[stuck limo]

It seems to me, purely anecdotally, that there's a division or faction war/rivalry between the users of headphone gear and hi-fi gear. Headphone users seem to look down at hi-fi gear for being bulky, unwieldy, and expensive. Hi-Fi users seem to look down at headphone gear as being a poor substitute for the real hi-fidelity/speakers experience, uncomfortable, and I'm sure other things. A friend of mine who's into hi-fi gear (with about 4 thousand dollars worth) sneeringly told me he would never spend anywhere near that amount on headphone gear, as it was a "waste of money" and that you "don't get enough out of it." I've seen this type of attitude on other forums as well from both sides. So, I guess the point of the thread is to discuss
 
a) is there a "war" or is this attitude just limited to certain individuals
b) do you like head-fi, hi-fi, or both - and why? (I happen to love both) How did you get into either one?
c) what is your experience with members of the audio community (both sides) on head fi vs hi fi? What about normal non-audiophile people?
d) what will happen in the future? Will both formats live side by side or will one overtake the other completely?
 
Looking forward to some really interesting conversation.
 
Myself, I was always into hi-fi before head-fi. I had ^ the above audiophile friend get me audio gear (I always had an interest but never really any gear of my own, other than my parents') for both my home and car. So eventually it came to be that I owned Yamaha and Wharfedale speakers (both bookshelf and tower). Then I got a DAC (I actually introduced my audiophile friends to DACs, they had zero experience with them) for the desktop setup. It was great, but I needed something for work too since all I had were very basic Koss headphones.
 
So I went to Best Buy, listened to various models, and wound up walking away with a Senn 558 which had my desired sound signature. I had that for about a year or two (was using my iPhone 4s for audio) and then decided I needed a DAC. Wound up with a Geek Out 450 for work use. Had that for about a year and then decided I needed something even nicer to listen to at work. SO I did research here, got a Senn 600, upgraded the DAC to a V2, and got balanced cables.
 
My next upgrade will be portable headphones, just in case I ever need them for school or just walking around in general. When I'm at home, I generally listen to speakers (just upgraded to a Yamaha R-S500 receiver and Monitor Audio 3i bookshelf speakers) just because I find it's easier. I do have a Schiit headphone amp that I can use should I choose to (and I do).
 
So generally speaking, I'm starting to find headphones more fun and convenient the more I explore them. I'm trying to reduce clutter/reclaim space in my apartment in case I need to move. I did wind up with some active monitors but wasn't impressed by my options/choices, so I wound up going back to a receiver and regular speakers.
 
IF I had to move and get rid of my bulky stereo stuff, I'd be OK with that and just move to headphone system. I wouldn't be happy but I wouldn't be super depressed, especially with all the convenience afforded and the fact I can get gear for relatively cheap that provide me nearly or the identical type sound results.

 

[Mython]

I'm not convinced this thread topic will yield much of a constructive nature, so may not really be worthwhile pursuing.
 
I mean absolutely no offence by that.
 

 

[moreps]

Honestly, it seems to me that diminishing returns in headphones hit a lot sooner than in speakers. While I'd much rather spend $50-$300 in headphones, I've heard $10k speaker systems that just blow any headphones out of the water, it's not even a competition.
 
I think this attitude is really just limited to people who haven't heard the high-end of the other side. The $10k speaker guys might sneer at headphones because they haven't heard how good great headphones sound, and the same goes for people who only go to headphone meets - they just don't know what they're missing out on.

 

[mcgsxr]

I have dabbled with both over the years.
 
My headphone setup is modest - Matrix Mini i or Grant Fidelity TubeDAC-11, Cayin HA-1A, Senn HD598's. 
 
My speaker setup cost more, but is similar - Matrix Mini i or Grant Fidelity TubeDAC-11, NuForce AVP-16 (as preamp), Crown XLS 1500 amp, Magnepan 1.6QR speakers.
 
I love the immediacy of headphones, the amount of detail at a given volume, and that my setup is not in the basement.
 
I love the speaker setup for presenting a more tangible soundstage, treble clarity and smoothness, and for the times I want to be entranced by a 3D musical experience.  Downside is that it is in the basement of the home, so great for pool playing or spending time alone.   When we finished the basement I added sound transmission prevention (Roxul Safe n Sound in the ceiling and walls, solid core door to the basement, etc) which means I can play the stereo louder than I want to, anytime I want to.
 
Both are satisfying, but represent achieving musical happiness in different ways.
 
