Listening with headphones - WOW! Details!

Cool thread. IMHO headphones and speakers can be equally revealing, but the speakers and ancillary equipment will cost a heck of a lot more.
One thing about headphones is the closeness. Like looking at a painting from one foot away vs 10 feet away. So I find it easier to focus on details via headphones and easier to get the big picture via my speakers.
I don't want to get into specifics regarding gear but check out the Head-Fi forums to see just how big and dedicated the headphone community is.
One last observation. I believe headphones and in ear monitors and related equipment are much more varied in how they work for different people. I mean do your homework if you go shopping.
Head fi meets are a trip! I've been to a couple, you get to spend all day listening to lots of stuff. So you would probably enjoy a Can Jam in Beantown despite the Drive.

 

My Sennheiser HD 600s dominated my listening for a few years - I always said I needed speakers to do all the things I liked about the headphones and also do the things speakers do well. Once I found the speakers my Headphones have largely sat unused for the last 10 years. Indeed, I bought my HD 600s in 2000 - if you saw them you would think they just came out of the box in 2017! In fact I should play them to see if they still work - it's been a looooooong time. A fe months back I gave some Audeze headphones a try that are selling for rather startling sums of money - still - while better than my HD600s I'm not sure that kind of price makes much sense.

 

I do most of my listening with headphones these days. It's largely due to me living situation. If you're going to to listen on headphones, then you need to invest in a decent pair, at least mid-range (which mine would be considered to be). Often I'll actually forget I have the headphones on while listening. The only drawback is that I do like a bit of a sing-song. And singing along to bits when you've got headphones on is .... a problem.

 

I can understand that. For me it was because my parents hated my music. It was either listening through headphones or not listening at all. I became accustomed to them as a child. Now I really can't fully get into an album unless it's through headphones.

 

They do make wireless ones yah know.

 

I prefer speakers, warts and all. Guess if you're into extremely critical listenening and don't want to deal with room interaction and speaker limitation (freq response, etc) headphones are the way to go. I was lent some superb headphones and played an album I love through them. It was so uninvolving and boring I though maybe I'd stopped liking that record ?!

Gave it a shot a week later, not even on my rig but on my big boombox, and loved it to bits again !! What a relief ! I think if I ever have to go the headphones route I'd have to give up the hobby, rip my CDs to 320 mp3s and put the files on SD cards to play with the boombox.

 

MP3 files are brutally exposed on some headphones. My Shure SRH940's really amplify any and every issue. I expect the AKG 550's will do the same.

 

I use both Audio Technica ATH-AD700 and Beyerdynamic DT990 250Ohms headphones for my current stereo setup (Nakamichi CDP-2A CD player and TA-2A receiver, Technics RS-B605 tape deck, and JVC QL-Y5F turntable), which both of them are excellent headphones for everyday use. In fact, using headphones are incredibly useful for vinyl LP playback in setting my own standard in playable condition, from which external speakers may "filter" out surface noise.

 

Your "handle" is waxfreak....

 

Well that's a fairly extreme reaction, and I'm sure there are people who feel the same about speakers as you do about headphones. Most of us acknowledge the compromises inherent in both types of presentation and adjust our expectations accordingly.

 

I bought the HA-3 amp/DAC and the PM-3 headphones for travel & just returned from my first trip using them on the plane-I'll never leave home without them! Awesome combo.

 

Ya, pretty impressive combo. I haven't turned on my stereo and listened to speakers in a while and I love speakers.

I got mine as refurb and what a great deal! Can't beat the price.

 

If you like the earbud design, you might want to check out FiiO EM3: Amazon.com: FiiO EM3 Open Earbud Earphones with In-Line Microphone (Black): Electronics »

I never liked the sound of earbuds but I checked these out after someone recommended them on a thread here, and I am very impressed with the sound. Very cheap too. Gave some out as Christmas presents this year. An extra plus is the mic so you can use it with your phone.

 

Oh ! That ! It's just a fantasy moniker; thought it would be funny on a forum on which 97% of posters happen to have a TT like I do. I'm not a vinyl nut. It's just I embraced CDs but kept buying vinyl; enjoy both formats equally, and whatever medium with good sound as well (and doesn't break the bank)

 

I bought a bunch of earbuds on Massdrop and gave them away, Monk+ or something. 5$ each and sound great for the price. It's great to gift better sound at not much money

 

Back in the day, Mom & Dad didn't want to hear all my records, so to keep some peace, headphones were how I first listened to music in high school. Back in the day, I started out listening to some open back Radio Shack/Made by Koss headphones, I still own a pair of Pro4AAs made for Radio Shack (still heavy) ... over the years I'd also fallen in love with Senn 414s in the recording studio and had at least a couple sets of those (first blue, then yellow earpads) ... over the decades I've had several Sony sets, still also own V6s, but recently I saved up all my spare change and cash for weeks and months and bought a set of Senn 600s to use with balanced cables for the Pono (whoa-that's really good) ... I happen to think the quality/price ratio is somewhat higher in a quality set of headphones and I still like listening to both speakers and/or headphones for different reasons depending on what else I'm doing (ie-in the office) ... the clarity and detail only inform and enhance the enjoyment more fully, imho

 

I listen using Headphones exclusively now. I've had various set-ups over the years, the last being Arcam components driving a pair of Mission 783 floorstanders and before that, B&W Bookshelf speakers. I find my Amped Sennheiser HD650's blow everything i've ever heard in the speaker department out of the water.

Could have saved myself a lot of money if i'd come to that realisation sooner!

 

The SR80's are a remarkable value. I got mine through massdrop for $80. Haven't seen them since though.

 

Thanks for the tip. I got the Grado SR60e headphones about a week ago and I'm really liking them. I think it's worth having two pairs of cans: one for a revealing critical listening experience and the other for reproducing (as much as is possible) the soundstage and engagement delivered by good speakers.

 

If it were not for earbuds and digital music, I would have never began the journey to where I am in audio today.

I absolutely HATED digital music. I have been in computers since the time they only made a "BEEP" I had an 8-bit Ensonic sampling keyboard. Then CD's, (which I didn't care for). then came these iPod's with their terrible low-res, MP3-music. One day, I was listening to some music that was on You-Tube and I remembered that I had some earbuds, as a phone accessory. I had bought a package, with a car charger, and a case, included was a pair of earbuds, all for $25.

I dug up the earbuds, plugged them into my laptop and I was amazed! The clarity, the detail, the quality, I really could not believe it.

I ended up buying some Monster Turbines, loved them and still have them. I did catch them on sale for around $100.

There was not anything that I did not like about them. I did have headphones in my youth, when I got into the PA sound, I never would really use headphones that much for regular listening, I would use them for monitoring or when I didn't to disturb anyone. I never thought any more about it.

Later I picked up a pair of planer headphones from Hi-Fi Man and a pair of of their IEM's.

It is always good to have some sort of ear phones to compare against your speakers.

I never listen to anything on headphones when I am out because the reason I am out is to do things, which involves speaking with people.

Even though I like my planer cans, I just don't get the enjoyment out of wearing them on my head. I prefer the ease of use with the IEM's.

Since my amplifier's and speakers have been upgraded over the years, I just don't have a good enough reason to listen through ear phones, when the music from speakers in the room, provides for a more satisfying listening experience.

But, since the open back planer headphones are driven through a separate amplifier, it is possible to listen to them, while I am still listening through the speakers, quite interesting.