The advantage of using headphones.

[doodoos]

Having treated myself to the Audeze LCD3 cans and now the Trilogy 933 headphone amp I'm spending more time listening through the headphones than through the stereo for digital playback. This is because the bass is totally devoid of room reverberations I guess - the detail is amazing. The mids are similarly excellent, the only downside being a reticent high frequency at the extremes. Now my system isn't crap - and the vinyl still has the edge via speaker playback - but I can see why cans are becoming so popular and a relatively cheap way of listening to high quality reproduction.

[AlfaGTV]

Fully agree, and personally i dont mind the somewhat weird soundstage. I dont use as expensive cans as you do, but my Denon AH-D7000/2000 works just fine. As did my previous Hifiman HE-300 and Sennheiser HD-650.

I use a DIY headphone Amp from ebay, a Lehmann Audio Black Cube Linear clone or sometime my Little Dot MK III, Works great!

Atb Mike

[technobear]

There are many advantages to using headphones. Lack of room modes is just one.

i) single driver - no crossover - so little phase distortion, better timing, better coherence

ii) excludes sound from the environment so you hear more of the music

iii) no neighbours banging on the walls and shouting turn that row down

iv) easier to relocate your listening to another part of the household

v) less power required - lower leccy bills - unless you're using a valve headphone amp

vi) headphones generally can reproduce subsonic sounds that most speakers miss unless you use a subwoofer

vii) with a closed back pair, you can listen to music while the other half watches the crap on TV

viii) for a given level of performance, headphones are much cheaper than speakers - ditto the headphone amp

ix) you don't have to base the layout of your room and furniture around headphones

Any more...?

[The Barbarian]

Always use headphones very rare i use speakerz.. I like the way i can hear all the noise coming from the LP too

[Joe]

There are many advantages to using headphones. Lack of room modes is just one.

i) single driver - no crossover - so little phase distortion, better timing, better coherence

ii) excludes sound from the environment so you hear more of the music

iii) no neighbours banging on the walls and shouting turn that row down

iv) easier to relocate your listening to another part of the household

v) less power required - lower leccy bills - unless you're using a valve headphone amp

vi) headphones generally can reproduce subsonic sounds that most speakers miss unless you use a subwoofer

vii) with a closed back pair, you can listen to music while the other half watches the crap on TV

viii) for a given level of performance, headphones are much cheaper than speakers - ditto the headphone amp

ix) you don't have to base the layout of your room and furniture around headphones

Any more...?

x) they keep your ears warm in winter

[Gordon Steadman]

I too spend a large proportion of my time listening to the cans.

My wife and I tend to try and spend time together so most evenings we are in the snug where the main computers reside and unless I want to listen REALLY seriously, its iTunes, Rogers Ravenbourne and Sennheisers.

The main hi-fi has its own room and I tend to get lost to time in there and I would never see the wife at all!!

I find the phones are very enjoyable and they certainly have all the advantages listed. Except the one about the crap on TV. We don't have a TV.

[The Barbarian]

The greatest advantage is you don't have to listern to the wife.

[Gordon Steadman]

The greatest advantage is you don't have to listern to the wife.

Andre, it may surprise you to know that there are actually people out there who really do enjoy their wife's company and who, at times, have been known to talk to them and.....even listen to what they have to say too:eek:

I'm one of those strange people (I was going to say that I am one of them but thought better of it)

[The Barbarian]

I'll stick with the headphones

:D

[AlanS]

I have recently extended the phones cable and can relax in a chair with the richness phones give. Also doesn't affect others.

[nat8808]

There are many advantages to using headphones. Lack of room modes is just one.

i) single driver - no crossover - so little phase distortion, better timing, better coherence

Have to cross that one off the list! Many great in ear headphones use mulitple drivers with crossovers of sorts.

[nat8808]

I think one of the best advantages they can provide (with the right kind of headphone) is the cutting down of ambient noise - allows so much more detail to come through.

I remember having a conversation which touched on that for recording studio design by an ex-studio designer. Cutting ambient noise was one of his priorities.

If you think that a quiet room has a noise level of 28-33dBA and that most people won't be listening to their stereos much over say 85dBA, unless they always have it blasting out, that's quite a high proportion of detail-masking noise without having a special room built.