Headphones? Really? Thats the craze?

mantis

Out of sheer curiosity , whats the big deal with headphones?
I mean really? I've seen multi thousand dollar head phones and it seems to be the craze right now. Maybe it's always been the craze and I was not in tune with it.
Honestly I think head phones are a un natural way of listening to music or sound for that matter. I would buy a nice pair IF I wasn't able to listen to my speakers when I wanted to.

I own a nice pair of Klipsch in ear buds and they are really nice. They are a rugged design for sports and I use them for Mountain bike riding. I don't however use them any other time, I have no desire to.

So all you head phone addicts , Am I missing out on something?

tonyb

Think of headphones as a well setup system with the room taken out of the equation. You hear more of the music without the standing waves or reflections that can cause a drop in SQ. As a youngster, listening to a reel to reel on the headphones was sonic bliss, a pain in the ****, but blissfull none the less. If your going to be stationary in your listening, headphones might be up your alley as the next progression in your musical enjoyment.

mantis

DO you still rock head phones today? If so what are you using and why?

trav0810

With the exception of the iPod earbuds, I haven't owned a pair of headphones in nearly 30 years. While I have heard some that sound amazing, they always felt to confining for me.

EndersShadow

I think the word portability explains the headphone market. In this world of hard drives and digital storage everyone wants some nice headphones to take for use at school with their laptop, for use with their iPhone, when working out, ect.

I myself am building a entire digital system with the intent of using it at work with headphones as I am in the cubicle world and thats the only way I can enjoy tunes at work.

I cant take my LSI setup with me to work, but I can get close from a headphone setup. That and a really good set of headphones, and I mean really good can sometimes be worth 2 to 3 times cheaper than an equivalent 2 channel setup that produces a similar output.

EndersShadow

trav0810 wrote: »

With the exception of the iPod earbuds, I haven't owned a pair of headphones in nearly 30 years. While I have heard some that sound amazing, they always felt to confining for me.

Try open back headphones or really expensive closed ones (like 300+) and you will be shocked. The Polk UltraFocus 8000's were quite comfy and ridiculously good! The Grado RS1i and RS2i were ridiculously good to listen too and I couldnt tell I actually had em on..

Just like a good 2 channel system, the good stuff doesnt come super cheap.

trav0810

I have never seen a pair of the "open back", but that sounds interesting. Thanks for the tip fellow Hoosier!

EndersShadow

trav0810 wrote: »

I have never seen a pair of the "open back", but that sounds interesting. Thanks for the tip fellow Hoosier!

No problem, look at some of the Grado stuff (like the pair FS here in the flea market).

P.S. if your in the Indianapolis area Ovation in Castleton has a headphone listening section and they dont have them out, but they do have the Grado RS1i and RS2i last I was there for you to listen too. I was able to bring in my iPhone to connect to their Peachtree amp to listen to all the different headphones they had.

trav0810

I'm in New Castle, but I am in Indy a couple times a week. I'll check it out.

Face

I used to be the same way. But once you hear a set of high end cans with a good front end, you'll know what it's all about.

EndersShadow

trav0810 wrote: »

I'm in New Castle, but I am in Indy a couple times a week. I'll check it out.

Cool, its one of few hi-fi stores that had a headphone section for you to actually put them on and hear them. Though I will warn you, in order to increase sales they do carry beats by dre :biggrin:, dont discount them based on that. I cant blame them buy I know the sales guys HATE EM

Also there is an Ovation in Greenwood, but I dont know if they have the headphone section since I am never down there as I live in Zionsville

trav0810

Though I will warn you, in order to increase sales they do carry beats by dre

I can't blame them. You gotta give the people what they want...regardless of how overrated it is!

rooftop59

On the one hand I totally agree mantis. If noone is around and i have the choice its actual speakers. Even with all the room problems i prefer it because it feels more like live music than cans to me. Something about the full room sound stage and much fuller room pressurizing bass that helps. But...a good pair of cans are really fun and i do think are more accurate overall than most people's 2 channel setups. The frequency response is much flatter, and every note is crystal clear. And if u get a pair of open back like grados the soundstage gets surprisingly realistic, but you lose the sound isolation factor. Give it a shot you might be surprised!

Gadabout

mantis wrote: »

Out of sheer curiosity , whats the big deal with headphones?
I mean really? I've seen multi thousand dollar head phones and it seems to be the craze right now. Maybe it's always been the craze and I was not in tune with it.
Honestly I think head phones are a un natural way of listening to music or sound for that matter. I would buy a nice pair IF I wasn't able to listen to my speakers when I wanted to.

I own a nice pair of Klipsch in ear buds and they are really nice. They are a rugged design for sports and I use them for Mountain bike riding. I don't however use them any other time, I have no desire to.

So all you head phone addicts , Am I missing out on something?

