New Products

When I picked up Pioneer’s SE-MASTER1 headphone at CEDIA Expo in October, I knew it was special. Substantial yet lightweight and exceptionally well crafted with scrupulous attention to detail, right down to the contoured ear cushions and engraved serial number. (Sorry, S/N 00001 is already spoken for.) If you were to crack open the ear cups, you’d find the same commitment to excellence in the form of a highly refined ceramic-coated aluminum diaphragm surrounded by a ribbed ring, designed to reduce distortion, all framed in a sturdy aluminum alloy to minimize resonance.

Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, the giant behind the Fender Stratocaster, has just announced a new product line: in-ear monitors from the legendary guitar manufacturer. There will be five models when the products hit the shelves in March. However, it’s the history of these products that is the most interesting.

England’s Naim Audio has introduced Mu-so Qb, a smaller version of the Top Pick winning Mu-so wireless audio system Sound & Vision reviewed in December.

If you travel, here’s a neat little gadget with a name you won’t forget that might be of interest.

MartinLogan announced at CES 2016 that it has redefined hybrid electrostatic speaker technology with the Renaissance ESL 15A it plans to launch this spring.

Image-enhancement specialist DarbeeVision is replacing its award-winning Darblet DVP-5000 Visual Presence real-time video enhancer with a new and improved “mass market” processor.

Sennheiser announced plans to offer an updated version of its flagship HD 800 headphone in January.