CES 2012 is already in the rearview mirror, but outside of the frenzy over televisions, ultrabooks, mobile devices, apps and vehicle connectivity, the show floor was equally flooded with headphone manufacturers touting audiophile quality for the average consumer.

Where did this sudden surge come from? Between the Beats by Dr. Dre brand hawked by Monster, plus stalwarts like Bose, Bowers and Wilkins, Sennheiser, Denon, Shure and others, it seems everyone else wants a piece of the same pie.

No fewer than 20 different brands were offering headphones at the show, and even that might be a conservative number. There was an entire line of Android headphones and earbuds presented by Philips, along with a flagship set meant for audiophiles with more to spend. V-Moda, AKG, Audio-Technica, Koss, Skullcandy, Ecko and even Toronto-based ClarityOne were in on the action. Scosche, better known for car gadgets, hyped up its new headphones, and JayBird is coming with new sets too.

Then you have the celebrity-endorsed lines, like House of Marley, Soul by Ludacris and 50 Cent's SYNC. Even iHip got into the act with line designed for pro sports teams and comic book characters. But the kicker was the new line unveiled based on Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi of Jersey Shore fame. If that wasn't enough, Shore co-star, Pauly D worked a deal with 50 Cent to design his own brand of headphones within the rapper's SMS Audio lineup. One hopes they won't be designed as a caricature of Pauly D's ridiculous hairdo.

Rapper Xzibit didn't slap his name onto Monster's new Inspiration, headphones but he was still on hand to promote that they have interchangeable headbands.

The gimmicks were out in full force, but what will this mean for a category that was more muted traditionally? The answer might lie in the fact consumers are willing to own more than one pair of headphones or earbuds for specific reasons, and manufacturers know it. It's not enough to just have one pair of headphones for everything. There needs to be a pair for lounging at home, one for going to the gym, one for travelling and one for... well, any other reason one could surmise.

This might explain why the likes of Jabra, Philips and Sony are looking at offering gym-friendly and waterproof earbuds or wireless headsets that can withstand sweat. Then there are the concept models that are supposed to be virtually indestructible to go along with the lighter models that are ideal for travel.

The truth is, standard earbuds that come with smartphones, and even Apple's own iconic white set that come with its iOS devices, leave a lot to be desired in terms of audio fidelity. Thus the headphone frenzy. Go to an Apple Store or big-box retailer and the level of choice is increasing every quarter.

But not all these headphones can be that good. The technology might be there to make better headsets that are smaller yet pack bigger sound, except one headphone might be good for a certain type of music more than another. For example, Beats headphones are great for hip-hop and bass-heavy genres, but listen to a classic rock album on them, and something is definitely missing. Listen to hip-hop with a mid-level pair of Sennheiser's, and you might find the bass a little too lacking.

The demand for better sound and clarity may be growing, but the fragmentation at the show was a little over the top. Sooner or later, some of these players will fade to irrelevance. The average consumer generally listens to digital music files (of varying quality) on either a computer, smartphone or iPod. Smartphones and iPods aren't exactly designed to provide the best audiophile experience, and personally, I've found that a free app (Bongiovi DPS) did more for my iPhone's music than a pricey pair of earbuds or headphones.

Just as image quality in the eye of the beholder, audio fidelity tends to work the same way. Everyone's taste and ear is different, which is precisely what headphone manufacturers are looking to pounce on. The sales pitch for a lot of these companies had less to do with techno jargon than it did with what the experience would be like listening to music through their headphones.

Ultimately, it will be interesting to see if the headphone surge from the show floor actually translates into anything tangible on the retail sales floor this year.

Article Tags:  CES, headphone, earbud, Beats, Monster, Dre, Bose, Shure, Sennheiser, B&W, Bowers, Wilkins, V-Moda, AKG, Audio-Technica, Denon, Koss, Skullcandy, Clarity One, Ecko, Scosche, JayBird, Marley, Ludicris, Polizzi, Jersey Shore, SYNC, 50 Cent, Xzibit, Jabra, P