[FullBright1]

I first started listening to headphones quite a while ago, because i was poor, and i could not afford good speakers.
It really started for me when i was watching an old Vladimir Horowitz perform a live DVD concert in Russia, from '1986, and then I got into Mozart, and classical and that added one more genre to my collection to love.

So, i read some magazine article around that time that talked about "good headphones being the equal of expensive speakers".
From there, i saved my money, bought a set of Senn HD600s and absolutely wore them out over time and by use.
Those were my gateway drug, and thats very common as so many headphone lovers, started with the mighty HD600s.
Mine, completely fell apart, but the drivers still work.

As i continued to evolve over time as a person, i had a few careers, and now i am blessed and can afford to buy the gear i want, and i continued to prefer headphones over speakers, tho i had some nice sets of speakers in my studio,... Some ADAMS, some Dynaudio, and others.
The conundrum is that, once you are able to afford the headphones you want, this in no way insures that you will like what you buy.
As a matter of fact, you can't pay enough to buy a perfect sounding set of headphones.

 

[mammal]

Short answer - misophonia. I work with headphones, sleep with headphones, eat with headphones, so since I am using them effectively all the time except for shower, headphones became part of me, something that I need to make work / and enjoy.

 

[FullBright1]

Short answer - misophonia. I work with headphones, sleep with headphones, eat with headphones, so since I am using them effectively all the time except for shower, headphones became part of me, something that I need to make work / and enjoy.

So, you make the best out of a situation you are dealing with....

I also have a touch of what you have a lot of, so, i can relate.
Mine is much less sensitive than yours, but, relentless.
About half the people on this forum are probably OCD, so........you know......life goes on. It is what it is.
And regarding unusual sensitivities, i have this regarding incandescent or fluorescent lighting.
How do i handle that? I wear shades.
For example, my gym is like the throne of all things incandescent lighting...it is so bright inside, so, i wear sunglasses and work out.
Works for me.
I get a few looks and side glances, but, id get that anyway......


Do you recall your first "good" set of headphones?

 

[Spareribs]

The explosion of portable devices like MP3 players. CNET was the first source where I read about in ear monitors. I was shocked how they were advanced.

One thing led to another and I found out about headphone amps. Then I found out about large headphones.

Back then, everything was expensive. If you wanted a decent small desk top amp, you had to pay around $600. Now you can get a great desk top amp for $300.

And I think if you wanted a great set of RCA cables, you had to pay like $400. Now you can get boutique like cables for around $50 on Amazon.

 

[FullBright1]

The explosion of portable devices like MP3 players. CNET was the first source where I read about in ear monitors. I was shocked how they were advanced.

One thing led to another and I found out about headphone amps. Then I found out about large headphones.

Back then, everything was expensive. If you wanted a decent small desk top amp, you had to pay around $600. Now you can get a great desk top amp for $300.

And I think if you wanted a great set of RCA cables, you had to pay like $400. Now you can get boutique like cables for around $50 an Amazon.

Yes, the price of great headphone tech is very affordable these days.

I was always concerned that the "in ear" was going to have a circuit glitch and explode

 

[mammal]

So, you make the best out of a situation you are dealing with....

Thank you for your kind words.

And regarding unusual sensitivities, i have this regarding incandescent or fluorescent lighting.

That must be difficult. Glad to read you are making it work for yourself with shades.

Do you recall your first "good" set of headphones?

My absolute first headphones were Koss Porta Pro, I hated how they pulled on my hair, but they sounded very good for the price. Then the first notable headphone I remember using a lot was Audeze LCD 2

 

[Ryokan]

I was given headphones as a gift out of the blue when I was about 14, some Sennheiser ones with bright yellow pads. I'd been playing music full volume on my portable player and didn't realise the neighbours could hear it. I much preferred listening without them though as they couldn't go very loud and you had to sit in one place.

