You
have probably never stopped for a second and asked yourself about this very
handy technological invention. Nowadays, we may take them for granted, but
before the second part of the 20th century, the everyday
folks couldn’t shut out the world with the music on their headphones. They were
forced to listen to other noises and conversations even if they didn’t want to
hear them. Additionally, you can now benefit those who don’t want to listen to
you blasting your newest musical hits. However, the headphones have many more
uses than just making you an antisocial being. Let’s start from the end of the
19th century.
First,
the first headphones were not really headphones. More precisely, they were
their predecessors which couldn’t be of use to anyone, but the telephone
operators. Having weighed around ten pounds, they were not the most practical
thing, even though they rested on the person’s shoulders and not entirely on
the head.
Next,
in 1895, the Electrophone was invented. It was a system that allowed
those who could pay for it to listen to live performances of various London
theatres. The Electrophone irresistibly stirs up the pictures of the
stethoscope in my mind. But many couldn’t afford this “gadget”, so it remained
exclusive to the upper class.
In
1910, the first headphones that could be compared to those of today’s came out.
Nathaniel Baldwin was their inventor and manufacturer. Although he sold them to
the U.S. Navy, he never licensed them. Instead, Baldwin sold the rights to his
designs to the Wireless Specialty Apparatus
Company. Since the 1910s were the time of other technological innovations,
especially radio technology, his headphones also helped in situations when
several radio operators had to work in the same room. They brought the sound
closer to the ears of a listener and also muffled the outside sounds. Still,
having not been the most comfortable, without the padding and with poor sound
quality, there continued the search for something better.
A couple of decades later, in 1937, the German companyBeyerdynamic produced the first dynamic headphones, called the DT-48’s. The
Beyerdynamic’s headphones were the first ones to be used at home, though mainly
for listening to radio. They are still popular even in the present, but of
course, changed and improved in a lot of ways over the course of time. However,
they had to wait another decade or two for the public’s wide consumption.
In 1949, AKG Acoustics, an acoustics engineering and manufacturing
company began producing its first model of headphones, the K120 DYN. These
became the favorites of many and contributed to the company so much, that it
refocused the business’s attention on audio equipment only.
Then, a decade later, in 1958, John C. Koss, together with an
engineer called Martin Lange, created the first pair of stereo headphones,
meaning that they had separate signals for left and right channel. Also, they
were connected to a device via a jack. But the most important thing about this
particular invention was that it allowed people of numerous backgrounds to
listen to music in the comfort of their own homes. Even though the
headphones were still sort of primitive regarding the audio quality and
convenience, compared to today’s technology, nothing could come close to their
excellence in the end of the 1960s.
In the next twentyish years, the headphones made by Koss and
the companies that caught up with the newest technology of the time, rule the
audio world. Many new models were created on the market and a wide variety of
devices were available. Despite all that, the changes never stopped coming.
That’s why in 1979, Sony launched a totally new model of headphones, called MDR-3L2 which came
with the renowned Walkman. These
headphones came with a thinner headband and foam-covered pads. The essential
difference between them and all those models from the earlier years was that,
thanks to their easier portability and low weight, you could listen to music in
your room, at the park, while walking, pretty much anywhere.
Just one year later, after launching the Walkman, a different
pair of headphones appeared on the market. As a matter of fact, they were not
actual headphones, since the in-ear buds were introduced for the first time
ever. They also had an even thinner headband than the MDR-3L2, very wire-like, that was less likely to disrupt
the user’s hair. However, these earbuds would see the rise and peak of their
popularity many years later with the creation of the iPod. But before we get to
the iPod and its ear buds, let’s see what kinds of models wrapped up the last
years of the twentieth century.
In
1997, Sony presented the solution for the people who were bothered even by the
thin wire-like headband. Namely, they introduced the model MDR-G61 of neckband
headphones that would wrap around behind the user’s neck instead of across the
top of their head. What’s written on the Sony’s website is, and I quote, that “The new style of outdoor listening that this design
created certainly looks stylish. More comfortable than in-hear headphones,
neckband headphones sound great and are easy to wear.” Further, on the
verge of a new century, Bose introduced the QuietComfortline. Now, aside from pilots, the common people could use the noise-cancellingtechnology in order to block out the undesirable sounds, e.g. people or
children on the plane.
Moreover, in 2001, with the invention of the iPod also came
Apple’s epic white earbuds. Their minimalistic and appealing design became a
staple of many iPod and later, iPhone owners. These ear buds were definitely a
breakthrough in the history of audio gadgets.
In 2008, the famous rapper, Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine united
to create the Beats, the noise-cancelling, good quality headphones that sold
like hotcakes. Later, Apple bought the company from Dr. Dre.
Finally, in the beginning of the 2010s, many new
models of headphones and earbuds were introduced, including the cordless ones,
that to this day represent the biggest discovery and development in the
headphones history.
