[charliex]

Sound -Sound - Sound
The chance to escape into another world, to experience the undescribeable thrill and ecstasy one can get when listening to certain genres and sounds that define one's generation.

 

[shadowdude77]

There's something about headphones that speakers just don't do for me. I think it's the whole projection of sound so close to your ear that makes it more desirable to me. Sure, nice speakers ARE nice, but how much more "surround sound" can you get than a driver mere millimeters away from your ear?

 

[catscratch]

Practicality. Speakers require a dedicated listening room and an environment that, if not conducive to, is at least not hostile to fairly loud music at odd times of the day. But with headphones you can listen to anything you want at any time you want and not bother anyone, and not have to deal with room interactions.

Price/performance ratio is also a factor at the low end, but once you get into high-end 'stat territory then it's a different story. The sky is the limit either way.

I do like the incredible speed and freedom from crossovers or room interactions that a high-end 'stat gives you, though. You'd be hard pressed to find that in a speaker at any price.

 

[aimlink]

.

 

[aimlink]

My home environment and circumstances make headphones the only way for me to enjoy my music at the volumes I want, in the quantities I want and with a high level of technical quality.

 

[shake]

1. full, lush lips
2. curvy, but still petite
3. great rack

 

[jjinh]

value for money, portability,... and not disturbing others at 1am in the morning with my poor taste in music

 

[ttnaboface]

Great input from all
Its time to be very specific with the help of a couple extra questions.

What specific features do you like in your headphones?
What makes your headphones perfect for you? (size,quality,looks)

Ive got my ATH-ANC7b QuietPoint Active Noise-cancelling Headphones. These 'cans can be on my head for hours and never get uncomfortable. Theres nothing worse than feeling irritated around the ears after a while of listening, but you still want to listen to your music, ya know? The quality of noise-cancelling is incredible, but you can still hear a background fuzz when your not listening to anything, sort of brings a soundstage experience with each and every song. I also use them for studying in the library for complete silence.

Thats all i got right now!

 

[VALIENTE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ttnaboface /img/forum/go_quote.gif Reply with reasons or specific features that make headphones desirable to you. Whether it be anything as general as "comfortable" or specific to certain features...feel free to share.

A headphone is desirable for me if its performance is higher than its price like my beloved Grado SR60 and my new AKG K701. I'm a happy headfier.

 

[oktapod]

Quote:

I think people generally agree that speakers sound better (or at least can sound better) than headphones.

Certainly not in my experience. Unless you're comparing £x00 headphones to £x0,000 speakers then the speakers may be in front, but I've yet to hear any speaker that can out-resolve a pair of HD800 or even the RS1i I listened to. Active studio monitors probably come closest, but anything in a room is subject to the limitations and quirks of that room's acoustic signature, and that's before you consider the problems inherent in having multiple sources for different frequencies, the impact of crossovers and the simple physics of having x feet of air between you and the speaker. Headphones avoid all of these problems, and so a well executed headphone is far beyond a similarly priced loudspeaker.

 

[St3ve]

I love headphones because of the:

Immersion - I find a decent set of headphones, with good music can be a really powerful experience.

Value for money - Many people say that headphones are a cheaper way of getting great sound. That suits me fine

Convenience - Being able to listen to music at 3am (if I can't sleep) without being served a noise abatement order.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ttnaboface /img/forum/go_quote.gif What specific features do you like in your headphones? What makes your headphones perfect for you? (size,quality,looks)

More specifically, i love the detail, tonality and full-on nature of my Grados. I haven't really tried enough full-sized cans to say whether they are perfect for me, but my RS1s are bliss to my ears.

 

[Ninkul]

I'm not very tempted to go to speakers due to what Uncle Eric said.. well, not quite. I wouldn't really call myself an "audiophile".. perhaps a headphone enthusiast

. But with headphones, one can own many pairs without much hassle.. Speakers.. lol. Positioning.. Size.. Neighbours/Roommates..

I mean.. when i get better speakers, I plan on sticking with one pair for the lounge.

The current "usual lets go crazy" cycle is wanting better audio for your laptop/better portable audio and then finding this forum and not being satisfied with the said persons' first purchase. That was me

- Although I didn't quite realise how bad my laptop as a source for my HD555's was until I got my portable amp -_-.

 

[jyle_t]

Sound, comfort, feasibility (not disturbing people).

 

[Zaubertuba]

Price/Performance - I can get high resolution and overall quality of sound for a fraction of the cost of setting up a comparably-detailed speaker set up. With none of the room set-up headaches.

Convenience - I can get this at a time when everyone else in the household is asleep--and not wake anybody up.