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Not that we don't love both things, but there might be a place and a time for each type of listening. What is it that makes you feel like reaching for the headphones?
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My audio system resides in our main lounge room, along with the TV. When there is nothing interesting (to me) to watch, I don my headphones. Currently using Denon D2000's, which I only got about a month ago, with a Schiit Asgard.
My previous Audio technica A700s have been relocated to my work office.
Cheers
welly
It is no coincidence that in no known language does the phrase 'As pretty as an Airport' appear - Douglas Adams
is the fact that with headphones, you can swap out to a different "flavor" much easier than speakers. When I had my arsenal of cans, the ones I'd pick to use sometimes differed by the genre of music I was listening to.
Certain cans synergized better with a particular type of music than others. For instance, if I was listening to anything featuring strings of any sort, I'd opt to listen to them through one of my Grados. Something about Grados and strings sounded so musical to my ears.
And also, with cans, the "bang-for-the-buck" factor definitely kicks in - real hard. For a hundred bucks you can pick up a pair of Audio Techinca AD700's and be in audio heaven straight out of something as simple as a portable player.
I use my Senns for most acoustic music, Grados for amplified music. And I've heard it said that the wooden Grados are great for woodwind music, but I have never owned one of the wooden Grados so I would not know for sure.
Edits: 07/28/11
I'm in the market for a damn good new set of phones too. Not sure which direction I'm going to head in, although I'm really liking the Grado RS-1. I haven't heard the Denon's, and many seem to like them.
Back to the original question, there is something both intimate and isolated about headphone listening that makes it, at times a very intense and emotional experience. It's like all distractions are gone and there is only me and the music. On some level I guess I feel it's also more immersive.
I'm using the Consonance Cyber 20B headphone amp, and I've done a fair bit of tube rolling with it, although nothing crazy. With my old and trusty Sennheiser HD-535's, I get a nice stereo image and dry but decent bass. Vocals are quite nice and electric guitar solos are beautiful, or at least can be. Piano's not so good.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I'm just a caveman. I fell on some ice and later got thawed out by some of your "scientists." Your world frightens and confuses me!" Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer
couldn't if I wanted to and listening in the middle of the night so I don't hear the same thing and or "I calling a lawyer". Otherwise it's the loudspeaker life for me...
I don’t dislike headphones but I just prefer my speakers.
I have some Senn 600s and Denon D7000s but I just never seem to get around to ever using them. However my wife sometimes does.
I know this is the headphone asylum but I am just expressing that nothing seems to ever prompt me to use the headphones I own.
Smile
Sox
I started with headphones two years ago because my family kept yelling at me with the 2 channel system. i have enjoyed them so much and went the bonkers route and now have settled on the two flagships the T1 and the D7000 and really got into Decware amps for my headphones and Omega speakers. The family no longer complains.
Mood also enters into it. I'm also more prone to listen to classical cds I have on headphones and more intimate, quieter pieces.
I normally would just listen on the main setup. But if i am up really late, i will listen late night on phones.
During the day I'm mostly on the computer and headphones/computer audio are more convenient than getting up & flipping records. In the evenings, when I can do serious listening it's all speakers, all the time.
"Knowing what you don't know is, in a sense, omniscience"
I like both.
"What did the Romans ever do for us?"
I like to listen to what I want when I want, without burdening other
family members with my decision.
A good headphone rig is considerable cheaper that a good speaker-based
rig.
One does not have to sit in the "sweet spot", or keep one's head pointed
in one direction, to get full stereo effect.
One can much more easily afford to have several different amp/phone
combinations than one can amp/speaker combos. More space efficient too.
Plus, it's simpler. I'm real big into simple these days.
MK
Hi Mike,
I was with you till this:
One does not have to sit in the "sweet spot", or keep one's head pointed
in one direction, to get full stereo effect.
The lack of a stereo effect is the main reasons I hate headphones.
Having tried all the binural or whatever those headphones listening plugins are I have had nothing that comes close to the soundstage that is produced by speakers.
Since I am putting together a rig for headphones what are you doing to get a "full stereo effect"?
