A Brief History of Headphones

A Brief History of Headphones

The Beginning

Headphones started with phone operators in 1890 - It was a single earpiece that rested on the user’s shoulder and weighed over 10 pounds. Shortly thereafter came the Electrophone. Invented in Britain in the 1890s, this subscription service (£5 a year) allowed customers to dial in to a switchboard and be connected to a live performance from theatres across London. Cutting-edge stuff in a pre-radio world!

The Navy

Engineer Nathaniel Baldwin invented the first pair of audio headphones resembling modern day pairs at his kitchen table in 1910. The Navy ordered 100 pairs, not knowing that Baldwin was making them by hand.

Stereo

In 1958, John Koss rewrote the rule book when he created the first stereo headphones, the Koss SP-3. Early models were nothing more than mini speakers covered in cardboard and sofa foam, but their impact was immense. Rather than make do with radio communication equipment and aviation hardware, Jazz lover Koss came up with something purely for music – and he helped fuel a revolution in the way people listened to it. 

Walkman

In 1979, Sony made headphones portable for the first time with their cassette player, the Walkman, which sold over 400 million units. While now a thing of the past, the habit it spawned - listening to music wherever and whenever you want - is bigger than ever!

iPod

While MP3 players had been around for a minute, the invention of the iPod in 2001 took portable digital music to the mainstream with their colorful commercials and clever marketing. Hundreds of millions of ubiquitous white Apple wired earbuds were suddenly everywhere.

Fashion

Around 2008, Beats, UrbanEars, Skullcandy and more turned headphones from utility to fashion statement with bright colors, big headphones and expensive price tags. Pretty much every celebrity had a headphone affiliation at one point, with some of them making a pretty penny on acquisitions in the space.

Social Good

LSTN launched in 2013 and is the first headphone company that uses the proceeds for social good. Since launch we’ve helped over 30,000 people hear for the first time through our partnerships with non-profit partner Starkey Hearing Foundation.