[NamelessPFG]

If you really want to impress me, show me a stereo speaker system with positional audio so accurate that I can shoot people through walls just by the sound of their footsteps and know when someone's sneaking up behind me.
 
The likes of QSound, Aureal A3D in stereo speaker mode, and CMSS-3D Virtual have never been able to accomplish that for me. Not like A3D in headphone mode or CMSS-3D Headphone playing over half-decent headphones. I can hear left and right, front and rear, AND high and low, unlike even a typical 5.1/7.1 surround speaker system.
 
Until then, I'm not going to bother with loudspeakers. Especially not when a typical pair of Quad, Acoustat, or Beveridge speakers and their required amplification makes my Stax Lambda look cheap.

 

[GREQ]

Quote:

It really sounds like you have never owned a subwoofer.

And it really sounds like you can't accept someone's opinion when it differs from your own.
 
Quote:

 Most subwoofers stick out like a sore thumb when playing music. Anyway these musical subwoofers don't go really low or have a lot of thump in them. But are ridiculously expensive.

This.

 

[mitchflorida]

I have a $700 2.1 Stereo system that sounds better than any headphone out there. It is physically impossible for headphones to create the same bass sounds as a quality stereo system with a subwoofer. It is simple physics.

I can understand using headphones when you have to. When you don't want to annoy or wake up your roommates or neighbors. or when you are at work or when you are jogging or at the gym. But to use headphones when you can use a real stereo system makes no sense from an audiophile perspective.

 

[Andolink]

My speaker system works better with large scale music (big orchestral, opera, etc.) and my headphone gear works better with small scale, intimate type music like chamber music other small group or solo pieces.  Overall, I prefer the sound I get from my speaker rig but the headphones (HE-500's) are essential for late night listening when my wife is sleeping (I'm a night shift worker).  I would never have gotten into using headphones at all if I was on the same sleep schedule as the rest of the household.  The headphones definitely give you a more accurate, detailed "inside view" of the music.

 

[GREQ]

Quote:

I have a $700 2.1 Stereo system that sounds better than any headphone out there. It is physically impossible for headphones to create the same bass sounds as a quality stereo system with a subwoofer. It is simple physics.

I can understand using headphones when you have to. When you don't want to annoy or wake up your roommates or neighbors. or when you are at work or when you are jogging or at the gym. But to use headphones when you can use a real stereo system makes no sense from an audiophile perspective.

Let's agree to disagree - clearly you love speakers more than headphones, and I am the opposite.
From an audiophile perspective, I will never own exactly the right house with the perfect room to house the perfect speaker system, and I've always felt greater intimacy and sense of engagement with the music with headphones.
So from MY audiophile perspective, headphones make perfect sense.
 
Don't be too quick to pass judgement on what an 'audiophile perspective' is, as there are no strict definitions. 

 

[freeeekyyy]

The problem with speakers is cost, placement, portability, and annoying those around you. If those issues don't matter in a given situation, I don't know why a person wouldn't want them. When properly set up, they have way better soundstage and imaging. Also better impact and realism, and have a much easier time than headphones at getting truly flat frequency response. Obviously this is a site for headphone audiophiles. But why is it so horrible to hear a differing opinion once in a while?

 

[3X0]

When properly set up, they have way better soundstage and imaging. Also better impact and realism, and have a much easier time than headphones at getting truly flat frequency response.

That's not true.

First of all, there isn't any consensus on how speakers are supposed to measure, and in any case they don't measure well.

Considering three primary measurements as: (1) absence of nonlinear distortion (2) frequency response and (3) directionality (which is a function of frequency), all practical speakers fail to be sonically ideal or even close to ideal.

Speakers suffer from high levels of nonlinear distortion at various points of their normal operating frequency response and SPL levels. Their frequency response in any direction (on-axis or off) fails to be flat and in any case does not approach any ideal contour.

As if that wasn't bad enough, there is no consensus on how directionality should be handled in the speaker realm. Any sort of theoretical "best compromise" in this element has been impractical to implement.

As a rule, speakers are so far from ideal that they are completely unmanageable if transparency is the main objective.


But I Do love speakers.

 

[mitchflorida]

By your standard, what headphones sound ideal or close to ideal? When you start paying over $1000 for a pair of headphones , there better be a good reason, with superb bass.

