Sony HDX-2947 certified on Bluetook SIG

An unknown Bluetooth 5.0 wireless headset from Sony has appeared on Bluetooth SIG. The possible candidates for the unknown model are as follows: WH-1000XM4, WH-CH710N, WI-SP510, WF-SP800N, and WF-XB700. We can rule out the WF-SP800N since the MT2811 is mentioned in the FCC filing and that chip has been identified as the Airoha AB155x.

The new unknown headset is using an Airoha AB153x Bluetooth chip according to the certification.  So what upcoming headset could this be? We are left with 4 options, the WH-1000XM4,WH-CH710, WF-XB700 and WI-SP510.

Personally I expected the WF-XB700 to use the MT2811 as well, like the rest of the WF lineup but I could be wrong. The previous generation WI-SP500, along with the WI-C300/400 used the Airoha AB1522, so maybe the new WI-SP510 has moved to the AB153x platform. But then the WI-C200/310 and WI-XB400 all moved to the Realtek RTL8763B from AB1522, so perhaps the WI-SP510 will as well. All speculation for now.

So could the HDX-2947 be the WH-1000XM4 or WH-CH710N? Well in the filing for the WH-1000XM4, a Mediatek BT chip is being used but nothing specific. The HDX-2947 is using a variant of the AB153x line, the list can be found here. My guess is the device is either using the AB1532 or AB1536 chips. The 2 chips are identical except for the amount of flash embedded in the chip package, 2MB (AB1532) and 4MB (AB1536) and the second the size of the chips. The AB1532 is 5.5mm x 5.5mm, where as the AB1536 is 4.0mm x 5.5mm. The size could come in useful once teardowns of the new models appear online.

52Audio.com has a great article about the new Airoha Bluetooth chipsets and their features for those interested.

The MT2811 is a rebadged AB155x, which is a more premium end model than the AB153x. Therefore I do not believe Sony would be using the AB153x line in the WH-1000XM4, and instead opt for the AB155x. There seems to be an AB1558 and AB158x for large wireless headphones but I am not sure how different these are from the AB155x or if they are in production already.

Source: 52audio.com (click for larger size)

So only the WH-CH710N is left. While it would make more sense to use the MT2811 (AB155x) in the WH-CH710N to save on costs, perhaps Sony has opted for the AB153x for some good reason. The AB153x all feature 24-bit 96KHz HD Audio support, a Tensilica HiFi EP processor and voice assistant compatible.

One other possibility is that the HDX-2947 is an entirely new pair of wireless headphones from Sony that have not yet appeared on the FCC, but I suspect that is not the case.

On a related note, all of the new Airoha BT chipsets are Google Fast Pair compatible, this includes this HDX-2947 model and all the MT2811 equipped models.

So much guess is the HDX-2947 is the WH-CH710N, but perhaps it might end up being the WH-1000XM4. Post your thoughts below.