How many readers remember the clumsy headphones that weighed two pounds that we used 25-30 years ago? It was the most tiring part of being on the radio, because wearing heavy headphones for four hours is a workout on one’s neck.
Who would have thought that something like a ‘headphone’ would have the kind of caché that would draw attention from ‘stars’ and advertisers to form a multi-million dollar industry?
This past Christmas, I bought a new set for my son at a local music store. I went for a high end, studio quality headphone made by Sennheiser. When he opened it on Xmas morning, he liked the look and weight, which attracted me to purchasing them, but he didn’t like the ‘bass’ because he expected the boomy, thud of digital drums that are always so prominent in the mix of alternative hip-hop music.
I urged him to hold on to them and listen to a broader variety of his music library. A few days later, he came by the house to tell me that ‘they were cool.’
The following article exposes the seamy side of advertising, branding and headphones that has nothing to do with sound quality or music.
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/entertainment/tech_gaming/165425015.html