[Uncle Erik]

I never think of this as an either/or proposition. Headphones do some things exceptionally well because they're mostly linear singledrivers. There is something special about that not captured by speakers. Likewise, speakers have the edge on soundstage and bass.

But you don't have to pick one over the other. It is more like having 5 great restaurants nearby. One being good does not make the others bad. And you don't have to eat at the same one every night.

The only product that bridges the gap is the K-1000. It sounds like speakers, you don't have to worry about room treatments, and you get all the headphone benefits. It doesn't quite have the magic of my ribbons (dipoles are addictive) but I enjoy it as much as the ProAc 2.5 clones.

 

[Duggeh]

I found the "speakerlike" qualities of the K1000 dissapointing when I tried them. I was expecting a far-from-the-headphone-world experience. It wasn't. It's still more headphone than speaker and by a huge margin.

That was however, my single and only complaint.

 

[ozz]

i like it all my speakers for ht and music and my headphones for
the times when its late or the rest of the family wants to watch a
movie or listen to something else.headphones come in handy for
outdoor listening while not disturbing others.

 

[Tarkovsky]

To begin I recently attended a headphone only disco. It was great because the music wasn't too loud which made dance floor banter easy. However I think strong drink or good drugs (preferably both) become more important/central because the bassy music had provided atmosphere. As it happened it was a music festival so the drugs were alright and the novelty of a silent disco and mud dancing provided a pretty good atmosphere.

Point is headphones are probably a bit better for everything but sound staging but a little bit introspective without entheogens.

However this isn't so much a criticism but an observation that the quest for hi-fi is a noble but solitary endeavor.

Camus would have used headphones.

 

[crazyeyes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by carlineng /img/forum/go_quote.gif A lot of people will probably agree with you, but it's hard to get speakers that match the quality of a headphone like the MS-1 without spending *significantly* more.

That is not necessarily true. I have Grado SR325i's which are a $295 set of headphones. I have a pair of Polk SDA 2b speakers which can be had on the used market for around $350. They are older speakers and can only be found on the used market. I find the Polk SDA 2b's to be vastly superior to my Grado's. Soundstage is amazing, detail is amazing and the bass blows the Grado's away. So i mean unless $50 more is a significant amount of money then personally i think you can do just as good if not better with speakers around the same price you just have to get the right speakers.

 

[Lawyerbob]

This is an apples and oranges topic. I imagine that most of us would agree that there are certain situations that dictate headphones over speakers or vice versa, i.e., not wishing to disturb others (headphones) and listening to music in a group (speakers) for example. The only fair comparison is being alone in your favorite music listening space with your best speaker rig in front of you and your headphones in your lap hooked up to your best headphone rig. Which one do your listen to?

For me, the answer is "it depends." First, what kind of music do I intend to listen to. Some music favors speakers (classical symphonic music for example or basic 50s, & 60s rock and roll). Music that needs a large sound stage definitely favors speakers, and this includes most dance music. Other music favors headphones (classical chamber music or most solo piano music for example). Music that requires only a smaller sound stage. Other music, such as jazz or Pink Floyd & Dire Straits, can sound pretty impressive through good headphones or good speakers.

I like choices, that is why I own several sets of headphones as well as having more than one speaker set up. A $350 set of headphones, listened to through a decent headphone amplifier, is never going to sound as good as a $10,000 (or for that matter $3000) speaker rig. It is mainly a matter of sound staging and sound range. Likewise, my AKG 81DJs do not sound as good as my K701s. But, you know, I listen to both. They sound different and I like variety. Right now I am listening to a pair of used DT911s and they sound really great. Across the room are my K701s and my HD580s. Am I wasting my time listening to the 911s, I don't think so. I like the variety.

Your favorite cd (Dark Side of the Moon for example) sounds different through my K701s and my OBH headphone amp, than it does through my Mission speakers and my Dalquist subwoofer, both with the same high end source. The headphones really close in the sound stage and you hear some details much more intensely. I honestly do not know which one is better (probably the speakers) but that is not the point. They sound different, and I really like the difference. It just depends what mood I am in. Often I listen to the same cd through speakers and then headphones, back to back. And then listen to a third time through different headphones. It is like listening to three different music experiences.

I would not trade any of my speakers for headphones or any of my headphones for speakers. Enough ranting. This discussion is similar to discussing politics or religion, most of us will not agree but we will enjoy ourselves immensely, disagreeing.

 

[MaloS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif But you don't have to pick one over the other. It is more like having 5 great restaurants nearby. One being good does not make the others bad. And you don't have to eat at the same one every night.

