xMEMS Unveils Sycamore, a 1mm-Thin Near-Field Full-Range Speaker for Wearables and More

Micro-electromechanical systems specialist xMEMS has announced what it claims is the world's first thin near-field full-range speaker to measure just a bit over 1mm in thickness — targeting wearables and compact portable devices: Sycamore.

"With Sycamore, mobile electronics can now achieve thinner, more stylish form factors while maintaining big, rich sound," claims xMEMS' Mike Housholder of the company's latest sound-maker. "With better performance at both the low and high ends, Sycamore delivers powerful, full-range audio for smart watches, smart glasses, and any other small, mobile form factor that engineers dream up."

"The applications for Sycamore µSpeakers are limited only by designers' imagination," Housholder claims. "In smartphones, Sycamore offers a higher-quality earpiece speaker for clearer calls and greater privacy. In cars, Sycamore's size, weight and performance makes it a micro-sized tweeter for headrests, headliner and pillar placements. And of course, not only does Sycamore's audio performance deliver a full sound experience for smart watches and glasses, but its size allows designers to create sleeker, fashion-forward products that consumers will love."

The Sycamore speakers are based on xMEMS's "Sound from Ultrasound" platform, first seen in last year's Cypress speakers. Where Cypress targets in-ear headphones, though, Sycamore is for open-air applications — yet uses the same core concept to skip the coil-and-magnet of a traditional speaker, dropping the size to 1.13mm (around 0.044") in thickness and its footprint to 8.41×9mm (around 0.33×0.35"). This, the company crows, is one-seventh the size and one-third the thickness of a traditional dynamic driver.

xMEMS has announced sampling of the Sycamore speakers will begin in the first quarter of 2025, with mass production due in October the same year. More information is available on the company's website.