[practitioner]

For me, its moods.

Certain times, I prefer certain headphones.

MS2i - when I want to do some serious head bangin

DT990 - when I want to tap my toes to the music every now and again whilst doing something else and for extended background low volume listening.

HD650 - When I want to get lost in the music, I put these on, turn up the volume and just sit back... euphonic bliss perhaps? well for me anyway. DT990 comes close in this regard too.

Originally, I bought multiple to get a listen to each of the flavours. But now I can't get myself to sell any of them. I like each of them in their own kinda way.

Incidently these 'mutipleness' does not stop at headphones. Some folks have different amps/sources/cables to suite their moods. Me personally, I would want a solid state amp as well as a tube amp eventually. I think I can be happy with one source...

(CDP that is, still need portable flash player/hard disk player/PC as a source!

)

 

[jbloudg20]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch Agreed, except that music very heavy on electric guitars (heavy metal et al.) has quite different sonic requirements to convey the emotion than e.g. classical, IMO. For most people, I think two pair of headphones will cover everything well. If the expenditure is the same (and enjoyment the same) as owning one "truly high end" rig, then what's the difference? Some people like a variety of sonic flavors, what's wrong with that? If it makes listening to music more enjoyable, then they are in it for the music.

So you say that you only need two headphones, then you admit that enjoying the sonic flavors is ok as well? Which one is it?

I do not agree with the two headphones, I dont think there is any number that is sufficient for everyone, it is up to the user. If you are happy with your two cans, then GREAT! At least you saved more money than I did!

Is there a collection initiative involved? Most unboubtly so for some members. (1911

). But then that's their perrogative.

It like I say to other people (my mom for example.): You spend all your time and money making crafts to decorate the house. Thats great, it gives you something to do to relax, and have fun doing. Its the same with my headphones. Would I spend hours upon hours decorating the house? Not any more than you would spend hundreads of dollars on a pair of headphones.
(But I guess my parents understand, they did buy me my K240s, and about $200 worth of DIY supplies, including tubes

)

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbloudg20 So you say that you only need two headphones, then you admit that enjoying the sonic flavors is ok as well? Which one is it?

Both. One was talking about headphones, the other was another topic (different rigs, which I take to mean amps/sources + maybe headphones).

Quote:

I do not agree with the two headphones, I dont think there is any number that is sufficient for everyone, it is up to the user. If you are happy with your two cans, then GREAT! At least you saved more money than I did!

I said I think two would be sufficient for most people, not for everybody. I have four myself. But IMO two well-selected headphones will cover every conceivable musical genre.

 

[Predator88]

If I had the money I'd own multiple pairs of headphones and multiple amps. Cuase its sjut sort of fun. I see the point though. Generally people would favor one set of cans (even if they don't mean to) and would end up really using them most of the time. Think of it like being able to own multiple cars. No really good reason other than you have the money, you enjoy having them, and you now have the ability to decide which one to drive based on how you feel on a given day.

 

[Manveer]

I would liken collecting headphones to collecting shoes, really (not that I collect shoes...haven't bought a new pair in over 5 years). A pair to suit each occasion. Cars would work too, but that's a different price range of course.

It's a different headphone for each situation. I don't want to use my Grados on the plane, so I bring the Etymotics. I don't want to use my Etys at the gym for fear of breaking them, so I use the Shures. When it's quiet at home and I still want to be able to hear the doorbell or don't feel like inserting IEMs, I use the Grados.

As others have said, it's relatively cheap, easy and doesn't take up much space.

 

[macbrush]

To me, its just like cars. There is no single ultimate car for everyone, and even if there is one, only a few people live in UAE could afford it, and it certainly isn't for everyday driving.

Sound is a very strange thing, I have a friend who do mastering, and re-mastering for living. To listen to his work, the best possible setup is go to his studio, and playback the master CD because that's exactly what everything is intended to sound. I've done that a couple of times, but even that I wouldstill prefer listen to the same piece from my home setup, because its more to my personal liking.

This hobby is not an exact science, but rather its like personal preference to some work of art.

 

[jbloudg20]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch Both. One was talking about headphones, the other was another topic (different rigs, which I take to mean amps/sources + maybe headphones). I said I think two would be sufficient for most people, not for everybody. I have four myself. But IMO two well-selected headphones will cover every conceivable musical genre.

Oh ok, gotcha!

