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Headphones, speakers top electronics gift lists

Audio equipment seen by many as an affordable luxury

Nutcracker soldiers listening to iPods with earbuds were displayed at the Apple Store on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile.Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press/File

ATLANTA — Listen up, Santa.

Headphones, speakers, and other audio gear are topping the holiday gift lists of many Americans.

Audio equipment is among the top-selling electronics gifts this holiday season, accounting for 13 percent of the $8 billion in consumer electronics sales between Nov. 24 and Dec. 7, according to research firm NPD Group.

Headphone sales rose 14 percent. Sales of sound bars, long, thin speakers that create surround sound, grew 80 percent. And wireless speaker sales nearly quadrupled.

The trend is being driven in part by the economy. Audio gear, which can range from $10 for ear buds to thousands of dollars for a home theater system, is being considered by some an affordable luxury during a still shaky economy.

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Americans also have spent the last several years buying tablets, smartphones, and televisions. Now, many are looking for ways to squeeze better sound from those gadgets.

''It stands to reason that people at some point want a better audio experience than the ear buds you get in the box,'' said Ben Arnold, NPD's director of industry analysis.

Indeed, Drew Smith, 21, began coveting better headphones when he got an iPhone 5 in August. Now, headphones are the only big present he's asking his parents for.

''Because of my smartphone, I listen to more music and . . . I want a good set,'' said Smith, a cinema manager who lives in Paragoule, Ark.

Likewise, Adam Daniels, 23, a commercial banker from Sharonville, Ohio, decided to buy a Phillips sound bar for his parents for Christmas after they purchased a 50-inch television.

''They have a great TV, but the audio on it is terrible,'' he said.

The trend this season is a continuation of an audio craze that started last year. That's when Beats by Dr. Dre, oversize headphones that come in different colors and run about $200 per pair, became the ''it'' holiday gift.

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Beats doesn't give sales figures. But the company said it grew its share of the market for headphones over $99 from 71 percent last year to 78 percent this year.

Some competitors have also upped their sound game. This year, stores and analysts say Bowers Wilkins, Bose, Jawbone, and JBL all are among those offering more products, colors, and stylish designs.

''Audio has been really popular this holiday,'' said Josh Davis, manager of Abt Electronics, a large electronics store in Chicago. ''Last year, it seemed like all anyone wanted was Beats. . . . But we're seeing good competition this year among other brands.''

At the same time, prices have fallen for some audio gear. For instance, the average selling price for wireless speakers dropped 33 percent to $73 this year compared with last year, according to NPD.