Who "invented headphones"? Setting the record straight.

Hmmm? After much thought and consternation, I'd have to go with a mono application that might have taken place either by accident or intent around the year 1810.

The original structure and idea was supposed to have been a by a French lad, but an English merchant by the name of Durand followed up on the Frenchman's initial concept and developed the first tin can. You can bet that some kid ran with the idea of stringing two cans together with a string/wire and voila, there was to be the birth of the first telephone, and in the works, the development of the very first, as crude as it was...head piece. This is why we may never know for certain the first time this ancient form of communication came about...but some young kid made it. And it worked!:D

Now if we want to talk definitions of said ear pieces?;)

Q
 
Hmmm? After much thought and consternation, I'd have to go with a mono application that might have taken place either by accident or intent around the year 1810.

The original structure and idea was supposed to have been a by a French lad, but an English merchant by the name of Durand followed up on the Frenchman's initial concept and developed the first tin can. You can bet that some kid ran with the idea of stringing two cans together with a string/wire and voila, there was to be the birth of the first telephone, and in the works, the development of the very first, as crude as it was...head piece. This is why we may never know for certain the first time this ancient form of communication came about...but some young kid made it. And it worked!:D

Now if we want to talk definitions of said ear pieces?;)

Q
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tin_can_telephone
 
Just shows to go you!:thumbsup:


I now know where "canned laughter" comes from.

Q
Thanx to Ted for a nice pm.
Some additional info on "tin-can" acoustic telephony.
Some 'bias' improves performance, judicious tensioning the wire/string between the units.

The tin-can telephone model is a perfect ideal simulation of an ideally polarized audio chain, where, regardless of the elements in the chain, an acoustic 'push' impulse at the input gives an acoustic 'push' impulse at the other end, as it would in open air. This matters because most natural sounds have an asymmetrical polar characteristic, and can sound wrong, as lifeless and 'off' when inverted.
Unfortunately, the industry has been historically sloppy enforcing an absolute correct polarity standard in practice.
 
Thanx to Ted for a nice pm.
Some additional info on "tin-can" acoustic telephony.
Some 'bias' improves performance, judicious tensioning the wire/string between the units.

The tin-can telephone model is a perfect ideal simulation of an ideally polarized audio chain, where, regardless of the elements in the chain, an acoustic 'push' impulse at the input gives an acoustic 'push' impulse at the other end, as it would in open air. This matters because most natural sounds have an asymmetrical polar characteristic, and can sound wrong, as lifeless and 'off' when inverted.
Unfortunately, the industry has been historically sloppy enforcing an absolute correct polarity standard in practice.


To interject... the Heinz bean cans produce the best amplitude.

I wonder why?:D

Q
 
Headsets are not headphones. They are high impedance (10k or 100k Ohms) drivers used with early radios and ham radio gear. i believe it was Mr. Koss who invented stereo headphones in his garage in 1957. The were probably 8 Ohms.
 
Headsets are not headphones. They are high impedance (10k or 100k Ohms) drivers used with early radios and ham radio gear. i believe it was Mr. Koss who invented stereo headphones in his garage in 1957. The were probably 8 Ohms.
The terms have been used interchangably since early days, headphones=headsets. "Stereophones" for Koss sounds right.
 
So did I, but just because of the name on the old headsets from the 1920s and because I thought it genetic. My husband and his son are so into the hardware associated with audio engineering that I kinda thought it was a Trimm who invented the technology. I guess not.
Hi Linda!
Welcome to the forum!
Trimm was a prominent maker of "reluctance" headphones for radio and general audio use since the1920s. These reluctance type use the familiar sheet steel diaphragm and stationary magnets and coil from old time telephone practice. I have a couple of nice smaller Trimm horn loudspeakers from the mid-1920s in my modest collection of Olde Stuff.
I might recommend this recent book as a Holidays purchase, "Loud Talker, The early history of headphones and loudspeakers, by John D. Jenkins" (no affiliation).
https://www.amazon.com/Loud-Talker-History-Headphones-Loudspeakers/dp/0979456924
 
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Welcome to AudioKarma!

Interesting avatar.

Thank you. I'll have to tell my husband about the DIY board here.

The terms have been used interchangably since early days, headphones=headsets. "Stereophones" for Koss sounds right.

I think it has more to do with whether it had an attached microphone or not and what device it gets attached to. Like, headsets have mics and are attached to two-way devices... But yes, it's used interchangeably so much now that it's irrelevant. I don't even know if the Trimm headsets had attached mics.
 
“Mr. Watson, come here.”

There’s your answer for the first electronics-based full audio ear piece.

The earlier voice tubes in Her Majesty’s fleet don’t count.
 
to all the funnies.. :rflmao:

However I'll add my infinite knowledge of history but largely fact in this case. I'm sure by Edison's curiosity he tried them and probably came up with a model.
historically... Head phones were used back in the mid twenties and 30's. More widely in late 30's into wwII. e.g. sonar listening etc. Navy battle helmets were equipped with phones as well as pilot head sets. Widely used and depicted in early 30's b&w spy movies and war drama. Many a radio man would tune in music with directional antenna for crews to listen to. The gov. using them before the hit of 30's music over am and studio use broadcasting but any ham/sw users probably had them, too.
 
Interesting....

From what I gather, after WWII there was a surplus of aviation headsets being sold cheaply and being modded by audiophiles of that time period.
 
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