Which do you like better, speakers or headphones?
May 24, 2004 at 7:34 AM Post #16 of 57
I enjoy both, and use them differently. Speakers tend to require sitting at the sweat spot to obtain the best sonic effects, and remaining in that position for a long time is difficult, but soundstage reproduction definitely exceeds headphone listening. With a pair of good headphones the ultimate details are always with you, although prolonged wearing a set on the head induces some discomfort.

I work long hours, at my office the headphones are needed for privacy. Working in the home office I have speakers on most of the time, but would use headphones to enjoy the details for an hour or so every night.

Cheers,
W
 
May 24, 2004 at 7:49 AM Post #17 of 57
If I had a situation where I could use speakers I'd probably have invested in a modest speaker system instead of headphones, but for at least the last 8 years headphones have been almost always my only choice for listening to music so that's what I use and I'm very used to them. Headphones allow me to listen to music without disturbing others and I feel I get more sound quality for the money than I would with speakers. But I would like speakers for those times when I just want to crank up my music and get some real whole-body visceral bass. Headphones are involving, but even my somewhat craptacular Cambridge Soundworks PC Works speaker system can be more fun, especially when I crank the sub up a little. I don't have any isolating headphones at the moment, but that's another nice thing about headphones that if you get a closed set you can get away from outside noises. Last summer I really enjoyed using my Beyer DT770s to block out the loud fan noise in my room (no AC in my house).
 
May 24, 2004 at 7:56 AM Post #18 of 57
well, as mentioned before, the good thing about headphone is, you get much better sound with less money, and dont have to worry about your room size matching with your speaker characteristics, etc...

the good thing about speaker setup is, once you are done, you are less more likely to change your equipments, maybe its because of the size factor (its not convenient to have a few pairs hanging around your place, and its much more expensive upgrade)

but i really like the sound of a good set of speaker feeling your room with music...
 
May 24, 2004 at 8:51 AM Post #19 of 57
pspivak wrote: Quote:

I disagree about the number of choices and “upgradeitis” though. I believe that there are many choices in headphones just as there are many choices in speakers.


That statement I will definitely dissagree with.
In terms of the sheer number headphone manufacturers vs the number speaker manufacturers, speakers have the upperhand by A LOT...I mean a crap load! So the choices when buying speakers, I think, are harder to make because of all the different possibilities presented in front of you. It is most of time over whelming, especially if you have no idea where to start. It seems as if headphones are just a small side/niche market beside the speaker market as a whole. But hopefully, sometime in the near future, we will have as many headphones to choose from as we do with speakers.


I personally like headphone a little more at this point (it changes throughout the course of a year or so) because of the intamacy they bring to my musical experiences. I become one with the music and am taken off to a different place.
smily_headphones1.gif
I think the idea of re-playing every album you've already heard, noticing massive amounts of detail you never knew was there is intriguing. To me, it is kind of addicting in a certain way. Of course the type/brand of headphones I currently own also play a major role in my special/addicting, musical experience.
etysmile.gif
avatar.php
 
May 24, 2004 at 9:21 AM Post #20 of 57
Quote:

I believe that there are many choices in headphones just as there are many choices in speakers.


actually, zeplin, you can't disagree with that statement--it's a fact. he said there are "many choices in headphones." are there "many choices?"--yes, there are. he also said the are "many choices in speakers." are there?--yup. so, his statement is true, by any reasonable definition of "many."
biggrin.gif
 
May 24, 2004 at 9:22 AM Post #21 of 57
Actually, he said "just as." Either statement is true by themselves, but not with "just as" in between them
biggrin.gif
 
May 24, 2004 at 9:28 AM Post #22 of 57
well, no.

