Headphones vs Speakers

[ohnnyj]

Hello all:

Any advantages/disadvantages to using headphones vs speakers for a gaming/music/movie computer?

I have seen some reviews for Grados which tend to lean toward a good gaming experience but will I be getting the same sound quality as I would get from a quality set of speakers?

Thanks.

 

[meltdown75]

at today's prices you can and should have both headphones (or headset) and a nice budget speaker setup. if u can only afford one, well... not sure what to tell ya. btw never heard of Grados. i'm gettin some cheap logitechs soon and i reckon they will serve me well.

its a snowy Xmas eve eve. happy holidays everyone. cheers & drive safely!

 

[sniperruff]

check out koss.com and its KSC35. at $30 it's one of the best headphones that even audiophiles like (headroom.com). surely it looks funky and feels like it costs $1 to manufacture but are all grado's look crappy as well...

 

[Dethfrumbelo]

Headphones all the way. I can't go back to speakers anymore after getting the PX100s.

Why? Less expensive, better clarity and separation.

 

[mauiblue]

The first time I played Doom 3 I used my speakers for audio playback. But after perusing this forum and finding out about performance cans for gaming, I snagged myself a set of Sennheisers (HD 595). The next time I played Doom 3 and used these headphones, the difference was like night and day!. With the headphones, I was immersed in the game and elevated my gaming experience. Sennheisers ROCKS!

 

[ohnnyj]

I don't think these look crappy.

 

[ohnnyj]

And do you think the Bose models are overkill?

 

[Cawchy87]

Totally depends. I have to be quite at night so I have Zalman 5.1 headphones and they are great. But during the day I use Logitec Z-5300 and love them. I prefer speakers to headphones.

 

[Excelsior]

I like both and use them for different reasons. I will never have one or the other...

 

[Cawchy87]

Originally posted by: Excelsior
I like both and use them for different reasons. I will never have one or the other...

Completely agree. If you can afford it, get both.

 

[KayKay]

as good as speakers are, headphones give an amazing experience, just listening to music or playing games, you are completely immersed in it, thats why i give headphones the thumbs up

 

[ed21x]

Originally posted by: Cawchy87
Totally depends. I have to be quite at night so I have Zalman 5.1 headphones and they are great. But during the day I use Logitec Z-5300 and love them. I prefer speakers to headphones.

those are one of the most ridiculed headphones on head-fi.org. It really depends on how much money you have. If you don't have $1000, then headphones are the only way to get really good sound quality at your price point. I personally still use the Sennheiser HD580, although they don't make them anymore. Check out the Grado sr-60, Senns px200, Shure e2c's, etc. Stay away from th Sony MDR line.

 

[Mik3y]

Originally posted by: ohnnyj
And do you think the Bose models are overkill?

not overkill, just overpriced. just because it's a bose doesnt mean its overkill or the best. bose is known for low profile and compact products...and waay overpriced. the only reason why one should buy a bose is if he/she can poop out $.

 

[DanDrop]

Bose is not the best. They have a pretty good marketing strategy but relatively crappy products.

I have the Senn 580, Senn 600 and Grado SR80 and i have auditioned a lot of cans over the years.

If listening to a lot of music get at least the chaintech soundcard or the EMU soundcard.

Dont go cheap on your cans. You will end up spending more when you keep on upgrading crappy headphones. My advice, save yourself some money in the long run by going with a good soundcard and the grados. They kick ass.

 

[0roo0roo]

speakers are better. esp for 3d sound placement. headphones are better at night..unless u live far away from the neihbors.

headband hair is another reason why headphones are best for night only

 

[ohnnyj]

To DanDrop:

I have heard a lot of good things about the Grados. Are the more expensive models that much better?

 

[jlambvo]

I think it totally depends on application and your surroundings.

Headphones are far cheaper than a comparable speaker setup. I've been told by some sound engineers that you don't need to spend more than 30 bucks on headphones even for mastering audio. Anything more than that and you are probably just paying for a marketing budget. And if you live in an apartment/dorm or share a house, you're speakers are mostly going to be sitting unused anyway (buddy of mine in his dorm can hardly use his promedias). For a single user in a densely populated area, headphones are usually put to their best use.

