Samsung’s Audio Lab Chief Predicts Mixed Reality Headsets Like Meta Quest 3S Will Elevate Earphone Fidelity
Allan Devantier, head of Samsung’s Audio Lab, believes that the rise of mixed reality headsets, such as Meta Quest 3S and Apple Vision Pro, will drive a significant improvement in earphone sound quality standards.
The reason? Mixed reality environments intensify any tonal irregularities in audio.
Devantier explains that while we quickly adjust to the sound quirks of our speakers and headphones, mixed reality technology makes these imperfections more noticeable. When using a mixed reality headset, you’ll be interacting with both real and virtual sounds, and this blend will reveal audio flaws in ways traditional devices don’t.
“You’ll have earbuds in, interacting with live people in the room. Their voices, captured through the microphone and replayed by the earbud, will reveal tonal inconsistencies, known as ‘sonic sorbet,’ which highlights timbral issues with your earphones,” says Devantier.
This challenge arises when live sounds are mixed with digital sounds, as our brains instinctively know how real-world sounds should feel. Any discrepancies between the two will be apparent, and manufacturers will need to address these issues to improve the immersive experience.
Inside Samsung Audio Lab
Based in Los Angeles, Samsung’s Audio Lab is responsible for designing and tuning audio across key products like headphones, soundbars, and TV speakers.
One significant hurdle in achieving perfect earphone sound quality is the unique shape of every person’s ear canal.
“When you place an earbud in your ear, it changes the way sound travels, altering the standing wave modes inside your ear. While earbuds are designed based on average ear shapes, there’s still room for improvement,” Devantier notes.
To tackle this, Samsung Audio Lab is working on a method to personalize earphone tuning. The team recently conducted research involving scans of 300 inner ears to understand these variations better.
“We can now correct for these small differences, making earphones personalized to your ear and how the buds are inserted,” Devantier says.
Samsung is developing two algorithms to optimize earphone performance. The first compensates for low-frequency leakage, which is easier to adjust, while the second addresses high-frequency corrections based on the earbud’s placement in relation to the ear canal.
The Future of Smart Earphones
This level of earphone customization is already feasible, thanks to advancements in active noise-cancelling (ANC) earphones. These devices use built-in microphones near the sound driver, which can assess ear anatomy, including the size of the ear canal and the distance to the eardrum.
Devantier’s insights echo the innovation seen in Nura’s headphones, which used similar techniques to customize sound based on the listener’s ear anatomy. Although Nura’s product line ended after the company was acquired by Denon in 2023, the concept of personalized audio continues to evolve.
This push toward greater sound fidelity can be seen as an extension of improvements in transparency modes in ANC earphones. Transparency mode, which allows users to hear external sounds through their earphones, has seen significant advancements in the last few years.
The real question is whether mixed reality headsets like the Meta Quest 3S will drive the same level of progress in earphone technology. As mixed reality aims for mainstream adoption—following the success of Meta Quest 2, which sold 20 million units—the demand for more refined and realistic sound in these environments will likely push audio innovation further.
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