 

[TooNice]

To be honest, for a hobby, it is isn't more costly than many. I used to be a performance PC enthusiast. Actually, I still am, but it is not exactly cheap, and I've decided it wasn't worth staying on the bleeding edge with the premium that it commands. And if I was into cars.... dear lord.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mercuttio At first, I wanted one pair of headphones to do it all. Portable, home, everything. That didn't really exist, so I have a couple of pairs for different things. My Beyerdynamic DT 880s are pretty good with most things at home, but they're not really portable due to their open nature and impedance. Hence, I own a pair of earbuds, and two pairs of closed cans. Now, once you spend a few months with one type of sound, (Beyer in my case) and you sample some of another flavor, (Grado in this case) you want to diversify your lineup. Some of my music just sounds better with a Grado headphone (I like Radiohead better on them), and some sounds better on Beyerdynamic (Rilo Kiley, and many others). Granted, I haven't been into this very long, and I was pretty sure I could just get one set of headphones and be done. Alas... instead... CURSE YOU HEAD-FI!

I can kind of relate to that. The Porta Pro got me "better than earbud" sound. But it wasn't as portable as I wished for (and not hair friendly), so I came to HF looking for something more. I got the UM2 for it's isolation properties, then got the KSC-75 because I just liked the Porta Pro sound...

The UM2 didn't go too well with my current equipment (I recently tried it on a better source, and it is much better), and I found myself thinking that I prefer open than closed overall. So I found myself looking between the Grado, Senns and Beyer for home use (I was looking for a significant upgrade to the KSC/Porta Pro sound). The release of the HF-1 pushed me towards the Grado. They are great. My friend who tried them had to get his own quality cans after that (the shock of going back to earbuds after hearing the HF-1 was too much for him

). He bought the DT880. I tried them, was awed by for more relaxing songs (I still prefer the HF-1 for other type songs). I thought it would be great to complement the HF-1 with one of those, although I still haven't ruled out the HD650. Then AKG had to release the K701 to complicate the matters.

So now, I am torn between the DT880, HD650 and K701. It seems to me that they are all in the same "class", and would complement the forward sounding HF-1 pretty well. But I will only be getting one of the three, and I've only heard one of them. After that, that's it. I'll shop of a DAC, then delete HF from my bookmarks and run away for good (or so I say)

(But I think that will be just right. One portable with isolation, a cheaper portable for commuting/exercise etc., a forward sounding home can, and a laid back sounding home can)

 

[McRat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TooNice One portable with isolation, a cheaper portable for commuting/exercise etc., a forward sounding home can, and a laid back sounding home can

This is exactly the setup I'm aiming at!

I recently swapped my speakers for some cheaper alternatives, so I got myself a bit of money for my headphones. The way I see it, the only way to make a meaningful headphone comparison is at home, over extended period of time.

That's why I'm trying to haul all the contenders and then make my desicions, selling the rest. And as I want to lose as little money in the process as possible, I'm trying to buy the phones used or otherwise cheap.

(Already here: SR-225/HF-1/DT880/DT531, still missing Senn HD6x0 and possibly some AKG)

 

[AdamWill]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawlowski6132 For the life of me I can't understand why everyone here has so many pairs of headphones?? From reading many posts, I've read about people wanting a variety of "sound signatures." Is this correct? Help me translate this, if possible, to the world of two channel speakers systesms. In this world, one I'm more familiear with, it seems like we strive for THE ultimate sound. Yes, we go through many speakers, but, we don't keep one pair for this type of music and another pair for that type of music. Yes, it would be expensive and cumbersome. Am I to conclude that, the only reason it's not done is because it's expensive and cumbersome relative to cans?? I just can't believe it's true. Either the speakers present fidelity or they don't. Why would headphones be any different?? Obviously y'all can't be wrong and I must be missing something. Please help. Signed, too many Christmas Margaritas in Detroit. Go Wings & Pistons!!!

Well, the only headphones that you might seriously contend are "the ultimate headphones" are the massively expensive (in headphone terms) rigs like the Orpheus (and even there, some people who have Orpheus contend that it's still not perfect for everything). Look at the prices...

Orpheus - $10,000, almost impossible to buy anyway
RS-1 $600ish (I'm going from memory here)
HD650 $400
K701 $400
SA5000 $300
DT880 $300 (?)

In other words, you can basically get a complete set of damn high end headphones for a lot less than the price of one Ultimate Setup. Given that headphones don't have the space and placement problems associated with speakers - you can buy five pairs of headphones, leave 'em on the desk, and just pick up the one you're going to use; you can't really do that with five pairs of floorstanders - why not buy a bunch?

