- Two 15W drivers housed in a very small cube-like enclosure
- Digital signal processing adjusts speaker output to simulate distance
- Available in Japan for about $255
One of the keys to stereo sound is that, to get stereo sound, you need properly spaced stereo speakers. This is a problem with small devices because you can’t leave enough room for the speakers to get a large stereo soundstage. Manufacturers come up with a lot of tricks to make small speakers sound bigger, but as far as I can tell, Pavé’s little speaker is unique: It has a gyroscope inside.
this Tan pavé are very small speakers, measuring just over three and a half inches each, but are expected to sound larger, with a stereo image close to what you’d hear from a traditional two-speaker setup. To do this, it uses clever technology to mess with your brain.
Psychoacoustics, what is it?
according to Notebookcheck.netthe speaker combines digital signal processing and psychoacoustics, the study of how we perceive sound.
We don’t just hear sounds directly. We also hear its reflections and vibrations, and with a few technical tricks you can adjust the output of the speaker to simulate this – for example, by slightly adjusting the timing of certain frequencies of the speaker driver, you can replicate the short delay that a speaker would have. Place it slightly away from you.
In this speaker, the processing is performed by a Qualcomm S5 Gen 2 chip, which is then fed through dual 15-watt drivers to deliver more stereo sound than you’d expect from such a small speaker.
Of course, Pavé isn’t the only speaker to do this: sonyReality Audio and similar systems from other companies also use digital signal processing to make the speakers sound bigger. But it also contains the aforementioned gyroscope, which detects the speaker’s movement and position and adjusts its stereo effect accordingly.
According to Cear, here’s how it works patent: Its “the sound processing device includes an equalizer that adjusts frequency characteristics so that the frequency characteristics of sound waves listened to in the second environment replicate the frequency characteristics of the sound waves listened to in the first environment.” So there you have it. Qualcomm has a great explainer on its developer blog also.
I haven’t heard this particular speaker yet, but I’d like to: We’ve come a long way from the garbage “virtual stereo” and “virtual surround” that were early Bluetooth speakers and soundbars; if done Well, digital signal processing can produce pretty amazing results.