I will no doubt remain in both camps long term.

 

[ev13wt]

I have and enjoy both. Went through a audiophile gear porn phase (worked at a high end store for 2 years, could take gear home) but stopped the entire thing when I was thinking about putting 25k speakers on a credit card.

Then I worked in a sound studio for a year and boy did I soak up information about sound, recording, micing, mixing, mastering.

Sold all my gear except a pair of nautilus speakers (no, not the big one offs)

I alsways overdo things.. glad I don't do drugs. I'd overdo that too.

Now I still have 4 setups but two are totl vintage gear, which I completely recapped and fixed, incl. crossovers. Sounds around the level of what 10k would buy you today too. Very natural, but a bit mid centric. Awesome for voices. A sub helps it along, active crossovers at 50Hz. Lovely 1 inch smooth dome tweeter, quite organic. goes down to 1600 Hz.

I love my headphone stuff too, but will not enter the crazy area again. Still searching for a great open pair but have closed, over and on, portable covered. A nice headset for gaming in the mix too.

So I enjoy both, pretty much equally. Listen to both at home, but surely can't take the stereo on a business trip...

Sometimes I listen to headphones with the sub on. I can really reccomend it. Fun as hell!

 

[pbui44]

To the OP, go to CanJam @ Rocky Mountain Audio Fest (RMAF) and see for yourself, which is held in early October. CanJam is there for all the Head-Fi stuff, but then there is the rest of the RMAF for all of the Hi-Fi stuff. People generally know what they want and go straight to whatever area they want to see...but then curiosity may set in and bring that person somewhere else. At RMAF, many of the hotel rooms will have both head-fi and hi-fi stuff from their company, like McIntosh.

 

[albarr]

Head-fi is much more economical, simpler and practical than hi-fi. Most important is the fact that it eliminates the room acoustics that plays a huge part with hi-fi. You can also listen to the music whenever you want even with your family around and will never irritate your neighbour. You will need to spend a lot of money and effort tuning your hi-fi system and your room to get a truly good hi-fi sound. If you get it right though it will reward you with the sound that in some respects no headphones can possibly match due to its physical limitations. I had many hi-fi sets - from tubes and horns to omni and electronic room correction. At the moment my set is pretty simple: Liv Zen NAS server, an old Resolution Audio Opus 21 CDP, Lavardin IT integrated amp (best solid state amp I know) and Living Voice OBX2 speakers with a quality Hutton stand and some good Kondo cabling. it sounds excellent, but it still cost me well over 10 thousand USD. I resort to headphones only when my kids are around or on the go. There is no "war", as two system compliment each other and each has its advantages that the other can not match.

 

[Claritas]

It's not a real disagreement. Anyone who wants good sound needs a good DAC (unless they're sticking with vinyl) and a good amp. Nowadays, many people are using headphone amps capable of driving speakers such as Rag, or speaker amps to drive inefficient planars and e-stats. It's all the same gear except the transducer. Just go with what works best for you.

 

[god-bluff]

What war? Silly question IMO
 
HiFi / 'headfi' (a fairly recently made up word) are the same thing. It's about the love of music and enjoying the equipment used to reproduce it.
 
High quality headphones, headphone amplifiers and to some extent portable audio are all just categories of HiFi. Speakers and headphones are equal in their own way use both as your situation demands it.

 

[Koolpep]

No war - only peace.

And music to unite us all.

 

[Audioholic123]

Sometimes I listen to headphones with the sub on. I can really reccomend it. Fun as hell!

I second this, it's really fun!!

 
As for the OP - I don't think there is a "war" between the two types of audiophile. It's really dictated by money and preference IMO. Many moons ago I started out with an Onkyo amp and nice Wharfedale speakers, I worked my way up to a combined Linn/Cyrus Separates System which cost me $5,000 way back in 1993....23 years later and I still have the Linn LK140 & Magik amp!! Why? because still after all these years, it is way better than any headphone/Dac combo that money can buy... BUT....in the last 10 years I have taken a real interest in the potential of headphones.
 
Currently i'd say a headphone such as the Fostex TH900 or Sennheiser HD800 combined with one of the top of the line DAC's/headphone amps, will get you 55% of what's possible with a multi thousand dollar separates/speaker system.
 

 

 

[thesmokingman]

I can't always listen to my velvety Sony SS-M7 speakers especially at volumes that are enjoyable, so I use headphones for all other times which is basically 90% of the time lol.