I don't like headphones anymore

[Chrispy]

I've only used them when they're needed.....back in the day making mix tapes late at night so I could listen at high volume and not bother any housemates, power outages and sometimes camping. Never liked the speakers clamped to sides of my head thing a whole lot.....

 

[myHRTF]

I find them fatiguing

The main reason for listening fatigue that people experience with headphones is the unnatural in-head localization that comes with it typically. This problem can be fixed by means of digital signal processing (DSP), as mentioned by @fcserei already,

I’ve ditched my multichannel jbl studio monitor setup for exclusive headphone listening.

Same here. Using speakers to replicate the sound experience that I get with headphones plus DSP would require a dedicated room with 13 high-quality horn-loaded speakers (immersive audio), multiple subwoofers and DSP to tame room modes/resonances.
Even if I had that, I wouldn't be able to turn up the volume due to sensitive neighbors.

 

[Sokel]

I don't mind headphones but I also don't ask much from them, is just a convenience.
I still have an ancient pair from 40 years and another just because it looks nice.

But yes, only speakers do the job if one wants physical sensation as well.

 

[Crook]

Yeah, the detail is nice, but speakers are better. Then again, at 11pm when the house is in bed, they're the only option.

 

[dasherzx]

speakers at home, headphones in the office and late night at home. used iems on the subway...but i dont take the subway anymore.

i might have a bigger problem, don't like music anymore (or rather, a majority of them with low DR)

 

[MaxwellsEq]

Other than my last decade of commuting, I'd say less than 5% of my listening has been done in headphones. Most stereo doesn't sound correct on headphones (unless crossfed) and there's almost no image depth.

 

[Ropeburn]

I am also a speaker snob but if something is sounding fatiguing, then it is not because of the medium but the specific product.
That is my view though. Anyway, speaker over portable listening all day.

The solution: portable speakers. Side bonus: the public will love you.

 

[Pareto Pragmatic]

I am not a huge headphone fan, but I will occasionally break out the IEMs for 10-20 minutes when waiting for things, like an oil change. But with any headphone, even open backs, my ears suffer from any extended listening sessions, even low volume. They block up, and I have to clean my ears. Sometimes a lot for a few days, depending on volume and time with the phones. I am guessing I have some issue with the structure of my ears that makes them close up easily, and age has made them worse somehow.

So it's likely good that I don't care for 'phones! But loud car music will do the same to my ears, very loud in room in the winter when the house is closed will do the same to my ears.

I use speakers to listen to music, but I do use headphones to listen to details in recordings. It's good to know what is there, so I know what is missing or altered during in room playback.

 

[Bjorn]

Headphones for travelling only and quality speakers with good acoustics for listening at home.

 

[Mr. Swordfish]

Headphones have their purposes:

• When I was a radio announcer/DJ/music program host they were absolutely necessary when going on air
• When l used to do live to two-track recording of live concerts in close proximity to the band/PA, mixing to headphones got much better results than trying to figure out what is going on via speakers
• Live PA? Of course you need something to solo up the various channels
• When I bought my first receiver when I was in high school and couldn't afford speakers yet, headphones had to do
• Watching movies or listening to music on airplanes

Other than that, I almost never listen on headphones anymore. Our house is big enough that if my wife doesn't want to hear what I'm listening to she can get away. If I ever start recording with multi-microphone technique again I'll definitely break out the cans. - headphones reveal phase cancellation anomalies better than monitors, and minimizing the phase anomalies is the key to a good multi-mic recording. Well, that and the performance.

BTW, my current headphones are the Sennheiser HD 380 Pro, which replaced my long lamented HD 250s that I used at so many events. I also have a pair of Sony MDR-7506 which I don't like as much. From the uses above, open-back headphones are not my thing.

 

[tineared]

It's interesting to see everyone's take on listening preferences
I view it as I do cats and dogs
They have a commonality, but they are very different experiences and both have much to offer
I'm glad I don't have to choose...

 

[SSS]

Generally I listen to loudspeakers (good ones of course). The headphones are good to analyze fine details of a recording, especially when not sounding good on the loudspeakers. So I hope to know what is wrong, mostly the recording itself. On the road I don't listen to music and don't use earbuds at all.

 

[teched58]

I have a very NYC boomer take on headphones now that I'm an oldster: I won't wear headphones because I want to be able to hear if someone's trying to break in or if there's a fire engine outside

 

[IngMishael]

The solution: portable speakers. Side bonus: the public will love you.

Oh they'd definitely love you

 

[pablolie]

I definitely use both a lot during a typical workday.

In my home office (which I try to use 4 days a week), I typically listen through the very nearfield speakers. It's perfectly satisfactory for music, and very practical for Teams meetings.

When in the office-office... since we migrated to a "collaborative environment" (i.e. communal chicken stalls), speakers or even bigger headphones are either impossible or impractical, as I want to carry as little volume as I can around. So it is good IEMs with NC. Perfectly satisfactory music, too.

One thing about the home office though: when I listen through the speakers, it's kinda great background music, clarity and stage too. But when I switch to headphones, the immersion into far more detail is startling... and can get distracting - my mind shifts from the task at hand to "Oh listen to this!" and my upper body starts to move along with the music and such. And yes, that can get tiring, not because anything is "too analytical", but because the music takes over with extra intensity, which is not always a virtue when I am working.

I can't carry my main home system around with me, so it is great to have optimal tools for key purposes.

 

[HalSF]

I often feel like a minority in audio discourse because so many people seem to love and respond to stirring up X vs. Y discussions, and I don’t.

I’m an additive hi-fi enthusiast. Speakers and headphones. Digital and vinyl/tape. Physical media and streaming/files. It’s all beautiful baby.

 

[Bleib]

I mainly use headphones at night and for gaming...I try to not have too high volume for either because one can't escape the sound at all
Sometimes headphones are a good way of picking up layers in the music which are not as audible with speakers, and the other way around.. so both have uses

 

[myHRTF]

Most stereo doesn't sound correct on headphones (unless crossfed) and there's almost no image depth.

I recommend to differentiate between two different use cases with headphones:
1. Headphones without any signal processing or basic signal processing (EQ, crossfeed).
2. Headphones with proper speaker virtualization including HRTF, reflections and head-tracking (if required).

Your comment applies to #1 and I agree with you. But #2 is a totally different ballgame, good solutions can sound identical to high-quality speakers in combination with flawless room acoustics.

 

[Mutex]

I won't wear headphones because I want to be able to hear if someone's trying to break in or if there's a fire engine outside

Open back headphones at low volume.

People often don't realize how much louder they tend to play their headphones in comparison to speakers.