Headphones : Experience Beyond Sound

[Razor54672]

With a lot of headphones these days, QoL features have made them far more than just a casing for drivers.
ANC, Touch Controls, Wireless, Multi-Device Playback, Spatial Audio, Folding Mechanism, Detachable Cable, Swivel and such.

I believe that for headphones to evolve further as devices that create novel experiences, we need more than just better sound quality.
A paradigm shift is required.

• We already have nuanced haptic feedback implementation in smartphones and gamepads, an implementation which might just make headphones more immersive.

[Since the headband covers a good proportion of our head's surface area, I thought that dynamic localization of haptics would be cool.]

• Now, this one is a wild guess, but I was wondering whether change in temperature near the drivers would affect sound waves in a perceptually meaningful fashion or not.
  Because if so, that could be another explorable arena.

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As such, what are your proposed additions?
; additions that'd make headphones more dynamic / responsive and immersive and as a result, provide a better experiential value.

 

[solderdude]

As such, what are your proposed additions?
; additions that'd make headphones more dynamic / responsive and immersive and as a result, provide a better experiential value.

Use all sorts of DSP effects.

 

[someguyontheinternet]

For me personally comfort is among the top priorities. If I find the headphone not comfortable enough, I find that it distracts me from the music leading to a lower perceived sound quality.

Another factor is sound isolation. The neighbourhood I live in tends to be a bit noisy so having decent isolation is very important to me. When it's warmer weather season I will also have a fan running which has some noise to it.

 

[Moderate Dionysianism]

Actively cooled pads and headbands,

pads filled with some sort of moldable gel/clay that will adapt to your skull/glasses etc. when you put them on