[Gurra1980]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cotdt /img/forum/go_quote.gif I agree! AKG K701 comes the closest!

OMG!!!

 

[warpdriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Speakers vary in sound just as much as headphones. Headphones with a ruler flat FR don't sound quite as good, because the drivers are directly against your ear. And IEM's are quite different as well up close and personal. There's a different law of acoustics that close I swear.

I never said speakers couldn't vary in much in sound, but their variance in frequency response is much more consistent within their bandwidth. There aren't any speakers that have a 50-20000hz +/-10dB which is what most headphones would be rated at if they spec'ed that.

The most influential research done by NRC said that under double blind tests, speakers that measure better tend to sound better. But even among two speakers that measure great, they can sound very different due to other design factors, but you want something that measures relatively well, otherwise it's just not going to sound realistic.

IEM's are a different matter altogether than regular headphones, but due to their small size. balanced armature drivers, the lack of reflections due to their outer ear, and the design decisions made by Shure and others, they have a very particular sound.

Personally, I don't think the "high end" of headphones is really worth the cost to me. It's just too much of diminishing returns. While they do sound great, I'd rather sink my money into other parts of my speaker rig as I think money put into the speaker system continues to scale well and make a difference that I can notice day to day

 

[aaron-xp]

Speakers have a much more airy feel to them when compared to headphones. Yes, I have heard the HE90 (though rather briefly), but they still have a certain x-factor missing in them. They are great, definitely, but aren't perfect.

My experience with speakers is far more limited than that with headphones, but from whatever I have heard (even cheap 2.1 systems), speakers have that airy quality to them which make them sound very appealing. Still most speakers I have heard cannot match the resolution and detail which headphones can provide.

On a side note, what do you guys think of the Mordaunt Short MS914 pairing with the Marantz PM4001 and CD5001? It'll probably be my first speaker rig.

 

[F107plus5]

If only my listening room where my speakers reside was as good as the listening "room" inside my bowls......

 

[robm321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by F107plus5 /img/forum/go_quote.gif If only my listening room where my speakers reside was as good as the listening "room" inside my bowls......

Tell me about it...

 

[Patu]

I answered mixed.

Each of them have their good qualities. Some points:

Headphones:
-can produce even the smallest details
-you don't have to care about room acoustics
-isolation
-they won't disturb your neighbour

Speakers:
-you don't have to wear them
-many people can listen to them simultaneously
-some people say that headphones make music play inside your head --> impossible with speakers
-you can feel the bass

 

[MaZa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patu /img/forum/go_quote.gif I answered mixed. Each of them have their good qualities. Some points: Headphones: -can produce even the smallest details -you don't have to care about room acoustics -isolation -they won't disturb your neighbour Speakers: -you don't have to wear them -many people can listen to them simultaneously -some people say that headphones make music play inside your head --> impossible with speakers -you can feel the bass

Ditto. And not only bass, you can feel the whole sound more realistically with speakers. But I still prefer headphones cuz of intimacy and they are practically hassle-free.

 

[aaron-xp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duggeh /img/forum/go_quote.gif The HD650 of speakers, in my somewhat limited experience, is the Mission M33i, although do not read to much into that comparison.

This is probably not really related to the topic of the debate on whether headphones can equal speakers, but I was wondering if the similarity between the HD650 and M33 is due to the emphasis on the lower frequencies.

Was also wondering about how the M33i would fare when compared with similarly priced speakers (Mordaunt Short 904i, MS914 and Wharfedale diamond 8.3).

 

[Duggeh]

The similarity is tonal, thats all, both have a very euphonic presentation based in an elevated bass level. The Mission design traditionally has the tweeter below the woofer driver, which no doubt contributes to this. But obviously the tone of the speaker can change greatly depending on many factors.

 

[Jammin72]

For those that are saying that many can listen to a speaker setup as a bonus... when talking about critical listening, which we are obviously doing here since we're trying to compare performance, the sweet spot is still a very small space in a speaker setup. When sharing the experience with friends I always find that we end up playing musical chairs, the true experience is in a very specific location within the room.

To say that a $40 pair of speakers can compete with a high end Headphone system in general is just being dramatic for drama's sake.

Headphones can bring high end sound to the listener for a fraction of the cost of similar performance by a speaker setup.

Once again it all depends on your goals but in general the audiophile goal is to recreate an accurate and convincing 3 dimensional soundstage in a clear, articulate. and real manner. Good headphones can get there much more quickly in regards to dollars spent but a great speaker setup can do it more convincingly.

 

[spinali]

While "each does things differently" is one way of looking at things, that can be said with different speakers, too. But if you simply compare speakers and headphones, the answer is sort of clear: speakers have more acoustic space to develop the souund - a space that includes the room itself. That's a pretty hard advantage to overcome. I suspect that the reason for the K1000's dedicated popularity comes in part from the fact that they're actually speakers.

If you were to ask the same question, but this time with IEMS and headphones, we'd get the same answer. It's a matter of physics. IEMs can never equal speaker quality.

The best headphones can do is sound really good. There's no reason why you should look down at that.

 

[PiccoloNamek]

Quote:

IEMs can never equal speaker quality.

Again, that depends on your definition of "quality". For very little money, you can get IEMs that have flat or nearly flat frequency responses, very little measured distortion, and incredibly detailed sound. For only a few hundred dollars, you can get a headphone that has nearly perfect measurements, that is from an objective, technical standpoint, as or more advanced than a speaker costing thousands of dollars more.

Everything else is just opinion. (Which is fine.)

 

[headphonejunkie]

I have found that my grado 225's are better than my klipsch kg4 's. With speakers you have to have the right setup, room surrounding, etc.. With headphones everything is right there. No room to setup, no outside interference, etc...

 

[spinali]

Quote:

With speakers you have to have the right setup, room surrounding, etc.. With headphones everything is right there. No room to setup, no outside interference...

The question itself deserves some scrutiny.

Of course a headphones can deliver sound better than headphones - if we don't specify which is which. Notwithstanding the debate as to what constitutes "good sounding"...

A pair of K701s can easily beat a pair of cruddy pillow-speakers (to push the argument), but one is to compare the best/ideal/most pleasing speaker configuration with equivalent headphones, speakers have to take top honors.

 

[F107plus5]

I guess my sound system is roughly in the same class as my MS2i and HD600 and unless I do something to correct my listening rooms' deficiencies, the cans will certainly whomp the speakers. But if I do some rearanging of stuff and add some fireplace padding, I can bring the speakers up to about where the cans are. And even better in some respects.

I just can't leave the room in a condition where it benefits the speakers more than the people.

...as much as I'd like to.