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Are Headphones Fit for Serious Music Listening?

Not for me they’re not, but I welcome and appreciate that they might be for you. Here’s why:

First, I am aware that extraordinary headphone gear exists out there, rivaling the best of 2-channel gear.

Second, I do own headphones myself. They’re Bowers & Wilkins; I think they’re a pretty decent set. They live in my gym bag because I listen to podcasts with them.

As I rejoin the audio fold, it becomes more and more clear to me that different folks experience music in different ways, leading them to different head spaces and different beliefs and different corners of this hobby. Yes, that much should be self-evident, yet many people don’t seem too aware of it; they think their way is the way, and they’re quick to dismiss other people’s points of view, sometimes in terms that can be unpleasant to witness.

The number of fruitless arguments we see around here could be greatly reduced if folks respected the diverse ways in which other folks consume, appreciate, enjoy, and love their music, and agreed to disagree.

Back on topic - i strongly believe that - for me - music is to be felt as well as heard.

I’m not necessarily talking about 115 dB peaks and wall-shaking electronic sub-bass, though that’s fun too. I’m talking about the tangible, tactile quality of tight, well-controlled bass that envelops the entire head and is felt in the chest as sound waves radiate, deep inside the chest if one’s amps + speakers couple allows it.

I’m listening to A Tribe Called Red’s Nation II Nation album as I write this. VC is on 35 out of 100, probably no louder than 70 dB, yet I distinctly feel the waves of tribal drumming hit my body, in ways wholly unrelated to my hearing sense yet deeply complementary to it.

And there you have it: headphones, by definition, don’t / can’t give this to me, so - for me - headphones don’t work for serious music listening. But they’re great for podcasts.

How about you guys? How do you experience your music, and how loud do you like it?

 

devinplombier
yyzsantabarbara
4,977 posts
 

@devinplombier I have not spoken with Danny McKinney the designer in about a month. My issue is that I am trying to go cold turkey on all purchases at least until December 2025. I am working 2 jobs to get the financial house in order. I have been selling audio gear the last few weeks, including today with the Sanders Magtech amp.

I will give Danny a call tomorrow and ask how the speaker is progressing. It should be ready soon and he already has a few sales queued just on his stellar reputation. I may be one of the few that has actually heard the prototype.

Once I am clear on my finances I will get the open baffle. Wife is already OK with having 2 speakers in the Livingroom.  Danny actually wants to try it in my Livingroom where my Yamaha NS5000 resides. The NS5000 sounds great in the space with the Schitt Yggi+ OG DAC, and he thinks his speaker will be even better. He has heard the NS5000 at my place and he loved it.

I heard the prototype with my Schitt Yggi+ OG DAC at his home (not a good audio space) and it was great. The Yggi+ OG is something special with bass.

 

yyzsantabarbara
4,977 posts
 

I find it interesting that you like the SR1A better than the Immanis. Could you elaborate on the difference other than the bass which is kind of a given. I use a REL Carbon Special to raise the SR1A’s bass performance significantly with no downside other than cost.

@rdoc I loved the Immanis with both a Schitt stack and the VM-1a. However, the Immanis is a headphone and the SR1a is not. The Immanis has a massive stage and hit incredibly hard, without being fatiguing. The details maybe even better than the SR1a. All factors that should make me like the Immanis more. However, the open baffle design of the SR1a wins out for me. The Immanis is burden by being a headphone.

I listen to the SR1a late at night when my kid is sleeping. The Immanis is louder than the SR1a. Sometimes I am working until 2:30AM and the Immanis coud be too loud. My Dad was visiting when the Immanis | Magna | CA-1a were in the house for demo. I was a little surprised how loud it was when he was listening.

I also found that the VM-1a amp is a bit too powerful for the Immanis. It is extremely good, but it could be dialed back a little bit to be perfect with the Immanis. Though I went back to the stock tubes on the VM-1a. There is a mellower tube that Danny recommended to me and that would likely have made the VM-1a and Immanis sing. I did not have the tube anymore to test the Immanis with.

The Schitt stack I used, Mjolnir v3 preamp | Aegir v1 amp | Schitt Yggi+ LIM DAC was a bit more suitable for the type of late night listening I do. A dialed back mellower sound. Though I should say I also listen to heavy metal too late at night, usually on the Vm-1a.

The SR1a is best with the VM-1a. Nothing I tried can touch the VM-1a for the SR1a (not comparing with the Immanis). Listening to this right now (David Lynch: A Tribute on ROON).

 

 

larsman's avatar
larsman
2,099 posts
 

@musicaddict - I've got a 5-figure 2-channel system and am not short on funds, and I also have about $15K worth of headphone gear which I love just as much.

Real quality headphones through quality headphone amps and DACs bear no resemblance to 'noise-canceling' bluetooth headphones you'd wear on a plane.

That's fine if you don't want to listen to headphones, but many people do, and not for the reasons you cite. 

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