Headphones or Speakers?

[gooner26]

hi, i am currently in the middle of a home demo with a Naim Nait 5i. i recently purchased some eb acoustic eb1's too and dont get me wrong it all sounds very good but every time i sit down and listen to some music all i can do is remember the most awesome set up i once had around a year ago, and it was a Linn Sneaky DS (which i still have & love) Lehmann Audio Black Cube Linear & Grado SR60 headphones. i do not know what it is about traditional hi-fi ie speakers + amp but i just cannot get on with them, instead of just sitting down and enjoying the music all i seem to do is tweak with the speakers and it drives me nuts, i never can seem to find a sweet spot or is it that i have been spoilt by my last headphone set up? how much would i have to spend on amplification & speakers to get simular results as my previous headphone set up? i'm seriousley thinking of doing it all again but this time maybe with a grado gs1000i.

regards danny

 

[idc]

Danny, I can't see past the sound of headphones. Your set up with the Linn, Lehmann and SR60s was let down by the SR60s. I know I go against the awards and how you feel about being spoiled by the sound, but even the SR80s are a big jump over the SR60s. I can only imagine at how good the GS1000s will sound. I am quite confident it will be simply awsome. Do it again!

 

[gooner26]

actually and you will be shocked by this but i owned the RS1i's at the same time too and whilst they sounded great i could not love them the same way i did the SR60's for 2 reasons, 1. i could not justify the price jump and 2. i found them uncomfortable. i could not get on with the mini bowl pads that the RS1i's come with.

regards danny

 

[idc]

Shocked indeed. I still think you can do better that the SR60s if you are going to return to head-fi. Have you tried the SR80s?

 

[gooner26]

no i havent. is there a big difference between the sr60's & 80's then? i was under the impresseion their was not. actually i have my eye on the sr125i's mainly because that is the last model that keeps with the flat pads.

regards danny

 

[idc]

When I auditioned the SR60s and 80s with some Senns the 60s went first. Scale and dynamic was lacking, they just sounded flat compared to the SR80s. I think that you can flat pads for much higher in the Grado range than the SR125s.

EDIT - up to the RS1s here

http://audioaffair.co.uk/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=1785&md=07a7da37e9a8b5c17457a784c298357a

 

[gooner26]

i experimented with my sr60 pad's on the rs1i's and found them way to intense for long listening session, up to a point where my ears ached!

 

[idc]

So what is your plan then gooner26? What other cans have you tried?

 

[Anonymous]

I've been using headphones since the wfc forced me to sell my proper HiFi. Nasty, uncomfortable, unpleasant things that give you little idea of what the music really sounds like. Most give you exaggerated bass and treble.

Fine for jogging, but, to be honest, I've listened to far less music since having had to use them.

 

[gooner26]

my ultimate target i think will be to re-buy a Lehmann Audio Black Cube, then maybe the GS1000i's, crazy money i know for a headphone setup but when you consider a simular quality hifi set up would set you back maybe £5000-£10000!

 

[matengawhat]

i run a graham slee solo and grado ps1000s and its the first time i have really felt that a headphone setup could compete with my normal full setup - pretty pleased with it so far - the headphones are taking a little getting used to when just sitting and listening they are fine when typing and moving head they have a little weight and i do notice i'm wearing them. think i have a little head aswell as personally think they could do with just a little padding on the head rest not for comfort but just to fit my head better

 

[gooner26]

hi matengawhat, are you satisfied with the ps1000's in terms of sound quality? are they a rival to a high end loudspeaker?

regards danny

 

[matengawhat]

yeah to me they have just the right amount of clarity and deep bass that feels right for rocking - they are quite forward - moved from sennheiser hd 650 which i quite liked but they had quite a flat frequency response - a very different sound

 

[PJPro]

If you can get beyond the price, the RS1s are cool. How do you get beyond the price? Buy secondhand.