Today’s earphones are nowhere close to the origin of how humans began listening to music on the go. The extremely portable, wireless earbuds we can carry anywhere today, and pocket when not in use have had a long journey bringing them to the convenient form factors we use and love today. In this article, we will explore the fascinating journey of earphones, from their humble beginnings to the advent of truly wireless technology.
Personal audio devices date all the way back to the 19th century. However, the earphone form factor would not originate until the 1960s. That said, early earphones looked and probably felt very different from even the classic wired earphones 90s kids will swear by today. This is because just like older smartphones, the early models were large, bulky, and of course, had wires connecting them to the source of the audio. While they were still portable, one couldn’t really call them convenient.
Like with most tech, the design did move forward in the years that followed, as more and more manufacturers picked up on the need for convenience. The Sony Walkman series that kicked off in the 1970s became a big milestone in the journey of portable music and the demand for smaller, more lightweight earphones grew bigger. Around this time, brands also started using foam and rubber tips on earphones, making them more comfortable and adaptable to different ear shapes.
In the 1980s, the world was introduced to in-ear monitors (IEMs) which grew immensely popular among musicians and audiophiles, who could now monitor sound output with more precision, while minimizing external disturbance. IEMs are even used today and still feature wired connectivity, which lets them eliminate any latency/delay.
As we ventured into the late 1990s and early 2000s, wires earphones were more popular than ever, and it became easier to imagine music in a portable avatar than in a confined space. Earphones were now bundled with portable music players and had much better sound quality. The wires remained the only issue, often causing tangles and breakage.
That would change in 2001 with the emergence of a new technology – Bluetooth. Unlike ever before, Bluetooth-powered audio devices facilitated wireless connectivity and were no less than magic for early adopters. Bluetooth-enabled wireless earphones allowed users to move around when listening to music without worrying about tangles or damage. However, manufacturers had only figured out how to work a wireless connection between the audio source and the earphones, not between the left and right earbuds themselves. This led to mono earbuds (ones that would be only built for one ear, or a wire connecting the left and right earbuds (the neckband design we still see today.
Apple AirPods and the introduction of Truly Wireless Stereo earbuds
The next big revolution, and perhaps the biggest one to strike portable music, was the introduction of Apple’s first AirPods in 2016. These earbuds needed no wires at all, connecting via Bluetooth to both the audio source, and each other. Further, they would now also go in a small case, which would store the earbuds and also charge them automatically when not in use. To push this futuristic design, Apple would then also remove the 3.5mm headphone/earphone port from its iPhone lineup, a design staple for all phones at the time.
The AirPods offered a compact, lightweight design that fits directly into the ears, providing a fit that was secure enough to not need wires. The grip of the earbuds would balance their weight, while a stem would sport built-in microphones to take calls on the go. For the first time, zero wires were needed for a portable, personal music session. As a result, a new class of audio devices was born and aptly named Truly Wireless Stereo earphones, or TWS earphones.
In the years since wireless TWS earbuds have maintained more-or-less the same design in either stemmed or stem-less avatars, but numerous improvements have been made to elements like sound quality, comfort, battery life, and even resistance against dust and water. The latter even made these earphones great for fitness enthusiasts, further increasing their popularity.
Both of Apple’s decisions – removing the 3.5mm port and the introduction of TWS earphones, would then inspire nearly every brand across the globe to come up with their own alternatives. Meanwhile, new features like ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) and LLM (Low Latency Mode) would be added to make these devices more usable.