 

[3X0]

Well, if transparency is the goal (and not just "superb bass"), modern headphones are arguably closer to sonically ideal than speakers when we regard those three primary measurements.

 

[Magiv9]

I've been to many functions, friend's theater room etc and I just hate speakers...
It's probably because they overdo the volume and~ if the hd598s are the best headphone we have to offer then yeah, speakers are better

I don't know... There are many reasons why headphones are good.
Detail and transparency.
you can get that 'optimal' volume without being a nuisance to others.
So much easier to set up with less space and no wires going throughout the house/room etc.
And obviously portability... Phone, car, ps3, laptop etc.
Your speaker setup is pretty much restricted to that 'one room' or get more in the long run?
Would you really use Skype chat through speakers over a headphone?

I'm trying to think of an advantage for speakers and I can't think of one at all... Other than broadcasting to a wider audience?

 

[TMRaven]

Probably one of the biggest opinion fallacies I think, is that headphones are more detailed than speakers.  I think the exact opposite is true.  
I can agree that headphones have the ability to sound more clean a lot of the times though, but that's usually a component of the room, and rooms can be hard to work with.
 
The bass impact and soundstage/imaging, a headphone won't match.  However, the unique spherical soundstage that headphones present is one thing to like over speakers.  Near-field monitors can get close to that type of encompassing soundstage though.
 
As for neutrality and frequency response smoothness-- again the room has a lot to do with it for speakers, but for the most part head-fi wouldn't be filled with so much differing opinions and discussions of different headphones if headphones weren't so colored and different sounding from one another.

 

[Nowhere]

simple, because i prefer headphones.. i don't feel comfortable making alot of noise and so i could never relax and enjoy myself with loud music playing on speakers... for introspective/introverted people like myself that doesn't like to draw attention or make alot of noise, headphones are the perfect medium.
i like the privacy, i like the intimacy, i like the comfort.
 
i wouldn't give a crap if speakers were 100x better as it's not an option for me and so doesn't matter.
 

 

[GearMe]

Quote:

I have a good pair of Sennheiser HD-598 headphones.  I used to listen to it morning , noon and night .. instead of a normal stereo system .  Now I barely use it, mainly at night so as not to disturb the neighbors.   
 
There is no way headphones can match a good stereo system, even one that is about $800 or less .
 
I have 2 Polk Monitor 75T speakers, a Polk PSW 505 subwoofer and Sherwood receiver 100 Watt RMS per channel. 
 
Sorry, but there is  no headphone that can compete with a real stereo speaker set-up.   
 
So why do people still prefer headphones?

 
If looks like a Troll...
 
Anyway interesting discussion so why not.  Everybody listens/hears differently due to tastes, physical hearing ability, etc. 
 
Perfect example...I purposely chose HD-558's over HD-598's when I was looking to pick up an open set of 'mid-fi' Senns -- because I like their sound better than the 598's.
 
One thing definitely, I've been able to buy several of mid-fi ($100 to $300) cans with various sound signatures that have allowed me to enjoy my music collection far more than I ever did with the three types of sound systems I've had (classical/jazz - Electrostats or Maggies w/sub, Rock/R&B - dynamic with dual subs, and home theater for movies, video concerts)
 
BTW, many would argue you could've done much better for your $700 in the stereo system world!  

 

[mitchflorida]

I got everything on sale, some refurbished.


Polk 75T Monitors $360 new for two

Polk PSW 505 $155 like new

Sherwood 4306 $60 refurb 100x2 RMS, with sub out, and vitual dolby surround


grand total $575 , but that is everything on sale.



How much money do I need to spend to get headphones that have better sound, with similar bass? That is the main flaw, but I like the soundstage and subtle reverberation I get from the music bouncing against the walls.

 

[3X0]

As for neutrality and frequency response smoothness-- again the room has a lot to do with it for speakers, but for the most part head-fi wouldn't be filled with so much differing opinions and discussions of different headphones if headphones weren't so colored and different sounding from one another.

The situation is even worse for speakers. Again, as a rule, speakers aren't even close to sonically ideal.

I'd like to contend the other points of your post as well, but I'll wait until I can get on a computer again to do so.

But as a primer, no, speakers operate more poorly than headphones when it comes to directionality and upper harmonics.