How are $1400 speakers compared to the HD800?

The way I see it, speakers have a bit more emotion and power to them, as there's more of a physical component (deep bass, intensity, etc) whereas the HD800s let you appreciate every little detail of the music under a microscope.  I love my HD800s, $1400 speakers wouldn't cut it for me to compare to them, but they do require a lot of good accompanying gear to go from normal sounding to mind-blowing.  A Beta22, a balanced DAC, and a killer source bring out their best.  

A bit of an apples verse oranges comparison.

 

If you're talking strictly sound, the "right" $1400 speakers are going to be able to spank the HD800 fairly handily. There are some qualifiers though. The "sweet spot" for listening to speakers is a matter of set up, positioning and room dynamics, but it's never very large. Outside of the sweet spot you start to loose speaker's one big real advantage over headphones, imaging. A good speaker set up includes a lot of things that aren't part of the headphone equation, things like furniture arrangement, room treatments, etc. Headphones nuts are only slightly deranged, if you want to see real sickness visit the home of a speaker geek. There are reason(s) why a lot of them aren't married. Not many wives will allow the acoustics to dictate flooring choices, furniture placement etc.

 

There is an added advantage that speakers have over headphones, almost all recordings are mastered for them.

 

I've owned some very nice maggies driven by a pair of diy Hafler DH200's for almost 30 years that are totally handicapped by the interior decorating dictates of "She who must be obeyed". That's one of the big reasons why they make cool toys like the HD800.

I think it is very hard indeed to compare speakers and headphones because headphones have massive technical advantages over speakers but equally present the stereo image in a very different way.

 

The main issue with speakers is room acoustic, this is the part of audio with speakers where most quality is lost. The ordinary domestic room simply is not a suitable environment for listening to an orchestra or a rock group. So to listen to music in high quality with speakers then the first step is to change the room acoustic and this requires installation of a lot of treatments.

 

I have done this in the past, in fact I have treated two dedicated listening rooms.

 

Even the most basic audio system in a properly treated listening room will produce audio of vastly superior quality to a so-called hi-end system in an un-treated regular domestic room.

 

So, the first question to ask yourself is: Do I have a dedicated listening room which I can treat acoustically? If the answer is, no, then money spent on expensive speakers is, imho, a big waste.

 

For a regular, untreated room I recommend some simple budget bookshelf speakers.

Depends on what you are looking for.

 

Let's say you have a pair of 1400$ floor standing speakers, the bass is probably going to have a lot more visceral impact while the HD800 is going to have way more details;

As to whether you prefer one or the other, it solely depends on you.

These Insignia speakers have developed quite a following and they're less than $90. I haven't heard them but even if they turn out to not be what you are hoping for, you're out very little money.

 

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Insignia%26%23153%3B+-+6-1/2%22+Bass-Reflex+Bookshelf+Speakers+(Pair)/7705307.p?id=1138085354138&skuId=7705307

Not all $1,400 speakers are created equal.

I have three pairs that cost less than $1,400, and all three better the HD-800 except for the not-ticking-off-the-neighbors part.

My reference speakers are the Quad ESL-63s. Got them used for about $650. Superior transparency, imaging, soundstage, and, well, everything. They're amazing. Bass is excellent, but they don't hit the lowest octave. That's fine by me since most of my music doesn't need that.

Another pair is a clone of the ProAc Response 2.5 speakers. They cost about $1,000 to build. Excellent speakers with amazing bass. It's hard to believe that you can get bass like this from a 6.5" woofer in a relatively small box. They don't have as much resolution and transparency as the HD-800, but they are nicely balanced and coherent. I love listening to them.

The last is a pair of ESS AMT-1 speakers I got for $300. The AMT drivers are nothing short of spectacular. As much microdetail as anything I've listened to. They fall a little short in integration with the woofers. The stock woofers weren't anything special, but I found a pair of good upgrades for $100. Reworking the crossover with modern materials and damping the cabinet paid off, too. Maybe $500 invested, and they're terrific. Not as cohesive as the ESL-63s, but a very good listen and absolutely better than headphones.

So you don't have to spend $1,400 to better headphones. I was able to do it for $650. And I'd also take the Quads over some pretty expensive hardware I've listened to. They're not going to please everyone and require more upkeep than the average speaker, but they work for me.

I don't know how much money you need to put into speakers to be competitive, but I know you have to spend thousands of bucks on acoustics, dedicate a room for audio and forget about aesthetics.

Headphones are nice to appreciate all the little details in the music but imo speakers win hands down when the idea is to just enjoy the music. They bring power to the table which lets you feel the music instead of just letting you hear it. Regarding speaker recommendation, well it really depends on how "compact" we are talking about here and what kind of music you listen to the most. It would also help to know whether you already have a receiver or an amp. $1400 could get you a Rythmik sub and a decent pair of bookshelves speakers, which I would use over any headphones any day.

I would say that the room dictates how well your speakers are gonna sound. I don't care how great your speakers are, if your room doesn't have any room treatments, they are FAR from flat which is what most people strive for. A person might think that the in room response of their speakers sound fairly flat, but once they measure it or listen to their speakers in a well treated room, they're in for a rude awakening.

Edited by moonboy403 - 11/28/10 at 9:13pm

Well, most headphones aren't flat either. Room treatment will help improve the sound, but I don't think it is an absolute necessity, especially if you have a receive with something like Audessey MultiEQ or an equalizer.

Your can ameliorate room acoustics by eliminating the first reflection and positioning the speakers near the first node. Usually this means a listening configuration that is more near field. Take a look here for something that has worked well in the past: http://www.cardas.com/pdf/roomsetup.pdf. I use the long wall approach. Here's another similar approach: http://www.audiophysic.de/aufstellung/index_e.html.

 

Properly set up, loudspeakers provide a much more enjoyable experience--to me--than headphones. Check Audiogon for speakers in your range. 

As previously stated, apples or oranges. I have a set of HD555 (not audiophile by most standards) run by Aune MKII that blow away most speakers in detail, but cannot compare in "feel". My DIY speakers using RS150/H1212 drivers with LR4 xovers powered by external DAC --> pro amp are the only speakers I've heard that can match the detail, but provide that sense of being immersed in the music.

If you're going for a mere +/-10db in room speaker response, room treatment is necessary. And no amount of parametric equalizer or Audyssey will solve your deep nulls, ringing, and decay problems in a room without any treatment. Do they help? Yes, but not nearly enough. However, they are excellent as "icing on the cake" so to speak AFTER the room has been treated. 

Edited by moonboy403 - 11/29/10 at 1:01pm

You can absolutely enjoy a pair of speakers in an untreated room. You won't get an ideal response, but careful placement can make them very enjoyable.