xMEMS introduces Tomales, a single-chip MEMS high-frequency speaker for smart glasses and Extended Reality (xR) headset applications

     xMEMS Labs has launched its first single-chip MEMS tweeter monomer speaker, the Tomales. The Tomales' upper and side voice package options and 1mm thin thickness simplify speaker assembly and placement, delivering audio directly to the ear in smart glasses and Extended Reality (xR) headset applications. In a 3cm free-air sound field, Tomales can reach 75dB SPL (sound pressure level) at 2kHz, 90dB at 4kHz and more than 108dB at 10kHz. The Tomales use the xMEMS second-generation M2 speaker unit architecture, and the improvement in SPL/mm2 allows for increased loudness in a smaller shape.

     "It's a challenge to produce high-quality audio in a shape as thin as a glass frame," said Mike Housholder, vice president of marketing and business development at xMEMS. It is difficult for a single speaker to produce a satisfying bass response, clear voice and rich instrumental sound at the same time. The Tomales are ideal for dual channel woofer and treble devices. Their small size and thin profile enable speech, song and instrument sounds to achieve the desired treble clarity, presence and loudness that current smart glasses and xR headsets lack."

     Like all xMEMS speakers, Tomales is a single-chip architecture, with actuation and diaphragm fabricated from "silicon", so that the consistency of frequency response of each part is unmatched and reduces the time required for speaker pairing or tuning during fabrication. This patented and innovative sound output structure enables ultra-fast and accurate speakers, eliminating the springs and suspensions that traditional coil speakers use for audio signal quality and sound field reproduction. SMT-ready packaging and IP58-rated dust/water resistance simplify system design, integration and assembly.