[Old Pa]

Up until recently, I had two pairs of Sennheiser HD600s, one smurfed with a 3M cord and the other with the 5M Cardas. I got them because I had two distinct locations to use them at and at the time I felt the HD600 was without peer. Things change!

 

[N@Z]

In the beginning it was supposed to be just one open & one closed can for home use plus one closed portable. One thing led to another, bargains come which had to be pounced on! In my defence, I only had multiples of the same headphones for the Koss KSC35, one opened for use & one MIB! Both are gone now. Safe to say had I not made a trimming down exercise, twice, yeah over 10 headphones might have been the case. It has come down to a more sensible figure, still alot I think, just haven't got the heart to let go of the ones I do have now. But that might change given a little more time.

 

[DesBen]

I like a lot of different styles of music. The headphones I use for quiet jazz trio might not work so well with trashy hard techno. Depending on what I'm listening to, I'll use different headphones.

 

[sygyzy]

I was expecting more people to use the different music reasoning. That is, you may have a pair of closed for classical and another for rock. That's a pretty expensive reason though! You would think that with expensive, best of the best, cans, they should be good enough for all.

Don't get me wrong. I am not complaining. I realize there is an addiction of sorts here! I enjoyed reading the varied responses and reasoning.

 

[Music Fanatic]

Quote:

Originally posted by sygyzy I was expecting more people to use the different music reasoning. That is, you may have a pair of closed for classical and another for rock. That's a pretty expensive reason though! You would think that with expensive, best of the best, cans, they should be good enough for all.

I think many of us listen to music that is -- within a single piece -- varied enough that we need a headphone that is credible for reproducing a wide variety of music. Or, if one listens to DVD movie soundtracks with headphones (preferably using an amp or source with Dolby Headphone capability), we need a headphone that can handle it all -- especially since many movies include a wide variety of different types of music in their soundtracks.

 

[NeilPeart]

I have many cans because I like to have at least 1 headphone from each manufacturer; this way I get to sample each brand's unique sound. I try to get the best can for the money, kind of a lesser version of my dad's system. Currently I have:

AKG K-501 (most comfortable can I own, great for classical and big band)
AT ATH-W100 (good for acoustic jazz, looks impressive)
Beyer DT-880 (amazing with female vocals, comfortable)
Ety ER-4P (nothing else like it sound wise, isolates very well)
Grado SR-225 (the #1 rock can, IMHO)
Koss PortaPro (cheap and good portable)
Philips HP170 ($10 and kicks ass)
Sennheiser HD-580 (best overall can I own)
Sony MDR-V6 (very comfortable with Beyer pads and decently isolative)

All these cans offer different glimpses into my music and each has its strengths and weaknesses. If I had to live with only one I would go with the HD-580. If I had unlimited funds my cans would be:

AKG K1000 (I love this can, very unique experience)
AT ATH-W2002 (much better than the W100)
Beyer DT-880 (see above)
Ety ER-4P/S (see above)
Grado HP-1 (most resolving can I've ever heard; it's my favorite can sound wise, the comfort factor is another issue)
Sennheiser HD-650 (the HD-580 that I love + improvements)
Sony MDR-R10 ('nuff said, though I’ve never heard it)
Stax Omega II (I love this headphone; it's my 2nd favorite can)

 

[DesBen]

Because I can...

 

[MichaelFranks]

2 pairs of etymotics, er4 with p and s cable, and er6.

Why? I love them to death, the er6's are my "beaters." I use them for gaming too, they are very comfortable and very punchy. The er4's stay with my ipod in my bag, but occasionally I bust out the s cable if I need some serious listening with isolation.

Not identical pairs, but I have a feeling many would consider this overkill

 

[Tyson]

Ety 4p's for portable and at the gym.
Beyer DT250's for use at the PC at work (need to be able to hear a little outside stuff)
Ultrasone HFI-700's for use at home at the PC (don't want to leak sound so wife is not disturbed late at night) These are in transit to me, don't have them yet.
Senn HD600's for use in the main audio system and in the main HT system. Open cans sound better than closed cans in general, and the HD600's are what I use when I can.