To answer your question, you could be missing something, but you'll probably never be a headphone guy (IMO) The reason for this is you can listen to your speakers anytime you want.

For me personally, it's a way for me to take music with me on the road and be able to listen to decent sound when I can't get to my systems. Do I prefer my headphones over my 2 ch rig, the answer would be a resounding NO, but I don't always have my rigs available to me.

For others headphones might be a way to bring their music to work, or listen and not disturb the kids or wife. The isolation of the headphones also lets us remove ourselves from the world for a bit. Some find this very relaxing, and good for the soul. If I'm wearing my phones, I can't hear someone calling my name or the ringing of the phone.

For others, it is a discounted way to get into advanced audio sound. The equipment costs are minor compared to rigs with amps, pre amps, individual sources, cables etc.. . It's also a way for those on a smaller budget to be able to experiment, just as we do with our rigs, and find that synergy that makes it special. If you look go over to Head-Fi and look at the signatures, lots of folks list their progression of headphones as they experiment and look for that synergy. There is also fair market for your used phones so you can recoup some of the $'s previously spent as you upgrade or experiment.

I also think, the last reason I listed are folks that will be the folks that do the same thing with a stereo rig in their house once they buy one, have the room, have a larger budget for audio than they do right now.

As far as the very expensive headphone rigs go, I think those folks are niche users. They prefer listening to headphones. It brings out something in the music that they prefer and now they have the budget to experiment with different components looking for that magic synergy.

Just my .02,
Scott

PS I'm using my trusty Cowon J3 player and almost exclusively listen with Westone 4r IEM's

madmax

I had a fairly good pair and never used them, they didn't synergize with my system. Recently I picked up a pair of HiFi Man HE6 and a Schitt Lyr amp and now you can find me listening to them many evenings. Speakers are sitting there, no reason I couldn't power them up. Its a good way to get deep into the music. It is also a great way to hear everything in the recording. When it comes to characterizing interconnects you can hear a lot of differences. With the HE-6 and an optional amplifier connection box you can characterize amplifiers quite well too.

KiTsuNe

I think as stated before me that it's just wanting to try out different sounds. Just experiencing the same material in many ways. When my dad mixes he listens to stuff from a ridiculous amount of headphones/speakers/amps. I keep buying speakers just so i can listen to different things.

I myself would like to try out some of the higher end cans (350+ range) with different amps. I'm not sure if I have a preference but i just like new experiences.

mantis

We sell all kinds of headphones. I should take a pair home and rock them for awhile and see IF I can dig this side of things. We have some nice **** and preamps , DAC's all kinds of head phone crap.
Effin Audiophiles ,LOL what are head Phone users called?

AsSiMiLaTeD

There are 3 main reasons why headphones are a good idea:

1 - Obviously they're more portable than speakers
2 - They're more quiet than speakers. For folks who live in a condo or apartment and can't crank their speakers, headphones are a great option.
3 - Up to a certain point, dollar for dollar they can sound better than speakers. If I have $1000 to spend for example, I can get much better sound out of a headphone rig that I can a stereo setup for that price.

Face

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »

3 - Up to a certain point, dollar for dollar they can sound better than speakers. If I have $1000 to spend for example, I can get much better sound out of a headphone rig that I can a stereo setup for that price.

Exactly, look at the price of ?ber high end speakers compared to ?ber high end headphones.

sucks2beme

I go back and forth. Sometimes I'll go weeks never turning on the 2 channel rig.
And I have multiple set ups for headphones. Hard to do that with speakers.

cnh

I have mixed feelings about this topic. I have heard a very good set of Grados, but not through a dedicated HP amp. So although I could tell they were at another level from a 100-200 dollar set of cans, it was also "obvious" to me that if you wanted to really hear that level, you needed that extra 1000 dollars or so worth of gear! And that's just too much for my blood. On the other hand I do use cheaper HP which are quite "adequate" for a late night movie or some background music when everyone else is asleep. I am a bit of a night owl and have been since I was a teenager so that's most important. I don't know how some of you get up at the crack of dawn because if I did that I'd crack and be hospitalized within a week or so. lol

Like everything else in this godforsakenly overly expensive hobby, there is a High End niche for everything! Including H.Phones! And when you have a 15 year old you're looking to send to a top tier college or university in a few years, 1000+ is not chump change or just lying around somewhere when expenditures for four years could be close to $300,000?

cnh

madmax

cnh wrote: »

And when you have a 15 year old you're looking to send to a top tier college or university in a few years, 1000+ is not chump change or just lying around somewhere when expenditures for four years could be close to $300,000?

cnh

Let him rough it on $299,000.

sucks2beme

I had a chance to hear Senn he-60's Stax SR-009 at a small local meet.
Both were something else. Sources, amps and headphones were top notch,
and worth more than the vehicle I drove there. Take whatever crap you think you
know about headphones and throw it away. It's more that just a portable option.
It's a different experience than speakers, so many aren't going to like the change up.
But it is by no means slumming it.

tonyb

madmax wrote: »

Let him rough it on $299,000.

