The Evolution of Headphones

The Evolution of Headphones

www.systembaba.com (Z Shah) - Mar 20, 2021

Headphones have a special place in every music lover's life. Our love for the world of headphones is evident from our name itself - Headphone Zone! From listening to John Legend when feeling loved or to electrifying EDM to get the party (of one) started, there is a headphone for every mood, music, taste, and person.

 

A headphone, for a universal language like music, is one of the best mediums to indulge this magic. A sonic cocoon where you’re the star of your movie with the background score of your liking.

 

Let's check the History of Headphones:

 

1881

Way before MP3s, dubstep, and premium Spotify accounts, headphones had little to do with music at all.

 

Back in the 1880s, the first headphones were used by telephone operators. It was a single earpiece that rested on the user’s shoulder and weighed over 10 pounds.

 

 

Beginning - 1890

Headphones started with phone operators - It was a single earpiece that rested on the user’s shoulder and weighed over 10 pounds.

 

Shortly thereafter came the Electrophone. Invented in Britain in the 1890s, this subscription service (£5 a year) allowed customers to dial into a switchboard and be connected to a live performance from theatres across London.

 

1895

1895 – Thanks to the Electrophone system, in 1895 folks could start rocking out to the sick beats of the local opera house from the comfort of their own home.

 

Subscribers to the pricey service would listen through headphones that looked more like stethoscopes than a modern offering as very large people produced very big sound on a stage miles away.

 

 

The Navy - 1910

Engineer Nathaniel Baldwin invented the first pair of audio headphones resembling modern-day pairs at his kitchen table in 1910.

 

The Navy ordered 100 pairs, not knowing that Baldwin was making them by hand.

 

 

1937

A decade or two later, in 1937, Beyerdynamic (yes, the very same) invented the first headphone designed for personal listening.

 

Until then, the use of headphones was limited to the armed forces.

 

The DT-48 from Beyerdynamic was a humble on-ear type headphone. It had a thin metal headband with two cables that connected individually to the earcups.

 

 

1939

In 1939, across the border, in Austria, AKG invented the K-120.

 

It was a headphone that sold excellently as it sounded great and was stylish as well.

 

Do note this bit because this was the first time the looks of a headphone became a parameter to consider.

 

 

1949

 1949 – With design in mind, AKG produced their first pair of headphones, the K120’s.

 

If they were reproduced today, they would sell like hotcakes at Urban Outfitters.

 

This model, and other more popular ones that followed, were enough to make AKG quit the film equipment business and focus just on audio.

 

 

 Stereo - 1958

In 1958, John Koss rewrote the rule book when he created the first stereo headphones, the Koss SP-3.

 

Early models were nothing more than mini speakers covered in cardboard and sofa foam, but their impact was immense.

 

Rather than make do with radio communication equipment and aviation hardware, Jazz lover Koss came up with something purely for music.

 

 

1959

 1959 – At a show in Tokyo, Stax debuted the world’s first-ever electrostatic pair of headphones. The SR-1’s would go into production a year later.

 

 

1960

In the 1960s and 70s, Koss dominated the headphone market in the US. This being the age of new, youth-centric music like Rock and Roll, made people show a lot of interest in indulging in music.

 

 

1968

1968 – A decade after introducing the first stereo headphones, Koss unleashed the first US-made electrostatic model.

 

The ESP-6’s clocked in at around two pounds, meaning they weren’t exactly like putting in a pair of earbuds but were still a long way from the massive pieces created less than a century before.

 

 

Walkman - 1979

Sony made headphones portable for the first time with their cassette player, the Walkman, which sold over 400 million units.

 

While now a thing of the past, the habit it spawned - listening to music wherever and whenever you want - is bigger than ever.

 

 

1980

 1980’s – For the man who was prone to headphone hair, the 80’s offered the first solutions.

 

Both the earbud and the in-ear headphone made their way onto the scene in the 80’s even though they wouldn’t reach their peak in popularity until one Steven Paul Jobs changed the music game years later.

 

 

1989

When Dr. Amar Bose invented Noise Cancelling headphones in 1989, they were acquired right away for in-cabin pilots.

 

Pilots would experience extended exposure to engine noise which would lead to health issues, including deafness.

 

Bose’s noise-canceling headphones helped avoid the occupational hazard during flights.

 

 

1997

 1997 – If you wanted to keep your hair in check but also hated the fact that earbuds couldn’t isolate sound well, Sony thought you might like a pair of neckband headphones. You didn’t.

 

 

2000

Noise Cancelling was also beneficial for those taking flights and travelling frequently in trains - commuters, essentially. In 2000, Bose made the legendary Quiet Comfort series QC1 available commercially.

 

 

iPod / MP3 Players - 2001

While MP3 players had been around for a minute, the invention of the iPod took portable digital music to the mainstream with their colorful commercials and clever marketing. Hundreds of millions of ubiquitous white Apple-wired earbuds were suddenly everywhere.

 

 

2004

In 2004, Val Kolton introduced a headphone brand that appealed to DJs and musicians who loved bass in their music.

 

This was the birth of the brand we know as V-MODA. It brought quality audio with deep bass, durable style, and a flashy design.

 

Definitely appealing to DJs as it seemed to seamlessly gel with the starry life of a DJ.

 

 

Fashion - 2008

Beats, UrbanEars, Skullcandy, and more turned headphones from utility to fashion statement with bright colors, big headphones, and expensive price tags.

 

Pretty much every celebrity had a headphone affiliation at one point, with some of them making a pretty penny on acquisitions in the space.

 

 

2011

These made the hip-hop, rapper lifestyle as being the new definition of cool.

 

Brands such as Shure, Beyerdynamic, and AKG were always present in the pro audio scene.

 

With a rise in demand for quality audio after 2011, many other Hi-Fi and professional audio brands revamped their older models for nostalgic appeal.

 

They even brought in new headphones that appealed to music lovers, including those that loved bass-heavy sounds.

 

 

2012

 2012 – Headphones have become as much about style as they are sound quality.

 

This may never have been more relevant than when Lil Wayne wore these $1 million dollar pair of Beats.

 

 

Social Good - 2013

LSTN launches and is the first headphone company that uses the proceeds for social good.

 

Since launch, we’ve helped over 30,000 people hear for the first time through our partnerships with non-profit partner Starkey Hearing Foundation.

 

 

Wireless 2015

In 2015, at the IFA Show in Berlin, Japanese brand Onkyo unveiled the world’s first True Wireless in-ear headphones - The W800 BT.

 

This singular event has spawned a true wireless race wherein every brand - including brands who were known for making loudspeakers and had recently entered the headphone space - started coming out with their own true wireless earbuds.