The friction-pole mechanism for headband adjustment is no less agricultural, for all its familiarity where Grado headphone designs are concerned. And while the detachable cable is a fair bit more flexible than some older Grado models, that’s not the same as saying it’s meaningfully flexible. If there’s a more willfully unhelpful length of cable in all of headphone-land, I’ve yet to encounter it.

On the subject of the cable: Grado provides 180-ish centimeters of it with a 6.3-mm termination at the end. When you’re charging this sort of money for headphones, it’s not outlandish to imagine your customer might have a device that accepts a balanced connection. Frankly, why there isn’t a choice of cables in the packaging is, frankly, beyond me. It’s something that the overwhelming majority of Grado’s rivals provide as a matter of course, and though the company’s website suggests there are forthcoming cable options “including a variety of lengths, as well as balanced terminations such as 4-pin XLR and 4.4mm,” these have been “forthcoming” for quite some time now, and will have a cost attached.

I’m in no position to doubt the effectiveness of the “B” ear cushions where sound quality is concerned. After all, the Signature S750 sound superb, and Grado suggests the cushion design is a contributing factor. What I do feel qualified to say, though, is that the raw-feeling foam of the ear cushions is not especially comfortable, and that it retains and returns the wearer’s body heat with something approaching glee. “Premium” and “luxurious” are not words that apply.

Ultimately, it depends on what your priorities are. There’s certainly no arguing with the way the Signature S750 sound. They’re uncomplicatedly impressive and periodically quite thrilling to listen to, depending on the mix. But unless you’re one of those hair-shirt hi-fi fundamentalists from back in the day, one of those listeners who somehow doesn’t believe outstanding sound quality is valid unless there’s some suffering attached, there may well be too many shortcomings to overlook when it comes to these Grados. “Hand-assembled in Brooklyn, USA” notwithstanding.

It’s been a weird and confusing few weeks for the auto industry—especially for those who hoped to see more batteries on the road in the coming decade.

Just this month: Ford announced a retrenchment in its EV business, canceling some battery-powered vehicle plans and delaying others; the European Commission proposed to backtrack its goal to transition fully to zero-emission cars by 2035; the US government said it would loosen rules that would have required automakers to ratchet up the fuel economy of their fleets. BloombergNEF projects 14 million fewer EVs will be sold in the US by 2030 than it did last year—a 20 percent drop.

What has not changed, it seems, is California’s interest in shifting to cleaner transportation. “The state is doubling down on our zero-emission vehicle deployment, providing market certainty, and continuing to lead on clean transportation regardless of policy reversals elsewhere or shifts by automakers,” Anthony Martinez, a spokesperson for Governor Gavin Newsom, wrote in a statement to WIRED. He said the governor’s “commitment to accelerating California’s clean transportation transition hasn’t changed.”

In 2020, Newsom became one of the first lawmakers in the world to commit to full electrification when he signed an executive order directing state agencies to create rules that would ban the sale of new gas-powered cars in the state by 2035. Those rules eventually aimed to ratchet up the share of battery-electric vehicles, with an ultimate goal of a mix of pure EVs and plug-in hybrids. (The PHEVs could only account for about 20 percent of sales.) Several other states, including Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, and Washington State, pledged to do the same.

Earlier this year, the GOP-led Congress revoked, through legislation, California’s power to set its own clean air regulations. The state responded with a lawsuit, which is still being argued. Meanwhile, Newsom signed another executive order directing state agencies to further the state’s electrification goals in other ways.

Now auto industry experts and players say the state’s determination to push through policy and market changes to meet its now half-decade-old goal may be overly ambitious.

“Getting to 100 percent might be challenging,” says Stephanie Valdez Streaty, the director of industry insights at Cox Automotive. “There are a lot of headwinds.”

A coalition of California business groups have argued that the state’s goals even for next year—a requirement that 35 percent of model year 2026 vehicles sold are zero-emission—aren’t realistic, and that California should push back its goals for zero-emission new car sales. (Enforcement of the rules is paused while the larger battle with US Congress plays out.) Zero-emission cars accounted for 21 percent of the overall annual state new car sales as of the fall, according to the California New Car Dealers Association, well below the 35 percent goal. “The timeline needed to be adjusted,” says the group’s president, Brian Maas.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been the biggest talking point for IT leaders in 2025 – both the emerging capabilities and opportunities from the technology, and the challenges of implementing it at scale and in a way that delivers measurable benefits.

For the digital, data and technology leaders that Computer Weekly is privileged to talk to every week, building AI into their wider strategies and managing often over-hyped expectations just adds to the difficulties of one of the most important roles in any modern organisation.

All of that is taking place while they need to keep a tight rein on costs in a still difficult economy, and juggle skills shortages, talent development and ensuring cyber security. So, how well are they doing?

Computer Weekly gets access to some of the top technology leaders in the world – and the details they share make fascinating reading for anyone looking to develop and implement an IT strategy to improve their business, support employees and enhance their careers.

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 interviews with IT leaders in 2025: