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Few of us can forget our first experience with head phones. The moment you put on the cans, suddenly the music is inside your head. External interference drops and true stereo imagery is within instantaneous grasp. Sure, in the modern world of five-point-something, seven-point-something, 13-point-something multi-speaker surround sound theatre systems, the ubiquitous head phones seem rather basic and utilitarian. However, the truth lies in the mirror and on either side of your head — your ears. Nowhere will you find sound without external coloration from the environment as immediate as a pair of cans on your head can deliver. Sure, audiophiles will expound about perfect stereo alignment, sweet spots where their sound converges perfectly and frequency balancing in terms of bass traps and sound insulation to remove standing waves and a whole lot of hoopla, for most of us all that is just too expensive to consider. Head Phones: Music on the Move Head phones are like connecting the dots with a straight line. You have two ears on either side of your head, why not hang a couple of small, suitable sound sources on your head and get immediate stereo. Agreed, head phones cannot substitute (and should not) near-field monitors, but they offer a portable reference for audio that cannot be denied. Let me tell you about my friend who is a professional sound engineer, a few months into his job doing live sound for bands and musical events, his first purchase was a good pair of head phones from a reputed company. The idea was to have his own sound source, one which he was used to, in order to match the levels of various mikes, instruments and voices on stage. He sure wasn’t going to get distracted by outside sound influences. Huge Success Worldwide Quite a few of us actually like our music loud! For whatever reasons, such as neighbours, family or others who might be disturbed by your block-rocking bass or even your choice of music, loud music cannot be indulged in. For such situations, head phones are your best bet. Your own personal music room that fits into your bag is actually an audiophile’s delight for the last hundred years. The first headphones were made for the US Navy. The first market production phones were the DT-48’s from Beyerdynamic, followed by AKG in 1949 and John C. Koss who introduced their own models. In 1979, things began to move with Sony’s MDL-3L2 included along with the first Sony Walkman to hit the market. Since then, there has been no stopping the discerning listener on the move. Diya Jain is an experienced author with a keen interest in electronic devices having a number of articles to her credit on topics related to headphones.
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