Bluetooth will continue to be the primary technology for wireless audio for many years to come. Its massive ecosystem of devices and the continual improvements made by its 1000s of members makes it a formidable force. It does have inherent limitations however, as it is trying to do many things well.
One area where Bluetooth will always struggle (without major changes to the specs) is the transmission of high-res audio. While in ideal situations it may be able to achieve bit rates capable of streaming CD quality audio, this is pushing the envelope of its ability and affected by many factors including RF “noisy” environments.
The wave of interest in using UWB for wireless audio streaming is swelling, with many companies developing the technology, some in stealth mode and others out in the open. UWB has many advantages over Bluetooth (as discussed here). One major issue that needs to be overcome is body blocking of the signal and AntennaWare has a solution for this.
Overcoming the final hurdles to UWB for audio streaming is likely to make it a complementary technology to Bluetooth, that will enable new capabilities for Headphone 3.0 devices.
