Summary
Bench tests of consumer Auracast receivers with a reference broadcaster and audio analysers, and how packet loss concealment and buffering affect measurements.
Key findings
- Out of the box, Nordic's nRF5340 Audio Development Kit example software did not work with any of the consumer devices tested, while the Cloud2GND AW100 broadcaster connected to the purchased Auracast receivers.
- In Testing Devices with AW100 (Figures 19-21), one tested HomeSpot BA310 receiver's output produced an audible glitch about once every 15 minutes during a long sine-tone test. The author suspects the receiver after prior broadcaster testing, but also identifies the test PC as a possible, though unlikely, cause. The article recommends automated capture for faults that recur over days or weeks.
- Because of LE Audio buffering, a fault may occur up to 60 ms before it shows at the output. Concealment can cover short gaps such as one 10 ms frame; the author suggests muting once roughly 50 to 100 ms of audio is lost.
- The same receiver's full-scale analogue output was only 100 mV, limiting its THD+N to the mid-70s dB.
- Reference 20 states that HEAD acoustics and Jay Pliskow provided access to equipment and testing materials; it does not specify a loan arrangement.
- Testing Devices with AW100 describes reviewing target-software traces, a Bluetooth packet inspector and other test-device records after an audio analyser flags a glitch. Bluetooth-Specific Audio Test Equipment says LE Audio, LC3 and Auracast support is evolving and asks users to check that available features meet the intended test needs.
Limits
Consumer devices on a bench rather than venue equipment in a room, with few numeric results and no stated total receiver sample or representative venue-device sample. The author's company makes the reference broadcaster.
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Cited in
- Which hearing devices can receive which systems?Open
- What commissioning tests and pass limits will the standards require?Open
- Which meters and apps measure loops and Auracast, and how accurate are they?Partly answered
Cite this source
LaMacchia B (Cloud2GND). Evaluating and testing Bluetooth LE Audio performance: a guide for developers, part 3. audioXpress (print issue February 2026; online 21 April 2026). February 2026. https://audioxpress.com/article/evaluating-and-testing-bluetooth-le-audio-performance-a-guide-for-developers-part-3 (accessed 13 October 2026).
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