Can someone explain to me how the audio worked with the 'air type headphone jacks' on the armrests that we used to see in the 70's, 80's and early 90's? The jacks did not look like electric wires, rather they looked like you could blow air through them.
How did this audio technology work?
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RE: Headphone Jacks On Early Airliners
Sound was transmitted through the hollow tubes. Simple, cheap and as long as the audio system was working trouble free.
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- AirframeAS
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RE: Headphone Jacks On Early Airliners
I believe there were 2 small micro speakers mounted in the seat panel where you plugged in the headsets. The headsets were nothing but hollow tubs that transmitted the speaker sound through the tubes to the ear pieces. If the cabin was quiet, you could place you ear next to the audio panel and hear the sound from the holes where the headsets plugged in.
Those headsets were the most uncomfortable headsets I ever used. I found in a magazine an battery powered adapter that plugged into the headset jack socket and boosted the sound and it had a regular walkman stereo jack on it, so I was able to plug in my walkman headsets and use them instead of the airline headsets.
JetStar
Those headsets were the most uncomfortable headsets I ever used. I found in a magazine an battery powered adapter that plugged into the headset jack socket and boosted the sound and it had a regular walkman stereo jack on it, so I was able to plug in my walkman headsets and use them instead of the airline headsets.
JetStar
RE: Headphone Jacks On Early Airliners
I always thought the air tube type headsets was the dumbest thing to have past 1980...I was happy to hear later on that there was a standard TRS jack (or two of them) on United and Delta.
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RE: Headphone Jacks On Early Airliners
| Quoting Jetstar (Reply 3): I believe there were 2 small micro speakers mounted in the seat panel where you plugged in the headsets. The headsets were nothing but hollow tubs that transmitted the speaker sound through the tubes to the ear pieces. If the cabin was quiet, you could place you ear next to the audio panel and hear the sound from the holes where the headsets plugged in. |
Thanks! I appreciate the response. That is new to me, I never knew that. It is surprising that I still remember these kinds of audio systems.
RE: Headphone Jacks On Early Airliners
| Quoting AirframeAS (Reply 5): It is surprising that I still remember these kinds of audio systems. |
I remember it too, and I was shocked when I experienced it the first time back in the late 1980s on my first domestic flight in the US (I think it was IAD-BOS on DL). Up to that date I had only travelled on airplanes with the electric type headphones and I was quite thrilled
RE: Headphone Jacks On Early Airliners
Those things were about 1/4 of a step above tins cans and strings. But, there wasn't much available in cheap, light headphones back then.
RE: Headphone Jacks On Early Airliners
In the early days of headsets, they had to be rented and returned after the flight, so with the hollow tube type used, this was no problem, but when they were phased out for the plug in jacks, I think to prevent passengers from using their own walkman headsets, some airlines used the 2 prong headset.
I never saw this 2 prong plug on any AA or TWA airplanes I flew on, when they phased out the hollow tube headsets, they went to the purchase and keep or use your own headsets, so I don’t know how many other airlines used the 2 prong plug
When I bought my Sony noise canceling headphones, it came with an adapter which allowed my to plug into the 2 prong jacks. On some older Delta airplanes, they still use this 2 prong plug, so all their headsets come with an adapter. I always carry this adapter with me so I can plug into their audio system on these airplanes
JetStar.
I never saw this 2 prong plug on any AA or TWA airplanes I flew on, when they phased out the hollow tube headsets, they went to the purchase and keep or use your own headsets, so I don’t know how many other airlines used the 2 prong plug
When I bought my Sony noise canceling headphones, it came with an adapter which allowed my to plug into the 2 prong jacks. On some older Delta airplanes, they still use this 2 prong plug, so all their headsets come with an adapter. I always carry this adapter with me so I can plug into their audio system on these airplanes
JetStar.
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RE: Headphone Jacks On Early Airliners
| Quoting Jetstar (Reply 9): In the early days of headsets, they had to be rented and returned after the flight, so with the hollow tube type used, this was no problem, |
Actually, as I remember it: The headsets were in the seat pocket in front of you. You had to pay to rent the hollow tubes. I remember UA doing this the most since I flew on them more. I also remember CO doing it on their 727's. When I flew on USAir back in 1989, they didn't have them, but they had the new electronic type. This was on a 733.
