So how much do you think the placebo effect impacts our listening preferences?

I think it's a great question. I think the best answer here, from my own experiences, is that yes indeed our subjective assessment of sound quality, especially with something we can't "blind" test like headphones, is highly affected by the appearance, feel and knowledge of the brand and price - at first - both in the short and long terms. In the short term we are impressed, or have our expectations confirmed, only to have that experience change with more listening to a specific model. Long term, with experience listening to many different things, we become better listeners and more quickly hear the things that took a long time to recognize when we first began. I'm really just repeating what others have said, but these two factors summarize what seems important  to me from all of these replies: placebo effect is real but it fades, and the better you get at listening, the less you are affected by it in the first place.

 placebo effect is real but it fades, and the better you get at listening, the less you are affected by it in the first place.

Thanks for saying better than me what i tried to comnmunicate in a less short and clear way or style...

My deepest respect....

@mahgister

More power to you. It's good that you're able to appreciate your speakers over headphones. I remember at my old house I had carpet in my office which was ideal for speakers. 

Nobody should say headphones are better or worse than speakers. Everyone has their preferences. However, if tracking mixing/laying down a final edit are your priority, then headphones will provide great insight into a track and what needs to be fixed.

If it sounds good on an accurate headphone, it will translate even better onto speakers. 

If we get tight bass, clear midrange, and smooth treble on a track with headphones, on speakers the result will be refined again.

Have you tried listening to your speakers without the bricks on top? Does it reduce the sound quality?

Nobody should say headphones are better or worse than speakers

Average non modified headphones right out of the box and average audio systems uncontrolled and right out of the box are generally a TASTE matter...

But mechanical, electrical and acoustical controls of a speakers system are not a matter of taste....This is the ONLY way to give to your audio speakers/room system superiority over most headphones if not all...I dont have soix experience about that... But based on my experiments this was the case...

For sure when someone mix it is useful to listen to sound under a microscope sometimes headphones or monitor studio box...

I am not an engineer who work , i am in my audio room amd i want music not perfect sounds...

Have you tried listening to your speakers without the bricks on top? Does it reduce the sound quality?

For sure the concrete slabs are not sold with the speakers.... 😊

The slabs and bricks are there to damp the speakers but not only that to compress the springs i use to controls vibrations/resonance problem... The 2 sets of 4 springs boxes under and on top of each speaker are asymmetrically compressed...One set by the load of concrete and speaker weight and the other set on top of the speaker by the weight of the concrete slabs only... the difference in compressing force between the 2 sets of 4 boxes springs  work well to decrease resonant  too powerful mode in the speaker...

It is my own idea about how to use cheap springs to achieve the near same results than costly designed springs...Cost: peanuts... Results: amazingly good....

Thanks for your kind appreciation and posts....

My best to you from the heart.....

I can't believe you guys are arguing if speakers are better than headphones. They are DIFFERENT and do different things.

I don't know anyone who prefers headphones unless they either have no decent stereo or can't play music out loud because it annoys someone.

A very strange twist from a discussion about the placebo effect.