Speakers vs. headphones


I’ve spent many, many years building a stereo system that I finally can say I’m satisfied with, but recently had to make a change due to a complaint of “too much noise” in the house.  So, headphones were the answer.  
After just a few days of listening with a middling headphone (HIFIMAN Ananda) and inexpensive DAT (Firefly Cobalt,) I find myself enjoying (and getting into) the music  more.  Of course my system objectively is much better and cost light years more.  However, I find there is a certain intimacy, seemingly being closer to the music, and of course no distracting audible room effects to deal with. 
I’m not giving up speaker listening but what a pleasant surprise.

 

Who knew?

128x128rvpiano

I understand your point and you are right frogman...

I salute you and appreciate greatly all your posts...

I am in ecstasy with your Pat Martino recommendation right now and i can forget headphones and rooms...

Thanks to you...

 

This is the reason that home recordings of any medium always sound best when the speakers are not playing while recording takes place.  By extension, I think the same can be said of this potential benefit while listening on headphones.  

But trust me, headphones vibrate a lot unbeknownst to us like a speaker encxlosure vibrate... And even the headphone band transmit vibrations and crosstalk... 😁😊

 

Frogman,

As a fellow musician, I certainly respect your judgement as to how real music sounds. I have an important question though:
Can I connect the phone/amp combo to my tablet to use as a streamer, or do I have to hook it up to my system?
I don’t want to have a wire extending across the room from my listening chair.




 

rv, I don’t see why not.  I use my IPad for headphone listening all the time.  I take the signal from its analog mini headphone jack which goes to RCA’s plugged into the headphone amp. 

I’m looking at this for sale.  Is this what you have?

STAX SRM-D50 Electrostatic Headphone Amplifier / DAC
 

It’s a combo phone and amp.

rv, no, those are not what I have. Mine are an older model Stax combo that I have had for several years. Stax has several different models of headphones and dedicated drivers, both ss and tubed. While they don’t make the exact same models as what I have, they do make very similar ones. Of note is the style of the “Earspeakers”. They are fairly large, but easily the most comfortable headphones that I have ever had on my head. The two “cans” just barely, and just enough, grip the sides of your head. The ears themselves don’t feel any pressure at all. Most of the weight is supported and suspended by the “strap” that goes against the top of your head. They are an open back design and this, plus the fact that they don’t squeeze your ears at all makes them extremely comfortable and with less of the “inside your head” sensation.

They don’t make the exact models as mine anymore, but they do have what are clearly descendants of these as well as the more traditional style of round, sealing ear pads. I am frankly not personally familiar with most of their most recent offerings and not at all the ones you ask about.

I will say that when I shopped for these years ago, the dedicated ss driver (mentioned below) I found to be too unrelenting in the highs. The Stax are extremely detailed so if one is sensitive to solid state-itis, I would be careful. The tube (hybrid, actually) drivers were much more to my liking. On the other hand it’s been several years since I listened to any new offerings from them. I would also point out that current models similar to mine cost about three times the cost of the one you ask about, yet used combos exactly like mine can be found used fairly easily for about the same amount or less as the one you ask about.

This is what I have: