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The First Headphones Created
In 1910, Nathaniel Baldwin created the first pair of headphones that could amplify sound. He created these headphones by hand in his kitchen, and later the United States Navy ordered 100 pairs. These headphones were the foundation of what headphones today would look like and, in some cases, what functions they would have. -
Koss SP-3
In 1958, John Koss created the first pair of headphones that were strictly for musical enjoyment. These headphones plugged into the radio and played whatever you were listening to through the headphones only. These had a huge impact in creating modern-day wired headphones and earbuds. -
The Walkman
In 1979 Sony co-founder Masaru Ibuka had Nobutoshi Kihara create the Walkman, a portable music player, because he wanted to be able to listen to music on long flights. This essentially mashed headphones and a cassette player together so that people could listen to music, but keep it compact so as not to make it a burden to carry. This helped with the future creation of iPods, MP3 players, and more. -
Bose Headphones
Bose first started with aviation headphones created to cancel out noise, preserving pilots Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager's hearing while doing an around-the-world tour flight. Later, in 2000, Bose began releasing their first consumer headphones to enhance entertainment while on flights. These headphones started the trend of noise canceling that almost every headphone brand has now. -
Apple's First Wired Earbuds
In October 2001, Apple released their first earbuds along with the release of their iPod. These earbuds were wired, needing to be plugged into a headphone jack, and complete with volume and pause buttons. These were some of the first major earbuds released and were the first step for Apple to move on to create the Bluetooth Airpods. -
Creation of Beats
In July 2008, Dr. Dre collaborated with Jimmy Iovine to create Beats, which even to this day is one of the biggest headphone brands in the world. These headphones were debatably the biggest step in the headphone industry because most Bluetooth headphones are based on these. -
Marshall Headphones
In 2010 Jim Marshall released Marshall Headphones, creating headphones and Bluetooth speakers. These headphones aren't very popular, but many reviews state they are comfortable and have good sound and base. This company did not impact the headphone industry strictly because they aren't as highly advertised as other brands. -
Skullcandy Aviators - Jay-Z
Trying to follow in the footsteps of Dr. Dre and other very popular artists, Jay-Z released the Aviator wired headphones. These headphones did very poorly on the market due to the high price and low specs. These headphones, in my opinion, did not help the history of headphones. They were behind the curve and below expectations. -
Soundcore Headphones
Soundcores brand launched in 2014, creating very similar headphones to Beats, but for a much cheaper price. They are sold most on sites like Amazon and in stores like Walmart. These, though they were a copy of other brands and didn't have a huge impact on headphones, were and are sold all over the world. -
Creation of Airpods
In December 2016 Apple released the Airpods, the first Bluetooth earbuds from the brand. They blew up very quickly because the earbuds would connect as soon as they were removed from the case, they had a battery life of around three hours, and many more amazing specs. Airpods were the earbuds that started the trend of having Bluetooth earbuds, and even today you will see them everywhere you go. -
Apple First Headphones
In December 2020 Apple released its first-ever over-the-ear headphones, the Airpods Max. These headphones come in a variety of colors and have noise-canceling capabilities, transparency settings, and spatial audio with dynamic head tracking. These headphones were, again, a copy of Beats, and although they're very expensive, at $550, they are still very popular. -
Newest Generation of Airpods
The Airpods generation three are some of the most compact earbuds created and have noise cancelation, transparency, and other features. These earbuds are very nice, but because of the small build of the earbuds the noise cancellation, compared to other headphones, is not great. -
Bowers & Wilkins Headphones
Bowers &Wilkins headphones have fewer features than many of the other headphones in the presentation and yet have the highest price of $699. The headphones seem over priced and overrated, bringing nothing new to the industry. -
Sony Noise Canceling Wireless Headphones
We already know that Sony is the company that created the Walkman, but they continued their work, even to this day, to create newer and better headphones. These headphones have the same feature as many of the other headphones, and like the others hasn't made an impact on the industry. -
Sennheiser ACCENTUM Headphones
Sennheiser, though may sound German, is based out of China. These headphones have nice reviews stating the headphones are decent. They aren't overly hyped but have fewer features than other headphone brands.