[analogTubeSound]

I'm sure this has been addressed 100x.... But i am struggling here being new on these forums with this topic now.

I have always preferred properly placed studio monitors to the "best" headphones for listening.... (using the same pre-amps/amps/DAC/pathway).... Dont get me wrong i love my headphones, but nothing compares to my Neuman monitors!

Am i missing something or are studio monitors the way to to go?

 

[bigshot]

Professional sound mixers always monitor on speakers. The big problem is the way that bass is handled. You can do a mix balancing with headphones and play it back on speakers and the bass can explode. Headphones suck up bass and present the response in odd ways. I've checked mixes on small speakers after mixing on big ones to make sure it will play on TVs or sound bars, but I wouldn't mix on headphones.

 

[71 dB]

I'm sure this has been addressed 100x.... But i am struggling here being new on these forums with this topic now.

I have always preferred properly placed studio monitors to the "best" headphones for listening.... (using the same pre-amps/amps/DAC/pathway).... Dont get me wrong i love my headphones, but nothing compares to my Neuman monitors!

Am i missing something or are studio monitors the way to to go?

Everything has its place. Who says headphones are the only way to go? What works for you works for you.

 

[71 dB]

Professional sound mixers always monitor on speakers. The big problem is the way that bass is handled. You can do a mix balancing with headphones and play it back on speakers and the bass can explode. Headphones suck up bass and present the response in odd ways. I've checked mixes on small speakers after mixing on big ones to make sure it will play on TVs or sound bars, but I wouldn't mix on headphones.

I think this was about using studio monitors for listening, not mixing. Headphones generally handle bass much better than speakers when it is mixed binaurally correctly. The room is the real problem with all the room modes. That's why bass can "explode", but it is about how bass is mixed. Once I learned how bass is mixed correctly the difficulty of mixing good bass for headphones and speakers "disappeared."

I believe the problems between headphones and speakers are almost entirely due to the drastic difference in handling spatiality. When you create the spatiality in ways that suites for both to some extent (compromises are needed), the problems becomes much smaller. Since I make music as a hobby (so I can do whatever I want) I mix my music mostly with headphones, but also with speakers to make sure especially the spatiality work well on both.

So, how to mix bass? Problems are avoided best when the bass is dynamically compressed heavily so that its level is very constant. If sharper transients are needed, they should happen at higher frequencies (upper harmonics) that do not trigger room modes. That way the bass sounds dynamic, but also translates well for headphones and speakers. It is also wise to mix the bass mono or almost mono. Again, "width" as in channel separation happens at higher frequencies. Doing these kinds of things we avoid the biggest differences between speakers and headphones and we operate in the "overlapping" area where they are most similar. How and how much to used these principles depends on the music genre and artistic intent, but the cold fact is that if these things are ignored, it is near impossible to mix well for both speakers and headphones.

 

[bigshot]

Speakers are the best for listening because they are what commercial music is mixed to sound best on.

 

[71 dB]

Speakers are the best for listening because they are what commercial music is mixed to sound best on.

Someone really stupid invented headphones when there is something superior... seriously both have pros and cons. Try to accept that.

 

[bigshot]

You can’t use speakers when you’re walking around town, so you compromise the quality for the portability. Headphones are a good compromise in some cases.

 

[71 dB]

You can’t use speakers when you’re walking around town, so you compromise the quality for the portability. Headphones are a good compromise in some cases.

Pros and cons as I said. There are also other aspects, but the one you mentioned is one of the major ones obviously.

 

[castleofargh]

I'm sure this has been addressed 100x.... But i am struggling here being new on these forums with this topic now.

I have always preferred properly placed studio monitors to the "best" headphones for listening.... (using the same pre-amps/amps/DAC/pathway).... Dont get me wrong i love my headphones, but nothing compares to my Neuman monitors!

Am i missing something or are studio monitors the way to to go?

I prefer speakers for just about everything. Then at night at home to avoid making noise, or anywhere on the go, I use headphones/IEMs. I know people who genuinely prefer what they consider cleaner sound from headphones. But to me it's sound that's missing room reflections, proper localization cues, and tactile bass. I like all 3.

Objectively speaking, there is a potential for superior sound with headphones. That potential is not properly exploited as it demands customization through DSP to add HRTF related cues to the signal. Right now we get a little reduction in outside noises, and typically lower distortion figures from headphones, but it comes at the cost of improper frequency response and for most published music, errors in the way the stereo is fed to us. I think that with Atmos being accepted just about everywhere, we're getting an opportunity to build solutions from a real standard that could greatly benefit audio in headphones. But it will still require per listener measurements and probably some personal EQ. Without it, I'll never agree that headphone playback is better.

 

[neyurt]

Don't mind the over simplication on this topic but simple rule of thumb seems to be:
1) Headphones is great for small rooms or a bad acoustic space - you don't have to worry about DSP to account for "the room"
2) With a decent room (better if treated), monitors and great stereo setup allows you to experience the music in all of its glory, beyond what headphone ever can.

 

[bigshot]

You could also add privacy- not bothering other people with your music- to the advantages of headphones. Cost as well. They are much less expensive than putting together a speaker system.

 

[neyurt]

Audio is a resource sinking rabit-hole

Headphone is typically less expensive to start with. A good stereo system can be tricky to set up and more expensive in general.

 

[wagninger]

I have Neumann Monitors in a perfectly treated room, dsp corrected as well, and afterwards tuned to taste.

I almost never use them. At night, I want to be in my bubble and listen to headphones at the volume that I want, choosing headphones based on style of music and just my current mood.

Speakers have one flavor, and you quickly run out of space to put speakers everywhere you like.

I enjoy changing things up here and there, headphones can’t be beat for that.

I only have on IEM, because I tried to get into it but they present even more compromises.

 

[wagninger]

Audio is a resource sinking rabit-hole

Headphone is typically less expensive to start with. A good stereo system can be tricky to set up and more expensive in general.

Can be, but my average headphone is more expensive than my speaker setup (including measurement microphone and room treatment)

 

[bigshot]

Could you please shoot a photo of your speaker rig? It sounds really cool. I’d like to see it.