Who invented it? Telefunken or Beyerdynamic?

A brief excursion into history.

The first headphones emerged from the need to monitor audio information in telecommunications technology. These early devices were primitive and often consisted of a single earpiece directly connected to telegraph lines or telephones.

In the 19th century, headphones were used by telegraph and telephone operators to receive wired signals without disturbing the surrounding environment with loudspeakers. Telephone exchanges relied on these early headphones to monitor and manage communication connections.

With the rise of radio in the 1910s and 1920s, headphones increasingly became a means for private reception of radio broadcasts. Most early radios did not have built-in speakers, so headphones were the only way to listen to the transmissions.

The history of headphones is closely linked to the development of telecommunications and audio technology. Some of the oldest and most renowned headphone manufacturers in the world trace their roots back to the early audio engineering of the 20th century and have developed into leading players in the industry over the decades.

Beyerdynamic was founded in 1924 by Eugen Beyer in Berlin and is one of the oldest audio companies in the world. Originally, the company specialized in cinema loudspeakers before focusing on microphones and headphones in the 1930s. In 1937, Beyerdynamic introduced the Beyerdynamic DT 48, widely regarded as the world’s first dynamic headphone.

But there is an even older name: Telefunken. Founded in Germany in 1903, Telefunken was one of the earliest companies to manufacture audio equipment and headphones. Although the company is less prominent today, it produced headphones for radio and wireless reception in its early years.

My opinion on this:

Without a doubt, the credit for inventing the modern headphone belongs to Beyerdynamic, a company whose very name reflects the working principle of the technology. To this day, ULTRASONE continues to rely exclusively on highly developed dynamic drivers—the descendants of this nearly 100-year-old technology—because they still offer the best combination of weight, size, and sound quality.

A salute to this groundbreaking invention, Eugen!