 

[D-EJ915]

Different models sound different, it can be that simple, or it's a collection, like Profingersk8er's eggo collection, all of his do sound different, but he collected them...

 

[Davie]

When I saw Ravi Shankar in concert a few years ago, he apologized because he was going to play a morning raga at 8 in the evening. So maybe time of day would be a good reason!

Apart from any other explanation, I simply get tired of one sound and feel like switching off. Then I'll listen to a different headphone until I get tired of that, and maybe go back to the first. I think that different headphones bring out different aspects of the music. Sometimes I can be happy listening to something that has good mids but is weak in the bass. Then I'll be unhappy with that, and feel I need something with a bass slam.

Also, I think that on a physical level what we hear can differ at different times. Just think of the experience when you ears will just "pop" for no reason, and you realize that you were congested, or something, and all of a sudden everything sounds clearer. I think there are lots of weird subtleties in how we hear that we probably don't really notice or articulate even in forums like this where people talk endlessly about what they are hearing.

 

[Geek]

I have multiple phones of the same type only when I haven't sold the model I like less to a friend or given them to my brother. For instance, I will own both the HD600 and the HD650 in the next weeks. Following extensive A-B review of the two cans, I am going to sell one of them to someone who needs some audiophile mixing headphones.

I don't have the funds to own tons of headphones, otherwise I'd be just like some of the other people here.

I'd own:

HD650 - all around listening king
DT880 - sounded good with female vocals, more upfront than sennheiser sound is
RS-1 - these cans rock out really hard
K1000 - best soundstage I've ever heard on non-speakers, extremely detailed

Cheers,
Geek

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Three reasons:

1 - because I have 17 ears, and not all of them are reachable in pairs;

2 - because if I get enough splitters and enough amps, I won't need a pair of speakers;

3 - OCD? (Not meaning to ridicule anyone with actual OCD, it's just that I just finished reading Xenocide by Orson Scott Card)

 

[Jasper994]

Quote:

Originally posted by sygyzy For those of you that have multiple headphones of the same type, that serve basically the same purpose, why? There are many different situations that warrant different headphones. Say you want portability and sound isolation. That's one example. Another is you want an open pair and another example is you want a closed full sized pair. So say you get the best of each category. It doesn't matter what others think is the best, it's just what you feel. So Joe Schmo chooses Etymotic ER-4S, HD 650, and I dunno, how about DT831. Well I noticed some people actually have multiple open's, multiple closed, etc. For instance CD3000's AND 831's. What is the purpose of this? Are you guys just collecting them? I mean I can see that point of view. I am planning on getting more headphones, just because they are kind of addicting but I am having a hard time really saying I 'need' them. Thoughts?

For me it's simple, I needed open and closed cans at home (HD 590's & HD 280 Pro) and I also needed open and closed portables (PX100 & PX200) and everybody has to have at least one set of ear buds (MX500) and then I felt the need to have a Grado can just so that when the 590's approach to sound presentation didn't fit with what I was listening to I had something that did (SR60)...

For a lot of us, we want multiple cans that fit our mood, situation and whatever it is we're listening too. This can lead to quite the collection... Now say you like a particular type of headphone, for the heck of it let's consider the Grados, nice upfront presentation, fairly musical... well let's say you initially got the SR60's (like I did because of budget or maybe because you're conservative and don't want to start at the top or whatever) well you get your new cans and love them (I do

)... Now everybody keeps telling you how wonderful some of the upperline of the product is so much more wonderful... well maybe a week maybe a year later you get hit with the upgrade bug... Now you have 2 cans for essentially the same purpose, but well... darn, they're both wonderful and you can't bring yourself to sell the old ones... ain't that a bummer...

 

[usc goose]

sygyzy, have you seen "this is spinal tap"? the best way i can explain it is kind of like when christopher guest is explaining all his guitars.