Nowadays, headphones are nothing special. We wear them all the time when we want to stream our favorite songs or podcasts directly into our ears. Everyone loves to use them, but most people don’t think about where the technology originated or how it evolved over the years.
Headphones have a long history dating back decades before the first Walkman devices hit the streets. Here’s a brief history of headphones across the ages.
How Do Headphones Work?
No matter which type of headphones you use (wired, USB, or Bluetooth), they all follow the same principles of producing a sound. If the audio originates on a digital device, that digital signal needs to be converted into a raw electric current by a Digital Analog Converter (DAC).
The headphones speaker comprises many different parts, but the main ones are the magnet, voice coil, and cone. The DAC sends the current straight through the voice coil. When the current travels through the voice coil, it creates a minute electromagnetic field. The electromagnetic field interacts with the magnet that surrounds the coil.
The interaction of the fields causes the coil to move. The coil will move more or less depending on the strength of the current. The voice coil is connected to the cone, so the motion will also cause the cone to move. The motion of the cone moves the air, causing pressure waves to form. These pressure waves are the sound waves that enter our ears.
1881—The Ancestors of Headphones
One of the first predecessors to headphones came about in the early 1880s. Telephone operators needed a speaker that could be used hands-free while taking and transferring calls. The solution came in the form of a speaker that was worn on the shoulder. These large and clunky speakers weighed as much as ten pounds!
In 1891, headphone technology took a giant leap forward when french engineer Ernest Mercadier developed a pair of in-ear headphones. They resembled the earbuds that we have today, only they were a bit bigger. Also, unlike the large speakers mentioned above, there were two speakers, which were much lighter.
1895—The Electrophones
In the early 1880s, telephone lines were used for more than just making calls. Companies would actually broadcast music performances through the phone lines, and people could just listen to them through their phone receivers. The Electrophone Company, a British telecommunications company, took this a step further with the electrophone in 1895.
This set of headphones very much resembled a stethoscope, with the earpieces attached to a Y-shaped handle. This handle hung below the chin. A wire ran from the bottom of the handle and would plug directly into the phone line. Then, the phone company would broadcast music directly to the headphones. This was the first time that headphones were used for the sake of listening to music.
1910—The Birth of Modern Headphones
Headphones gained their familiar form factor in 1910. An inventor by the name of Nathaniel Baldwin created a pair of on-ear speakers and sent them to the U.S. Navy to test out. The Navy, impressed by Baldwin’s headphones, agreed to enter into business with him. From that point, the Navy used Baldwin’s headphones for communication.
Unlike the electrophones, Baldwin’s headphones sat on top of the head just like modern headphones. Each earpiece, however, had its own wire that would connect to a separate jack. While this design was the basis for what we have today, Baldwin never patented it (even though the Navy encouraged him to do so).
1958—The First Stereo Headphones
1957 saw the introduction of stereo audio. Up until that point, even though there were two speakers in headphones, the same exact signal would go through each speaker. Stereo sound was gaining in popularity in the full-sized speaker market, but there were no stereo headphones to take advantage of this technology.
After hearing stereophonic sound through a pair of military-grade headphones, musician and entrepreneur John Koss was really impressed. So after creating a stereophonic phonograph, he and his friends created the Koss SP/3 stereo headphones. From that point, stereophonic headphones grew immensely in popularity and became standard in the industry.
The 60s and 70s—Radio Headphones
During the 60s and 70s, people started getting their first taste of portable music. During this time, companies started manufacturing headphones that actually had radio receivers built-in. Unfortunately, even though they were portable, they were still rather large and bulky. Nevertheless, these radio headphones kept music listeners occupied until the Walkman hit the markets.
1979—The Walkman
The phenomenal popularity of the Sony Walkman jumpstarted a headphone renaissance. Sony sold over 400 million units in its lifetime, and a lot of that fortune rained down on the headphone market. Everybody had to have a Walkman, thus, everybody had to have headphones.
Before that point, headphones were rather big and bulky. However, with the introduction of the Walkman, headphones were really slimmed down to match its portability.
The 80s and 90s—Headphones Turn to Earbuds
During the explosion of the portable music player throughout the 80s, the world saw the introduction of the earbud. These tiny headphones were small enough to fit inside the ear canal. Because of the tiny size of earbuds, companies pre-packaged them with portable music players throughout the 90s.
Though there was a market for earbuds in the 90s, they didn’t really reach prominence until the early 2000s. In 2001, Apple sold earbuds alongside their wildly successful iPod. The success of all the best MP3 players helped put earbuds into more ears.
2004—Bluetooth Headphones
The mid-2000s saw the introduction of Bluetooth headphones. Bluetooth technology was used with wireless headsets starting in the late 90s, but only for one ear. In 2004, the first true Bluetooth headphones were introduced for both ears. They allowed for wireless audio like the radio headphones, but they are a lot smaller and easy to use. Bluetooth headphones then took over the headphone industry, being a hit for average consumers.
The Early 2010s—Bluetooth Earbuds
Bluetooth technology didn’t stop at headphones. Years after Bluetooth headphones hit the scene, earbuds were next to jump on the Bluetooth bandwagon. The first version of Bluetooth earbuds had a wire that connected both buds. The wire would lay in front of or behind the neck.
In 2015, Bluetooth earbuds completely ditched the wire, coining the term true wireless earbuds. Japanese company Onko introduced the Onkyo W800BT in September of 2015. While they paved the way for other brands to make truly wireless earbuds, the W800BT had its issues. They suffered from bad connectivity and bad battery life. Regardless, all of the best earbuds take root in the Onkyo W800BT earbuds.
From Practical to Portable
Headphones have come a long way since the late 1800s. From heavy ten-pound contraptions to lightweight ear speakers, headphones have changed and grew with time. Now, headphones are an essential part of any tech-savvy person’s arsenal of tech. So while it’s hard to imagine what innovations will push headphone technology even further, it’s easy to be excited for them.