JBL’s Headphones division surpassed Sony globally in volume share in Q2, making JBL the #1 global audio brand in volume in the overall headphone market and #2 after Apple
Bengaluru: HARMAN International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., focused on connected technologies for automotive, consumer and enterprise markets, announced that JBL has hit the milestone of selling 200 million headphones. The convergence of a thriving headphone market and global demand for high-quality audio has helped JBL in achieving this mark, the company said in a release.
“We are thrilled to hit this 200 million milestone, which affirms our ability to delight listeners with the best-sounding headphones on the market. JBL’s engineering teams are constantly exploring new horizons of innovation, and we are very excited about what the future of audio holds,” said Dave Rogers, President of HARMAN’s Lifestyle Division.
In addition to the milestone of 200 million headphone units sold, JBL’s Headphones division surpassed Sony globally in volume share in Q2, making JBL the #1 global audio brand in volume in the overall headphone market and #2 after Apple, the release added.
A booming market
Since 2020, the demand for headphones has soared, driven by major new trends arising from the pandemic, such as increased HD music streaming, an uptake of in-gaming music consumption and podcasts, home-based work and teleconferencing, and even sports and biometrics uses.
Experts predict that globally, the market will grow at a CAGR of 17.6% between now and 2028.
Headphones of the future
In the future, headphones will feature 3D rendering algorithms that can imitate reverberation in spaces like a cathedral or a gymnasium. This promises gaming headphones that are aware of the spatial environment and can perfectly mimic the reverberations inside the virtual places that an on-screen character explores, resulting in truly believable, truly immersive experiences. Accurate spatial audio will also have a huge role to play in the metaverse.
JBL is a designer, manufacturer, and marketer of professional loudspeakers and studio monitors for musicians, tours, cinema, and recording & broadcasting applications. It leverages these credentials in the consumer headphones category.
HARMAN designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers, and enterprises worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions; and services supporting the Internet of Things. More than 50 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. In March 2017, HARMAN became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