 

[Redcarmoose]

I started comparing headphones back to back in 1975; Sennheiser HD414 v Koss. Before that I did have some stereo equipment......but even before 1975; cheap headphones made the music more clear. By 1981 I was out of high school and had a nice stereo. My Mom got me the Radio Shack equivalent of the Koss headphones above. From then on it was about the head stage effect they did.

 

[BobG55]

I started using headphones around the year 1998 mostly because of the nature of my job. I worked at the National Library of Canada [Now Library & Archives Canada] in the Acquisitions Division. A coworker/ friend of mine gave me an old pair of plastic headphones so I could listen to music while I worked in my solitary cubicle with my computer. Then around 2003 I read about the Sennheiser HD600 and decided to buy a pair. I didn’t know much about headphones & I remember being wowed by their look & especially their sound. It was quite an exotic experience and revelation at the time. So I was bitten and my audiophile journey began then although I wasn’t aware of the fact at the time. A few months later I heard about the HD650 & thought to myself “Geez, maybe I should get those ones also”. Eventually I did and thus began my journey into this hobby of ours. BTW, I‘ve never been without a pair of HD600, they’re still amongst my favourite sounding headphone.

 

[Peddler]

I got into headphone listening very early on - with the purchase of my first cassette 'Walkman' (A rather chunky Sanyo - that could go loud enough to wake up God). Since then I've gone through countless (and I really do mean countless) portable devices and formats including Mini Disc, CD, MP3 - I even had the chance to have a play with the legendary Audio Technica SoundBurger and try out the extremely weird Jecklin Float earspeakers.

Now - my source is usually my mobile phone - sometimes my Sony Walkman NW A-55. Much of my listening is done via bluetooth to a variety of different headphones - depends on my mood and needs at the time. It never ceases to amaze me just how far technology has come - I can readily achieve the same kind of sound quality for a few hundred quid that would have cost thousands a few decades ago.

I still like listening through a speaker based system from time to time - even that system cost well under £1,000 and yet offers a level of sound quality that I could only dream about back then.

Memorable players/headphones that I've previous owned include:-

The first portable Sony Mini Disc player - the Sony MZ-1
One of the finest portable MP3 players - the Nomad Jukebox 3
The second generation Apple iPod (used Firewire but had a 20gb HD and a proper scroll wheel).
Etymotic ER4P
Shure E500
Ultimate Ears Triple Fi 10

 

[DenverW]

A few years ago I realized that I couldn’t watch movies or tv after my wife went to bed. I started to play around with surround sound through headphones to try and increase the experience of watching through headphones. This led to me trying to increase sound quality. This led me to getting into better and better headphones, amps and DACs. Once the quality of my gear improved, I started using them for more than media, and got back into good music as well.

 

[thatoneheadphonedood]

When i got a pair of headphones that come with the galaxy s9. I loved those things and i upgraded ever since! Currently have a modded pair of akg k52 headphones and grado sr60e’s and sony mdr v7900!

 

[Spareribs]

^ Yes watching movies at night can also push you into the headphone world too.

Especially in the real world if you live in a small apartment and want to watch a loud superhero action movie after 11 PM.

I remember years ago I was watching a movie and there was an action scene with a screaming lady. The people downstairs thought it was some kind of emergency and were startled.

 

[Catharus]

This is a really cool thread. I like reading these stories.

I listened to music using my parents’ Hifi system for many years. Finally, I could afford a Sony Walkman and added various earbuds as they broke over time.
Much later and on a larger budget, I wanted to learn to recognize bird species by their song. This quickly got me to upgrade through the Sennheiser series of open back headphones and I got sucked into anything that can add detail, 3D imaging, and soundstage.

 

[baskingshark]

I started using headphones as a student as I was studying music as an "O" level subject. I think back then it was some cheapo sub $50 phillips headphone on ear set. Later I moved on to IEMs as I mainly used them for stage monitoring purposes (as they were more portable and had better isolation than open backed cans). I'm trying not to enter the speakers rabbithole as that one is even crazier than headphones and IEMs hahaha.