Has anyone given up speakers for headphones?

Grayson Dere · Jan 28, 2019

After a long hiatus away from my beloved Grado SR325is headphones I decided to go back and give them a solid listening session over the weekend.
Immediately I was remembering how much I really like the intimate headphone sound compared to 2-channel speakers. We are so fortunate to have available different methods of enjoying our music : )

My question is, how many of you have actually given up on speakers 100% and transitioned to headphone listening for 2-channel music?
If so, what made you make the switch?

Matthew J Poes · Jan 28, 2019

From my cold dead hands!

My love of both visceral music and a proper soundstage makes it so I couldn’t give up speakers for headphones as of right now. The tiny number of systems capable of recreating this effect accurately through headphones is cost prohibitive and largely unavailable. Maybe some day, but not yet.

Mark C Flick · Jan 28, 2019

I have not. I have kinda given up on 5.1 and listen much more to 2.0 or 2.1. If I found the right set of headphones that did everything I wanted them to and sounded good I would consider it.

Tony V. · Jan 29, 2019

I bought some AKG K702 headphones a while back and a tube headphone amp and although at times nice to use headphones I always end up going back to listening to music live in my room though the speakers. I just like the presence better than headphones.

Grayson Dere · Jan 29, 2019

Matthew J Poes said:
From my cold dead hands!

My love of both visceral music and a proper soundstage makes it so I couldn’t give up speakers for headphones as of right now. The tiny number of systems capable of recreating this effect accurately through headphones is cost prohibitive and largely unavailable. Maybe some day, but not yet.

The visceral experience and soundstage are reason why I haven't given up speakers, either. From your experience in the latest headphone technologies do you think we're coming close to a processor that can at least replicate the deep and wide speaker soundstage? Perhaps this is the cost prohibitive part you mentioned?

Grayson Dere · Jan 29, 2019

Tony V. said:
I bought some AKG K702 headphones a while back and a tube headphone amp and although at times nice to use headphones I always end up going back to listening to music live in my room though the speakers. I just like the presence better than headphones.

That sounds like a nice setup you have, Tony. Which tube amp are you using?

Tony V. · Jan 29, 2019

I bought a relatively inexpensive one called the Bravo audio amp
https://www.amazon.ca/ammoon-6922EH...548777697&sr=8-19&keywords=tube+headphone+amp

I actually like it alot and it has an EQ built in

Matthew J Poes · Jan 29, 2019

Grayson Dere said:
The visceral experience and soundstage are reason why I haven't given up speakers, either. From your experience in the latest headphone technologies do you think we're coming close to a processor that can at least replicate the deep and wide speaker soundstage? Perhaps this is the cost prohibitive part you mentioned?

Oh absolutely.

https://smyth-research.com/

And I’ve heard a few research lab projects doing the same thing. By using current models of human hearing and fully accounting for all of it, including our unique HRTF, we now know how to recreate the sound of a pair of speakers. At least to a fairly realistic degree. It isn’t perfect maybe, but close. The key is that it must rely on this science of the ear, it must map the ear HRTF, and it must track head movement to be convincing.

But I could see future 3D cameras scanning a persons head and ears and using those cameras to track head movement. Allowing a tablet or phone in your lap to do this potentially. Mayve even headphones could build this all into the headphone in the future. Who knows.

It’s just all too expensive.

Grayson Dere · Jan 29, 2019

Tony V. said:
I bought a relatively inexpensive one called the Bravo audio amp
https://www.amazon.ca/ammoon-6922EH...548777697&sr=8-19&keywords=tube+headphone+amp

I actually like it alot and it has an EQ built in

I like how there are physical EQ levers on top of the enclosure : )

Grayson Dere · Jan 29, 2019

Matthew J Poes said:
Oh absolutely.

https://smyth-research.com/

And I’ve heard a few research lab projects doing the same thing. By using current models of human hearing and fully accounting for all of it, including our unique HRTF, we now know how to recreate the sound of a pair of speakers. At least to a fairly realistic degree. It isn’t perfect maybe, but close. The key is that it must rely on this science of the ear, it must map the ear HRTF, and it must track head movement to be convincing.

But I could see future 3D cameras scanning a persons head and ears and using those cameras to track head movement. Allowing a tablet or phone in your lap to do this potentially. Mayve even headphones could build this all into the headphone in the future. Who knows.

It’s just all too expensive.

That's the most advanced headphone audio processor I've ever seen! I can't wait to try that some day : )

I'm curious as to how the Personalized Room Impulse Response measuring works. It sounds like one would have to walk into a lab to get the measurements performed.

From the product website:

"We do this by measuring how sound propagates from an external source to each ear, and use this to create digital filters that mimic the normal analogue filtering action of each ear. During this measurement process we also determine the distance apart of the ears, and measure the acoustic impact (or reverberation) of the environment on what we hear."

AudiocRaver · Jan 29, 2019

Speakers forever! But I love good headphones. Just a couple of weeks ago I pulled out the Oppo HA-1 / PM-1 set and have enjoyed them immensely.

Not yet sold on the room emulation approach, although I have not heard the one referenced.

Jack · Feb 16, 2019

I am also I mainly speakers kind of guy. I have invested in several sets of headphones and amplifiers ball solid-state and tube and I believe that when properly matched, headphones are getting much closer to where we need to be.

There are some days where I really like to remove the intrusion of the sonics of my room and as such having a decent pair of headphones sitting next to me works really well.

Grayson Dere · Feb 17, 2019

Jack said:
I am also I mainly speakers kind of guy. I have invested in several sets of headphones and amplifiers ball solid-state and tube and I believe that when properly matched, headphones are getting much closer to where we need to be.

