[vikingnaya]

I kinda want to know--camparing to top headphone and top hi-fi system-- what is the difference? Can headphone be as good as hi-fi system? If not, how close are they?

 

[chych]

?!?!!? Are you implying that headphones are not "hi fi", hi-fidelity systems? I think you mean speakers...

Well the biggest difference is that you do not get the impact of speakers, then the imaging and soundstaging. However you will hear more details and have a generally higher quality of sound. At that point it is preference. Having both would be best, IMO.

 

[Nezer]

Well said, chych.

However, another thing to consider is a great-sounding pair of headphones will set you back a few hundred USD while a great sounding pair of loudspeakers will sit you back several *thousand*!!

Headphones are, by far, the best bang for the buck.

 

[vikingnaya]

wow, quick reply. thank you. oh, by the way, i've ordered a pair of HD495 and I am going to use it with Porta Costa. It will sounds better than my $450 JVC shelf-system, right?

 

[Xander]

Quote:

Originally posted by vikingnaya wow, quick reply. thank you. oh, by the way, i've ordered a pair of HD495 and I am going to use it with Porta Costa. It will sounds better than my $450 JVC shelf-system, right?

LOL. That's a joke, right?

 

[kwkarth]

In an absolute, no holds barred sense, probably not. In a practical sense and allowing for a compromise here and there, I say yes.

One compromise for example would be to allow yourself a setup similar to what I have wherein you suplement the headphone output (in this case an AKG-K1000) with that of an external subwoofer judiciously crossed in @ 45Hz where the cans' response drops off. I feel I have the best of both worlds in this case. The extremely detailed and uncolored response of the K1000's with their remarkable imaging coupled with the visceral impact of external bass so that you "hear" with your whole body and not just your ears.

There are other headphones too, by the way, that provide a rather complete and fairly realistic musical experience by themselves when coupled with the right amplifier and source.

Anyway, that's my .02!

 

[vikingnaya]

m....

sorry, my english is bad...so, you guys are saying it's not going to sound as good as my system? if that's true... it's will be a big dissapointment

 

[r3cc0s]

Put it this way

my Rs-2's to me sound close to my home setup
but my setup ain't no JVC shiate

so FOR SURE IT WILL SOUND BETTER

however my homesetup seems more smooth, but that's just because it's
http://www.frenchimages.com/marklev/IMF/RSPM/index.html
RSPM IMF Speakers
Mcintosh MC 2105 (tube)
Marantz Sc-10 preamp
the new sony SACD player

but if you put my $500 bux Rs-2 with a basic Musical Fidelity Xcan setup for less than a grand,

it's a bargin compared to
what I paid for my home system
and it's portable too(at least the headphones are)

 

[Xander]

Beh, I had two grand worth of equipment before I got into headphones. My $120 AKG K401s knock the pants off of it in almost everything accept real physical dynamics and natural lifelike imaging. But they are just tiny speakers strapped to your ears, afterall...

I've never heard the HD495's, so I cant vouch for them really... The AKG K401, K501, Sennheiser HD580, or something comparable, however, would blow the socks off of it. All of these can be had for less then $200. The AKGs require hoards of power, though.

 

[r3cc0s]

oh dumb me
I forgot to mention that my system works out
to be um... over 10 grand for sure

 

[Voyager]

I think the Senn 495 with the Porta Corda and decent source should be much better than the JVC in just about everything, except for maybe listening across the room.

 

[Neruda]

Quote:

Originally posted by vikingnaya m.... sorry, my english is bad...so, you guys are saying it's not going to sound as good as my system? if that's true... it's will be a big dissapointment

no, no no no! don't worry! The HD495's with the porta-corda will be waaaaay better, simply on the grounds that a JVC minisystem cannot compete with even remotely high quality headphones. So don't worry, the headphones will be much better

 

[Xevion]

The HD495s will be more accurate sounding, more true to the recording, but the JVC system will have a more real soundstage, most impact, and you don't need to wear it to hear msuic, so you might still find the rack system more enjoyable.

So, from an audiophilic standpoint, the headphones should sound a lot better, but from a casual standpoint, the speakers could be a lot better.


Despite the fact that my HD600+Airhead drastically outperforms everything else in the house, I still like listening to my speaker setup (Celestion F1 speakers with Polk PSW-350 subwoofer). And HD600s+Sub is really nice, although what I can do is limited to a massive hack job so I am stuck with a crappy crossover on the sub.

 

[vikingnaya]

thank you guys again. I am really looking forward to get my headphone from headroom. It should make my finals less stressful.

 

[dngl]

Stereophile says that no speaker set up can match the Omega 2 in terms of sound quality... and Stereophile almost hates headphones.