# Global headphone market to reach $17.55 billion by 2022?



## jude

According to a new report by Grand View Research, the global earphones and headphones, the global earphones and headphones market is expected to reach USD 17.55 billion by 2022.
  
 Grand View Research said:


> Surge in consumer demand for technologically advanced products is expected to fuel industry growth over the next few years. Increasing adoption of several smart devices such as tablets, smartphones along with portable music players may also positively impact earphones market demand.


 
  
 Here's a graph from them with their projections for in-ear and over-ear headphone growth in the U.S. market:
  
*U.S. earphones & headphones market by product, 2012 – 2022 (USD Million)*
  ​ ​  
 Here are some bullet points from their report:
  


> *Further key findings from the study suggest:*
> Global demand is expected to reach 455 million units by 2022, growing at a CAGR of 4.6% over the forecast period.
> The in-ear segment accounted for significant volume share in 2014, and is expected to exhibit high growth over the forecast period. This may be attributed to smartphone proliferation. Technological advancements have resulted in to development of light weight and compact products, thereby making them more compatible with devices such as smartphones and tablets.
> The over-ear segment is also poised for significant growth over the next six years. This can be attributed to technological developments resulting in incorporation of several features such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, SKAA and infrared in the wireless headphones segment.
> ...


 
  
 They do specifically acknowledge Beats' impact on the market, with the following (the last part of which (emphasis by me) I find an interesting, accurate observation):
  


> Emergence of Beats Electronics considerably changed the global industry. Beats incorporated several features in earphones including high performance, exaggerated bass, acoustic fidelity and fancy appearance, *which increased market demand for earphones and stimulated many other companies without acoustic background to swarm into this field*.


 
  
 In the "Competitive Landscape" portion of their report, they list the following companies: Alclair, Apple Inc., Bose Corporation, Grado Labs, JVC, Panasonic Corporation, Philips, Pioneer Corporation, Sennheiser, Shure, Skullcandy, Sony, and Ultimate Ears. Yes, I was very surprised to see Alclair listed in that mix, too, if only because the other companies listed are (in my estimation) _far_ larger companies than Alclair (which is a relatively lesser known maker of custom IEMs).
  
 You can read more about the report on *Grand View Research's website*.


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## Baycode

Thanks for the information share @jude , now I have picture of the industries upcoming years...


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## Bansaku

Well, Beats may be garbage, but I have to give credit where it's due. Unfortunately, if it didn't become trendy to wear large cans on one's head we probably wouldn't have such wonderful headphones such as the Momentum, P7, or MH40. Not to mention a heck of a lot more white earbuds.
  
 Now, if only Apple would do something with the Beats headphone brand's infrastructure and release an audiophile product to match the iDevices.


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## SeEnCreaTive

I don't think the majority of upcoming over the head sales will be attributed to wireless tech. You can get wireless in ears now anyways.

From my experience its people who have never experienced true over the ear sound. Although it's true you can get amazing in ears, a pair of $8 sony on ears tends to blow people's minds for cost vs performance. Main selling point for the average listener (non-audiopile,) bass and "clarity",in reality a lot of the time that refers to exaggerated treble to make it sound "clear", bass + treble = Beats.


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## shultzee

Interesting report.   What it should mean for us is, better performance, more competitive pricing, and more choices in the future.


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## FullCircle

> In the "Competitive Landscape" portion of their report, they list the following companies: Alclair, Apple Inc., Bose Corporation, Grado Labs, JVC, Panasonic Corporation, Philips, Pioneer Corporation, Sennheiser, Shure, Skullcandy, Sony, and Ultimate Ears. Yes, I was very surprised to see Alclair listed in that mix, too, if only because the other companies listed are (in my estimation) _far_ larger companies than Alclair (which is a relatively lesser known maker of custom IEMs).


 
  
  
 Technically,* "*Alclair" was not mentioned in the mix:
  
  
  
    (Directly From the text)
  
*Competitive Market Share Insights*
The global earphones and headphones market share is highly competitive and fragmented. Key industry players include *Aclair*, Apple Inc., Bose Corporation, Grado Labs, JVC, Panasonic Corporation, Philips, Pioneer Corporation, Sennheiser Electronic, Shure Incorporated, Skullcandy, Sony Corporation, and Ultimate Ears. Industry players invest heavily in R&D for developing techniques for innovation in order to achieve maximum product differentiation and increase presence. The market is also experiencing continued emergence of new manufacturers offering products across all price categories. Existing manufacturers are increasingly focusing on enhancing their network and distribution channel through multiple partnerships in order to cope with the growing competition from new vendors
  
  
  
 As to who Aclair is, I'm not too sure


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## Mach3

I wonder what percentage of those sale figures are direct impact of the head fi forum. Would be interesting to know.


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## inthere

Well, nobody on Head Fi buys Beats, so that alone shrinks the percentage significantly
  
 Seriously though, I think the majority of those sales are a direct result of headphone racks in stores, and companies are taking notice. 
  
 Sennheiser for example, had a great sounding headphone with the Momentum on Ear 1.0, but it was getting crushed on the listening rack by Beats, Monster, etc. because they sounded better unamped. Enter Momentum 2.0 and it's louder and more full sounding unamped. High end headphone makers are aware and keen on entering the portable headphone market too, which is good for Headfiers.


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## Wildcatsare1

jude said:


> According to a new report by Grand View Research, the global earphones and headphones, the global earphones and headphones market is expected to reach USD 17.55 billion by 2022.
> 
> Grand View Research said:
> 
> ...




Love that Alclair was in there, great company with exceptional products at reasonable prices. Marc is very good at what he does, though he is a tad smaller than the other companies listed..


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## SodaBoy

Moar McMansions = Moar Floorstanders
 Moar <300sqft Studios = Moar Headphones
  
 Guess which way the millennials are headed.
  
 Future is headphones, iems, portable/bookshelf speakers.


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