The Complete History of Headphones

Headphones are an essential accoutrement for a music enthusiast. Being able

to listen to music is synonymous with the act of wearing a pair of headphones. There is a huge variety of headphones available in the market today, on-ear,

buds, in-ear, cans, custom-fit and closed back to name a few. The price is as variable as the variety, ranges from $5 to more a 1 million dollars! Surprisingly, headphones were not invented for how they are used today. In fact, they had

nothing to do with music. The early ancestors of headphones were a tool for telephone operators that weighed over ten pounds! It is almost the same as carrying a boombox on your shoulder. Nearly two decades would pass before

someone thought about using them to listen to music. Since the invention of the first headphones in 1881, they have come a long way in design, function

and price!

Early Years: 1890-1910

The first true headphone was invented in 1895 in Britain. It was a subscription service with the hefty price tag of £5 per annum. Customers had to dial-in into

a switchboard and would get connected to live opera performances in theatre locations all across London. It was cutting edge technology for that era because it also gave birth to pre-radio. These headsets had a natty holding pole, and it

resembled a stethoscope more than an earphone. Called the Electrophone, this service enabled folks to listen to their favorite arias, right from their homes.

Soon after that, in 1891 Ernest Mercadier, a French engineer, received

permission for a patent to design the first in-ear headphones. The device was intended for telephonists who worked long hours on switchboards. This revolutionary device even boasted earbuds that were designed to block external

sounds.

A few years later, somewhere in the United States, a fundamentalist Mormon engineer, Nathaniel Baldwin was busy tinkering with cans in his kitchen. He

crafted what could arguably be the first pair of modern headphones. He took a pair of tin cans and affixed them to each year. The period was 1910, just when WW1 was looming on the horizon. His invention was harshly rejected by private

investors. However, the US Navy saw potential. They ordered a hundred pairs of these headphones and made Baldwin a very rich man. However, Baldwin never bothered to patent his idea and instead invested his new fortune in

supporting Mormon Polygamous movements, consequently going bankrupt!

The War Years: 1937 to 1949

The first dynamic headphones geared for home listening were invented by German hi-fi engineers, Beyerdynamic. The DT-48 was launched in 1937 and

remained in production in one form or the other till 2012. It was obviously a huge leap from using tin cans as earpieces. Dynamic headphones are still the most popular choice when it comes to selecting headphones. It would be a few

years before headphones would get another makeover and this time it would occur in Vienna. In 1949, AKG invented the modern K120s. If AKG’s

headphones were produced today, they would be a hot ticket item at Urban Outfitters. For some reason, their headphones did not have much of an impact, but their original poster formed the template that all future tech companies

promoting headphones would follow. The balance between marketing sales speak and impressive-sound tech lingo.

The Koss-Effect: 1958 onwards

Nine years later, John Koss would rewrite the rulebook on creating stereo headphones. His invention, the Koss SP-3 was designed for pure music

listening pleasure, unlike all of his predecessors who had something or another to do with aviation hardware or radio communication equipment. His early

models were very simple, made from soft foam and covered with cardboard material. However, Koss’s invention changed the way people listened to music. The timing of Koss’s invention was perfect. It coincided the arrival of Rock N’

Roll and the concept of “teenager”. The SP-3 and its many variations continued to dominate the headphone industry for many years. In 1968, Koss unleashed the electrostatic model in the U.S, the ESP-6. However, their fame was short-

lived as Sennheiser, Onkyo and Phillips would soon take over with their more affordable and good-looking designs. Sennheiser was perhaps the first

company to introduce open headphones, the HD 414. Their lightweight earpieces changed the game for headphone designers.

Walkman: 1979 to 1990

The invention of the Walkman was perhaps the most important event in the history of headphones. It made headphones and the music player portable.

First launched in July of 1979, the selling feature of the Walkman was its portability, and this was also the first time headphones escaped the home.

Costing around $200, the sound quality took a back seat to portability. A pair of Sony MDR-3L2 headphones was bundled in every Walkman box. It also provided two sockets for shared-listening.

Noise Cancelling: 1998 to present day

Fueled by the desire to cancel out noise during transatlantic flights, Dr. Amar

Bose created the first pair of noise cancelling Bluetooth headset in 1979. The first set was created for pilots, and it wouldn’t be until 2000 when the Bose

QuietComfort (QC1) with his patented Acoustic-Noise-Cancellation Technology would hit the market.

The Apple Revolution: 2001 to 2010

Even though Apple did not invent earbud earphones, the launch of their iPod made them an instant success. Since their invention in 2001, Apple has

shipped out over 600 million sets of 1st generation earbuds. The rise of MP3 players coupled with Apple’s dominance propagated the creation of cheerful

and cheap headphones.

Entry of the Dr: 2008 to present

Andre Romelle Young, also known as Dr. Dre entered the music scene in the 90s with his rap beat the NWA. That same guy went on to reinvent the headphone scene with his Monster Beats by Dr. Dre headphones. Appearance-

wise they’re as subtle as a drill machine and unashamedly expensive, but they do successfully devour bass-heavy beats. It brought DrDre instant success and

helped to push the headphones into the must-have urban status symbol. Justin Bieber, William and LeBron James all went on to create their designs.

Headphone Fashion

With the success of Monster Beats, the fashion industry has also tried to

popularize headphones. Brands such as WeSc, Urbanears and SkullCandy have made headphones a fashion accessory, at more affordable prices than Beats.

Bluetooth earphones for music continue to be the must-have accessory for all

music aficionados. You can probably find a pair of them in every household. Since their humble beginning as ten pounds ear devices to their modern day

earbud-like device, comfortable wireless earphones will continue to have a place in modern day life.