Focal Introduces Two New Wireless Headphones

The dominoes continue to fall towards a more wireless existence for the world of headphones. As each headphone company starts to take note of jackless phone options, so goes the market for perhaps the biggest iPhone complement since the charging cable. This time its Focal, with an update to its consumer brand Listen Over-Ear that launched about the same time as the two high end headphones Elear and Utopia last year.

The new Listen Wireless will retail for $299 and weigh in at 300g. That weight will get you a claimed 20 hours of listening time with a 3 hour charge. Traditional tech comes on board in the form of a 3.5mm cable for analog use, and Bluetooth is version 4.1. AptX is included this around as well as NFC (Near Field Communication) for easy pairing with compatible sources.

As of this post the traditional wired Listen headphone will drop in price from $299 to $249 to make room for the new headset.

Focal’s original in-ear was called the Sphear, but a new product is coming to market with a 9.5 Mylar driver that looks pretty impressive for $99. Opting for a design with two inline bulges (presumably one for controls and one for battery/bluetooth module) instead of the increasingly prevalent collar option is also and interesting choice. Hands on inspection will have to determine the usefulness and comfortably factors of this style, but at first glance it appears to have a possible leg up shedding the extra bulk of a harness.

A regular wired Spark will also be available at launch, tipping the scale at just $69US. Both wired and wireless versions are available for purchase as of  June 21st in Black and Silver, with two additional colors Blue and Rose Gold coming mid to late July. The Listen Wireless will hit the streets mid to late July in Black.

More info: www.focal.com/headphones