LMFAO !!

So often this hobby gets people to equate good sound with thousands of dollars. It's either cheapo stuff or ubber high end, nothing inbetween. You can get a good head amp for a few hundies used, and a nice set of cans too. Theres some real estate between entry level and high end gents.

gdb

Used to have the Koss Pro 4A models in the 70s-80s, my ears heard details in the music that I'd never heard listening to loudspeakers. I DID get tired of the "umbilical" aspect, though. They were a little dangerous too because you couldn't hear anything outside of the music playing, the seal/insulation was that good. I might have to pick some up again and give some DSOTM a spin!

gdb

halo

I'm a little late to the party Dan, but I can totally see why headphones are so popular now.

It all started with the iPods and the earbuds. Dr Dre was the one to really capitalize on this overwhelmingly popular method of listening to music. Headphones have been around for ages, obviously, but he made it socially acceptable to sport a set of full size headphones while in public, so much so, that they are also considered a fashion accessory or status symbol now.

Those in the know, aren't particularly fond of Beats Audio for their audio quality or lack there of. To me, Beats is like Bose; all advertising and hype under the "If it costs more / that much, it must be the best."

I find it humorous that people are trying to get the highest level of fidelity possible, in a portable package.

I use public transportation to get around, and it is a less than desirable listening environment, IMHO. I'm too busy and distracted by / with everything going on around me for me to be able to even remotely consider doing critical listening while on the go.

If people were looking to set up a headphone based hi-fi system for use at home, and on the go, that is a different story.

I see a lot of people sporting Beats headphones and headphones by Skullcandy. These people are usually using their phone or an iPod as a source. Earlier generations of iPods can be a decent source, and so can a smartphone, if you root it and go out of your way to bypass the on-board audio or dac. As a good friend (F1nut) once said, garbage in, garbage out. Most people are listening to compressed files and don't know, or care, about anything else regarding file formats. Ignorance is bliss I guess. I was there once. Then I found this place...lol.

That's how I see the modern headphone craze. That is where I believe it started, and this is where it's at. I have no idea where it's going. If people take the time to do some research, maybe a new wave of people that appreciate hi-fi are going to make the future of hi-fi bright. However, as long as iTunes, Pandora, Google Music, etc. are only distributing compressed files, and people are happy with lossy audio, then why would anyone want good quality gear that's only going to reproduce a less than stellar source? That worries me just a little but I guess that has always been the difference between people that want to get everything they can out of a listening experience and those that just want to listen to music.

As for hi-fi, does it ever really reproduce a live performance? A string quartet, live, in person? IMHO, no. YMMV.

zingo

I do not enjoy listening to headphones at home as they cannot reproduce what a good pair of speakers can do. The air and the room bring a realness to speakers that headphones can't reproduce, no matter the equipment.

halo

zingo wrote: »

I do not enjoy listening to headphones at home as they cannot reproduce what a good pair of speakers can do. The air and the room bring a realness to speakers that headphones can't reproduce, no matter the equipment.

SCompRacer had a video of Roger Sanders (InnerSound & Sanders Sound Systems) talking about his hybrid ESL speakers. He mentions trying on a set a headphones to get the "feel" for real hi-fi. It's just one opinion, but I respect the man and his products.

AsSiMiLaTeD

Why would I not want the highest fidelity possible in a portable configuration? Why do you find that humorous? Do I expect my portable setup to rival my desktop or 2 channel rig in audio quality? Of course now, but I have a need for a portable setup so I may as well get the best quality I can out of it.

I'll concede that speakers can sound better than headphones, but you have to spend more to get it. I can build you a headphone rig for $1k that no speaker setup anywhere near that price can touch. Personally I couldn't image living without BOTH a higher end speaker setup AND a good 2 channel rig, as each offers things the others cannot.

halo

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »

Why would I not want the highest fidelity possible in a portable configuration? Why do you find that humorous? Do I expect my portable setup to rival my desktop or 2 channel rig in audio quality? Of course now, but I have a need for a portable setup so I may as well get the best quality I can out of it.

Hi Assimilated,

Did you read my entire post? I clearly stated why I find it humorous to try and have a portable rig of uber high fidelity. If the sound from your environment is leaking in all around you, you aren't in an ideal environment for critical listening, IMHO. You should be aware of your surroundings when you are out and about, don't you agree? How / why would you try to elicit every subtle nuance out of your music in a very distracting an noisy environment? When you listen to your 2-channel gear, do you invite the neighborhood kids over and feed them a bunch of sugar so they are bouncing off the walls, making a ton of noise, while you are listening to your rig? I don't know about you, but I like my listening environment to be as quiet as possible and free from distractions. That isn't what you get in a portable headphone set up, unless you go to a quiet park to listen?