Headphones vs speakers….


So I’ve been patiently waiting to buy the final pieces for a Benchmark HAB2 and DAC3  system. I have the Totem 1 speakers and decided to hook them up to an old Naim Nait 5i (probably not the best pairing) and Cambridge Azur 840C CD player. Over the last few months I’ve been on a quest for great sound through headphones  and a headphone amp while I’m waiting and after maybe five sets of headphones I’ve found what I was looking for and I’m very happy.

After hooking up the Totems and Nait today I’m very disappointed. However, my room is far from treated yet - I have installed a large carpet, furnishings and will be hanging thick floor to ceiling curtains on the three walls - one behind the speakers and two side walls. However, wether I’ve been spoiled by the incredible sound of my headphone setup or I’ve been expecting too much from a full system  I can’t imagine after room treatment and dialing things in that I’ll be anywhere close to being as impressed as I am with my headphones…..do any of you guys feel this way or am I being too pessimistic?

 

thomastrouble

In 1969 my brother and I would go to a small jazz club/bar in a small upstairs place in a town in northern England, ever since then that is the sound I have sought. I have that now. I could never achieve that with headphones.

Obviously headphones have their place (not with me though) but I will never get the  soundstage I want with headphones.

I'm surprised no-one's highlighted the biggest difference between in-room listening and headphones.

With headphones there's no leakage between channels.  Your left ear hears the left channel, the whole left channel and nothing but the left channel.

This gives a very holographic experience wholly different from listening to speakers in a space, even an anechoic space.  I lived in an apartment for 20 years and listened mainly on headphones - Stax electrostatics.  The sound was cleaner and more etched than from any speaker which certainly had an attraction.  I liked it but those Staxs and their amp have remained in their boxes ever since.

Best headphone amp bang for buck is the Audio-GD HE-9 LE. If ordered from Audio-GD will cost about $1900 plus right now 5% off. Very clean and very loud if you wish. Plays balanced or straight pin, balanced is best with their products. My get one for around $1000 used.

Call me skeptical mrskeptic. It's hard to buy your open mindedness when you don't have a system posted. I like my house of stereo open floor system over any headphones and you probably can tell why. Yours?

It’s clear that headphone & speaker listens are two different things. Listening on good headphones (Sennheiser 600) w/ a good headphone amp ( Naim) back in about 2002 showed me just how much I was missing through my speakers in detail & nuance & led me on path of substantial, incremental improvements.

I’ve always thought the big Martin Logan’s (CLS?) , the big Sound Labs & the Apogees sounded like giant headphones in a good way. Spooky revealing if not necessarily “live sound”.