Headphone-only hi-fi - who's taken the minimalist road?

I was thinking - nowadays, if you wanted to, you could get audiophile sound down to an incredibly small size. First of all, digital technology means you can miniaturise not only your music collection but also your music player - no need for a physical record collection or a record player any more. And at the other end of the chain, advances in headphone technology mean you don't even need loudspeakers any more if you're listening to music on your own - you can probably get higher quality sound, with no room effects, from a good pair of headphones. And once you start using headphones instead of loudspeakers, you don't need a big amp any more so you can miniaturise that, too.

Have many people here gone down that road? I'd be very interested to hear of any experiences. Let's say you start with a good pair of headphones like the Sennheiser HD650 or even the Audeze LCD-2. For audiophile-grade sound, what else do you need? Do most people get a combined headphone amplifier and DAC to keep the number of components down? Could you even combine a digital music player with the amplifier/DAC so you only need one physical component other than the headphones? I'm a complete beginner in this and would really like to hear how small and simple you can go, while still retaining audiophile-grade sound. (So no iPods, thanks, though they do an amazing job for their size.)

 

Stax Sigma Pro earspeakers + Stax SRM-Monitor amplifier/equalizer + Studer D730 CD player. Simple and unbelievably good. Not cheap. I've been a Stax user for over 40 years.

 

I've got it paired down to Grado 125-Fiio E07- one of the old Sony CD Discman's with line out capability. It's very basic, but that type of sound is pretty darn addictive i have to say and to have that type of mobility is nice too. A bit clunkier than an mp3 player, but still very nice. If i would change anything about that setup think i would have just went and bought a Fiio X3 or X5 so it would be just the headphones and the amp/Dac.

Awaiting the arrival of an older SACD unit i bought on the forum (CE 775) and that will be for when working at my art table. Can't wait!

 

I do headphone hi-fi. But haven't taken a minimalist approach. Some of the good headphone amps can still be as large or larger than regular full size audio components. Tube amps for headphones can also have a large footprint. I have a Cavalli amp and am considering getting a Schiit Ragnarok to pair with it so I'll have high quality amps with two different sound signatures. Minimizing space and size of my primary headphone gear is not at all a priority for me. I do have other headphone gear that is smaller, but it is not my primary listening gear.

It is possible to get more compact headphone amps that also combine a DAC and other features. And those more compact components can still be audiophile quality. But I also believe that the smaller you go the more you pay a premium just for the small size and the more sonic quality you sacrifice to get that smaller size. Especially when you get down to the size of portable audio headphone amps and DACs. For portable amps that can drive an Audeze or HD800 well you end up paying a lot and you'll end up with audio quality sacrifices compared to larger amps.

For the high end of headphone gear it is not unusual to have a rack of gear similar in size to a speaker setup.

 

"Earspeakers." Love it! Stax are the best in the world, right?

I'd probably best get some experience before spending that much.

Yes, Fiio is a name I keep seeing. For source, though, I wanted to get away from physical media and use some sort of miniaturised device that could hold a lot of high res music. I'd need a way of browsing the content, though.

Thanks, Ham - though at risk of appearing ungrateful, it's not what I wanted to hear. I hoped to get the size right down. I can see, though, that I'd end up paying a premium for that, and I'd also be entering the portable market which is a bit different.

Some months back someone here posted a picture of his minimalist, headphone-based setup but I can't remember who it was and I can't find it now. If you're reading this, whoever you were, please post it again!

 

There are some lovely minimalist amp/DAC combos that work great with the HD800 and LCD-2. I've owned the Grace m903 in the past and very much enjoyed it. Not cheap at around $1500, but it did the job amazingly well. A cheaper option is the Centrance DACmini.

As for adding a transport to create a single-box solution, I have no experience. It would be pretty easy to add a headless Mac Mini to the above-mentioned DACmini for a nice little stack (for which the Centrance is clearly designed).

Ultimately, if you're a tinkerer or frequently get the upgrade bug (like me), you'll likely find that combo solutions are somewhat limiting and inflexible. I've gone to all separates for that reason -- and I did just place my order for the Schiit Ragnarok!

 

Headphone audio is where I re-entered the music/stereo hobby. I now only use headphones at the gym and late at night when my wife is watching TV...

Apple MacBook Pro, Audio Quest Dragonfly (1.2) and Sleek CT6 is the current setup. Many others in the past.

 

I like having both my headphone system and a full hi-fi. I enjoy playing records.
They are both very different experiences. Sometimes I like the nice intimacy I get from my headphones late at night.
But I also like having my full hifi with its great soundstage etc. And it's certainly more comfortable.

 

I have a pair of Beyer Dynamic 880s which I listen through the headphone section of a Denon PMA 1510. I have heard Stax headphones & thought they were the best until I heard Abyss through a Mcintosh headphone amp..scary & very well constructed , sort of build quality you would expect a fighter pilot to have!

 

I enjoy listening to a great headphone setup every night before sleeping. That said, it doesn't replace speakers. Headphones won't replicate the feeling you get when you listen to music with enough authority to feel the kick drum, bass guitar etc. You can hear it with headphones, but you can't feel it.

 

Yep, feeling this trend (?) myself.

OPPO PM-1 headphones, OPPO HA-1 headphone amp and <$100 Raspberry piCorePlayer as a music streaming client. Loving it!

 

I definitely thought about going headphones only. However, I refuse to give up on speakers-oriented systems. But if I am to go headphone only, Oppo headphones/headphone amp/disc player would be my system.

