HiFi NEWS: CHORD, PSB & MORE: 2 AUGUST 2026: TEXT & VIDEO

Welcome to the latest HiFi News for 2 August 2026, featuring five new products from the worlds of headphones, amplification, streaming audio, cables and loudspeakers

DAN CLARK AEON CORE HEADPHONES

From Southern California, Dan Clark Audio’s Aeon Core headphones are closed-back designs with a new planar magnetic driver stack with a sensitivity reaching 97dB, helped by a new diaphragm material to enhance efficiency.

The company’s V-Planar technology is applied to the diaphragm’s surface to reduce distortion.

Sporting a new aluminium and dark wood aesthetic, the Aeon Core includes a lightweight Titanium headband and self-adjusting suspension strap. 

Weighing 440g, the design arrives with a detachable cable, terminated with the customer’s choice of connector: balanced 4.4mm, 4-pin XLR or 6.35/3.5mm.

Price is £920.

danclarkaudio.com or www.electromod.co.uk

FURUTECH GT4 NCF USB C CABLE

Furutech has a new flagship USB cable for sale, the GT4 NCF USB C featuring a multi-material hybrid chassis including the company’s own NCF (Nano Crystal² Formula) to reduce noise. Other features include silver-plated OCC conductors, high density polyethylene insulation, gold-plated, copper-alloy USB C connectors, cryogenic freezing to further reduce noise. They even apply a spot of demagnetisation.

The GT4 NCF USB C is fully compliant with USB4 40Gbps specifications and supports power delivery up to 240W. Prices from £160 each.

Contact: www.furutech.com 

CHORD ELECTRONICS ULTIMA 7 

The Ultima 7 stereo power amplifier uses the company’s new, high-power vertical-gate-structure MOSFETs. Designed to complement and height-match the Ultima Pre 3 preamp, the new Ultima 7 delivers 135W into 8 Ohms and utilises the company’s Dual Feed Forward error-correction technology. Schedule for a September 2026 release, no prices have yet been announced. Then again The Pre 3 pre-amp costs £7,500 so let that be a rough guide.

Contact: chordelectronics.co.uk

PSB IQ SERIES STREAMING SPEAKERS

Canadian outfit, PSB has announced two iQ variants. The main difference is the power reserve for each speaker design. For example, the iQ1 pairs its tweeters to a shared two-channel amplifier delivering 45W per channel, while iQ2 uses independent 45W amplifiers for each tweeter. 

Built from the same acoustic platform introduced in PSB’s Alpha iQ, the new iQ Series includes a TI Burr Brown amplifier and the full BluOS experience, letting you listen to music, podcasts and radio stations.

Both iQ models share a 102mm polypropylene mid-bass driver and a 19mm aluminium dome tweeter. A DSP crossover and tuned bass ports are featured. Both iQ models feature a built-in MM phono amplifier for turntables, RCA and optical inputs and HDMI eARC for TV.

USB-C input and a subwoofer output are included too.

The iQ2 is out now at €1,299/£1,199 although a Walnut finish isn’t out until November at €1,399/£1,299; the iQ1 is out 10 August at €999/£899.

Contact: psbspeakers.com.

TRIANGLE SOLSTICE SPEAKERS

French outfit Triangle has a trio of speakers under the new Solstice range: the Solstice 8 floorstanders, the Solstice 3 stand mounted designs and the AV centric Solstice C3 centre channel. The Solstice 8 (priced at €1,999, £1,999 or £2,799) uses a new 25mm horn-loaded tweeter with 160mm midrange and bass drivers. At the bottom of the cabinet is a bass port. High density MDF and internal reinforcement for the cabinet help rigidity. Sensitivity is 91db.

The two-way Solstice 3 standmounts (priced at €999, £999 or £1,349) features a 160mm mid/bass driver with a 25mm tweeter and similar bass port.

Each Solstice speaker is available in four finishes: Teak, Birch, White and Black Ash. Included grilles are magnetic. Sensitivity is 90db, which is impressive for a pair of standmounts. 

Contact: www.trianglehifi.com 

If you prefer the video version of this news feature, click below: