The Evolution of Headphones [Infographic]

Technical developments and style modernism have transformed headphones from large mono accessories to sleek stereo-sound devices.

The history of headphones began in the late 1800’s as they were used in telephone companies by operators. The weighty part of equipment was only single earpiece and rested on the shoulder. A short time later, technology known as an electrophone made its first appearance typically in the homes of the rich. It looked alike to a stethoscope and was very costly. However, it enabled people to connect to a switchboard operator and listen in to musical events such as an opera.

More recent headphones were invented in 1910 by Nathaniel Baldwin. They had the similar fundamental cup design as is in bulky headphones today and Baldwin sold them to the United States Navy after constructing them in his own kitchen. In the 1930’s, Beyerdynamic’s DT-48s were the initial dynamic headphones and began the revolution of how people listened to music.

Sleek, modern headphones bear modest similarity to the electrophone that started it all. Headphones have by now come so far, but as technology advances and customer demands vary there’s no telling what the sound-delivering devices of the future might look like.

Go through this infographic, created by 1More UK, and take a closer look at the evolution of these sound-delivering devices.