The recently announced Sonos One gets an accessory range from Sonos specialist Flexson, including a wall mount, floor stand, desk stand and a selection of replacement power cables.

The accessories are "precision engineered" to fit the Sonos One, and as such address a key design change-- the removal of the fixing-screw recess found on the PLAY:1.

The wall mount is designed for a seamless fit, and has a tilting and swivel mechanism (15-degrees down, and 40-degrees left/right) allowing installers to angle the speaker for optimum performance. One can also invert it to securely hold the Sonos One upside down, making controls and microphone more accessible in case of mounting higher up a wall.

French audio maker Focal presents an easier means to provide customers with a Dolby Atmos system-- the Sib Evo Dolby Atmos, a 5.1.2 speaker package.

The package consists of x2 Sib Evo Dolby Atmos speakers (both featuring integrated Dolby-enabled upfiring drivers and front-firing speakers), x3 Sib Evo satellites (2 for rears, 1 horizontally aligned as centre speaker) and a Cub Evo subwoofer (floating below). The Atmos drivers are angled to bounce channel information off the ceiling for an overhead effect.

Sonos confirms rumours of its making a smart speaker with the One-- the first product from the company with native voice assistant support, initially via Amazon Alexa.

The One is essentially a refresh of the Play:1 for the smart speaker era. It features a cuboid design with rounded edges in either black or white, and acts as either a standalone speaker or paired with other Sonos audio products as part of a multi-speaker setup. Setup and management come through Sonos mobile app, and the speaker handles a number of streaming services, including including Amazon Music, Pandora, IHeartRadio, TuneIn and SiriusXm.

Pioneer clearly believes audiophiles still care for the humble CD as it presents the PD-70AE-- a flagship CD player and DAC combining original pickup control and quiet drive technologies with the latest in digital audio design.

The PD-70AE promises the best in components, including a full-balanced circuit featuring independent left and right channels to minimise interference when passing analogue signals through a balanced input. An on/off switching function for RCA output is also available for a high signal to noise ratio and high separation for XLR output.

The digital and analogue circuitries have individual power supplies, while a custom electrolytic capacitor promises to bring out the best from CDs and SACDs. The RCA terminals are machined and gold-plated, and a lock range adjust function allows customers to make fine adjustments in a six-increment scale in order to reduce jitter.

Customers dipping their tones into the world of vinyl get a lower-cost phono preamplifier option from Parasound-- the JC3 Junior, a compact version of the JC3+ preamp catering for a wide range of MM and MC cartridges.

The JC3 Junior handles 50 to 550 ohm continuously, with variable MC impedance. It has a mono switch for use with older vinyl, and offers selectable gain output, gold-plated balanced and single-ended output terminals, and a 12V trigger for system integration. The S/N ratio reaches up to 94dB, while THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) is specified below 0.02%.

Sonos accessory specialist Flexson announces a first in-ceiling speaker-- the 65X3, designed to pair with the Sonos Connect: Amp and featuring triple high-frequency drivers for wide sound dispersion.

The 65X3 promises flexible installation, since it is mountable in shallow ceiling voids with 50mm minimum space. It is also moisture-proof, allowing use in kitchen or bathrooms without complication. Room tuning options include a high frequency boost/cut 6dB switch and a bass attenuation switch for level control in case the speaker is located in a large void.

Installers can also take advantage of 180-degree phase adjustment to better match subwoofers if required. For optimum performance customers get a choice of 3 switchable modes-- normal, music of speech.