No one here remembers the bending of our minds
which were recorded in mono, hence I tend not to worry too much about
channel separation. When I do play newer recordings done in stereo, I've
not noticed any problems with a lack of channel separation.
MK
I think you are right about the open back nature of some phones.
The best ones I heard for stereo imaging were some Ultrasones. IIRC they were open back.
What is an "earspeaker"??
No one here remembers the bending of our minds
AKG used to make them. Today, Stax and a few others are still making them. This will give you some idea...
Earspeakers provide me with some of the best aspects of loudspeakers and headphones simultaneously. I'm sure we all know that there are a few different types and brands of earspeakers to choose from, I own a set of AKG K1000's. I would not consider my headphone system to be complete without a pair of earspeakers to turn to from time to time... although a pair of uber-expensive headphones and a good crossfeed circuit might do very well in a pinch!
I have AKG702's which are open backed headphones. Compared to closed back the sound field seems much more natural and not close to my head.
DR I agree that speakers will always sound better. But when you get into headphones as I did you will really start appreciating all they can do for intimacy and privacy. i really went into them in a big way.
I ultimately sold the Corda because I went toa tube amp. I believe Jan Meier calls the technology Crossfeed. You may wish to heck out his website.
Crossfeed is what I was talking about!
No one here remembers the bending of our minds
I don't know if the term is proprietary or not, but there's a "crossfeed" switch on my Total Bithead. I haven't really tried it and since the device is at work I won't be able to until Monday... I gather the intent is to mix a little time delayed (?) bit of each channel with its counterpart, but I'm no expert at this.
I'll report back, though.
I have the Total Airhead with a crossfeed switch. Just by ear, it seems to reduce the separation and roll off the highs. I don't use it. Perhaps something more sophisticated is called for but I don't know what that would be.
"If people don't want to come, nothing will stop them" - Sol Hurok
.
I'd say that with most recordings I listen to, the effects of crossfeed with my Meier Corda Arietta are barely noticeable at first but it does seem to make headphone listening seem more natural and enjoyable over the long term. Some heapdphone amps have a certain amount of natural crossfeed going on (without the need for crossfeed circuitry) due to circuit design of the amp itself. Steve Deckert of Decware once told me that crossfeed circuitry was not really needed with his CSP2 headphone amps, but that he considered crossfeed to be an essential ingredient for long term listening with his small ZH-1 "Zenhead" headphone amp.
Edits: 07/24/11 07/24/11
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"If people don't want to come, nothing will stop them" - Sol Hurok
Headphones are unaffected by room acoustics. In our house, only the living room has the proper shape and size for speakers, but our TV is in that room, our five cats have free access to the living room, etc. Cats and turntables don't mix, my wife likes to watch TV in the evenings; I'd be on the headphones if there stereo was in that room anyway.
Secondly, when I'm using headphones I get the full centered stereo soundstage no matter where I'm sitting in the room.
___
I believe in coyotes and time as an abstract...
My listening room is widely open to the rest of the house. After everyone else is in bed, my listening choices are speakers at very low sound pressure levels, or cans at whatever level I want. Jazz is gonna happen on the big rig. If it's head-banging night, I break out the Grados.
Life's much better if you caffeinate your squirrel
Well when I decide on which pair to buy it will be because it's night time and my wife is bitching at me to turn down the Damn Music !
nt
My main system is a five grand pair of studio monitors. Pretty amazingly good.
But my kilo-buck Stax electrostatics have a coherence, and a natural sound that is very enjoyable. I do my headphone listening late at night. It's great to kick back in the recliner, fire up the Stax and just disappear into the music.
"Lock up when you're done and don't touch the piano."
-Greg House
I would agree that coherency and/or the absence of deleterious room effects are two of the most attractive things about headphone listening. Whether it's coming from the smooth and even sound of my Sennheisers or the clean and dynamic sound of of my AKG's, the sound never fails to draw me in.
Headphone listening = zero room effects = WONDERFUL!!!!
"Lock up when you're done and don't touch the piano."
-Greg House
Not musically educating the neighbors.
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