Headphones vs Speakers -- I'm MAD

[Lebouwsky]

Most people say that after a certain point, high end headphones stop making sense and money is better spent on speakers.

 

But the hard truth to face is -- speakers aren't nearly as resolving as high end headphones, and getting more than the center image from loudspeakers takes an optimal room geometry that most people don't have. My speakers sound like veiled trash next to my HE-6, TH900 and Utopia.

 

Well I've spent over $500 on carpeting and acoustic panels. My entire living room was made into a listening room.

 

I got a pair of those new Chane 1.4s (bookshelves) and a Teac integrated (which claims to use an ICEPower amp so it shouldn't be garbage) to power them.

 

Veiled, rolled off, BORING, unresolving. It's true that the soundstage is wide, but it's basically center, left and right.

 

It's like, I'm listening to THIS instead of my Utopias? I'm feeding this trash with THOUSANDS of dollars worth of source gear, tweaks and AC products.

 

So what's going on? Are my speakers just entry level junk and I'm being taught a lesson for listening to avsforum?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Computer Audiophile

 

Gutb, I've bin in exact the same position years ago like you are now. My hobby started with surround and eventually led to stereo because music matters more to me.

 

But I could'nt get the sound right, spent a lot on cables/ tweaks without satisfying result. I also had a sennheiser hd595, and each time I switched between these AV forum or review praised gear and the headphone, It was so obvious my system speaker system mediocre. Really frustrating.

 

One day I was fed up and sold everything (in phases) to start over again. The key is to listen to gear, not to read about it. And if you do, good stereo forums are the way to go, reviews in most cases are bought fake opinions I believe. So I traveled a lot through the country, listening to gear in the second hand market.

 

It really took me a lot of time, made a lot of miles, but I really enjoyed it, knowing I was doing the right thing. When you listen to a lot of gear you really learn whats good and what's not. But you also learn your preferences soundwise. And when you're in doubt, even just a little, don't buy. And if you fall in love but can't afford right now, keep saving, don't compromise.

 

It eventually led my to my current setup. My living room is also the listening room, it's a-symetrical, therefore not perfect, but I stoped worrying about the cirumstances I can not influance. I love listening to it.

 

I also have a sennheiser hd650 with a schiit lyr, which is for convenience and fun. Each time I switch between speakers and headphone, I'm being rewarded by better speaker sound.

 

Some people may not agree, but I believe the amplifier is the heart of the system. But then again, you have to know your system really well to recoignize the bottle neck, so you know what to upgrade next. And buy music [emoji1].

 

Happy listening

[Lebouwsky]

The HD600/650 is garbage. Veiled and boring mid-fi. The TH900 is vastly superior, sucked out mids and all. The Utopia is great in every category -- although I'm not convinced of its imaging capabilities and definitely not worth 2.7k premium over the TH900 or HE-6.

 

I don't want give up on speakers yet -- but do I seriously have to go get financing just to get technically capable hi-if speakers?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Computer Audiophile

 

Everybody has their own preferences soundwise. That is a matter of taste and in most cases with priorities, since most of us can't have it all from a budget point of view.

 

That being said, to call something garbage that is appreciated by a lot of people with a certain budget.... I don't know... it doesn't sound very nuanced.