Aiming for the Top: The New Focal Clear High-End Headphone

Leading French speaker and headphone manufacturer, Focal unveiled Clear, the company’s newest reference headphone. Clear is Focal’s new circumaural open-back headphone for audiophiles and represents a new evolution of Focal’s now famous open-back, full-range speaker headphone family. With this new introduction, the French brand consolidates its market position in the high-end headphone segment with a reference open-back model under $2,000.

Chord Electronics has thoroughly updated its hugely popular ‘digital’ integrated amplifier the CPM 2800, to MkII status. The new version adds the FPGA-based D/A convertor from the Hugo and 2Qute DACs, to create an amplifier of unrivalled flexibility. The CPM 2800MkII will be formally launched at Sound and Vision 2015 (the Bristol show - February 20-22, 2015).

A new documentary presented by Harman, featuring Quincy Jones, Mike Shinoda, Hans Zimmer, A.R. Rahman, Manny Marroquin and others, addresses audio compression’s impact on the listening experience. The documentary aims to promote the audiotioning of music using proper speakers and non-compressed sources.