[Aimless1]

To each their own. I came from many years with speakers to head phones. I've come to prefer cans over speakers. I love the detail, intimacy, sound, ability to play music at a volume I like and just the ease of changing through switching from one can to another. YMMV

 

[ericj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian_the_King /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yep I for example prefer speakers. I am saving up to get better speakers for my stereo first, then, less important imo, a better [home] amplifier for my headphones. It's just that speakers systems are so much more money..

At work it's obviously all about headphones. I suppose if i had a private office i might have a small speaker rig.

Wait a minute, I did have a private office for six months - not that i could get any work done in it. Spent all my time in the lab. Mostly made phone calls in my office.

At home, speakers end up being mostly for casual listening, and i return to headphones when deep meditation is required. It's not that my speakers aren't up to it - the walsh 3's i picked up in colorado over the summer were worth the drive -

It's just the way things end up working out.

In my situation, neither one completely replaces the other.

 

[Brian_the_King]

^^ that's true.. the right answer is both

 

[kool bubba ice]

For me, headphones are the better way to go..Less space, don't disturb others, get optimal performance every time, better SQ per dollar then speakers.. Less expensive, etc..But speakers are cool too.. We have 2 500 klipsch floor speakers at work.. & when I am watching a movie I can't help but think how much detail I'm missing..

 

[cotdt]

They cannot. Headphones don't have the same soundstaging that speakers can acheive. The soundstage on headphones is either closed in or strange in some way. It's a different kind of experience. Also the frequency extremes (bass and treble) are not as refined on headphones as on high end speakers.

Another problem with headphones is that only person person can wear them at a time. You can't really throw much of a party.

 

[john5220]

I taught headphones were speakers? lol

 

[radlux]

I guess it depends a lot on the kind of music you listen to. I find for classical music I actually enjoy a pair of high end headphones better whereas something that needs the thump of a bass hit its definitely speakers

 

[tintin47]

Quote:

Originally Posted by raoke /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi people. I'm looking at buying some speakers very soon but was told some headphones might do the trick as well. I guess I have to describe what I like hearing to get some good recommendations? Well when I listen to electronic and rock music I like being able to hear the high notes, symbols, some bass, definitely the beat for trance/house music, but moreover I like it when my music sounds live. For hip hop and others I like the highs as well, but mainly I like it when I can hear a nice deep beat with all the rattles and chimes in the background. For games I really only play Day of Defeat seldom so I can dismiss any disadvantages in that area. Lastly, you guys will probably need a budget to work with. Well I can do anywhere from 200-400 so if you guys can provide a difference range of what is best that would be appreciated. So far the only only one's I've looked into are the Senn hd555, hd595, audio technica a900/ad900, and akg k271. I'm not sure what's the difference between open and closed but I wouldn't want too much pressure on my head and feeling like my grape is about to pop. I'll be using this for computer use via a xfi xtrememusic and no amplifier. Thank you for any helpful comments. I appreciate them all.

phones all the way unless it is really really important to you that you really "feel" your music in your body outside of your ears. I would recommend the hd595 as a good intro to the world of hifi.

 

[rockbottom]

For your music preference and your requirements, I'd seriously recommend trying some Grados, SR225s to be exact.

 

[ISALULA]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rednamalas1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Headphones will not be able to achieve true bass rumble from a subwoofer, or will it have instrument placement (due to distance from ear to the driver) of speakers. However, speakers aren't portable (for most people) and headphones generally have better timbre seperation. so my answer is no - headphones can't replace speakers. But speakers can't replace headphones either.

I agree

 

[krisjan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by krmathis /img/forum/go_quote.gif They sure can! My speakers have not been hooked up the last 4 months or so. I only use headphones. So for me headphones certainly can replace speakers.

x2

i prefer to listen to good headphones - higher end phones are comfortable enough to wear for extended periods, have more definition, allow for certain specialised spatialisation such as binaural and hrtf, etc. which i personally love, etc.

edit>>>>>>>>> + value on headphones is incredible - you can have audiophile quality for a few thousand dollars compared to "equavalent" speaker system which would cost 10's of thousands of dollars...

 

[tosehee]

I used to be all speaker freak. Now, I got married and have two kids growing up, I can't really listen to the musics any louder than that I can barely hear.. What the..

The joy of listening to the music diminishes significant when you barely hear them. It's mostly great if they are loud enough. Ever since then, I started researching on the headphone route, and still in that process.

Once my kids go to college, or I have a dedicated room with great audio barrier, then I might go into speaker route again. But then, how much investment do I have to make to enjoy a few hours of listening pleasure?

Headphones all the way for now.

 

[musicman59]

To me, it all depends on the money you have avaiable to spend. If your budget is restricted to $1000-$3000 you probably will be better off with a good headphone system but if you have available $15,000 and up then I will go with a good HiFi system.

 

[Cool_Torpedo]

I've got more seriously involved into headphones after spending many years into building a good-enough speakers system, which has been and still is my primary mean to listen to recorded music.

I don't think I prefer one approach over the other, both have their advantages in specific points. For instance, for the money you can get very good phones providing an excellent level of detail retrieval, resolution, frequency balance, and sensible low distortion level, you can't even dream getting all that from speakers. However the degree of bass punching in your guts (if that interests you, not my case) or the space, I mean the feeling of music sounding in front of you and not inside your head, that quite affordable speakers can provide, can't be had using phones, no matter how much you spend in the whole rig.

IMO both things are enjoyable and have their use for any music lover. If forced to, I could live listening just to headphones, but fortunately I still can enjoy my speakers systems as much as I like, but not at any time of the day hehehe.

 

[intoart]

I did all of my listening on speakers until quite recently. Then I got my first noise complaint in years, and had to turn it down. After that, my speakers were too quiet for my taste, so I bought good headphones (K701s.) They are a revelation! Now that I have solved the comfort issue, I think I may end up preferring them to speakers, at least with some material. I certainly hear subtleties I never suspected! I will have to re-listen to my entire CD collection on them before I even consider going back to speakers (and that could take years, as I have thousands.) Of course, speakers are the thing when I have company, and I still prefer them for watching movies (mostly because headphone sound is always in or behind my head, never in front where the screen is.)

They are better for some genres (eg electronica, jazz) than for others (eg hard rock, punk.)