[Dobrescu George]

  There have been LOADS of multi-channel and quadraphonic headphones from many brands, AKG, Sansui, Technics, Koss, Elega, Hitachi, Heru, Marants, Pioneer, Sennheiser, Toshiba, Universum etc
More recently gaming headsets have been implementing 5.1 and pseudo 7.1 headsets.

I would rather not... hd800 still beats all of them in all departments, or at least from what i tested... so... maybe more than one driver in a headphone does not make sense if you do not include a very good crossover? or maybe it is simpler to do everything using only one driver?... i will study further.

 

[GREQ]

 
I would rather not... hd800 still beats all of them in all departments, or at least from what i tested... so... maybe more than one driver in a headphone does not make sense if you do not include a very good crossover? or maybe it is simpler to do everything using only one driver?... i will study further.

Oh yeah, totally don't bother with any of these if you're actually interested in sound quality.
Especially the gaming headsets which are almost nauseating to listen to.
 
The AKG K280 Parabolic was the best sounding quad I've heard, but had a very weird spacial presentation. Not natural at all. 
 
I would still like to try out the Panasonic RP-HD10 and the JVC HA-SZ2000 at some point, but these 2 way headphones are designed for extreme FR handling rather than spacial presentation.

 

[maverickronin]

IEM's can't touch full sized headphones...

  false

 
 
Honestly most IEMs are better than most full size headphones pretty much everywhere except outside you head projection of soundstage.

 

[god-bluff]

   
 
Honestly most IEMs are better than most full size headphones pretty much everywhere except outside you head projection of soundstage.

Well that's a massive insurmountable difference and why they or any iem cant hope to compete.
 
As I said I've found the very best earbuds (non in ear) can give that out of the head experience but even they only compete with the lower end of the fullsize/on ear spectrum in my experience. 

 

[diamondears]

There have been LOADS of multi-channel and quadraphonic headphones from many brands, AKG, Sansui, Technics, Koss, Elega, Hitachi, Heru, Marants, Pioneer, Sennheiser, Toshiba, Universum etc
More recently gaming headsets have been implementing 5.1 and pseudo 7.1 headsets.

Where can I find them? AKG and Sennheiser? What model?

 

[takato14]

 
I would still like to try out the Panasonic RP-HD10 and the JVC HA-SZ2000 at some point, but these 2 way headphones are designed for extreme FR handling rather than spacial presentation.

Why the RP-HD10? Pretty iridescent diaphragm aside, it's not a 2-way like the JVCs are.

 

[takato14]

 
As I said I've found the very best earbuds (non in ear) can give that out of the head experience but even they only compete with the lower end of the fullsize/on ear spectrum in my experience. 

Try a Sony MDR-e282. Brilliant sounding. 

 

[Dobrescu George]

  Oh yeah, totally don't bother with any of these if you're actually interested in sound quality.
Especially the gaming headsets which are almost nauseating to listen to.
 
The AKG K280 Parabolic was the best sounding quad I've heard, but had a very weird spacial presentation. Not natural at all. 
 
I would still like to try out the Panasonic RP-HD10 and the JVC HA-SZ2000 at some point, but these 2 way headphones are designed for extreme FR handling rather than spacial presentation.

JVC ha-sz 2000 was the only which interested me with more than one drive, but i understood that the actual sound was no where near what one would expect out of them... 
 
Unless i try them, i cannot really speak...

 

[maverickronin]

  Well that's a massive insurmountable difference and why they or any iem cant hope to compete.

 
Being inferior in a single area isn't exactly an "massive insurmountable difference" unless that one area happens to be your favorite...

 

[god-bluff]

   
Being inferior in a single area isn't exactly an "massive insurmountable difference" unless that one area happens to be your favorite...

Well you made a silly statement so thought I'd reply with one !

