Supplier independent

AAC Technologies

Shenzhen, Guangdong, China · founded 1993

A component-tier supplier rather than a consumer brand: AAC is one of the top three global MEMS microphone suppliers (alongside Knowles and Goertek) and supplies Apple's iPhone. Its miniature acoustic and haptic parts are inside a wide range of mainstream earbuds and phones, so it is upstream of the boutique audio world Timbre covers.

AAC Technologies is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of miniaturized acoustic and haptic components, supplying miniature speakers, receivers, and MEMS microphones for smartphones, TWS earbuds, and wearables. Founded in 1993 in Shenzhen, it has expanded from acoustics into haptics (electromagnetic drives), precision mechanics, optics (camera lenses/modules), sensors, and RF components. It is a publicly listed component supplier — not a consumer headphone brand — and its parts sit inside many major-brand earbuds and phones rather than being sold under its own name to end users.

At a glance

Type
Supplier
Founder
Pan Zhengmin (Benjamin Pan) and Wu Chunyuan (Ingrid Wu)
Founded
1993
Headquarters
Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
Price range
Budget → flagship
Makes / sells
MEMS microphones, miniature speakers, receivers, acoustic components, haptic actuators, MEMS speakers/tweeters, optics, sensors
Known for
miniature acoustic components for mobile devices, MEMS microphones, haptic/electromagnetic drives, TWS earbud drivers and micro-speakers
Website
www.aactechnologies.com

Notable products

  • AAC Soprano MEMS tweeter — Ultra-compact ~5mm-diameter, 1mm-thick hexagonal MEMS driver targeted at TWS earbuds and wearables
  • MEMS microphones — Supplied to Apple (iPhone) alongside Goertek and Knowles; one of the top-three global MEMS mic suppliers
  • Miniature speakers and receivers — Core acoustic components for smartphones and earbuds

Supplies

Notable brands that use their components:

AppleHuaweiChinese smartphone manufacturers

Sources: Wikipedia — AAC Technologies · Forbes — AAC Technologies company overview · Yahoo Finance — AAC Technologies Holdings (2018.HK) profile · audioXpress — AAC Technologies at CES 2024 (sensory/interactive solutions, Soprano MEMS tweeter) · Yole Group — iPhone X MEMS microphones from Goertek, Knowles, and AAC · Crunchbase — Pan Benjamin Zhengmin (co-founder, CEO)