philodox
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2003
- Posts
- 10,244
- Likes
- 17
They have a section in UHF Magazine where people can ask for advice. One of their readers wrote in asking if Headphones would be good for auditioning equipment at a Hi-Fi store since then you have less variables to worry about. [Different amps, room setup, etc]
Quote:
It is hard to say if he meant that last sentence as:
"If you'll be doing all your listening with headphones you are a complete nutjob."
OR
"If you'll be doing all your listening with headphones, I've got just the website for you..."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ultra High Fidelity Magazine If in any case you intended to buy headphones there's no reason to hang back. [...] When it comes to using headphones to evaluate a CD player or amplifier, however, things get more complicated. Most amplifiers are not optimized for headphone listening. Specifically, because headphones are so sensitive [being stuck right to your ears] you're going to hear a lot more noise. That's why serious headphone fans prefer to use an aplifier specifically designed for phones. By the way, these amps are usually small enough to be carried to a store along with your phones. As for evaluating a CD player, it's importants to get thoroughly familiar with the sound of your headphones, and to understand the differences between phones and speakers. With headphones you're going to hear enormously more detail than with speakers. That's an obvious advantage, but you have to know that the added detail can distract you from elements that could, in the long term, be important. Also, the frequency balance is necessarily different from the way it would be with speakers. For instance, if a player has an anomaly in the way it reproduces extreme highs, that anomaly can be exaggerated. Or, depending on the phones, it can be hidden altogether. Of course, if you'll be doing all your listening with headphones, that's another matter. |
It is hard to say if he meant that last sentence as:
"If you'll be doing all your listening with headphones you are a complete nutjob."
OR
"If you'll be doing all your listening with headphones, I've got just the website for you..."