Speakers VS Headphones......A Conundrum

[RoyB]

I recently got back into HiFi after about a 20 year hiatus. I spent the better part of 45 years in the consumer electronics industry but about 20 years ago my hearing had gotten to the point where I wasn't able to appreciate better audio equipment. Recently, visiting a friend with a multi tens of thousand $$ system, I realized I could still hear sound stage, imaging, depth and other HiFi quality attributes.
So during CoVid lock down I began searching for the best, lower cost, Higher end two channel audio system. Spending lots of time on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. I have acquired the following gear, much of it used at great prices. I'm on a "Low Cost , HiFi Audio Mission"
Yamaha C50 preamp
Yamaha M45 Power Amp
VTA ST120 Dynaco tube clone kit I built
Schiit Sega Preamp
Schiit Modi+ DAC
Schiit Loki EQ
Cambridge Audio Azur 804 Integrated amp
Bluesound Node2i Streamer
Andover Songbird Streamer
DOUK 2Tube Preamp ($109)
Jamo S803 Speakers
B&W D601 Speakers
ELAC 2.0/6.2 Speakers
KEF 103.2 Speakers
Klipsch RP-600m Speakers
Parts Express C-Note Speakers
Magnapan MMG speakers
B&W Subwoofer
Topping MX3 Integrated Amp
B&O RX /MMC5 Turntable-Cartridge
And a few more Southeast Asia Sourced amps etc.....

For months I've been trying different combinations and all sound OK....At times it sounds great!...Other times, the sound is disappointing. I figured it is my 68 year old ears that are the deciding factor. Constant tinnitus, damaged hearing from way too much rock n roll, motorcycles, firearms, machine tools......Figured I'd just have to live with sub par audio at times and enjoy the music.....

But then I bought a pair of highly regarded Phillips 9500 headphones and connected to the DOUK 2tube, $109 amplifier, fed by the Andover Songbird streamer.....the sound is simply magnificent!!! These old ears can hear everything! Great sound stage, great bass and warm, sweet highs......Like it sounded back in my early 20s...

Are other experiencing the same situation? Sometimes your system sounds great and other times, not so much?

Comments appreciated....

Wish my audio equipment sounded half as good.....Not sure why this is, but it is what it is.....Anyone else experiencing the same thing?

 

[mkawa]

they're just amps, not chinese amps.

 

[RoyB]

they're just amps, not chinese amps.

I fixed it....Sorry, Didn't mean to offend. I think it is now PC .

 

[Zensō]

Are other experiencing the same situation? Sometimes your system sounds great and other times, not so much?

Comments appreciated....

Wish my audio equipment sounded half as good.....Not sure why this is, but it is what it is.....Anyone else experiencing the same thing?

Yes, I sometimes experience this. Like most things, our perception of audio is strongly colored by mood and our ability to concentrate. Expectation also strongly colors perception. All a normal part of being human, I think.

Regarding headphones, yes they can certainly provide more clarity and detail than many speaker systems, particularly if you haven’t worked out the issues with your listening room, which is not a trivial undertaking. If you’re looking to improve your stereo system, this is where I’d be putting my energy. That said, if you enjoy headphones, you could sell all of that gear to fund a nice headphone amp and a very nice collection of headphones.

 

[DSJR]

Even the best speakers will be tainted by the room they're in and many classic 'neutral' passive designs can be damned boring and bland frankly without a zillion Watts to wake 'em up (I'm 64 with similar hearing issues and tinnitus made worse by ear infections). A 'nice' sound with lower kHz response dips in a well damped room just doesn't work for me any more!

Headphones do give a wonderfully 'direct' kind of impression but you don't 'feel' the bass of course. As for speakers, I've been told to lay off until we know if and where we're moving, but since the act of moving will require me to get rid of most of my accumulated stash of stuff, I'm going to look back to small to mid size active pro monitor speakers which are generally much clearer even before the benefits of modern designs is taken into account. At least the 'hiss' of the likes of JBL's babies won't trouble me now and I'd be listening a couple or more metres back anyway...

 

[RoyB]

If you’re looking to improve your stereo system, this is where I’d be putting my energy. That said, if you enjoy headphones, you could sell all of that gear to fund a nice headphone amp and a very nice collection of headphones.

I purchased a MiniDSP and the calibrated microphone to play with. I'm a total gadget nut! The Schiit Loki, 4 band, EQ really helps with the room and my hearing. I totally agree about room acoustics being 75% of the issue most times.......Headphones are great, but there is just something about being "Immersed In The Sound" and "feeling it" as well as hearing it that headphones simply don't offer.

Thanks for the comments....

 

[Cahudson42]

About two years ago I decided: 1. Speaker system for Home Theater/TV, 2. Headphone system for when I want to listen to music - any and all music.

Been 'Happy as a Clam' ever since..

Since you are just starting on the Headphone journey, a suggestion:
Your SHP9500 are perhaps the best buy in under $100 HP. Very comfortable A good example of a Dynamic Technology HP. ( I use one everyday when quietly watching tv.)

However, 'all headphones benefit from EQ' (specifically PEQ) , as Amir notes. So before 'spending $K on additional HP, add that. Either via PC software (EqualizerAPO), or hardware (An RME ADI-2 seems perhaps within your budget. But a $110 Qudelix 5k, followed by a $100 Amp (Atom etc) also works well.

Then add to your headphone collection. Limiting perhaps to $300 to start, max for each. I started, after the SHP9500, with the HFM HE400i (2016). Today I would start with the new $149 HE400se. This gives you a taste of Planar HP technology to compare.
'Build' from there, as you enjoy both your systems for their different purposes.

PS - IMO, a headphone system can be 'just as immersive ' as a speaker one. Don't rule out HP approach because of that. (An interesting very immersive HP is the AKG N90Q. $299 when on sale at Harmon. Worth considering. If you get one, try to use it via OTG USB, which avoids an 'extra' DAC/ADC conversion).

 

[mkawa]

I fixed it....Sorry, Didn't mean to offend. I think it is now PC .

almost. quick geographiophile lesson: southeast asia refers to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. (handy links ct wikipedia). china, taiwan and Japan (RIP AKM plant), where the electronics we focus on here are designed and manufactured, are part of east asia. semis and passives are fabbed all over the place though, and i mean ALL over the place:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_semiconductor_fabrication_plants

most of TI and i believe all of AD's parts are fabbed in the US, for example, then shipped out to asia, integrated into designs and shipped back.

lesson: supply chain is incredibly complicated and relentlessly global. just because the brands we know and love here (topping, smsl) are chinese companies doesn't mean they are "asia sourced" parts. they are globally sourced, as are all other electronics. do you call apple products "asia-sourced"? because their manufacturing plants are almost* exclusively in asia

*they keep one of their original plants for making mac pros and prototyping in the US

 

[mkawa]

on subject: i can tolerate listening to speakers longer than i can headphones in any given listening session, but i love and embrace both.

 

[RoyB]

RME ADI-2 really has my attention. The reviews and what is is capable of for the $$ is truly outstanding. Just might have to make another "investment" and sell off a bunch of my "collection"......