History of the Stereo Headphones
August 19, 2010 by Headsphone
Filed under headphones review
Today, headphones are sold in many different shapes and styles. They are used for a variety of services and many people would be lost without them but, where did they come from? Who invented the headphone and when? The first set of stereo headphones was invented by a man named John C. Koss in the year 1958. He actually designed what he called a stereo package which included a small phonograph, speaker and a headset.
These headphones were very simple and not much to look at. They consisted of a loudspeaker that was covered in cardboard. Koss used a military headband to hold the invention in place but they worked great and actually allowed the listener to hear the music. In November of 1958, Koss took his invention to his hometown for a hi-fi show. Here the headphones made such a big hit that many Japanese companies started making copies of his design.
From this point on up until the early 80’s the design of the headphone continued to be improved. Technology made it possible to improve both the sound quality and the overall design with hard plastic and rubber materials becoming available. Up until this time the headphones were still large and bulky but most people didn’t seem to mind considering the benefits they had to offer.
By the early part of 1980 technology had improved so much that the portable music device called The Walkman was invented. With this new invention companies started designing smaller more lightweight headphones to be used more comfortably with the walkman.
Koss introduced the very first cordless headphones in the year 1990. These were a big hit because they allowed the person to walk around freely while still listening to their music. This type of headphone used an infrared signal that linked the amplifier to the headset. Recoton invented another type of cordless headset called the 900 MHZ, which worked by placing a radio transmitter into the amplifier and the receiver was placed inside the headset. This allowed the listener to venture further away from the music device and still pick up a signal.
Technology has continued to grow and improve since the early nineties and so have headphones. There are so many new designs and styles available today that a person could have trouble deciding which one would be the best to purchase. Some are used for portable music devices like MP3 players, others are used as gaming headsets and still others are used mainly by recording studios. They come in different shapes, colors and sizes.
Some are still designed with the headband style and others are tiny devices that fit into the ear canal. You can still purchase the ones that attach to the device or you have a wide selection of wireless headphones to choose from. When you consider all the changes that have been made to the headphones in just the last ten years, it’s hard not to wonder what the next ten years will bring.