There are some days where I really like to remove the intrusion of the sonics of my room and as such having a decent pair of headphones sitting next to me works really well.

Just like you I believe matching electronics with headphones can make a HUGE impact on sound quality...well, just like speakers : ) But, I was at a headphone meet-up a year or so ago in my Bay Area hometown when I had the chance to demo the Abyss 1266 model. With the amp the dealer provided (I forget the brand) it was an $8,000 setup but I swear it actually sounded like the singer was live inside my head...I have never ever heard that kind of fidelity/realism before. The source was 24-bit hi-res. and was most likely recorded extremely well. It would have been pretty neat to hear that same recording on a speaker setup to hear differences.

Interestingly I've found trying near-field speaker setups to still not exactly convey the realism I'm looking for. Maybe headphones really are the answer?

Jack · Feb 18, 2019

I recently was able to audition over a decent period of time, a Woo headphone amp and power supply, both tube powered, through a set of Audeze plainer headphones and found exactly what you’re talking about. I listen to the entire eagles hell freezes over disc as well as other musical bits and was shocked by how good it sounded between my ears. My problem with that particular presentation was that it really seemed to shrink everything to just between my ears. My buyer dynamic headphones seem to give the impression that there is a lot going on between my ears but also a bit further out and I don’t know how this all works. I really did not like the other headphones giving the appearance that they were pushing the soundstage into such a shallow grouping if you will even though it was such magnificent sound.

Grayson Dere · Feb 18, 2019

Jack said:
I recently was able to audition over a decent period of time, a Woo headphone amp and power supply, both tube powered, through a set of Audeze plainer headphones and found exactly what you’re talking about. I listen to the entire eagles hell freezes over disc as well as other musical bits and was shocked by how good it sounded between my ears. My problem with that particular presentation was that it really seemed to shrink everything to just between my ears. My buyer dynamic headphones seem to give the impression that there is a lot going on between my ears but also a bit further out and I don’t know how this all works. I really did not like the other headphones giving the appearance that they were pushing the soundstage into such a shallow grouping if you will even though it was such magnificent sound.

I also wonder about how the physics of headphones can contribute to either a large/deep soundstage or small/confined presence. I'm thinking it has to do with the overall size of the drivers and distancing from the ears that makes the difference...then again my Etymotic ER-4p IEMs don't sound small at all and they're right in the ear...so I really don't know : )

Jack · Feb 18, 2019

I am not sure either Grayson, it’s all about design I guess. I wonder if open back cans do better at soundstage ? I have mainly used that type most of my adult life. Grado headphones were wonderful at this and the sound was so lifelike. My Beyers are similar but seem very much to my liking. I guess I really have no formal idea.

Grayson Dere said:
I also wonder about how the physics of headphones can contribute to either a large/deep soundstage or small/confined presence. I'm thinking it has to do with the overall size of the drivers and distancing from the ears that makes the difference...then again my Etymotic ER-4p IEMs don't sound small at all and they're right in the ear...so I really don't know : )

Grayson Dere · Feb 19, 2019

Jack said:
I am not sure either Grayson, it’s all about design I guess. I wonder if open back cans do better at soundstage ? I have mainly used that type most of my adult life. Grado headphones were wonderful at this and the sound was so lifelike. My Beyers are similar but seem very much to my liking. I guess I really have no formal idea.

I still use my Grado sr325is and they articulate music so well.

tesseract · Feb 19, 2019

I enjoy headphones very much. Gonna start reviewing a few because I do find a need for them in certain situations, as do many.

Unlike the many (none of us here), I need to have a proper SS&I fix. Earphones are only for the times I can't be at home.

Grayson Dere · Feb 19, 2019

tesseract said:
I enjoy headphones very much. Gonna start reviewing a few because I do find a need for them in certain situations as do many.

Unlike the many (none of us here), I need to have a proper SS&I fix. Earphones are only for the times I can't be at home.

Great! We'll be looking forward to your reviews : )

Dan Barham · Feb 21, 2019

In sixty years I've tried headphones on three occasions. I always (and quickly) returned to speakers because I didn't like the way they felt. And, more important, I didn't like the isolation of them. It's kind of like back when I was running every day and friends would urge me to use ear buds and listen to music while I ran. No way! I want to know what's happening around me. Never know when that serial killer is sneaking up on you or when that cop yells, "Hey you idiot! Look out for that bus!" :eek:

old arkiedan :olddude:

Tony V. · Feb 21, 2019

There have been several incidents around here where people have been walking along the railway tracks wearing noise canceling headphones and have been killed by trains from behind even though the trains have blared their horns trying to warn them.

Grayson Dere · Feb 21, 2019

Dan Barham said:
In sixty years I've tried headphones on three occasions. I always (and quickly) returned to speakers because I didn't like the way they felt. And, more important, I didn't like the isolation of them. It's kind of like back when I was running every day and friends would urge me to use ear buds and listen to music while I ran. No way! I want to know what's happening around me. Never know when that serial killer is sneaking up on you or when that cop yells, "Hey you idiot! Look out for that bus!"

old arkiedan

To this day I still don't understand how anyone can wear earbuds/headphones while walking the streets...it's just so nonsensical!

You mentioned an interesting aspect of headphones that I sometimes forget about. The isolation, I think, is what really transports me into the soul of a song. I don't have the luxury of a dedicated listening space for speakers so my attention is divided by my music and someone either walking around the house or hearing the acoustic space of the room interfered with outside noises.

Grayson Dere · Feb 21, 2019

Tony V. said:
There have been several incidents around here where people have been walking along the railway tracks wearing noise canceling headphones and have been killed by trains from behind even though the trains have blared their horns trying to warn them.

Yikes! That's a very scary thought.

Has anyone given up speakers for headphones?

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