Wearables that can deliver high-end sound quality are extremely rare, but the increased demand for them has created an opportunity for manufacturers with rather unique solutions. One micro speaker innovator is xMEMS Labs, maker of solid-state, all-silicon micro speakers (µSpeakers) used in an increasing number of TWS (True Wireless Stereo) earbuds. Following up on its previously released Cypress and Sycamore speakers for earbuds and other compact applications, xMEMS has launched its latest micro-speaker — the Lassen.
The Lassen is xMEM’s First “Amplifier-less” high-performance silicon xMEMS tweeter that is designed for 2-Way wireless earbuds.
Lassen eliminates the need for a piezo amplifier, reducing cost, component area, and power consumption. This allows manufacturers of mini-sized devices to implement the best earbud experience for consumers with technologically superior sound through xMEMS µFidelity (micro fidelity).
The xMEMS Lassen micro-speaker is designed to deliver up to 115dB SPL in the 6kHz to 20kHz frequency range from a standard 1Vrms audio output, without the need for additional amplification.
This supports sound quality delivery that exceeds legacy tweeter speaker technologies. Measuring just 3.2 x 5 x 1.15mm and consuming mere microwatts of power, the Lassen significantly reduces the barriers of entry to the broad deployment of 2-way TWS wireless earbud audio.
xMEMS designed the Lassen TWS tweeter on its established, proven MEMS platform to enable mass production and easy integration into 2-way earbuds.
From Mike Housholder, VP of Marketing & Business Development at xMEMS: “The industry has embraced the superior audio quality of 2-way speakers in TWS earbuds, as well as the ability of xMEMS speakers to enhance that quality…Lassen is a revolutionary design based on a proven platform. It will bring the benefits of 2-way earbud audio to a broader market by eliminating the extra cost of the piezo amplifier and minimizing the space and power required to deliver a truly immersive TWS sound experience.”
The previous xMEMS Cowell and Muir MEMS speaker solutions for 2-way earbuds required a separate piezo amplifier chip. Manufacturers such as Creative Labs and Soundpeats embraced this integration requirement because the solid-state xMEMS drivers produced unparalleled sound reproduction quality and detail.
However, since no amplifier is required for Lassen, this frees up the limited available space in TWS earbuds for squeezing in other advanced features while delivering optimal sound quality and soundstage as previous xMEMS technologies.
Lassen is manufactured in the same high-capacity semiconductor wafer fabs as other xMEMS products, it enjoys superior semiconductor-level quality and scalability, so TWS designers know they can deliver consistent, repeatable sound quality across their TWS earbud designs.
Removing the amplifier requirement also reduces the cost of tweeter integration by roughly 25 percent. This puts solid-state MEMS speaker technology on par with other micro tweeter solutions, including balanced armature and planar magnetic drivers.
xMEMS Lassen Features
Amplifier-free design: Lassen eliminates the need for a piezo amplifier, reducing cost, size, and power consumption while maintaining superior audio quality.
High-performance sound: Delivers up to 115dB SPL in the 6kHz–20kHz range, providing crisp, detailed audio that outperforms traditional tweeter technologies in an earbud environment.
Cost-effective & space-efficient: Reduces integration costs by 25%, freeing up space for other advanced earbud features without sacrificing sound quality.
Scalable & Reliable: Lassen leverages advanced semiconductor manufacturing processes for consistent, repeatable sound quality in mass production.
The Bottom Line
xMEMS continues to fill the need for innovative speaker options for ever-smaller products that require smaller speakers. With the addition of the Lassen Tweeter, xMEMS takes another step in reducing speaker size to meet the needs of ever smaller earbud designs.
Having attended demonstrations of xMEMS speaker technology, they work surprisingly well given their extremely small size. They are not meant to fill a room with sound but to deliver sound directly to your ears from portable and wearable devices.
There are products that already incorporate other xMEMS micro speaker solutions (refer to our related reading section at the end of this article), and we expect to see the Lassen in a number of wearables starting in 2026.
Availability
Samples of the xMEMS Lassen TWS Tweeter are available now for xMEMS partner companies, with mass production scheduled for September 2025. This means that products with the Lassen Tweeter might be available for consumers by mid-2026.
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