High-end headphones vs high-end speakers/monitors?

[Pearljam5000]

How do they compare to each other? What are the advantages / disadvantages of each?

 

[dfuller]

Headphones don't have any room interaction, but... headphones. They don't work in stereo, they work in binaural. It's a different experience.

 

[whyfi]

In my experience, you can spend much less to get an amazing hifi experience with headphones. But listening to great speakers has always been a more rewarding experience than that of listening to great headphones.

 

[hege]

I remember when I had LCD-3 and HD800, good times. And Smyth Realiser made it even greater. Even had SVS PB12 to enhance the bass. For movies it was pretty great. But it's still the hassle of having headphones on your head. Speakers are simply more effortless to use and hear... and the tactile wall of sound.. ahh.

 

[Ultrasonic]

Headphones give an 'in your head' soundstage rather than one that is in front of you, and headphones can't produce bass that you can feel as well as just hear. As such, for me, headphones are always a poor substitute, and I'd get more enjoyment from lower quality speakers than the best headphones.

The obvious upsides of headphones are portability and not disturbing others.

This is all from a listening for pleasure point of view, not mixing/mastering.

 

[monkeyboy]

To be honest I like headphones better, it's a more intimate experience and you can get lost in the music easier....

 

[Kal Rubinson]

I find headphone listening intolerable. Soundstage is corrupted. Also, I don't want stuff on my head.

 

[muslhead]

I don't want stuff on my head.

Whaaaa?

 

[BrokenEnglishGuy]

I have both, headphones and speakers..
One of my favorite things about speakers is the bass.. You cannot make a headphone sounding like a tower in bass!

 

[sergeauckland]

Headphones give an 'in your head' soundstage rather than one that is in front of you, and headphones can't produce bass that you can feel as well as just hear. As such, for me, headphones are always a poor substitute, and I'd get more enjoyment from lower quality speakers than the best headphones.

The obvious upsides of headphones are portability and not disturbing others.

This is all from a listening for pleasure point of view, not mixing/mastering.

Mixing and mastering with headphones I find completely impossible, as both stereo panning and EQ decisions end up sounding awful on wide-range loudspeakers. Tracking on headphones is OK, I suppose, as that's mostly laid down flat and processed later. As for straight-to-stereo classical recording with a pair of mics or a Decca Tree, again headphones I find useless as so much of the stereo experience is down to microphone placement, and I just can't judge that on headphones.

S.

 

[cany89]

Headphones give an 'in your head' soundstage rather than one that is in front of you, and headphones can't produce bass that you can feel as well as just hear. As such, for me, headphones are always a poor substitute, and I'd get more enjoyment from lower quality speakers than the best headphones.

The obvious upsides of headphones are portability and not disturbing others.

This is all from a listening for pleasure point of view, not mixing/mastering.

I would argue... If you spend $2-3k on a headphone setup with software like Can Opener (or if you prefer hardware, SPL Phonitor), it will be better than most of the speaker setups in an untreated room. (no matter the budget) The isolation that headphones give is a different - and in my opinion very enjoyable - experience.

Feeling the sub in your chest is good but I can't stand the buzz of refrigerator, cars on the street, kids making noises, and any problems with the room itself. Reflections, poor bass, etc. That being said, I also have a speaker setup that I do enjoy. In conclusion, listening with headphones/speakers are totally different, and I like them both

 

[Frgirard]

How do they compare to each other? What are the advantages / disadvantages of each?

The ratio quality price for the headphone.
The sound quality whatever you are even hang by the feet for the headphones.
The wall of sound in the dark for the speakers.
Room interaction against ears shape interactions : same fight.

 

[RHO]

It depends.
With headphones it is easier to build a nice place to sit down and relax and enjoy your music. You don't need a whole room or it doesn't matter what room you're in. You can even take the whole set with you to some other location if you have portable devices.
Loudspeakers give a much better soundstage. In many cases they also sound better, but not always. You need a to set up the room to take advantage of this.

 

[DVDdoug]

High-end headphones vs high-end speakers/monitors?

Price! You can get some really good headphones for a few hundred dollars and you don't a need power amplifier to drive them. You can get "high-end" sound without high-end cost! The AKG K371 ($150 USD) is highly rated for sound quality (not so highly-rated for build quality). In a blind listening test, you probably wouldn't choose a super-expensive headphone as your favorite headphone in the world...

And the main difference between different headphones is frequency response and that can be (mostly) corrected/adjusted with EQ. (The same is true with speakers but room effects and limitations of woofer size and amplifier power limit what you can do with EQ.)

And I also agree that speakers and headphones are just a "different experience".

 

[Aerith Gainsborough]

Headphones are great if you have neighbors. You can get lost in the music and crank it to your hearts content.
Speakers are fantastic when you want the tactile sensation of sound.

They are different animals for different purposes. I wouldn't want to miss either my speaker or headphone setup.

 

[dfuller]

Mixing and mastering with headphones I find completely impossible, as both stereo panning and EQ decisions end up sounding awful on wide-range loudspeakers. Tracking on headphones is OK, I suppose, as that's mostly laid down flat and processed later. As for straight-to-stereo classical recording with a pair of mics or a Decca Tree, again headphones I find useless as so much of the stereo experience is down to microphone placement, and I just can't judge that on headphones.

S.

I absolutely agree on this one.

 

[Leporello]

To be honest I like headphones better, it's a more intimate experience and you can get lost in the music easier....

I think I kind of agree with this. Over the years I have owned fairly decent loudspeakers but because of poor acoustics they have mostly sounded like two boxes at the other end of the room. In better rooms (without neighbors) things would probably be quite different.

 

[HiFidFan]

I prefer speakers for many of the reasons already mentioned. Also, I find any headphones uncomfortable (long listening sessions).

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Whaaaa?

View attachment 148404

I hear you but that's for outside the house to protect me from cold and sunlight. It doesn't cover my ears and is more comfortable than any headphones I've tried. When I listen to music (in house only, btw), I prefer to be unburdened.

 

[PierreV]

Cycling with full-range speakers is fiendishly hard!