RE: Headphone Jacks On Early Airliners
Back in those hollow tube headset days, I did most of my flying on TWA, the FA’s would come down the aisle and for a fee would hand you a sealed plastic bag with the headset in it. Before landing they would come around and collect the headsets. In first class they handed them out to everyone who wanted one
They never did any count on who rented them, so I kept one of my headsets and used them on other flights after the movie started. Once I bought my hollow tube to walkman adapter I used my own headsets, but I would keep my walkman tape player out so it looked like I was listening to my walkman. I even had a splitter so I was able to plug in 2 headphones into the single plug in the adapter so my wife and I could watch the movie at the same time.
I remember when TWA said it they could save more money by just selling the headsets or letting the passengers use their own as opposed to the cost of returning, cleaning and repackaging of the hollow tube headsets for rental.
I have a nice collection of the larger foam ear cover plug type headsets from AA and TWA, but lately some of the airlines have gone over to the cheap ear bud type headphones. I use my Sony noise canceling headsets all the time, even if I am not listening to any audio or my MP3 player, they have been worth every penny I have paid for them.
JetStar
They never did any count on who rented them, so I kept one of my headsets and used them on other flights after the movie started. Once I bought my hollow tube to walkman adapter I used my own headsets, but I would keep my walkman tape player out so it looked like I was listening to my walkman. I even had a splitter so I was able to plug in 2 headphones into the single plug in the adapter so my wife and I could watch the movie at the same time.
I remember when TWA said it they could save more money by just selling the headsets or letting the passengers use their own as opposed to the cost of returning, cleaning and repackaging of the hollow tube headsets for rental.
I have a nice collection of the larger foam ear cover plug type headsets from AA and TWA, but lately some of the airlines have gone over to the cheap ear bud type headphones. I use my Sony noise canceling headsets all the time, even if I am not listening to any audio or my MP3 player, they have been worth every penny I have paid for them.
JetStar
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- Viscount724
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RE: Headphone Jacks On Early Airliners
| Quoting Nomadd22 (Reply 8): Those things were about 1/4 of a step above tins cans and strings. But, there wasn't much available in cheap, light headphones back then. |
If the system was in good working order, the sound wasn't too bad, but you had nothing to compare it to then and any type of inflight entertainment in those days was better than nothing. I remember watching my first inflight movie on a Pan Am 707 from SEA to LHR in April 1970.
RE: Headphone Jacks On Early Airliners
I seem to remember one airline out there that advertised they had "electric" headsets before everyone and their Uncle LeRoy started offering them. I want to say maybe HA but I am not sure.
RE: Headphone Jacks On Early Airliners
If I recall correctly I read in an inflight magazine that the rental was to cover music royalties.
RE: Headphone Jacks On Early Airliners
Back in the days of air tube headsets you were allowed to smoke on airplanes.
When we were traveling with a group of friends we used to take the headset tube from the guys in front of us and discretely pull it between the seats to the row behind, then wait until a stewardess as serving the guys in front of us. As the stewardess was taking to the guy in the front row we used to blow a big lungful of smoke down the tube. The look on the stewardess's face when she saw smoke apparently coming form the blokes ears was priceless.
When we were traveling with a group of friends we used to take the headset tube from the guys in front of us and discretely pull it between the seats to the row behind, then wait until a stewardess as serving the guys in front of us. As the stewardess was taking to the guy in the front row we used to blow a big lungful of smoke down the tube. The look on the stewardess's face when she saw smoke apparently coming form the blokes ears was priceless.
RE: Headphone Jacks On Early Airliners
| Quoting Andz (Reply 14): If I recall correctly I read in an inflight magazine that the rental was to cover music royalties. |
There was also the cost to clean and repackage the headsets built into the rental charge, on the hollow tube headsets they changed the foam ear pieces each time they cleaned them.
I remember reading either for TWA or AA the difference was over 6 million dollars a year in savings by replacing the rental headsets, with all its associated cleaning and distribution costs with buy and keep for future use headsets
JetStar.
RE: Headphone Jacks On Early Airliners
I first used this type of headset on a United flight back in the 1970's. As my father, a physician explained to me, they worked pretty much the same way a doctor's stethoscope still works today. A speaker, or sound amplifier was in the armrest and the plugged in headset carries the sound waves through the tubes to the ear pieces.
I still have a few "rented" sets that the F/A's were kind enough to let me keep since I was a young airliner geek.
I still have a few "rented" sets that the F/A's were kind enough to let me keep since I was a young airliner geek.
RE: Headphone Jacks On Early Airliners
| Quoting Jetstar (Reply 9): I think to prevent passengers from using their own walkman headsets, some airlines used the 2 prong headset. |
Rather to avoid the Pax taking home the Airlines Headset & using it on his walkman
| Quoting Mender (Reply 15): The look on the stewardess's face when she saw smoke apparently coming form the blokes ears was priceless. |
regds
MEL.
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