INTRIGUING, IMMERSIVE AND DIVISIVE – THE IRIS FLOW HEADPHONES

Tourists and shoppers are largely absent from London’s once-buzzing Oxford Street today – welcome to summer 2020. The temperature has also just tipped 34 degrees in the shade, making for a quiet afternoon on London’s main retail thoroughfare. That is, until we get to the third floor of a striking art deco building just off the main drag. Iris HQ is a hive of activity encased in glass, white walls and glorious air conditioning.

We’re here because Iris, a relative unknown in audio, recently launched a pair of over-ear wireless headphones on a US crowd-funding site, with some intriguing tech built-in. The company has also made the algorithm available as an app that you can trial on its website. We’re not alone in wanting to hear more; early Iris adopters include Queen drummer Roger Taylor and Concord.

Jacobi Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, Iris founder and CEO, is proud of these investors. Concord, an independent music company, is typically cautious of such endorsement – and for Taylor and Brian