MILWAUKEE — Did you know that a Milwaukee company revolutionized how we listen to music?
Koss, the headphone company headquartered in Milwaukee, was the first to create a pair of stereo headphones that changed the way we listen to music today.
In 1958, John C. Koss and engineer Martin Lang Jr. changed how basically all headphones are made. Before, headphones only had one channel. A song with a dozen instruments would all funnel through that one channel. With stereo headphones, there are left and right channels, meaning those instruments could be spaced out, creating a more dynamic listening experience.
“People put on these stereo headphones, and all of a sudden the drums were over here, the cymbals were over here, the bass was over here, the flutes were over here, and it was like being at a live concert," Martin Moore, the marketing manager at Koss, said.
Now, attached to the Koss headquarters in Milwaukee is a newly opened, reimagined factory store that commemorates this history. You can buy headphones or get them replaced. There is also a short documentary of Koss' history, as well as some of the original headphones built more than 50 years ago.
“Wanted to re-cement our feet here in the city and allow customers to come in here, even if they don’t want to buy headphones, still see something that I think is really cool and unique to the city," Moore said.
They partnered with Visit Milwaukee in hopes of becoming more of a destination.
The original store opened in 1986 but was really just a place to get headphones replaced or fixed. In 2020, it closed. So for six years, that Koss presence felt kind of lacking. Except, of course, for all the billboards you see off I-43.
“Sort of like a museum and sort of like a step into the past," Moore said.
The store is open Monday-Thursday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm and Fridays from 8:30 am to 2:30 pm.
Watch the story to see inside the new Koss store...
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