Lobby > Speakers
Studio monitors vs headphones
takato14:
--- Quote from: Chris F on September 15, 2015, 03:27:30 PM ---At the $300 (HD650) price point I don't think you will find a pair of speakers that will compete with a really well driven HD650.
I don't know about $1000 but at $3000 my studio monitors in a tiny untreated room (aka: crippled) are still better then all my headphones (incl HD650) at everything: imaging/soundstage, tonality, impact. The only thing the headphones consistently do better is ultimate detail retrieval due to the sealed environment/lower noise floor. Once I get some GIK in here the difference is only going to get larger.
That's not to say I don't greatly enjoy the headphone experience BTW.
--- End quote ---
Woah woah, what? $300 for the HD650? I think you're being a bit optimistic, the HD650 is $500. $300 is a rare sale price. It usually goes for $4-450 on amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00018MSNI/
Anaxilus:
--- Quote from: cspirou on September 15, 2015, 01:27:15 PM ---While reading the latest post on Big Sound 2015 over at innerfidelity, Tyll said something interesting. He mention that he and Bob Katz both believe that the very best headphones still come short against state of the art studio monitors. Which got me thinking about what speakers would be considered to be a better experience then certain headphones.
So what would you consider to be a desktop experience that surpasses an HD650 with proper amplification? Would I have to spend a fortune or could I get something good for under $1000?
--- End quote ---
This is my experience:
http://www.changstar.com/index.php/topic,1908.msg81617.html#msg81617
I can say I've been to every "The Show" the last three years and the number of speaker rigs I'd take over my personal headphone rig I could count with one hand and maybe an extra finger or two.
Mr.Sneis:
--- Quote from: cspirou on September 15, 2015, 01:27:15 PM ---While reading the latest post on Big Sound 2015 over at innerfidelity, Tyll said something interesting. He mention that he and Bob Katz both believe that the very best headphones still come short against state of the art studio monitors. Which got me thinking about what speakers would be considered to be a better experience then certain headphones.
So what would you consider to be a desktop experience that surpasses an HD650 with proper amplification? Would I have to spend a fortune or could I get something good for under $1000?
--- End quote ---
I don't put much weight into statements like the above. Buying some fancy studio monitors is just the first step into a different world of audio; unless the studio monitors have massive woofers, IE not desktop sized then the bass impact may not be for you then requiring a sub. Powered monitors can often have a terrible noise floor and having internal amps it is also not uncommon to overheat and die after some years. Going separates can add up fast depending on your goal. Then you have to deal with spacing from the wall, angle, and possibly room treatments and decoupling. It adds up fast and in my experience the resell on speakers is not as good as headphone gear and it all makes it a tougher pill to swallow. I'm not even sure if a $1k budget would cover my needs and I try to keep things affordable.
I have a nearfield setup myself that I happen to like but am not necessarily enamored with. There's just a great deal more control and IMO less variables with headphone rigs. If you do want to go this route I suggest looking to well taken care of vintage gear on the cheap or super popular makes/models to minimize any risk going in.
Bill-p:
--- Quote from: cspirou on September 15, 2015, 01:27:15 PM ---While reading the latest post on Big Sound 2015 over at innerfidelity, Tyll said something interesting. He mention that he and Bob Katz both believe that the very best headphones still come short against state of the art studio monitors. Which got me thinking about what speakers would be considered to be a better experience then certain headphones.
So what would you consider to be a desktop experience that surpasses an HD650 with proper amplification? Would I have to spend a fortune or could I get something good for under $1000?
--- End quote ---
Different priorities for different folks, I'd say.
Speakers in general do soundstage and low frequencies better than headphones IMO. Sometimes if you're lucky, you can get some vintage speakers and receivers for a couple hundreds, and that setup will blow any headphone out of the water if it comes to bass and soundstage.
However, detail extraction, treble quality, imaging, clarity, etc... are all superior on some headphones. Even "clarity" of lower frequencies, whatever that actually means. Speakers up to thousands of dollars may not be able to catch up in that sense, even when the room is treated. There's a reason recording studios still have headphones around the mixing room even though they have monitors lying around.
That's all from my experience, of course. It may just be that I just have to hear the right speaker setup.
Negura:
--- Quote from: Mr.Sneis on September 15, 2015, 06:37:52 PM ---I don't put much weight into statements like the above. Buying some fancy studio monitors is just the first step into a different world of audio; unless the studio monitors have massive woofers, IE not desktop sized then the bass impact may not be for you. Powered monitors can often have a terrible noise floor and having internal amps it is also not uncommon to overheat and die after some years. Going separates is great fun but can add up fast depending on your goal. Then you have to deal with spacing from the wall, angle, and possibly room treatments and decoupling. It adds up fast and in my experience the resell on speakers is not as good as headphone gear and it all makes it a tougher pill to swallow. I'm not even sure if a $1k budget would cover my needs and I try to keep things affordable.
--- End quote ---
Exactly. Small studio monitors have a more reduced scope of what they can offer, due to inherent size limitations. Now mid-field monitors and far-field monitors, with sufficient investment around them are quite something else. It's not only about bass resolution and impact, it's a whole other level of reference performance. The downside: cost & space requirements. :) The only way to cheat at this game is to buy on the used market. The top full-range studio monitors are rare as hen's teeth on the used market over here (especially the passive ones as if they are old we wouldn't want actives). For good reasons.
Well seasoned passive ATC 50s and 100s are a good place to look at. Also any of the old PMCs, 3 ways. Needs to have the big mid dome preferrably. They will not be very cheap unless they are very old.
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