I don't know where 3d positional audio is at in headphones, I know that sense you only have two ears anyway you should be able to get full positional audio if its processed correctly, but in any case there is really a lot to gain with real 3D audio and you might not get that with stereo headphones. Also, if you've been known to play games for many hours on end (cough) your ears can get pretty sore.

I think the biggest drawback to headphones as that it limits the audio to one listener, which sucks if you have guests over and want to play music, watch a movie, or play games together. They also limit your mobility quite a bit.

 

[Gurck]

Originally posted by: ohnnyj
And do you think the Bose models are overkill?

Bose headphones suck (one of many, many threads on the subject).

Anyway, I'd go with (quality) headphones over speakers if you're on any kind of budget - you can get an audiophile 'phone setup for 3 digits, and a pretty respectable one for 2. Speakers start at 4 for that quality. BTW, don't neglect your source! Onboard sound just doesn't cut it, a Chaintech av710 is a well-respected budget card that won't set you back too much, about $25.

Edit: I found this an interesting read as well, though it's a bit off the subject of headphones.

 

[BujinZero]

I too recommend headphones over speakers. A few years ago, I made one of my best purchases--Grado SR-60s, and I'm still amazed by them. I have Logitech Z-560 speakers, and while good, they're not the overall winner. For music and especially gaming, I think headphones are tough to beat. Hell, in my Counter-Strike clan days, Grados were our secret weapon! And when I build computers for others, Grados are one of the few things I 'push'. Most people try my SR-60s and decide on them or SR-80s in without apprehension. Go out and audition some Grados or Sennheisers or Beyerdynamics or something and see what you think.

 

[DanDrop]

Originally posted by: ohnnyj
To DanDrop:

I have heard a lot of good things about the Grados. Are the more expensive models that much better?

In short yes. Depending on your applications, power source and budget, you can pretty much choose the Grado that you like. If you are just running a computer/ ipod etc with minimal source, the SR80 would be the best bang for your buck.

The SR60 (about $70) and SR80 (about $90) are both great cans. They usually go on sale and i am positive you can get them cheaper. They dont need a powerful amp to be able to be driven at decent levels (Unlike the Senn 580 and 600 that i have, they need to be run with a more powerful amp or a dedicated headphone amp).

My brother in law has the Grado SR125. While they are good cans, i'd rather spend my money on a souncard/headphone combo or headphone amp/headphone combo.

The difference between the SR60 and SR80 is mainly the bass. The SR80 gives alittle bit more oomph than the SR60. Atother difference is the the ear pad. The pad that comes with the SR60 is more comfy than the SR80. However, you can usually buy replacement pads for a few bucks. In fact i just replaced my SR80 pads with the SR60 pads and they feel sooo much better.

Just remember, garbage in, garbage out. You will want to have a decent soundcard to have great sounding cans. The chaintech is cheap but if you have the cash to spare the EMU 0404 is a pretty good card for music as well.

Hope this helps.

 

[Oyeve]

I use both speakers and headphones. For my speaker setup I use a Denon 5.1 receiver with JBL Monitor 4208 for the fronts and Infinity Reference 2001.1 for surround and Infinity Entra Center for the center channel. For the sub I use JBL E250P. For headphones I use either my Sony MDR-7000DJ or my Denon AHD-950. Both sound great but the Denons sound overall better and the sony has kicka$$ bass. But if no one is home I play my games with my speaker setup as the surround effects are amazing in todays games and I love the feel of my subwoofer when playing Need for speed underground 2!

 

[ohnnyj]

Well now I'm torn. The Grados SR325 are about $300 while the Sennheiser HD650 are going for about the same since they are on sale.

What to do?

 

[DanDrop]

Lol, well, i would get the Senn 650 for that price.

Get a decent headphone amp and you're all set!

Go to head-fi and ask their opinions. The Senn 650 is a very good headphone and that price is sweet!