Headphones vs. Speakers

[madmac]

Hey all, what are your opinions of good headphones vs. speakers on the whole?. I'm very curious about this topic. I personally like the impact that speakers deliver but headphones are more revealing of the 'details' of the sound and sometimes can be a 'reference' on how good speakers should sound in many ways.

Sound off folks !!

[Chris D]

For my most critical listening sessions, I go to speakers. Better soundfield. But yes, I also enjoy headphones.

[aarsoe]

Use headphones a lot. Good ones like Sennheiser HD-600, B&W P5, Shure 530's and a couple of others. Listing them so you can get a sense of the level.
However as good as they are in detail there is still something lacking, namely the physical impact of music on your body. I think most humans listen with more than just our ears.
So love my headsets, but they are only a substitute for the real thing that I use when the rest of the family don't want to hear music late at night..

[technodanvan]

I guess I mostly place headphones in the "only really useful when working out" category.

I had a nice little DAC and amp setup for my computer a couple years ago. It was nothing extremely expensive, I want to say it was maybe $300 for the amp and DAC, then rotated through a couple of popular headsets and one set of nice IEMs. While they all sounded 'detailed', I felt this was actually really overpowering and no music put through any of them ever sounded like something I would want to listen to. Additionally, at a certain volume level of known tracks you expect to begin 'feeling' some of the music - whether it's bass hits or snare drums you should be able to feel these things if loud enough. Headphones cannot impart that feeling and in my opinion that is a big downside.

More worrisome for me is every one of the headsets, the IEMs included, made my temples ache after maybe half an hour of use. This doesn't happen with my $40 Sonys that I use for working out. As a complete aside, frankly I felt the Sonys sounded nearly as good as the other IEMs (Triple.fi 10's) and are clearly better suited for wearing when actually moving around.

Headphones also would tether me to one position and would usually place me in front of a computer where I have access to things like Amazon and Parts-Express. Needless to say this in of itself does not bode well for me or my wallet. If I were inclined to spend more money I suppose it could just be hooked to a CD player instead.

Lastly, the cost of a decent headphone system isn't exactly small. Sure, you can get a halfway decent DAC/amp combo for under $200 and (supposedly) good headphones around $200-250. But that's nearly $500 that is basically for me and me alone. I'd rather invest that cash into something that might be enjoyed by more people. Whether it goes towards a new TV, a nice Blu-Ray player, DAC, or amp for a pre-existing system, I think it's of better use.

In the end, I really like the idea of having a nice headphone system. I still live in an apartment and do wish I could turn up the volume every now and then. But from my experience it just isn't worth the money. I do accept that I basically was in "entry-level" territory compared to the majority of the guy at Head-Fi but I can't justify putting any more money into a hobby just to force myself to like it.

[Ovation]

I thoroughly enjoy my B&W P5s--late at night in bed, when I'm cooking on the deck with the BBQ and no one is around, on planes, camping. However, when I want a visceral musical experience, I prefer speakers (and my trusty sub).

Each has its place and usefulness. I'm fortunate to live in a house where I can't stand the levels required to bother the neighbours. When I was a downtown apartment dweller, though, headphones were the optimal choice.

[madmac]

I agree with what everyone has said here. I like the 'impact' that speakers and subs impart on the sound. I'm now in a apartment so I am now moving to headphones for my high volume listening. How loud I will be able to play my speakers remains to be seen. I'll play a few tunes at a good, reasonable volume and see if anyone bangs on my door!!. Since my amp is a Rotel with no headphone jack, I have purchased a O2 headphone amp so that will likely improve my headphone performance. We'll see !!

[Face]

Headphones reveal more details for me. Dynamics can be good with the right combo of cans and gear, but I still prefer a great pair of large floorstanders in a treated room.

[madmac]

Headphones reveal more details for me. Dynamics can be good with the right combo of cans and gear, but I still prefer a great pair of large floorstanders in a treated room.

I agree!. Although I would think that a $10K+ set of speakers would probably give that same detail (Which mine are NOT!!). I was listening to some stuff last night with my Grado SR80 headphones and it was nice. Now, I'm going to try my new O2 headphone amp from JDS Labs. I'll post a review of it here shortly!. :W

[Face]

I agree, you'd have to spend a large amount on speakers and room treatments to get the detail of the Hifiman HE-6 or Senn HD800.

[PewterTA]

I have yet to hear a set of headphones that were as detailed and imaged anyway close to my speakers. Course, now, yes the 802D2s are above that level in everyway...but even with my modified 604s3s, I've yet to hear a good set of headphones that reveal as much detail as those did.

I think initially I thought with the headphones I was hearing all the micro details, but when I learned how to listen to music and pick things out and what I was actually hearing I realized that sound is all about how much space there is and no matter how hard headphones try to recreate a sound, none have the space to them to accurately reproduce things to a realistic level.

I consider headphones a mode of listening while not able to be at home listening. I highly enjoy them mind you...but for all critical listening... speakers are it.