According to a report released by the authoritative market research organization Canalys, as of the end of 2018, the global smart speaker ownership was 114 million units. By the end of 2019, the ownership reached 207.9 million units, a year-on-year increase of 82.4%. It is expected that by 2024, the global smart speaker ownership will reach 640 million units, with market demand continuing to rise and competition becoming increasingly fierce.

Data shows that sound quality and the stability of wireless connections are the focal points for consumers when purchasing smart speakers. This raises higher requirements for digital audio chips, especially evident in the high-end smart market. For example, the HiRes certified speakers, highly praised by high-end enthusiasts, have stronger market dominance. The flagship Sony HT-Z9F is renowned for its excellent sound quality and ultra-stable wireless connection, which has earned praise from even the most discerning consumers.

Disassembly reveals that the wireless control module of the Sony HT-Z9F subwoofer uses the Rockchip RKnanoD HiFi audio player chip.

△Image source: I Love Audio Network

The Rockchip RKnanoD features low power consumption, high efficiency, and significant cost advantages. It adopts an ARM Cortex-M3 dual-core processor architecture, integrating an audio decoder hardware accelerator, enabling lossless audio decoding, thus providing better sound reproduction capabilities for audio products.

The Rockchip RKnanoD has a rich set of peripheral interfaces, such as VOP, USB OTG, SD/MMC, I2C, I2S, SPI, PWM, etc., which can be flexibly applied to wireless audio, MP3 players, and various IoT product applications.

△Image source: I Love Audio Network

In addition to the Sony HT-Z9F, other products that have received HiRes certification include the Sony HT-ST9, Sony HT-Z9F, LG SN11RG, etc. These are currently highly competitive high-end audio systems that can better showcase music quality and original sound reproduction, allowing users to experience the atmosphere of the live performance by the original singer or performer, which is also an important reason why enthusiasts praise HiRes certification. Surprisingly, the Rockchip RKnanoD HiFi player chip provides crucial technical support in Sony’s wireless audio product line.

Editor: Chip Intelligence – Linzi

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