The first thing you notice when you look a little closer at the headphone market is that surface and attitude are important. Among the most well-known brands in audio, we find several that belong together, even if on the surface they have completely different target groups. A giant in the field is Harman, which markets headphones under the brands JBL, Mark Levinson, Harman Kardon and AKG. And car audio from AKG, Bang & Olufsen, Bowers & Wilkins, JBL and Harman Kardon, just to name a few. Similarly, the partially Swedish Marshall Group offers headphones and speakers under the brands Marshall, Urbanears and Adidas, the latter then under license to make headphones for sports.
Dress in different costumes for different users
Of course, there are also giants in the headphone market who are big in mobile phones. Apple, Samsung, but it is the brands that sell something more than sound and beyond that a lifestyle and an attitude that is noticeable. And even Apple has several brands for headphones. Partly Apple and Airpods, partly Beats. Samsung and its side own the aforementioned Harman.
The first thing you notice when you look a little closer at the headphone market is that surface and attitude are important. Among the most well-known brands in audio, we find several that belong together, even if on the surface they have completely different target groups. A giant in the field is Harman, which markets headphones under the brands JBL, Mark Levinson, Harman Kardon and AKG. And car audio from AKG, Bang & Olufsen, Bowers & Wilkins, JBL and Harman Kardon, just to name a few. Similarly, the partially Swedish Marshall Group offers headphones and speakers under the brands Marshall, Urbanears and Adidas, the latter then under license to make headphones for sports.
Dress in different costumes for different users
Of course, there are also giants in the headphone market who are big in mobile phones. Apple, Samsung, but it is the brands that sell something more than sound and beyond that a lifestyle and an attitude that is noticeable. And even Apple has several brands for headphones. Partly Apple and Airpods, partly Beats. Samsung and its side own the aforementioned Harman.
In a headphone, there is still hardware and components that make a difference. It is now possible to get high-resolution sound even in cheaper products. The same with effective noise reduction. All that makes it clear that other distinguishing characteristics become even more important. Like color, design and idea.
Nothing is a manufacturer that saw this relatively early, started with audio products in the form of their Ear 1 and managed to stand out in the noise. They have since taken their idea further to more product categories, including mobile phones. Motorola has somewhat the same attitude, that materials and attitude, lifestyle are more important when we look at a relatively mature product category such as mobile phones or even more so headphones.