MEMS Speaker Vendor Update

We usually cover a broad range of electronic device markets, but today we’re turning up the volume on a specific technology that’s finally ready to be heard: MEMS Speakers.

Almost 7 billion speakers are shipped annually, powering everything from smartphones and headphones to home AV and automotive systems. While traditional dynamic speakers still dominate, strong growth in Balanced Armature and MEMS speaker adoption is finally challenging the status quo, offering superior performance in increasingly compact footprints.

With such a massive opportunity at stake, the key question for 2026 is execution. In this newsletter, we focus on the vendor ecosystem, separating the companies that are successfully shipping products from those that have retreated into silence. Drawing insights from our recently published 3rd Edition MEMS Speaker Report, we map the current state of the industry's leaders and challengers.

The market is now defined by a clear distinction between vendors with validated, shipping products and those still in the development phase.

USound

Founded in 2014, USound is the sector's mature incumbent, having started production in 2018. With approximately $60 million in total funding to date, they have built a robust supply chain, including manufacturing partnerships with Elemaster (Italy) and a sales/supply agreement signed in 2025 with Gettop. Their technology has found a diverse commercial foothold.

USound has secured wins across medical and consumer verticals, including NordicNeuroLab’s fMRI-compatible headphones (2023), the LINNER Nova Deluxe OTC hearing aid (2024), and the recently confirmed QCY MeloBuds N70 (2025). Beyond standard audio, 2025 saw the introduction of their APG technology, which allows vital signs measuring via the MEMS speaker itself. USound is shipping in volume with a confirmed roadmap extending into health-tech applications.

xMEMS

Since its founding in 2018, xMEMS has aggressively scaled its operations, amassing over $70 million in total funding, including a notable $21 million Series D round in 2025. The company has moved rapidly from sampling to mass production readiness for its flagship Cypress ultrasonic speaker in 2025.

xMEMS has demonstrated significant traction in the consumer audio space. Following 2023 wins with Noble Audio and Singularity, they have expanded their footprint in 2025 with the BleeqUp smart glasses, Creative Aurvana Ace 3, and SoundPEATS Air5 Pro+. It’s roadmap has broadened significantly, now including the Sycamore near-field micro speaker, the XMC-2400 µCooling™ chip, and the newly introduced Lassen "amplifier-less" MEMS tweeter.

The landscape is also seeing a changing of the guard among challengers and legacy players.

Following the acquisition of Arioso Systems in 2022, Bosch Sensortec has integrated the technology into its "Acoustic Microsystems" portfolio. Leveraging the Nanoscopic Electrostatic Drive (NED) technology, an all-silicon MEMS concept first published by Arioso. Bosch is currently in the manufacturing development phase, while it is not yet shipping in volume like the leaders, the entry of a MEMS giant signals a long-term strategic validation of the sector, with product sampling expected to ramp up in 2026.

A newer entrant utilizing PZT MEMS technology, MyVox has raised approximately $3 million and established a partnership with foundry Silex Microsystems. In 2025, they demonstrated their "Gen 7" technology at CES, continuing their dual-path development of microspeakers and microfans.

Even recent entrants have faced hurdles in this highly technical market. AAC Technologies, a giant in audio components, launched its "Soprano" MEMS tweeter in 2023, while Fortemedia unveiled its coil-based FS01 in 2024. However, both initiatives appear to have been discontinued or paused, suggesting a strategic retreat. Meanwhile, Audio Pixels (founded 2006) remains suspended from the ASX as of March 2024, continuing its long struggle to bring Digital Sound Reconstruction to commercial viability.

The report highlights a major architectural shift for next-generation open-ear applications: Active Ultrasound Modulation.

SonicEdge, having raised approximately $10 million to date, continues to advance the "audio from ultrasound" architecture it pioneered. In 2025, they announced the SonicTwin (an integrated speaker and microphone for TWS) and a partnership with Earfab for custom-fit eartips. Its progress, alongside xMEMS's move into ultrasound with Cypress, confirms this architecture as a primary contender for high-fidelity open-ear audio.

The MEMS speaker market is no longer speculative; it is well funded and shipping product. With xMEMS and USound collectively deploying over $130 million in capital and delivering products to brands like Creative, QCY, and SoundPEATS, the technology has graduated from the lab to the consumer shelf. The immediate opportunity lies with these shipping incumbents, while the massive industrial scale of Bosch looms on the 2026 horizon.

As dynamic speakers face their first true challenge in decades, success belongs to the vendors with the capital to scale and the silicon to ship.