[Derek411]

I don’t mind an Alexa for occasional listening. I have a decent Bluetooth sound bar which is ok. But unless I dedicate a room in my family home with my wife and two young daughters for speakers. Then be told it’s too loud (probably) and not suitable for late listening when everyone goes to bed due to me being a late bedder... headphones it is as that’s my time.

Just went through my typical late rotation of albums with my quite expensive for a sound bar sound bar. Then popped on my HD600’s and amp. Three songs in to the same rotation the guitar melody is on the left, strumming on the right, other instruments are dancing around my head and the vocals slide in the middle. Surround sound.

Pure bliss. Those who cheat on your headphones with noise boxes. What say you?

 

[bagwell359]

I don’t mind an Alexa for occasional listening. I have a decent Bluetooth sound bar which is ok. But unless I dedicate a room in my family home with my wife and two young daughters for speakers. Then be told it’s too loud (probably) and not suitable for late listening when everyone goes to bed due to me being a late bedder... headphones it is as that’s my time.

Just went through my typical late rotation of albums with my quite expensive for a sound bar sound bar. Then popped on my HD600’s and amp. Three songs in to the same rotation the guitar melody is on the left, strumming on the right, other instruments are dancing around my head and the vocals slide in the middle. Surround sound.

Pure bliss. Those who cheat on your headphones with noise boxes. What say you?

I have a slightly different story. Downsizing big time and yes I'm the late guy in the house. As of 2015 I had the killer: isolated room (tuned w/ ASC traps, furniture, vintage oriental rugs, etc) and 12.2k pieces of vinyl.

Now I'm streaming, vinyl almost all gone, stereo is gone w/ only my old 2nd and 3rd speakers, and an amp that runs speakers and headphones, and a bunch of headphones for 7x less money than the behemoth, and just about every day I hear some details that my old system didn't give. I'm good with it.

 

[theaudiologist1]

Headphone advantages for me:

1) Much more value for money. $500 gets you great headphones but budget speakers. $2000 gets you top tier TOTL headphones but only a midrange speaker setup.
2) "Pick up and listen", no having to worry about how big your room is, how it echoes and how far your speakers should be from each other.
3) Your neighbors don't want to throw you out the window for listening to Saint-Saens at 2AM.
4) Much less components required: All you need, at least with a computer as a source, is a headphone, DAC and an amp (nowadays many DAC's are DAC-Amp combos) and that 99% determines how your music will sound.
5) You can bring the (closed, low impedance) headphones wherever you go. You can't bring your speakers to the airport or bus stop.

Cons:

1) 99% of all music made before the 21st century were made with speakers in mind. Headphones won't reproduce the music the way it was made for speakers.
2) Value-for-money aside, the best speakers are MUCH better than the best headphones, unless you count headphones like the HE-1

 

[Derek411]

I think open back are the perfect head speakers. I can wear my HD599 plugged into whatever and still hear my surrounding at home when wife and kids are about. Then put on my decent head speakers when it’s all quiet my HD600s.

My whole head hifi kicked off when we made friends with a couple on a uk holiday. We ended up driving to visit their home. The guy had a man cave and a ace hifi setup with speakers. I saw this and saw it was impractical for me. It was the guys bedroom as he and his mrs didn’t get on just together for the kids really. His music setup influenced me tho.

I started studying headphones and realised most headphones are consumer sets. Handy for Bluetooth tho. We all know this but it’s my story. Then I discovered audio nirvana can be for the set minus amp cheaper than the muffled consumer sets.

 

[bagwell359]

Open phones and even some back screens come off...

 

[ThanatosVI]

Similar reasons for me
Way better sound quality for the money.
Easier to setup
Can be used at night

 

[theaudiologist1]

Similar reasons for me
Way better sound quality for the money.
Easier to setup
Can be used at night

I wanted to add cons but forgot. I edited my post.

 

[Derek411]

I wanted to add cons but forgot. I edited my post.

I hadn’t heard your #1 con. Really? Is it not just left right channels. Can speakers do soundstage well?

I heard the £25k Bang and Olufsen BeoLab 50’s. Can’t say I’d buy them if I had the chance over Orpheus.