sounds on Mars, our heritage of sound excellence is extraordinary. Knowles once again raises the standard for premium audio experiences with the Knowles Preferred Response Curve backed by extensive acoustic research and hearing studies.
The Knowles Preferred Response Curve: Designed for Real-World Listening
Music has evolved and so have listeners’ expectations. Knowles analyzed over 200 popular songs from 2000 to 2020 and conducted extensive listener studies to understand how people perceive and enjoy sound. The findings were clear: modern music contains significantly more content in the high-frequency range than most earphones reproduce.
In response, Knowles has defined a new listening response curve that enhances treble clarity and overall realism, ensuring the most satisfying and emotionally engaging listening experience for today’s consumers.
Balanced Armature: Precision Designed for Excellence
At the heart of this new sound experience is Knowles’ BA technology,
which is the world’s most efficient miniature speaker. Known for excellent
treble performance, high sensitivity and output, and ultra-compact form,
Knowles BA drivers are the perfect choice as tweeters in hybrid earphone
designs built to meet the Knowles Preferred Response Curve.
Hybrid designs pair dynamic drivers, for powerful, low-distortion bass, with Knowles BA tweeters, for superior treble accuracy and detail. The result is a balanced sound signature that is clear, dynamic, and full of depth.
Knowles BA technology has been making waves through collaborations with leading brands across the audio industry. For example, the JLab Epic Lab Edition Earbuds feature Knowles BA drivers tuned to the Knowles Preferred Listening Response Curve. Reviewers from Wirecutter, Digital Trends, Esquire, and Sound & Vision have praised the design for its lifelike sound quality and treble detail that “brings depth and life to music.” This collaboration exemplifies the co-marketing value Knowles offers its customers: advanced audio technology that delivers measurable acoustic advantages, supported by a trusted name recognized globally for sound innovation.
Knowles is also pioneering new applications for BA
technology beyond traditional in-ear monitors:
·
Headsets and Ear-Clip Earphones: Knowles BA RAU
drivers extend high-frequency performance up to 40 kHz, overcoming acoustic
limitations of compact speaker housing and enhancing audio clarity.
·
OWS Earphones and AR/VR Devices: The same
precision drivers enrich the high-frequency spectrum above 9 kHz, delivering
spatially accurate, immersive sound for next-generation wearables.
Multi-Way
BA Drivers: The Audiophile’s Choice
For high-end,
wired, or wireless headphones, Knowles’ multi-way BA driver configurations
deliver unmatched acoustic precision. These designs incorporate dedicated BA
transducers for bass, mid, and treble frequencies, ensuring smooth crossovers
and a natural sound transition across the full spectrum. With their high
sensitivity and abundant treble headroom, these drivers meet and exceed the Knowles
Preferred Response Curve, making them ideal for audiophile-grade products.
Leading the Future of Audio
Knowles continues to lead the evolution of sound technology,
enabling brands to design products that don’t just reproduce music, but elevate
it. From studio-quality hybrid earphones to next-generation wearables, Knowles BA
technology defines the gold standard for clarity, performance, and emotional
connection, and as Li shared at the Asia AI Audio Conference, it’s poised to
lead the future of intelligent audio.