The other reason is different uses. I have my HF-1s for home use and my ER4s for portable.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdamWill DT880 $300 (?)

MSRP $419, $259 street, $210-$225 discounted. I think they're easily worth the original $419, myself.

 

[DobsOnly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cotdt It's a lifestyle... and unlike hi-fi speaker models which vary only somewhat in sound, headphones tend to vary a great deal between different models. so people want all the different sound signatures.

Personally I believe that Speakers vary a great deal in sound signature and in a very similar manner as headphones. I've sat in many a listening session and been pretty astounded by the differences. Not to mention the space, positioning in, and setup of the room that can make dramatic changes in the sound. My LS3/5a's are very nice with vocals, acoustic and classical but don't hold up quite as well with very busy rock. 3 feet from the wall they are as transparent, natural and room filling as any Monitor If ever heard, but shove'em back to the wall and they lose all their character.

IMHO there are speaker systems that will excel at a particular Genre like headphones do. A system designed around Trance or Electronica would probably look and sound much different than one designed to reproduce Classical.

I know they aren't cheap, but with headphones I can afford to have different pairs that work well in different environments as well as provide the different sound signature. Like some of the others have said you can have many sets of nice headphones for much less than a single high end set of speakers.

 

[bangraman]

For me, it's mainly a case of application-specific use so physical attributes controls the need to have multiple phones more than anything else. Sonically, I could be quite happy with even just one of the better cans I have but they all have quirks or something else which to me necessitates the need for more than one can.


The Orpheus is unfortunately not getting much ear love at the moment. It's uncomfortable after a while and the headband doesn't spread out the weight as much as I'd like.


The Stax Omega II on the other hand is very comfortable. I sold it after I got the Orpheus under the assumption I didn't need it anymore. However the comfort aspect of the Orpheus made me buy another Omega. I can wear it all night if needs be. This is getting more use right now in my PC audio rig.


The Speed Link Medusa is gaming-specific. It gives excellent spacial cues in first-person games so I have it for that. Once again, very comfortable for extended wearing. The fit between the Orpheus and the Medusa isn't hugely different so the O's may just need a bit of tweaking. Not sure where to start yet though.


The Sony Qualia 010 is soon to be without a job. I used it for when I wanted a transportable headphone without much isolation, such as when I'm working in an office somewhere or travelling on a quiet intercity train. Now it's discontinued, without the possibility of buying spare phones if I damage it I'm going to retire it and find something else. The K701 maybe if it's light and has replaceable cables.


The Ultimate Ears UE-10Pro is used solely when flying. I've found in-ear phones to constitute a minor ear-health hazard in my case and while a custom-fitted one is much less irritating, it's still not something I'd like to use on a daily basis.


The Sennheiser HD25-1 is probably my #1 phone in terms of ear time. I use it all the time while commuting. The sound quality is half-decent, and above it it is a very practical set of phones for listening virtually anywhere.


I'll also use the Sennheiser PX200 when I just want a throwaround pair of phones which are stowable and usable. But in most cases, I'll use the HD25-1.


I have others but they don't have a use. I'll probably have a clearout come the new year. Speakers vary as much as headphones in terms of sound. However they're not as easily exchangeable, have siting issues, etc etc. It makes sense people are discouraged from trying multiples in their own home. And obviously there's more scope for phone variation when you involve portable systems. I'd say 80% of my music listening at least is done when fully portable, or while travelling.

 

[Mastergill]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DobsOnly My LS3/5a's are very nice with vocals, acoustic and classical but don't hold up quite as well with very busy rock.

That's normal. As good as they are for such small monitors, you can't have miracle. There's a serious roll-off below 70 Hz with LS3/5a. You need a better bottom end for rock, their bigger sister LS5/9 are amazing with rock and everything else like a true monitor should be. A sound is a sound, you're accurate or you're not.

IMO technologies can be more a matter of choice respect to one musical preference, like electrostatic for classical (because of the nice 'airy' soundstage) and dynamic for rock and pop (the slam and SPL, the sense of compression)

 

[lini]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawlowski6132 Why so many headphones???

I don't know, but somehow headphones just amass. You have one lying around somewhere, you look away for a second - *poof*, and suddenly there are two headphones. Must be gravity or something...

Grinnings from Hannover!

Manfred / lini