Headphones to replace speakers

[Rocker]

I am downsizing everything including our hi-fi system and am wondering if it would be satisfactory to replace our system with a headphone amp and cans. What are the better products within a fairly decent budget? Thanks

[Derek]

DaveF has a Stax setup in the classifieds
https://tirnahifi.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5709

[DaveF]

I am downsizing everything including our hi-fi system and am wondering if it would be satisfactory to replace our system with a headphone amp and cans. What are the better products within a fairly decent budget? Thanks

Hi Rocker,
I've been a Stax headphone user for a few years now and I've gone through 3 different sets. Will headphones replace a typical speaker system? The answer is no, not really. Rather they will give you a very different presentation. With headphones you wont really get the wide soundstage and depth of a well integrated room and speaker system. To what extent will depend on the headphones themselves.
With headphones, you wont get any room interactions or reflections, things that can sometimes ruin or take away from a speaker setup in the wrong room. So there is advantage there. Plus late night listening sessions is always an option.
You can drop serious money on a headphone setup and the Stax in particular do benefit from very decent implication. Just a note on Stax, they need a special type of amp called an Energizer. A normal headphone amp will not work with them.
If you are interested in my Stax set that's for sale, let me know. If not there are few other options that I'd recommend.

[HiFiFan]

I am downsizing everything including our hi-fi system and am wondering if it would be satisfactory to replace our system with a headphone amp and cans. What are the better products within a fairly decent budget? Thanks

If you could swing it I recommend going to here: https://canjamglobal.com/shows/london2025/

You will have the chance to experience all the best in headphones and headphone application.

I have gone to 2 of these and can recommend.

[Rocker]

Thanks to Derek, HiFiFan and DaveF for your replies. I am set on replacing my standard Hi-Fi system (loudspeakers & amp) with a headphone amp and headphones, they type and model to be decided after listening sessions.

For some time, I have listened to music as a musician might, identifying the type of guitar used, any overdubs etc., mainly to see if I could learn something from the recording. Loudspeakers, good as they are, do not allow me to listen deeply enough into the music track. Headphones, even the cheap ones I have, do allow me to almost see into the recording studio. This situation dovetails nicely into our plans to downsize our house. I have had a room dedicated to hi-fi and music, a room that I now know I can do without. And I don't want to compromise a living room by installing even a smallish amp and speaker system.

Piano music is my main music choice when I am not in musician mode. The headphones I have do a reasonable job of replaying a piano, better quality 'phones will only improve the listening on those occasions.

Thanks again for your input, your responses have been very helpful and enlightening.

[hudo]

During lockdown I was working from abroad, and used headphones only, and really got used it, enjoyed it a lot! Its a different experience from speakers of course, but I liked it.
For that purpose i got myself Audeze LCD2 (after trying few Hifiman and other planar headphones) so I personally prefer planars compared to dynamic drivers. Hifihut has few in stock, so you can demo them and compare directly.
For amp, I ended up with Schiit Asgard 3, very satisfied with its performance.

[Ivor]

Hifihut has few in stock, so you can demo them and compare directly.
For amp, I ended up with Schiit Asgard 3, very satisfied with its performance.

HiFi Hut seem to have developed an attitude recently whereby you have to make an appointment just to look in the door. That attitude was always there but its recently been honed! I'm going by others experiences, I only every use them for mail order on smaller stuff.

[hudo]

True, I always want to check out what they have connected and playing on the 1st floor demo room. They told me once i have to make an appointment, which i did few times, but such i shame i can't just pop in for a 10mins and have a quick listen. Complete opposite from Cloney where they often tell me "sit down and listen to this" as soon as i enter the shop. God bless them:) But hope you don't need to make appointment for headphones since they're already there hanging on the wall.

[Brutus1968]

Years ago I bought a pair of Grado SR80 to be connected at the standard phones output of my vintage integrated amps, but I have never been a fan of headphones. I think I miss the physical impact of a good speaker (not necessarily at very loud volume). So I have the idea (one day) to include in the headphones setup a subwoofer amp module and a pair of exciter speakers mounted to the listening chair/couch: in this way I would keep the physical feeling, with the possibility to adjust it as well. Probably not really a HIFI experience, but it could be entertaining. Did anyone try something like that?

Best

[meep]

Hi Rocker

Interesting to hear about your plans.

We met many moons ago when I had cause to visit you when I was either collecting or delivering some PMC speakers that were doing the rounds for demo at the time.

I've been getting back to headphones myself recently.

I was in New York a few years ago and decided to treat myself to a pair. I found a very nice HiFi store in lower Manhattan and had a chance to try out some fine sets. I listened to some Focal ( can't remember model) and liked them a lot, but alas they were out of budget.

I ended up with a pair of locally made Grado RS2e which I used in the headphone socket of my Marantz receiver and later AV8805 processor.

I never got on with the Grados. I ultimately found them uncomfortable to wear and fiddly with permanent cables attached. I sold them on.

Fast forward a few years and I happened upon a very nice Lehmann Black Cube Linear Headphone amp at a price I couldn't turn down. It even came with some fine Cardas RCA cables.It's the original model, not the newer version II, but when I plugged in a pair of very very so so Sony headphones I had lying about unused for years, my ears were opened. That little amp made those basic Sonys sing!

I was intrigued and decided to look into those Focals again. Doing my due diligence however (YouTube), I came across very strong recommendations for more budget friendly sets from brands like Fiio and Sivga. (Who?). Not even sure if I wanted closed or open backs, I decided to go for a pair of Sivga Anser open backs. My thinking was I could get one of each from less than half the price of a good pair of Focals, figure out which type I preferred and upgrade from there.

However, those cheap and cheerful Ansers sound AMAZING to me. I will of course try others at shows etc., but am very happy with this somewhat mismatched setup for now.

I guess what I trying to say here is that the headphone amp is as important as the headphones themselves. A good one will take you a long way.

I'd find it hard to drop my speakers though. I understand your points about detail and depth in the listening experience. But I use my setup for both movies and music, and I don't know how I'd feel about losing my surround sound and prodigious bass! Though for an intimate late night listening session, I find myself turning more towards the headphones of late.

Good luck on the journey, and do report back on how you get on.