Headphones vs speakers

This is rather an odd thread, like launching "cars vs motorcycles" ... on an automobile forum. Given that there are over 35,000 posts for speakers and under 500 for headphones, it's not exactly surprising that most of the (few) responses here have favored speakers. If someone posted "headphones vs speakers" on head-fi, the responses might just possibly be a bit different. 

As a few have pointed out, they're completely different listening experiences. Cars and motorcycles. 

A more interesting conversation might be to ask why headphones and iems have taken off in the last decade. There's a surge in the headphone market not seen in that of traditional stereos. A lot of this growth is young people, and I'm not talking about earbuds and iPhones. I spend time on head-fi and I'd guess that if we compared the number of posts by people under 40 in a given week, Audiogon might not exactly be crowing. We can be critical of their preferences (speaking as someone who has haunted stereo stores for half a century), but headphones is where the action is these days. 

I'm with the posters above who say both/and.  Headphones are a lot of fun.

@northman maybe it's odd to you but there are a lot of people who have downsized due to an array of circumstances- unfortunate or otherwise- and don't have the space for a 2 channel system with speakers. My cousin for one. So I'm here trying to get some info from those of you who have experience in this area. Sorry this post doesn't interest you and that you consider yourself to be above many others here who just so happen to also have an interest in music.

Holy cow, @fire_water. My post wasn’t about your original post at all. I was commenting on the responses. I think your post makes complete sense, and in fact I’m in the same situation you are. I recently lost my listening room and am pondering a headphone system. I was simply saying that the comments aren't really getting at the complexities. I’m genuinely sorry that you took offense. Heck, I'm sorry to anyone offended! I hate the toxicity of the internet and I never want to contribute to it.

@northman Thanks for clarifying this.  My apologies.  I'm not downsizing not now that's for sure ;) A relative of mine is though so we are now trying to figure out how he can still enjoy music.  This could be me in 30 years. 

With the right headphone and the right DSP ( i use Foobar dsp components)  there could be not  so much difference between 2-way speakers especially  in an acoustically uncontrolled room (living room)  and headphone...

By the way i feel the bass with my body almost  as if i had speakers through the K340 ...

I could just imagine the Choueiri filters paired with a top headphone ...

 We all grew older. We all downsize. And many cannot transform their living room in a dedicated controlled acoustic room.  Very good headphone coupled to DSP  can be enjoyable...

Anyway i prefer by far my K340 as it is to any speakers in living room... Why ? because i know first hand what can deliver an acoustically controlled room...