do any of you (probably now that i think about it, a bunch) actually prefer headphones to speakers..
Nov 3, 2016 at 7:59 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 4

atarione

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I my headphones (DT880 Premium 250Ohms, DT770 Pro 80, ATH M50X, Sony MDR-V6 ... and blah blah blah a couple others).. but honestly I only use them when I have to... i.e. out in public trying to read /have my coffee, work... or when my wife is home and she'll be bothered by my music going.
 
right now, I've beat the wife home so I have some Fleetwood Mac playing quite nicely on my fairly well preserve 1980 Pioneer SX-3600 /w NHT Superzero's (old USA made) and a NHT SW1 sub at my computer here...    Honestly it wouldn't even occur to me to play this with my DT880's with the house to myself.
 
I don't wanna get chase by angry head-fi villagers with pitchforks and torches..but I really would rather use speakers if not for not always being feasible / polite.
 
not a power house at 35WPC but I reaaally like this old pioneer..

 
Nov 3, 2016 at 11:47 PM Post #2 of 4
*raises hand* I prefer headphones over speakers!
 
Speakers have a bigger, more powerful sound with harder impact and better depth of soundstage...but I feel distanced from the music and it comes off as impersonal to me. Plus getting good sound from speakers is far more difficult than it is for headphones. Even the best speakers can sound bad in a poor room.
 
Headphones have a more intimate presentation that makes me feel more at one with the music.
 
I could spend all day talking about why I love headphones so much, but we're on a site about headphones, so I'll leave that to the endless posts you can refer to.
 
You should hear some ultra-high-end headphones sometime. You may be surprised at what they're capable of.
 
Here's some intriguing reading material.
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/strengths-and-weaknesses-headphones-and-speakers
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/across-great-divide-can-we-love-headphones-speakers-equally
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/aes-headphone-technology-conference-highlight-paper
https://www.cnet.com/news/whats-more-accurate-speakers-or-headphones
 
Nov 4, 2016 at 11:30 AM Post #3 of 4
I listen to low volumes, and with speakers I can't get the same experience. Maybe when I'll be old and deaf and without neighbours
biggrin.gif

 
Nov 4, 2016 at 11:54 AM Post #4 of 4
The situations in which I use them are completely different (as you pointed out), but for me the type of music also matters.
If I want to feel bass, headphones can never do that. If I want to listen to classical music or live recordings or something along those lines, the spatial qualities of speakers are a clear advantage.
However, if I listen to rock, to ambient, to many modern (electronics based) recordings I feel that the intimacy and details of headphones bring me much more joy. Plus, the same money buys me a more high-end system (although in the long-run speakers might be cheaper since they last a lot longer generally).
 

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