Voice Coil Focus: A Fresh Take on Green Audio 2023

Good intentions for sustainability, circularity, or simply reducing your carbon foot-print in the development or manufacturing stages not always produces the intended results. Mike Klasco reminds us how things are not always as simple as we would like, and that having good intentions and throwing empty claims might work on paper, but not actually work in the real world.

Bowers & Wilkins, the renowned British hifi audio brand, launched the new Px7 S2 active noise cancelling wireless headphones, an updated design that reflects advancements achieved over the past two years in the category. Leveraging the most advanced Qualcomm Bluetooth 5.0 platform with aptX Adaptive, the Px7 S2 adds all new drivers fine-tuned for high-resolution audio, in a refined design that is lower in weight and even more comfortable.

AIAIAI surprised once again the audio industry. Following a period of intense beta-testing with key profile users and influencers, the Danish headphone innovator "dropped" the latest TMA-2 Wireless+ headphones, designed to free music creators from cables with ultra-low latency and uncompressed, 16-bit digital audio. And following the company's responsible design philosophy, with products designed to last, the new model is based on the existing TMA-2 modular headphone platform.

Sonus faber announced the launch of their Olympica Nova high end speaker collection, with seven completely new models, at the 16th Annual Rocky Mountain International Audio Fest (RMAF). The newly expanded Olympica Nova series embraces the authentic values that inspired the original Olympica line while adding a substantial amount of freshly developed technology, from new drivers and crossovers, to a new cabinet structure and internal volume tuning, and a new exterior look.

Aiwa, the consumer audio brand that has been recently resurrected as an American, Chicago-based audio company is now mainly focusing in wireless audio products, including speakers and headphones. The company now announced the official launch of its new Arc-1 Bluetooth headphone the brand's first over-ear model, focusing on "under the hood" technology, such as the use of a 40mm biocellulose diaphragm dynamic driver, unique in this class of device.

Fostex, a division of Foster Electric and one of the world's foremost manufacturers of headphones and transducer technology with over 40 years, announced two new headphone models to be introduced at the American Music and Sound booth, during NAMM 2018. The first is the Fostex TH-900mk2 Sapphire Blue, a limited edition 5th anniversary of the brand's flagship premium audiophile headphone. The second, is the T60RP, modified and tuned especially for music enthusiasts, featuring wooden cups and a balanced connection.

The new AudioQuest ‎NightHawk headphones, introduced at ‎CES 2015, are a bold effort to set new standards for performance, value and innovation. The NightHawk headphones have earcups made of Tecnaro’s “Liquid Wood” ARBOFORM composite material, use a 50mm pistonic driver with a biocellulose diaphragm, and feature a patented split-gap motor to minimize intermodulation distortion.