 

[pearljam50000]

Well you are correct, because headphones can't compete with speakers when it comes to natural sound and realism, and if you take away the little bit of soundstage they do have, you cripple them complety!
What I'm saying is headphones need all the help they can get to sound more open and closer to the sound of speakers.

Well that's a massive insurmountable difference and why they or any iem cant hope to compete.

 

[god-bluff]

  Try a Sony MDR-e282. Brilliant sounding. 

Yes I'l like to 
 
I am a fan of earbuds (have had MX980s currently have Airjax & old MX760s among others) but thet still have physical limitations unless you think the E282 is better than your SS100s in which case they are certainly something else.
 
In terms of sound stage and airiness however they get a lot closer and even surpass full size phones compared to iems which don't come close (yes even my amazing EB50s !)  Ther/es also the indefinable sense of scale which you get with a bigger headphone, the amount of air they move ?!?  An iem just cant do it I think. All in my limited experience of things I've owned, of course, not speculation.

 

[Wildcatsare1]

  Well that's a massive insurmountable difference and why they or any iem cant hope to compete.
 
As I said I've found the very best earbuds (non in ear) can give that out of the head experience but even they only compete with the lower end of the fullsize/on ear spectrum in my experience. 

Actually the Auclair RSM Quad CIEMs provide a very vice soundstage. Not high end in price, but definitely in performance. What CIEMs have you heard?

 

[god-bluff]

I have heard no 'ciems' and probably never will.
 
(By the way I'm probably (almost definately) stupid but what I don't understand is that a custom iem (they seem to be just lumped together as a higher class of listening experience) is automatically better than anything else just due to its custom fit. Surely the quality of transducer stands for something. However I'm sure the best ones equal the best full size headphone in most areas)
 
As I said, based on my(limited) experience, and only based on soundstage, iems (and therefore probably 'ciems') are not better than full size. I don't think that's too controversial surely and must be shared by one or two other people on Headfi who still like to use those old fashioned full size (or portable for that matter) headphones. I am no expert just an opinion based on what Ive had, just as it was the opinion of the person who said most IEMs are better than most full size headphones. Surely that's a more debatable statement. Even they conceded that headphones have a better soundstage !. I'm a bit of fan of a nice soundstage myself. 

 

[Wildcatsare1]

  I have heard no 'ciems' and probably never will.
 
(By the way I'm probably (almost definately) stupid but what I don't understand is that a custom iem (they seem to be just lumped together as a higher class of listening experience) is automatically better than anything else just due to its custom fit. Surely the quality of transducer stands for something. However I'm sure the best ones equal the best full size headphone in most areas)
 
As I said, based on my(limited) experience, and only based on soundstage, iems (and therefore probably 'ciems') are not better than full size. I don't think that's too controversial surely and must be shared by one or two other people on Headfi who still like to use those old fashioned full size (or portable for that matter) headphones. I am no expert just an opinion based on what Ive had, just as it was the opinion of the person who said most IEMs are better than most full size headphones. Surely that's a more debatable statement. Even they conceded that headphones have a better soundstage !. I'm a bit of fan of a nice soundstage myself. 

Try the Dunu Titans, they are inexpensive (relatively) IEMs that do have a great soundstage. I actually shared your opinion about in-ears, wasn't happy with anything I had experienced. 
 
There are times when I prefer the Alclair, generally traveling or on the go, but love my Grados for easy to drive goodness, and HE560s for the planar dynamic take on music delivery. 
 
CIEMs seal better, so you get a superior presentation, taking very good transducers from Auclair, 1963 Ears, JH Audio, Noble, making them even better.
 
I am also a big fan of soundstage, that's why I really don't care for the entry some of the Grado Line, but love the GS and PS Series. I wasn't expecting to ever find an iem that I liked, kept trying them because they are far easier than over ear closed cans for travel, working out, etc. Finally was convinced to try the Titans, Zero Audio Duozas (another very good inexpensive em), then the Alclairs, then sold my Alpha Dogs.
 
I wasn't judging at all, we all are learning here. Cheers