Anyone using a headphones only setup?

[Pete The Cat]

I'm 25:75 speakers to cans nowadays. I came to accept that they're two different experiences each with pros and cons after I damaged my hearing and with having to listen to music at much lower volume as a result. Previously I liked to feel the sound physically (bass in sternum). The cans often win now due to conveying detail better in quieter listening sessions especially at the low end. My favourite combo is a White Noise Audio Mk3 with Denon AH-D2000s.

Pete

[Giubanix]

I've always done quite a bit of listening on headphones. Generally, speakers up till 9.00pm, then headphones after that. Recently though, I've been thinking that I'd like the (relative) simplicity of a headphone setup, mainly because you stick them on your head, and they sound they way they sound - no tinkering required to get the best from them.

I seem to have become a bit obsessed the last few months over getting the best sound from my speakers, constantly moving them a little this way, a little that way... frankly it's getting to the point where all I'm doing is listening to the sound rather than the music. Retreating inside a pair of cans would put an end to that. And as a bonus, it'd give me an excuse to think about buying yet more stuff.

[Pete The Cat]

Tweaking the hardware is part of the enjoyment for me but I know what you mean about getting too hung up on sound. Occasionally I get more fun from listening to my old system out at the back of the house than I do from my main rig - my expectations of it are lower and so the focus is just on the music.

Pete

[wee tee cee]

I work shifts and listen to headphones quite a bit. In my limited experience the quality of sound that a reasonable headphone rig can produce is quite exceptional. The unravelling of music you have listened to for decades is humbling.
I found it very difficult to a hear kit/ cans/ amps.....superlux cans vfm are magic.

[Lord Soth]

My current Headphone combo is

Oppo BDP 95 (Digital Source) -> Decware CSP2+ (Headphone Amp) -> Beyerdynamic DT880 (600 Ohms).

With the right valves in the CSP2+, this combination puts me in audio nirvana everytime!

[daytona600]

www.head-fi.org headphone website
some of these guys have very expensive setups


www

I've always done quite a bit of listening on headphones. Generally, speakers up till 9.00pm, then headphones after that. Recently though, I've been thinking that I'd like the (relative) simplicity of a headphone setup, mainly because you stick them on your head, and they sound they way they sound - no tinkering required to get the best from them.

I seem to have become a bit obsessed the last few months over getting the best sound from my speakers, constantly moving them a little this way, a little that way... frankly it's getting to the point where all I'm doing is listening to the sound rather than the music. Retreating inside a pair of cans would put an end to that. And as a bonus, it'd give me an excuse to think about buying yet more stuff.

[Werner Berghofer]

Ian,

Just wondered if anybody has resorted to (or just simply prefers) using headphones for all their listening?

certainly not all of my listening is done via headphones, but for the large part I prefer using them. I’ve been fascinated by headphone listening since my youth, partly because I simply could not afford the speakers I liked, or I had no dedicated listening room, didn’t want to annoy others or needed that certain level of detail required while I was working for the Austrian radio (manually cueing ¼" tape on Studer machines, editing by cutting with razor blades).

Whenever I listen to new music that interests me, that I want to know better or I really want to dive deeply into familiar music, headphones are my first choice. I had a lot of different headphones, mainly German and Austrian brands. Introduced at the end of the 1960’s, the Sennheiser HD414 was a great step in the history of headphones; I think I owned at least three pairs of these and its siblings. Then came a series of different headphones manufactured by AKG, but their latest model K701 and its successors made me eventually switch to Beyerdynamic.

I currently own AKG K271, K701, Beyerdynamic DT 990/600 Ω and T1 headphones, but the AKGs are used very infrequently. I never owned more comfortable, better sounding (and looking) headphones than the Beyerdynamic T1. In combination with Schiit Bifrost DACs and Valhalla or Lyr headphone amplifiers they reproduce music in outstanding quality. I enjoy every single minute listening to this combination.

Werner.

[Giubanix]

Then came a series of different headphones manufactured by AKG, but their latest model K701 and its successors made me eventually switch to Beyerdynamic.

I currently own AKG K271, K701, Beyerdynamic DT 990/600 Ω and T1 headphones, but the AKGs are used very infrequently.

Werner.

I've been thinking about getting the DT 990's. Currently using AKG Q701, Senn HD600 and Denon D2000 with Graham Slee Novo, Heed Canamp and Little Dot 1+ depending on my mood and type of music.

Werner, is there a big difference in sound between the 600/250 ohm DT990's?

[Giubanix]

www.head-fi.org headphone website
some of these guys have very expensive setups

www

Yeah, I've spent quite a bit of time looking at pictures of their setups and reminding myself that I've been spending too much money recently and that I should be satisfied with what I've got for a while. I rarely listen to myself though.

[Werner Berghofer]

Ian,

is there a big difference in sound between the 600/250 ohm DT990's?

I’ve never listened to a Beyerdynamic DT 990/250 Ω. It seems to be generally accepted knowledge that the Beyerdynamic 600 Ω models offer the best sound, but the differences are quite subtile. I chose the 600 Ω version because they are the best match for my headphone amplifiers and because I knew that sooner or later I would eventually purchase a Beyerdynamic T1, which also has an impedance of 600 Ω.

I think this → head-fi.org thread covers the sonic differences between popular Beyerdynamic headphones with their various impedances quite good. Here’s a direct quote dealing with the question you asked:

DT990
The DT990 is a fully open headphone with very impressive bass. Though the treble is more pronounced in the whole line up of headphones. I classify this headphone as their fun and bassy one. One thing to note that the DT990 has the most recessed midrange of all three lines.

250 Ohm
The treble is a bit far too pronounced and covers the midrange, though it has better detail and extension over the other DT770 and DT880 models. It’s somewhat strident and can cause ear fatigue quite quickly for those who are sensitive to treble. The midrange, as stated above, is very shallow to almost nonexistent. Maybe that’s overstating it, but it’s very shallow sounding, but what can be heard is very detailed and transparent. The 250 Ohm DT880 has a much fuller midrange, but the DT990’s has more detail and transparency to it. The bass is very prominent and takes over the sound. It makes the headphone sound darker. The impact on the bass is very impressive for an open headphone and it has more extension than the 250 Ohm DT880, but lacks it’s texturing and layering. The soundstage easily beats the 250 Ohm DT880 as this ohm rating of the DT990 is much wider and deeper sounding.

600 Ohm
The 600 Ohm model is the definitive version of the DT990 and has the smoothest treble of the DT990 line. It’s also the most detailed treble of all three lines and offers the most extension. The midrange of this model is close to the 250 Ohm DT880 and is rather shallow, but far more improved over the 250 Ohm DT990. The DT990 600 Ohm’s mids are a little bit more transparent and detailed over its 250 Ohm counterpart, but not nearly as full sounding as the 600 Ohm DT880. The DT990 still has a slightly more detailed midrange over the 600 Ohm DT880. Bass on this model is just insane. It has so much impact and is so tight and controlled sounding it makes you question that’s it’s an open headphone. Also the bass is very snappy and fast, far faster sounding than the other DT990 variants. Really just the most impactfull and controlled bass I’ve heard from an open headphone. The soundstage also beats all the DT770 and DT880 models and is pretty wide and deep. The imaging though is just a bit better than the 600 Ohm DT880, but not by much. I will say that even though the treble is smoother, it still may be harsh to those that are sensitive to treble. Still much better than the 250 Ohm and 32 Ohm models.

And here’s the latest of my usual, unavoidable Schiit/Beyerdynamic promotion shots for which I am known and appreciated on AoS :-)



Werner.