Anyone here actually enjoy headphones more than their speakers?

caesar

Well-Known Member
May 30, 2010
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I like my headphones, and I have a killer headphone system with Beyer T1 and Luxman, but I would rather listen to XM radio in my car going 80 mph than to high res recordings my headphone rig. And, of course, nothing compares to my MBL.

Anyone here feel differently about headphones? Anyone prefer them to their speakers?
 

Asamel

Well-Known Member
Jan 22, 2012
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Philly
What MBL speakers do you have?
 

still-one

VIP/Donor
Aug 6, 2012
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Milford, Michigan
I have tried headphones but do not really enjoy them. I like to feel the music in the room not just between my ears.
 

cjfrbw

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
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Pleasanton, CA
Being forced to use them, I learned to adapt. It does take adaptation, maybe some time every day over a month or so that the aural pathways can accommodate to the paradigm if you are not used to them.

After that, they are pretty nice. My Wavac/Stax system in Santa Cruz is the most ear melting, time and space dissolving headphone setup I have heard, I can't start it unless I am prepared to have time go by in a kind of listening paralysis.

No, I do not prefer them to the full array, they are an alternative.
 

GaryProtein

VIP/Donor
Jul 25, 2012
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NY
I have a few headphones, but never listen to them in preference to speakers.

I only listen to them if we have overnight guests and I want to listen a 3 in the morning.
 

puroagave

Member Sponsor
Sep 29, 2011
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I don't prefer cans to the main system but see it as an adjunct to. I use them for everything for playing back rips from the server, cartridge setup (very useful for identifying the slightest sibilance/distortions). I use them exclusively for evaluating new music thru the laptop. we're in a head-fi renaissance of sorts, never have we had so many great and reasonably priced options.
 

hvbias

Well-Known Member
Jun 22, 2012
578
38
940
New England area
I greatly prefer listening to my speakers. But I enjoy listening to headphones even when circumstances don't force me to. My outlook on them sort of changed when I was able to hear the Sennheiser HD800 with a good DHT headphone amp; initially one with 307a output tubes, now one using the 45 (both are really demanding of the OPT given how revealing the headphones are). Lovely tone, detail, and a surprisingly open sound. Particularly nice with jazz and classical.
 

rockitman

Member Sponsor
Sep 20, 2011
7,097
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Northern NY
I used headphones for live recording monitoring and back in the day when my living circumstances at the time precluded me from playing music at a reasonable level. These days, I need to feel the music. Headphones don't cut it in that regard.
 

JackD201

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
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Manila, Philippines

GaryProtein

VIP/Donor
Jul 25, 2012
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NY
I used headphones for live recording monitoring and back in the day when my living circumstances at the time precluded me from playing music at a reasonable level. These days, I need to feel the music. Headphones don't cut it in that regard.

Get a pair of subwoofers, turn off your speakers, listen with headphones!:p
 

PeterO

New Member
Apr 30, 2014
1
0
0
I find them somewhat claustrophobia-inducing, and I'm not really claustrophobic. Has anyone else experience this?
 

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