Main System or Headphones?

Hi-Fi Corner
22

I agree. I use both, they are not mutually exclusive. Me 75%/25% speakers/headphones.

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23

I suppose the flaw in the question is also the fact that how many are using a headphone setup of the same quality as the main system or of ultimate quality or inferior quality.

If your headphone rig is far superior, I would guess that it would also be the most used.

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24

Indeed, for headphones to sound amazing, exactly the same care and consideration is required as when using speakersā€¦ with one major exceptionā€¦ with headphones you donā€™t need to consider room acoustic treatments.

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25

For me, speaker and headphone system are the same. They are possibly as strong as each other in terms of sound quality but with a slightly different presentation. Headphones probably more resolving. That was an intentional thing when putting it all together.

Apart from the Aries G1, Iā€™ll be able to take my headphone system with me when Iā€™m on holidayā€¦ which was important to me as I consider music as one of the best ways to relax, unwind and wanted to be able take my main system sound quality with me when Iā€™m away.

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26

Mea culpa. Perhaps I should have worded it better but it appears most people got the gist of it. :sunglasses:

27

We are talking About the very best obtainable setup here which would be compared to the very very best in a Hifi setup.

I think you have to consider the Sennheiser Orpheus HE-1 in that case, not Utopiasā€¦

If the idea is listening without disturbing those nearby then you have to look at closed back headphones and whilst there are some good ones, they dont perform as well as open backed so you wonā€™t be getting near those Grand Utopiasā€¦

28

No, little ones upstairs in bed is the issue with my evening listening which is 95% of my listening in general.

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29

I guess another option is to look for very efficient speakers, that donā€™t lose their dynamic abilities at very low volumes and are still enjoyable to listen to.

30

There is nothing not enjoyable about my system.

It was more to do with given the fact what is achievable from a headphone setup worth the value of manyā€™s Hifi systems.

A DCS Bartok with some of the best headphones is around Ā£17000-Ā£20000

To get that level of system in a comparable Hifi system, you are talking serious money.

It makes headphone setups a bargain in comparisonā€¦

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31

Hi James, Iā€™m curious, is this in comparison to your portable headphone setup? I didnā€™t buy Dave for its headphone output, but as Iā€™ve got it, I may start using it a bit more for that.

32

Apparently the headphone amp in the TT2 is better than in the Dave.
I bet they are both right up there however.

33

I concur re closed back : as my purpose for buying hifi headphones, if I do, would be either to sit and keep my wife company while she is doing something else, whether reading a book in silence, or watching TV, closed-back is the only solution. The Audeze LCD-XM is reportedly very good, maybe the best for closed back (though I am happy to learn of alternatives). I heard a pair a few months ago, and the sounded reasonable, however the context wasnā€™t ideal, having been a brief moment passing KJ West one in London on my way home from a meeting with half an hour to spare, and my music source only a plain iPad.

One thing that has surprised me in some recent posts (but not meaning that in a negative way), has been a recognition that response curves may not be ideal so dsp may be appropriate, even with stock compensation available for different models - yet that acceptance seems so rare with speakers, even though they are subject to far greater challenges due to room effects.

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34

Possibly because itā€™s easier to use DSP with headphones; there are public resources giving you filter settings that are easily accessible and you can be up and running in a few minutes.

In the case of using DSP with loudspeakers youā€™d need to make measurements and then apply them; a lot more effort.

Orā€¦ Maybe itā€™s just me thatā€™s lazy.

35

I suppose patches can be more readily available for ā€˜phones because they effectively are irrespective of room, whereas speakers are quite the reverse. But it is the acceptance that surprises me, when I have the impression that there seems to have been quite a negativity towards Linnā€™s ā€˜Exaktā€™ speaker (not room) compensation.

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36

Same thing here. Got irritated when I couldnā€™t use my system because if family watching TV or my son going, or my wife for that Mather, to sleep.

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37

Sweet lord, Ā£17000! What apart from the headphones do you use.

38

Sorry not following you.

39

Hi Chris - It was to replace my 1Z in a permanent headphone rig at home. I borrowed the Mytek and Chord DACs to audition at home. Iā€™ll be interested in what you think of DAVE on headphone duties.

James

40

Thanks James, I still have just my SE846 and headphones are still primarily for use away from home. They do sound very good with Dave using a 3.5 to 6.35 adapter I had knocking around. Just thought I might go for some ā€˜properā€™ headphones for a change, but they would need to be closed backs that would still work with a portable player.

41

Interesting Chris, the DAVE into my 552 is good but not stellar. However the DAVE as a headphone amp into my Empyreans is just simply the best I have ever heard outside of a Maida Vale studio.
I had a music buddy around at the weekend, and he had a listen on the DAVE driving the Empyreans, and he just had a silly grin on his faceā€¦ he thought it incredible too.