For hungry folks out there going to the one that serves less food, even if it is really high quality food, might not be very satisfying. It is a matter of preference I guess, but ones with bigger stomachs to fill, giving all other matters equal, go to the one that offers more on the plate.

 

[PenDragon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nepenthe /img/forum/go_quote.gif I see headphones the same way as I view sportbikes. An $8000 sportbike can outperform (in a lot of ways) cars costing eight times as much. However, there are definite drawbacks to the bike -- limited passenger capability, limited carrying capacity, elemental exposure, higher demands placed on the operator, riding gear required, and lack of inherent stability. But for the same price as a very pedestrian econobox car, you can purchase a ZX-14 capable of quarter mile runs under 10 seconds right off the showroom floor, or a literbike that is equal to full on racebikes from a few years ago. The value is amazing. Same thing with headphones. Grado SR60 is what, $70? But of course there are drawbacks -- headphones are solo-only, you're tethered, the headphone chassis can make noise, the bass doesn't have the same impact, etc. But again, the value is amazing. But I find my opportunities to listen to home speakers are few and far between compared to my opportunities to use my car stereo, work headphones, and home headphones, even with a house. And even then, sometimes the speakers are just too much, and I want the quiet intimacy of headphones.

Great comparison! I actually use the exact same one ^^

 

[milkpowder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lawyerbob /img/forum/go_quote.gif For me, the answer is "it depends." First, what kind of music do I intend to listen to. Some music favors speakers (classical symphonic music for example or basic 50s, & 60s rock and roll). Music that needs a large sound stage definitely favors speakers, and this includes most dance music. Other music favors headphones (classical chamber music or most solo piano music for example). Music that requires only a smaller sound stage. Other music, such as jazz or Pink Floyd & Dire Straits, can sound pretty impressive through good headphones or good speakers.

Actually, I find soundstage much more important than being able to resolve very fine details (what good headphones do best). Dire Straits and Pink Floyd sound incredible through decent speakers even if the guitars are not quite as real as if it were reproduced by a pair of HE60, RS-1 (or something). I love being able to not only hear, but feel bass (especially deep bass). A well set up pair of speakers in a nice room can sound both incredibly intimate or Carnegie Hall-type expansive if that is how the recording is supposed to sound.

If given the money and space and the choice between a headphone or stereo system, I would probably go for a speaker system based on a pair of British or French loudspeakers and a Japanese or British source. Can't quite decide on the amps

 

[Duggeh]

If you cant decide on the amps, make those British speakers some active Meridians.

What you really want is octuple stacked Quads though. 4 high 2 wide. Anything less is just wimping out.

 

[milkpowder]

Ah you read my mind. I was actually thinking Quad ESLs

Can't get away from the electrostatic sound!

 

[Thermionic]

I have a pair of ELS57s driven by a pair of Quad IIs and an Audio Research LS7 pre-amp. I also have a pair of Stax Lambda Signatures driven by a SRM-T1s energiser. To my ears the ELS57s don’t have the Lambda’s wow factor but they sound far more like being in front of live musicians than the Stax system ever could. One system sounds impressive, detailed, musical and highly enjoyable (the headphones) the other system (speakers) simply sounds more real. I love headphones and they do many things very well, but to approach closest to the reality of being in an audience listening to live musicians performing on a stage in front of you, IMHO a fine loudspeaker system properly set up is the only way.

 

[tinder]

There are 2 things that a good pair of headphones can do that a good pair of speakers never will:







1) Keep your ears warm on cold winter nights and

2) Help pin back big flappy elephant ears.

 

[speakerhead]

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkpowder /img/forum/go_quote.gif @speakerhead: ...and which headphone systems have you heard? Even if you found it better than a full blown tube rectified SDS-XLR driving a pair of R10s, it won't change the fact that many will still find the headphone set up superior in certain respects. I really do not believe the Martin Logans you listened to can do everything as well as every headphone rig out there. @classic_rock_69: $200 used >> $99 new

Seems to me that you're comparing a $20,000 headphone setup to the $3000 speaker setup I recommended.

I have heard a ~$3000 headphone setup

 

[saisunil]

I am finding that headphones and speakers complement each other.

Primarily (fo me) - headphones take away the sound of the room (room acoutics) out of the equation.

If I want to just listen to certain aspects of sound/music (transparency, texture, micro-dynamics etc.) of different equipment by A/B testing -- it is easier to hear the differences using headphones than speakers.

Speakers have an obvious advantage over headphones by creating an illusion of the music being played - thay have that soundstage - a being there experience to a much more degree than headphones.

We have a choice (thank god we do) to listening to whichever way we want - though speakers or headphones or alternate between the two and enjoy what each setup has to offer.

Cheers
Sunil.