Today I listened to some really nice speakers for the first time. No previous experience, just high-end headphones. But man... I think it was bad because right now I think headphones suck very much. It was like the singer was in the same room with me. It was so NATURAL... I never had an experience like this with any headphone. I think the biggest difference was the human voice indeed. It went so high. Now when I listen with heapdhones it feels like the voice is trapped in some box and can't get out.
Well maybe I,ll just try to forget those sweet speakers...
pick up a guitar... amp with marshall EL34s pushed to overdrive, through a 2x12... I have yet to hear a speaker that can replicate that live-tone as well as a Grado RS1.
Home rigs are great if you have the scratch, and the "right SPACE" to set them up in.
I agree; that there are many qualities that I sometimes miss about a full sized rig (mostly the bass). But I have found that you can still get 90-95% of that spacious, speaker-sound, with good headphones. Only thing is; you can't get that visceral physical-impact (a result of the larger speaker drivers being able to move more air), with headphones. What needs to be realized, is that speakers NEED the appropriate space (or "breathing-room"), to sound their best.
In other words, they require a dedicated listening area, and are room-dependant. If you change rooms, or residences, speakers will only sound as good as the room or home you use them in. Or, for that matter; what the place is constructed-of. If any of these variables change, it changes the sound. With speakers (and since they are designed to move large quantities of air between the speaker and the listener), you must design a space around your system.
That's why I like headphones better. I used to have a full sized rig; and it drove me crazy how I invested so much money in gear and speakers; only to have it ever REALLY sound phenomenal, at one place I lived in my life. High end home audio was way too finicky (and expensive). Very high-maintenance, IMO.
That's why I sold it all, and bought a nice headphone-based portable rig. Even with some of the mistakes I've made (I lost about $300 on a set of Shure E-5c's); I have still spent less in total, than what I paid for a used power-amp, for my old home rig. At present, I feel it's at least comparable to my old speaker-based rig, sounding it's best. Most days, my headphone rig even surpasses it.
I just got my first nice speaker system (all onix comp, see sig).
While it does certain things better than headphones, I'm certainly not going to sell all my cans! Its probably the room I have it set up in, but it simply cant resolve complex passages as well as good cans. Some of the orchestra is "lost" in the sound. I dont know how else to explain it, but when im going analytical, im sticking with headphones. That, and my neighbors really dont appreciate loudspeakers at night.
Speakers are great. I probably use my fairly inexpensive not-quite-working-right badly positioned Cambridge Soundworks speakers more than half the time I'm at the computer. For serious nothing-but-the-music listening, I tend to prefer the Stax, but not by a whole lot. And my dad's stereo is quite excellent whenever I get a chance to blast my own music, but my taste is rather questionable according to my family members.
They both definately have their own merits, get both!
A well setup, high-end stereo is really something to behold. Even though many of us can't afford the high-end price tags, I think all music/stereo/headphone enthusiasts owe it to themselves to see what all the fuss is about. Head over to a reputable, high end shop with some of your favorite CD's and have them demo they're best setup; it's free, and it might turn out to be a very eye opening experience. Most good high-end shops would welcome an opportunity to try to get another audiophile on the wagon.
Anyhow, as much as I love my cans, my first preference is a speaker setup.
I dream of a speaker setup someday. Theres no doubt I like them more than headphones. The AKG K1000 brings me close while still allowing me to use them in an apartment.
I'm sure if most of the headphone lovers here heard a pair of sweet single driver well setup speakers they'd fall in love instantly.
I too have gotten away from headphones to chase down the perfect speaker rig. While some of you may say that a speaker rig under $3k isn't worth much, both the new and used market these days is so abundant with good deals that you can build a great speaker rig for under $2.5k. My floorstanding rig only cost me a little more than $2k to build and it was the first time I was ever blown away with a rig right out of the box.
Maybe when I'm done with my bookshelf rig I'll get back into headphones...
(cough*PL-10*cough), what I really mean is once I'm no longer broke
the amount of space and cash i would need to set up a speaker rig to give me the kind of enjoyment i get from my cans is currently out of my reach. space in the city is a premium, and so is cash for that matter. in the meantime i'll groove to a headphone setup that will destroy any Best Buy home theatre rig out there, hands down
My headphones cost more than my speakers (and with all the mods my headphone amp probably costs around the same as my stereo preamp and amp), but I'll still take the speakers in 80% of situations, assuming I can turn them up loud enough for them to truly shine. The only reason I'm so deep in this headphone business is because I'm a night owl.
Ignorance was bliss, but yes, you have discovered what most head-fiers who are into hi-fi inevitably discover.... headphones are great and offer their own unique experience, but when compared to a great speaker setup, they just miss too much of the picture.
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