Among the youth of America, headphones are more than a means of delivering music. They are now a status symbol, to the point where there have been murders over popular brands of headphones. Here are some popular brands, and note the price tags:

Sixty years ago, this young man was a trendsetter, and we can only conclude that he was the coolest kid in class, since he was the first to have a pair of stereo headphones. Since there was no such thing on the market, he made his own. In addition to undoubtedly being a chick magnet, they probably sounded better than the expensive ones today. The plans were contained in the Spring 1962 issue of Radio-TV Experimenter.

The speakers were actually 3-inch replacement speakers for a transistor radio, but since they were driven at such a low level, there was very little distortion. And the response could be adjusted by means of a cardboard baffle. Bass notes went through the cardboard just fine, but to adjust the response at the high end of the range, the size of the hole could be varied. The stylish design was made with plastic cups, cardboard, foam rubber, and tempered brass wire. It was all held together with a little bit of contact cement.

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