2. headphones
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“Never thought I’d use headphones”

I never thought I would ever use headphones as part of my system , I could never get use to the dramatic difference’s between using headphones and for one glaring example a speaker system that projects  a deep and wide layered sound stage with the illusion of instruments hanging in mid air is absolutely thrilling .

Well things changed as we downsized our home two years ago going from a dedicated room above a large double car garage where I didn’t have to worry about disturbing anyone listening then to a smaller home as we prepare to retire .
So a couple years ago I thought to give headphone listening another try mainly to keep peace in our home especially during late night listening which I do often . I brought home various dedicated amplifiers and dynamic headphones seamanly popular among headphone enthusiasts.

The large Amps&Sound tube amp and Mjolnir Audio Pure Bipolar along with various headphones from upper end Sennheiser , focal and recently a pair of Audeze Z headphones I borrowed .

Then came along the digital stack from AudioByte the Hydra Vox dac with a dedicated headphone section and a yet to be released streamer.
After a year or so of looking and listening with no real satisfaction I’m bold over how enjoyable my headphone experience is now not to mention what a fabulous dac AudioByte has which is a sister company to Rockna .

128x128in_shore
oddiofyl's avatar
oddiofyl
3,450 posts
 
I never thought I would use phones , and use them so often.   I'm recently divorced....   right before I moved out I purchased a pair of Grado RS2e and an Objective 2 amp.     Great portable combo, I knew my gear would be boxed up for months so it was money well spent.  

Then I bought a Rupert Neve RNHP amp.... awesome amp by the way.     This combo served me well for the past 18 months and honestly it is pretty damn good for the money.     

About a month ago I purchased a pair of Klipsch HP 3 headphones.   If you like Klipsch Heritage speakers you will probably like them... if you hate Klipsch you should still check them out because they sound great....  so today I pulled the trigger on the Quicksilver Headphone Amp .    I own a pair of Quicksilver Mid Mono amps so I know it will be awesome like everything they build.
in_shore's avatar
in_shore OP
596 posts
 
Oddiofyl I’ve just become aware myself of the enormous popularity of headphone use.
Lots of options that’s for sure..

in_shore's avatar
in_shore OP
596 posts
 
Rego thanks for the link ,it’s nice to read through a long thread that’s down to earth with civil exchanges .  I also liked the focus wasn’t on any single brand ,  
I tend to ignore long topics highlighting praises of any single component that generates a enthusiastic fan base .



oddiofyl's avatar
oddiofyl
3,450 posts
 
The great thing about headphones is there's nothing wrong with owning a few pairs....   they all have different sound signatures so it's like swapping out speakers but they take up a lot less space.  I now have 3 pair including a pair of 600 Ohm Beyers so it should be interesting to see how the QS handles the low imp and high imp loads.

I was getting tired of bringing my Grados back and forth to my girlfriend's place.  That's what prompted me to pick up the HP 3.   They are more suited for home use, whereas the Grado are much smaller and lighter so I just keep them at my girl's place .  
big_greg
6,554 posts
 
Headphones are a great way to enjoy music!  I have a lot of headphone amps and about 12 sets of headphones.  These range from a few in the $150 - $200 range like the Massdrop AKG 7XX, Sennheiser HD 6XX, and Fostex T-X0 to "flagship" headphones like Audeze LCD-4, Sony HD-800 and Sony MDR-Z1R and a number in-between.

In general, I listen through speakers much more often, but I often wear them to bed and fall asleep listening to music and there are times where I either don't want to disturb anyone or want to really get into the music's details.  

As someone else said, it's like having a lot of different speakers at your disposal.  They all have their unique sound signatures and equally important, comfort levels.
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