"just as" in this case means the first part of the sentence is true, as well as the second part is true.

what you thought he said was, "I believe that there are just as many choices in headphones as choices in speakers." but the omitted words are: "there are." and that changes the meaning completely--he is no longer comparing the number of choices, but rather whether there are many of each kind--a true and false statement, not quantifiable. so, what he said was a fact, again, under any reasonable definition of "many."

see--i know English too. heh he.
icon10.gif


you know dude, i think we both should go to sleep if we're arguing about this.
icon10.gif
 
May 24, 2004 at 9:36 AM Post #23 of 57
But in the absolute sense, "many" in the first half is not the same as "many" in the second half
biggrin.gif
j/k

Hehe, come on, this is more fun than finishing my paper due in a few hours! I'm stumped, need to crank out a few more pages
frown.gif
 
May 24, 2004 at 10:02 AM Post #24 of 57
Once I've been a speaker man and a fanatic speaker builder, but I've always had a weakness for headphones. Since I got my tinnitus two years ago I found that listening through headphones makes it much easier to ignore it. Now at the moment I can't go back to speakers because the acoustics of my listening room are terrible (although I originally took care for that matter) and make an unmusical sauce of sound out of the recordings -- this compared to my clean and accurate sounding headphones. So my now preference is clear.

On the other hand, if I had a villa at my disposal and the opportunity to set up a dedicated 50- or 100-square-meter listening room with superb acoustics, I'd probably turn back to speaker listening. Which has its undisputed advantages: more natural spatial presentation, visceral impact, independancy of cable connections. But I certainly never would give up headphone listening, because the absence of room influences and the single sound source (per channel) create an uncomparable coherency, intimacy and carefulness to the music reproduction I wouldn't want to miss.

peacesign.gif
 
May 24, 2004 at 10:15 AM Post #25 of 57
Quote:

Originally Posted by null
thanks for the responses guys! btw, i changed my avatar. thats the last time i use the google image search for "headphones" again lol
wink.gif



If you look further than the first picture shown it does give some great pics though!

pepper.cdplayer.jpg

lennon-headphones-colour.jpg

headphones_small.gif

headphones.jpg


And of course a ton of pretty girl, cute babies and ugly men in headphones.
biggrin.gif
 
May 24, 2004 at 1:42 PM Post #26 of 57
lol. but yeah, i do still think there are WAY too many speakers to choose from. If you're trying to find the right kind of speakers for you, you'll be doing A LOT of searching
eek.gif
Also, I still find that cheaper headphones are MUCH better than speakers that are something like 4x the price.

in fact, I've almost given up listening to my Sharp mini-system, as I cannot believe how crappy the speakers are... now! (now, in reference to obtaining my a900s!)
 
May 24, 2004 at 2:42 PM Post #28 of 57
I enjoy both at different times. Headphones for the evenings and late listening or for really high volumes (apartment) and speakers for the rest of the time, ideally. I'm hoping to soon sort out the speaker side of my rig...
wink.gif
 
May 24, 2004 at 4:11 PM Post #29 of 57
Note: The following itemizations are only my opinion, based on known data(and to a lesser extent, personal experiences).

Speaker Pros

-Offer potential to sound realistic in every sense(spatial, tone, bone conduction, etc.), though only in ideal environment/equipment/recordings. I suspect that most people(including those that consider themselves audiophiles) have not had the pleasure to experience a system that is percieved as realistic in all sections listed above.

-Do not require ear and/or headmounted hardware.

-Bone conduction lead to visceral impact.

Speaker Cons

-Not portable.

-The most realistic sounding speakers are harder to enjoy - once you are accustomed to a realistic playback, even the slightest background noises in the environment that conflict with that is on recording, spatially, can make it difficult to enjoy playback(example: quiet passage of classic piece is distracted if an a.c. is heard or a loud truck/car passes and is heard through wall(s);basicly once a level of perceptual realsim is met, the illusion is fragile and easily shattered if sounds with different spatial characterisic impede the performance(wall resonanting due to the glass-packed Harley bike that just revved past your house).

-Cost is high

-Inconsistent performance: Even the finest speakers offer extreme variations in performance realtive to the environment(room), acoustic treatments and placement.

Headphone Pros

-Portable(well, most).

-Intimate effect not possible with speaker playback.

-Consistent performance

-Absence of room effects results in audible artifacts and/or details that are difficult to identify with speaker playback.

-Relative low cost.

Headphone Cons

-Level of realism possible on best examples of speakers not possible on any current consumer headphone system(even in event of proper binaural - due to inability to change relative posistion when tilting/rotating head and no bone conduction).

-Requirement to have hardware attached to head and/or ears.


-Chris
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top