 

I read your initial post as asking for experiences with smaller multi-function gear vs. larger single function gear. Not as you asking for advice on heading down a minimalist road. So that's how I answered.

There is good sound to be had with smaller multi-function gear. For smaller reasonably affordable gear like that I'd be looking at iFi Audio with the Nano and Micro series. Especially the DACs. Small. Desktop friendly. Battery powered so somewhat portable/transportable. Good stuff.

Forget about Fiio. Pretend they don't exist. It's not good sounding gear. It just happens to be inexpensive and as such a starting point for many people. But it isn't good sound. It just isn't. I don't even really consider their stuff hi-fi.

I'm going to try a somewhat minimalist portable player. I'm going to try the Pono high-res player and I'm thinking of pairing with the Oppo PM-2 headphones for general use. The Oppo headphones are open so not headphones I'd use in noisy environments or on a bus. But open headphones are fine for me for many places I want to take music. And I've got closed headphones for when I need isolation. Gonna try that combo. I don't know how the Pono Player is going to be. Don't know about its sound or its user interface. Maybe it will work out well, or maybe it won't. The Pono player is designed to have a good internal amp. So I won't need an external portable amp to go with it. In that sense the Pono player with the PM-2 headphones is minimalist in my way of thinking.

Here's a review of the Oppo PM-2
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/portable-luxury-lower-price-oppo-pm-2
I'm looking forward to trying them.

 

Does your criticism extend to all Fiio products or just their amps? I intend to get a reasonable DAP next year to use with my PM-1 on holiday and the Fiio products are high on my list.
That's new territory for me . All my headphone use for nearly 50 years has been done using physical media, vinyl and cds and while my listening at present is around 95% headphone based I still keep an amp and speakers on hand for when the moon and mood is right.

 

My headphone setup is completely separate from my speaker setup. Here is the configuration....

- Audeze LCD-2 into a Headamp GS-1 headphone amp
- ZYX Artisan phono stage plugged into GS-1
- Vinly source only using a Technics SL-1200MK2

Maybe one day I'll try a different amp but really happy with the GS-1

 

Headphones are a really unique, and IMHO unnatural way to listen to music, as they don't really give you the realistic spaciousness loudspeakers do. Having said that, I'm at work with a pair of Grado SR-225's on right now and enjoying it greatly.

 

It includes the DAPs and DACs and amps. One reason I pre-ordered a Pono player sight unheard is because I'm not willing to consider a Fiio X5.

 

I love being able to listen to music on the go, so headphones have always been a necessity to me. My current pair, a Sennheiser HD-600, is good enough, and different enough from my speaker system, that it's become part of my daily home life as well. If circumstances demanded it, I could live without speakers.

 

I have to reluctantly agree with @Ham Sandwich regarding the Fiio X5. I've had one for a few months now. It sounds significantly better than an iPod and will play most audio file formats. But that's about it. At home I use the S/PDIF coax out of the X5 to drive an external DAC and headphone amp. The sound in that configuration is much, much better than just jacking the headphones straight into the X5. For traveling, the X5 makes sense. As part of a "minimalist" home headphone system, there are better options.

 

I just bought my first set of hi-fi headphones and am heading down this road myself. But I'll never be 'headphone only', as when you're working around the house, you just can't be tied down if you want to listen to music. Also, I think there are times when listening is a multi-person experience that headphones can't serve.

That said, I have a Pro-Ject Debut and Teac CD changer running into a Marantz 2220B out to NAD Viso HP50s. By no means a minimalist set-up, but something has to fill that space on top of the record cabinet!

 

I like the idea. I could just never give up on the speaker/room combination. I like to protect my hearing as well.

 

What I like about headphones is, I find myself hearing things in the music I never heard before. What I don't like is the feeling that someone could creep up on me from behind and stab me in the back and I'd never even hear them coming. But I must admit that doesn't happen very often and arguably it's a price worth paying.

I always though you couldn't get bass from headphones and the HD650, even though a very nice headphone, did nothing to change my mind. But then, the weirdest thing happened. I bought the cheap Sennheiser PX 100-II to take on holiday and to my amazement, these headphones did bass - the first proper bass I've heard through a headphone. It was that that started me taking the possibilities a bit more seriously.

It's very helpful, all the information people are coming up with. The problem with headphone amps is it's a whole new set of names, companies I've never heard of, and I don't really know where to start, but there are some interesting suggestions coming up here, as well as Ham Sandwich's useful caution about Fiio.

Ham Sandwich, I'm sorry I sounded brusque earlier - it was totally unintended - I only meant that your very useful advice wasn't what I'd hoped to hear, not that it wasn't appreciated. Your advice is very welcome and I'm definitely going to look into suggestions.

 

Yep, you got the right idea. Keep it simple.
hard drive => PC => Chord Hugo => Audeze LCD-X = Nirvana
if you wanted to save some $$$$ for now, go with the HD650's and an Ifi dac/amp

 

You'll want the iDSD Micro (not Nano). The Nano can't drive HD650s very well.

 

I did it about a year ago with a Mac Mini, Audioquest Dragonfly and Sennheiser HD 600. It was a bit out of necessity at the time and for about four months that's what I lived with. I did enjoy it to a degree sort of the privateness of it and detail to spare but there is a spaciousness, soundstage and imaging that a set of speakers offers that in the end I prefer.