I've never been a Ry Cooder fan and Bop Till You Drop was not his greatest album, but I bought it because it was the first popular album to be recorded digitally. That was way out there in 1979. I listened to it repeatedly but could detect no difference.

However it set the stage. By the mid-1980s most music recordings were going through a digital stage somewhere including Invisible Touch by Genesis, which brings me to my point. Especially in rock and popular music, digital has improved the breed.

In analogue days it was unusual for producers to spend much time enhancing and refining. Maybe a couple of days. But with digital equipment the possibilities exploded. Producers now spend months in post-production, turning out terrific finished recordings of great complexity. That's why, when you've become used to contemporary offerings, it can be such a shock to go back to a much loved vinyl record and hear how flat it sounds.

And so to Focal's $2199 Clear headphones. Invisible Touch was on the cusp of the digital revolution and I defy anyone to listen to it through these and not be excited. The Clears are good at everything but with complex productions they're outstanding, and the old Genesis number is Exhibit A. It starts with some solid drumbeats and then the guitars crash in hard. Through the Clears it's thrilling, with razor sharp definition and lightning responsiveness. I guess Focal called them Clear because that's exactly how they sound; the clarity and airiness is fantastic, especially in the mids and highs.

Now go to stuff recorded in the 21st century, like Allira Wilson's Rise and Fall album put down in a nondescript studio in a back street of West Perth. This is intimate, creamy jazz; a laid back voice of vivid presence perfectly complemented by double bass, piano, sax, guitar and drums. Close your eyes and you're there. It's the airiness and spaciousness that makes it so involving.