Those were hobbyists, audiophiles, professionals, artists (recording, performing, etc.).
They are talking about a much larger group of people.
I think OP meant noise-cancelling headphones, which were fairly ubiquitous in tech circles in open offices; before Apple launched AirPods.
I think OP meant noise-cancelling headphones, which were fairly ubiquitous in tech circles in open offices; before Apple launched AirPods.