BEHIND ENEMY LINES
TRIMM PROFESSIONAL, 1951

Made by Trimm Inc of Libertyville, Illinois, USA, these headphones were marked for use by radio operators in the US armed forces. Trimm grew in the 1930s thanks to its development of hearing aids, but during World War II was co-opted to make headsets, and continued to do so until the 1960s. Trimm now makes power distribution products for the communications industry. The

earpieces are Bakelite, with no cushioning, but they’re not as uncomfortable as you’d imagine. The wire is covered with cloth, while the stainless- steel headband is covered in rubber. If you have a working crystal radio set from the 1920s, you can plug these in and they’ll work fine. But then, if you have a working 1920s crystal radio set, you already knew that.

BEHIND THE DECKS
SENNHEISER HD 25-1 II, 2009

At first glance, there’s little to choose between these cans and their ancestors. But made from lightweight plastics and alloys, this pair is much lighter – 140g without cable, compared with 360g – with detachable cable and earpieces you can rotate for that essential one-ear listening look. DJ Sam Young wouldn’t step into the booth without them: “The sound quality is really good,” he says.

Young, a fixture at Red Bull parties and resident tunesman at London clubs Punk, Boujis and Bungalow 8, is also big on their coolness. “They’re not sweaty headphones – some get really hot – and they’re really flexible. They go with me everywhere.”