Question
What is the difference between HyperSound ClearTM and traditional audio speakers?
Answer
When traditional audio speakers vibrate, often at a relatively high rate, they create sound at the diaphragm (or cone) inside the speaker. These sound waves are pushed into the open space, say the family room in your house. The sounds from the speakers spread out and fill the entire room, no matter its size. In addition to filling this space, the sound bounces off objects in its path, sometimes before it even reaches a human ear.
Another characteristic of sound created by a traditional loud speaker is its frequency response. Of course, the exact frequency response of the sound you are listening to with a pair of traditional speakers varies. For example, if you listening to a newscaster, the frequency response is much narrower than if you were listening to the Boston Philharmonic on PBS. No matter what you might be listening to, however, it’s safe to say that sound from a typical audio loudspeaker has a bandwidth somewhere between 100 to 10,000Hz .
Audio from the HyperSound ClearTM solution is fundamentally different than sound created by a traditional speaker in a couple of important ways. Let’s use light as an analogy. A traditional loudspeaker can be thought of as a bare light bulb and HyperSound technology as a flashlight beam. As with the light bulb, traditional loudspeakers radiate sound in all directions; it does not matter where the listener is positioned within the room, sound will be heard. Often, the listener can point directly to that speaker from anywhere in a room and say “that is where the sound is coming from”. HyperSound speakers, on the other hand, emit sound in a highly controlled, narrow beam, so that audio can be heard only if you are “in the beam” or in a position to hear the reflected sound from a virtual source. This is because, rather than creating sound directly with a vibrating speaker cone, HyperSound technology uses ultrasound, creating audio in the air itself.
This ultrasonic carrier frequency is generated from the emitter at approximately 100 kHz. The audio is generated in the air itself and is carried to the listener through a narrow sound beam. The audio is highly directional because it is created at an infinite number of points all along an ultrasonic energy column. This provides the unique flexibility to place sound exactly where you want it, while substantially masking sound from other areas. By beaming sound with similar precision to a flashlight, sound is directed towards the intended listener. Because audio can be directed to a specific area it provides individuals in that area the benefit of audio without disturbing others. Additionally, because sound is created in the air, rather than at the source, the experience is highly immersive, similar to wearing headphones. HyperSound speakers deliver sound precisely, and consequently less volume is necessary to deliver sound where it is needed.
Another unique characteristic of HyperSound speakers are their ultra-high frequency response. Unlike many other traditional audio speakers, including hearing aids that sometimes roll off sounds beginning at around 8000 Hz, HyperSound has an extended bandwidth well beyond 12,000 Hz. For many listeners, including those with high frequency hearing loss, the extended bandwidth allows your favorite television program to sound crisp and clear.
Figure 1. HyperSound® vs. Traditional Speakers. HyperSound® travels in a focused direction along the beam, unlike typical point source loudspeakers that emit sound waves in all directions.
This Ask the Expert is an excerpt from the HyperSound® white paper entitled HyperSound ClearTM Technology. For more information about HyperSound®, visit www.hypersoundhearing.com
