Description

I sit down with my good friend Stephen Lauck to talk about wireless headphones – or, as we like to think of them, headphones with invisible wires.

We cover:

• Mark Zuckerberg's stupid glasses
• Nathan Baldwin, the theoretical polygamist who invented headphones
• The first stereo headphones, made by Koss
• The 1/8" audio jack
• The Walkman
• The regulation of the radio spectrum (chart)
• Ether landlords
• Bluetooth
• The iPhone 7 (the first iPhone without an 1/8" audio jack)

References:

• https://hifisoundgear.com/blogs/basics-and-beyond/when-was-the-headphone-jack-invented
• https://www.headphonesty.com/2021/05/when-were-headphones-invented/
• https://patents.google.com/patent/US454138A/en
• https://web.archive.org/web/20090911070726/http://www.historytogo.utah.gov/salt_lake_tribune/history_matters/070801.html
• https://www.millcreekut.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/695?fileID=27840 
• https://www.phonographia.com/FOTP%20MM/Koss.htm
• https://koss.com/pages/watch-the-history-of-koss
• https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-topics/g00726/walkman-story-the-early-years-of-the-iconic-personal-cassette-player.html
• https://www.jstor.org/stable/853362
• https://flypaper.soundfly.com/discovery/short-history-18-inch-headphone-jack/
• https://web.archive.org/web/20080624025103/http://www.iep.gmu.edu:80/UnlicensedWireless.php
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS0txu_Kzl8
• https://www.headphonesty.com/2025/03/real-reason-apple-killed-headphone-jack/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/iphone/comments/1dbj7ee/the_thickness_of_every_iphone_and_screen_size

Credits:

• Our theme music is by Magic AL