The future of headphones - any ideas?

[MetalManCPA]

What do you see as the future of headphones? I'm not asking about other headphone equipment such as amps, but headphones themselves?

I love electronic equipment. In the past few years, nothing in electronics has evolved more in my eyes than television. It's amazing where the technology is driving the consumer in this regard. Home stereo equipment has evolved a tad slower, but in many different regards. Better conversions in CD & DVD players, more processing power in amplifiers.

What can be done with headphones? I suppose you could make full size cans even larger and keep them light so as to house bigger drivers which could produce more bass. I don't see how you can keep something small and increase bass response that much more than the current flock of headphones already produce. I don't have a timeline, but I'm assuming in recent years canal phones may be one of the newer design entrances into the mainstream consumer market. How much "technology" is in headphones that can really change the landscape? My only guess is that I've seen several surround sound designs attempted, but it doesn't seem that any manufacturer has hit a homerun with this. So there is definately wiggle room with surround headphones.

Any other ideas as to where you think the headphone market is heading?

 

[xluben]

I think wireless headphones will probably become better, and more popular. For home use, and maybe (hopefully) portable use if they could design a very small transmitter (it would only have to transmit a few feet). I guess you could already do this with an iPod, iTrip, and headpones with radio, but I'm sure companies could do a much better job than that. Also I'd like to see wireless earbuds (they'd probably get lost a lot), for extreme portability.

As for bass in full size headphones, I'd like to see more done with dual-driver technology. I think the best way to set this up would be similar to the Aopen HP-590's with one driver for low range (subwoofer) and one for high range, just like in speakers. The lowe range driver would be set up facing away from the ear (bass is hard to localize). I'm not really familiar with what is out there now, but this seems like it would work well (at least in my theory

).

 

[Alu]

Hmm, wireless?

Ask yourself why some people pay that much for cables.

 

[jpr703]

There's been some experimentation with ear implants. I'm not sure of exactly what they're hoping to achieve, but there certainly are a lot of possibilities.

 

[gsferrari]

I have a paper on IEMs employing MEMS and I have a paper on cochlear replacements. Although none of these papers were written with "AUDIO" in mind I am sure that these ideas can be patented. So I wont be posting about them but I think you have a taste already

 

[smuh]

Implants! but i guess listening to different phones could be somewhat difficult/expensive

 

[Glod]

An implant connected directly to the ear nerves going to the brain; bypassing all the mechanics in the ears all togther. Obiviosly in combination with a recording and storage device

 

[akerman]

'surround sound' headphones will take off.. even if we don't like it

I also envision small cpu's built into the headphone.. dunno what they will do, but you can be sure the engineers will find a use for them

 

[jtwn]

I don't know...but whatever Sennheiser does for the HD 700, it should rock

 

[boodi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MetalManCPA What do you see as the future of headphones?

I could bet some money on canalphones
I see it..they will very likely become a major standard. and possibly replace widely headphones from earbuds to full size as iem brands and not iem brands invest and research more and more for improving (again) comfort and sound
- somes on UE Pro10 and Sensa Pro2X yet say they don't miss so much the full size brothers

quite sure about this will happen in the next years

 

[catscratch]

I think canalphones will be taking off big. The sound quality of balanced armature drivers is excellent, and the practicality and portability of canalphones is second to none. I think that we're going to see some pretty impressive models from Shure/Etymotic/Westone and all the custom-molded IEM manufacturers.

On the other hand, the trend in most consumer electronics has been a decrease in sound quality - from LP's to CD's now to mp3's, sound quality has been consistently going down while being touted as an improvement. Many people can't tell the difference, and if you're selling to the lowest common denominator, the trend makes a whole lot of sense.

A while back, I've read about plasma tweeter technology and though that it was really fascinating. Now, it will probably never become commonplace simply because of all the practicality issues, but in theory, it could produce some of the best sound reproduction possible. It would be interesting to see some R&D money being invested in this.

 

[bobeau]

http://www.atcsd.com/tl_hss.html

 

[spike33]

I wanna see some ear speakers with triple drivers, separate ones for lows, mids and highs

 

[saint.panda]

I'm looking forward to ear implants with personalized HRTF processing, which also reacts to head movements.

 

[sahwnfras]

i think that the y will have implants. But these implants will be coustom made to the persons taste. They will be expensive, but will last a life time and will be the best sonding headphone because it is custom tailored