Headphone Statistics - Question for Clare Newsome

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Hi all, I'm attempting to write a detailed report on the current UK headphone market as part of an University MSc project, but am struggling to find the relevant figures and statistics without paying hundreds of pounds for the research. Was wondering if anybody had any decent sources for such information? I came across the article linked below, which was written by Clare Newsome. I tried to contact her about it through the help email but haven't gotten a reply for a couple of weeks. http://community.whathifi.com/blogs/industry_insider/archive/2010/02/11/the-year-of-the-headphone-2009-hi-fi-and-av-sales-figures-revealed.aspx Any help would be very much appreciated. Thanks for your time,Isa Maidan

 

[Clare Newsome]

Hi Isa,

Sorry, didn't pick up on your email.

Everything i've got on the headphone market is in that blog - I wouldn't withhold information from the head-fi-ers on here!

You could try contacting Gfk, who I link to in the blog? We pay for their data, but they may share some info for educational purposes - worth a try, anyhow.

I think the issue is that more detailed information is of such potential commercial benefit, it won't be freely shared.

Maybe contacting one of the specialist headphone-selling websites may get you an interview with a top bod there whom can shed some more light, also.

All the best

 

[PJPro]

Some years ago, I did a student placement with Surrey County Council. My placement project was a management plan for an area of woodland. I required statistical data on bird populations in the vicinty and managed to shame the British Trust for Ornithology into letting me have it for free. They wanted to make me pay!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks very much for the help Clare.

Have tried to contact Gfk, will see if they get back to me any time soon, although as you say I suspect they won't be willing to give the information away free.

In the 2009 blog mentioned above, you included a slightly more detailed report on the headphone market than in 2008. Any chance you have the same figures included in 2009 blog (such as how many headphones were in-ear compared to hi-fi and lightweight) for the previous two years?

Any help or information would be very much appreciated, I've been scouring the internet for days looking for such figures.

Thanks so much for your time,

Isa

 

[Clare Newsome]

I've gone back to the 86-page presentation on this year's figures and found some headphone historicals for you:

2005 - Total sales units 4.649m; market value £62m

In-ear - 2.956m

Traditional wired - 619,700

Wired mini/lightweight - 862,200

Wireless - 211,100

2006 - Total sales units 5.020m; market value £68m

In-ear - 3.472m

Traditional wired - 587,400

Wired mini/lightweight - 224,800

Wireless - 735,800

2007 - Total sales units 5.604m; market value £78m

In-ear - 4m

Traditional wired - 653,500

Wired mini/lightweight - 755,100

Wireless- 194,900

2008 - Total sales units 6.209m; market value £89m

In-ear - 4.5m

Traditional wired - 816,900

Wired mini/lightweight - 201,700

Wireless- 689,700

Hope this helps!

 

[Anonymous]

Clare,

Thank you so much for that, exactly what I was looking for.

Very, very much appreciated.

Thanks again,

Isa

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry to ask again Clare but had a quick question. The in ear headphones and traditional wired headphones have been increasing steadily over the last few years. The lightweight and wireless designs have been much more volatile, with sharp increases and decreases. Any idea why that may be? Secondly, do you know if these figures include headphones sold with portable music players and smartphones. Obviously headphones are included as packages with a lot of products such as iPods, do you know if the figures include such sales, or represent separate sales of headphones outside of such packages? Sorry to keep asking the questions, but would be nice to hear some thoughts from somebody who knows the area. Perhaps if there is some sort of private message service on this site, or if you wouldnt mind dropping me an email so as to not clog up the message boards with conversation? I have a back up email address which is shortun25@hotmail.com. If you are willing, maybe just leave an email to that address and will email you back. If not and you would rather just answer questions on here that would be fine. Or lastly, if your busy and or bored of my incessant question and favour asking then dont worry =) Thanks so much for your help, Isa

 

[Clare Newsome]

Re changing trends in what sells - much is to with the brands/models in play at the time, and the resulting coverage/Awards those designs get.

For example, a few years back you couldn't get many good-quality in-ear headphones - they were typically cheaper alternatives, some not much better than the ones you got bundled with a player (sometimes worse!).

However, then some of the bigger names in audio - including Shure and Sennheiser (both of which were already making pro-quality earpieces for musicians etc), plus hi-fi companies such as Klipsch - started making more serious in-ear designs.

Couple that with iPod sales going through the roof (and selling to people after grown-up sound, not just portable convenience) and the in-ear boom was born.

The 'mini' designs have been fuelled by fold-up designs such as Sennheiser's PX series and (at a later date) Grado iGrados, which were about the only way of getting great on-the-move sound for under £50, apart from those super-cheap in-ear options.

However, with such a wide array of in-ear designs - plus those fold-up designs not always being the most commute-friendly (as they're typically open-backed, so leak out sound) - they're not as popular as they once were. Still room for a new, popular model to come in and change that, though.

Meanwhile, people are rediscovering the joy of larger, hi-fi headphones for both home and travel use. With more of us than ever living in smaller spaces/closer quarters with families etc, it gives everyone the opportunity to enjoy excellent-quality sound - from laptop, iPod or hi-fi/home cinema kit - without disturbing the neighbours/loved ones.

Re wireless headphones - arrival of Bluetooth wireless headphones had a boost, but there are still v.few convincing models (though again, a great model could change that).

And no, the figures do not include those headphones that come bundled free with portable gear. Most of which are best binned!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks so much for your responses Clare. All excellent information that I will most definitely be using.

Would you mind if I included some direct quotes from you in the report I am writing. They will of course be referenced to you, and if you would like I would happily send you a copy of the section in which your name would be included.

Again thanks so much for the help.

Isa

 

[Clare Newsome]

Happy to be quoted, and see the report.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks very much for that. If you send me an email to the address I mentioned above and I can send you the report once it's complete.

I promise this is the last question i'll ask, but do you have any information on who the market leaders are/market shares of relative firms selling headphones?

I have read a few blogs suggesting who they believe is market leader but haven't been able go get any information on it. Tried contacting Gfk but with very limited success.

Thanks again so much for all your help,

Isa