When the July 2015 issue of the AES Journal called for contributions to the Society’s first conference dedicated to headphone technology it was predicted that more than 300 million pairs of headphones would be sold that year. The conference was held in August 2016 and was soon followed by a conference on Audio for Virtual and Augmented Reality. These conferences demonstrate the breadth of the science and technology that are blurring the lines between headphones, immersive audio, assistive listening and mobile computing; while at the same time pointing to the challenges that face the community in making the resulting experiences seamless. The signing into law of the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017 will create new opportunities as the market for headphones continues to grow. In 2017 more than 350 million pairs were sold. In short, headphones and the technology associated with them are as popular as ever and the AES will remain at the forefront of this exciting field.
Section Event
2025-01-28 - 2025-01-28
