HEADPHONE SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR EMULATING THE AUDIO PERFORMANCE OF MULTIPLE DISTINCT HEADPHONE MODELS

A headphones system includes reference headphones having native audio performance characteristics, and a personal communication device that generates a user interface presenting visual representations of other headphones. In response to user selection of a visual representation of particular headphones, the personal communication device identifies a corresponding current sound profile establishing a mapping between audio performance characteristics of the particular user selected headphones and the native audio performance characteristics, and communicates the current sound profile to the reference headphones. The reference headphones includes a digital signal processor, which converts digital audio data received from an audio data source such as a media player into tranformed digital audio data in accordance with the current sound profile; and a set of speakers configured to output transformed sounds in accordance with the transformed digital audio data to emulate the audio performance characteristics of the particular user-selected headphones were they physically worn by the user.